ESTERN  UTATES 


ERRITORIES.I 


aORlN    iJfibRUAKY     ^ua.lTyB. 

The  portrait  it/rvm  a  P/wtogmph  It  represents  the  Author  wth  pencil  and  pat-folio  in  hand 

in  tlie  act  of  slcetclwiq  from  Nature  -Tfie  likeness  will  be  reccgnized.  by  many  in  various  parts: of 

our  Cowitry,  wlw  saw  him  -while  on  JTIS  tour  tlwough  the  West,  collecting  materials  caul  takinn 

Sketches  for  the  Eiufrawm/s  in  tlwf  work. 


rt    ^  5-     * 
i  in 


ALL  THE  WESTERN  STATES 

AND 

TERRITORIES, 

/ 
FROM  THE  ALLEGHANIES  TO  THE  PACIFIC, 

AND 

FROM  THE  LAKES  TO  THE  GULF, 

CONTAINING 

Their  History  from  the  Earliest  Times,  with  Local 
History,  Incidents  of  Pioneer  Life,  Military  Events, 
Biographical  Sketches;  combined  with  full  Geograph 
ical  Descriptions  of  the  different  States,  Territories, 
Cities,  and  Towns;  the  whole  being  illustrated  by 

24.0    ETSTGM^^VITVOS, 

presenting  views  of  the  Cities  and  Principal  Towns, 
Public  Buildings  and  Monuments,  Battle  Fields,  His 
toric  Localities,  Natural  Curiosities,  etc.,  principally 
from  drawings  taken  on  the  spot  by  the  Authors. 


BY 

JOHN  W.  BARBER, 

AUTHOR  OF  HISTORICAL  COLLECTIONS  OF  CONNECTICUT,  MASSACHUSETTS,  *C., 


HENRY    HOWE, 

AUTHOE  OF  HIST.  COL'S  OF  VIRGINIA,  OHIO,  THE  GREAT  WEST,  AC. 


C  INC  1 1ST  FAT  I,    0. 

No.    Ill    M^iix    Street, 

HOWE'S    SUBSCRIPTION    BOOK    CONCERN, 

ESTABLISHED  BY  HENKY  HOWE  IN  1847. 
F.  A.  HOWE,  Proprietor.  HENRY  HOWE,  Manager. 


1867. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-seven 

By  F.  A.  HOWE, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 

District  of  Ohio. 


•oft  Literary 


INTRODUCTORY. 


DURING  the  sad,  tragic  years  of  the  Rebellion,  a  large  two- 
volume  work,  by  the  authors  of  this,  was  published  under  the 
title  of  "Our  Whole  Country."  It  was  modeled  on  the  same 
general  plan  with  the  Historical  Collections  of  Massachusetts  and 
of  Connecticut,  by  John  W.  Barber,  and  the  Historical  Collections 
of  Virginia  and  of  Ohio,  by  Henry  Howe.  That  work  was  issued 
at  great  expense,  consequent  upon  years  of  labor,  extensive 
travel,  and  the  drawing  and  engraving  of  many  hundred  original 
views  of  objects  of  interest  in  all  parts  of  our  land.  This  ex 
pense  was  full  fifteen  thousand  dollars  before  the  first  sheet  of 
paper  was  bought  upon  which  it  was  printed,  and  was  an  undi 
vided  enterprise  of  our  own. 

The  changed  condition  of  a  part  of  our  country,  united  to  the 
double  expense  of  book  publishing,  compels  us  to  alter  the  plan, 
and  to  issue  the  original  work  in  two  independent,  separate 
books,  with  such  changes  in  the  materials  as  are  demanded  by 
the  lapse  of  time  and  events.  By  this  means  a  choice  of  either 
will  be  given  to  such  limited  finances  as  can  not  grasp  both. 

The  one  book  will  comprise  "The  Atlantic  States,  North, 
and  South;79  the  other  is  the  present  volume,  "The  Whole 
"West."  The  first-named  will  be  preceded  by  an  introduction 
giving  the  general  history  of  the  country,  when  will  follow,  in 
order,  all  the  sea-board  States,  originally  British  colonies,  and 
the  old  Spanish  colony  of  Florida,  the  most  ancient  of  them  all, 
but  of  feeble  nursing  and  of  trivial  growth.  The  book  you  hold 
comprises  all  of  that  immense  territory  comprehended  under  the 
term  "  The  Great  West." 

The  six  States  of  the  South-west  are  herein  grouped  by  them 
selves;  and  the  articles  upon  them,  and  the  views  of  places 

(3) 


4  INTRODUCTORY. 

therein,  are  especially  interesting,  as  showing  their  condition 
and  appearance  at  the  outbreak  of  the  late  terrible  struggle. 
From  chaos  may  new  and  more  graceful  forms  arise,  and  that 
unhappy  people,  whose  valor  and  endurance  have  been  so  extra 
ordinary,  be  soon  lifted  into  clearer  skies  and  to  more  pleasing 
visions. 

For  obvious  reasons,  the  events  of  the  late  intestine  war  have 
no  place  here.  Their  introduction  would  swell .  the  work  to 
too  extensive  proportions.  Besides,  it  is  to  be  expected  that 
every  family  will  possess  volumes  solely  devoted  to  that  topic 
which  has  entered  so  largely  and  thrillingly  into  the  general 
experience  of  us  all. 

Our  frontispiece  is  a  life-like  portrait  of  Mr.  John  W.  Barber. 
He  is  the  principal  author  of  this  work,  our  part  having  been 
mainly  to  add  to  the  materials  collected  by  him  through  years 
of  labor  and  travel.  The  picture  is  faithful,  photographed  from 
the  original,  and  true  to  every  article  of  costume,  even  to  the 
antique  carpet-bag  on  the  sward  at  his  feet.  He  is  represented 
with  pencil  and  portfolio  in  hand,  in  the  act  of  sketching  from 
nature.  For  the  information  of  those  unfamiliar  with  book  pub 
lishing,  we  here  describe  the  process  by  which  the  pictures  in 
this  work  were  produced. 

1st.  They  were  drawn  on  the  spot  by  the  eye,  in  outline  with 
pencil  on  paper,  on  a  large  scale. 

2d.  Reduced  in  outline  on  paper  to  the  smaller  scale  of  the 
engraving. 

3d.  These  outlines  again  traced  on  wood,  and  shaded  by  an 
artist. 

4th.  Engraved ;  a  labor  of  several  years,  had  only  one  engraver 
been  employed. 

6th.  Stereotyped  on  the  page  with  the  type,  ready  for  the 
printer. 

Owing  to  the  position  of  many  places,  only  a  partial  view 
could  be  given.  To  recognize  any  scene,  the  reader  must  be 
familiar  with  it  from  the  point  from  whence  the  drawing  was 
taken.  As  a  general  thing,  they  have  been  rendered  with  that 
care  that  any  one  with  book  in  hand  can  readily  place  himself 
within  a  yard  or  two  of  the  precise  spot  on  which  Mr.  Barber 
stood.  In  our  rapid  growth  and  Aladdin-like  changes,  these 
views  will  soon  pass  into  history,  and  be  of  even  higher  value 
than  now  as  showing  our  country  at  the  era  of  the  great  rebellion. 


INTRODUCTORY.  5 

Mr.  Barber,  whom  we  have  thus  introduced  to  the  reader, 
deserves  so  to  be.  He  is  a  plain,  unobtrusive  old  gentleman, 
who  began  life  with  only  lAe  solid  education  Connecticut  gives 
all  her  sons— born  at  the  close  of  the  administration  of  George 
"Washington,  in  the  century  that  is  past— with  no  especial  pride, 
except  in  being  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrims,  of  whom  he  is  a 
genuine,  honest,  and  most  unmistakable  offshoot.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  untiring  and  useful  industry,  chiefly  passed  in  com 
piling  books,  every  page  of  which  has  been  created  with  a  view 
to  benefit  the  public.  No  man  living  in  the  Union  has  taken  so 
many  views  of  places  in  it  as  he,  in  making  drawings  for  this 
and  his  various  State  workp.  His  books  have  gratified  CU  classes; 
the  learned  and  unlearned,  the  old  and  young.  A  personal  anec 
dote  is  proper  here.  On  a  time,  in  the  years  now  gone,  we  were 
rattled  over  the  paving-stones  of  Broadway  in  an  omnibus,  and 
holding  the  first  bound  volume  of  a  State  work,  the  result  of  the 
joint  labor  of  Mr.  Barber  and  ourself.  An  elderly  gentleman,  in 
neat,  and,  as  we  thought,  somewhat  humble  attire,  leaned  over 
to  look  at  our  book:  then  putting  an  inquiry,  which  we  an 
swered,  he  rejoined:  "I  have  Mr.  Barber's  Connecticut  and  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  I  shall  want  that."  A  moment  later,  the  vehicle 
stopped,  and  our  questioner  left  us.  "Do  you  know  who  that 
old  gentleman  is  that  spoke  to  you  ? "  asked  a  fellow-passenger, 
also  a  stranger.  "No  sir."  "That,"  added  he,  "is  Chancellor 
Kent!" 

It  is  now  thirty  years  since  Mr.  Barber  published  his  first  State 
work,  that  on  Connecticut.  It  was  the  model  on  which  others 
were  formed,  and  a  surprise  to  the  public,  for  its  plan  was 
original  and  quaint.  The  venerable  Koati  Webster,  a  towns 
man  of  Mr.  Barber,  was  especially  gratified.  The  venerable, 
slender  form  of  Webster,  in  the  garb  of  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  with  broad-brimmed  hat,  shading  a  benignant,  scholarly 
face,  with  Quaker-like  cut  coat,  short  breeches,  and  buckle 
shoes,  was,  at  that  period,  a  pleasant  and  daily  object  to  be  met 
moving  modestly  along  under  the  proudly  arching  elms  of  New 
Haven. 

We  then  knew  them  both  "as  a  boy  knows  a  man."  Mrs. 
Barber,  as  Miss  Ruth  Greene,  had,  only  a  few  years  before, 
pointed  out  to  us  the  mysteries  of  A  B  C  from  Webster's  spell 
ing-book.  It  was  in  the  printing-office  at  the  time,  or,  perhaps, 
a  .little  later,  owned  by  our  father,  Hezekiah  Howe,  and  attached 


6  INTRODUCTORY. 

to  his  book-store,  that  the  first  edition  of  Webster's  great  quarto 
dictionary  was  printed.  It  was  several  years  in  going  through 
the  press,  for  it  was  a  day  of  slow  coaches ;  when,  as  we  recol 
lect,  our  geographies  told  us  the  American  people  had  no 
"  particular  character ! "  The  nation  was  then  too  young. 

The  issue  of  this  dictionary  was  a  great  event.  When  fin 
ished,  Mr.  Webster  gave  a  generous  supper  at  his  house  to  the 
compositors  and  pressmen— some  twenty  in  number— who  had 
labored  upon  it.  He  took  the  occasion  to  bless  the  young 
men  in  good,  fatherly  talk  upon  the  practical  matters  of  life. 
Among  the  topics  introduced  was  that  of  runaway  horses.  He 
had  for  years  kept  a  record  of  accidents.  Almost  all  fatal 
results  to  life  and  limb  had  arisen  from  parties  endeavoring  to 
save  themselves  by  springing  from  the  whirling  vehicle.  His 
advice  was  to  those  present,  whenever  placed  in  such  peril, 
to  stick  to  the  wagon.  The  word  "stick,"  though  in  that  con 
nection,  Webster  did  not  probably  use;  for  he,  in  common 
with  those  Yale  men  generally,  spoke  English  so  "pure  and 
undefiled,"  that  a  slang  word,  or  a  coarse  one,  gave  a  greater 
shock  to  his  delicate  sensibilities  than  a  full,  round,  swelling 
oath  gives  to  common  ears.  This  anecdote,  living  until  now 
only  in  memory,  is  fastened  in  here,  as  a  pleasing  reminis 
cence  of  the  calm,  wise  man  who  caused  us  all  to  drop  the 
U  from  that  brightest  of  words — Honor. 

Many  years— perhaps  an  entire  generation— must  elapse  before 
another  book  will  be  issued  upon  the  West  involving  so  much 
of  labor  and  expense  as  this.  More  of  both  were  given  before 
the  first  sheet  was  printed  than  to  most  volumes  of  the  same 
size  and  price  completed  for  the  market.  We  design  this  as  a 
standard  work  upon  the  West,  and,  in  successive  editions,  to 
enhance  its  value  by  such  modifications  and  additions  as  may 
seem  desirable.  We  trust  it  will  become  a  Household  book  for 
the  Western  people;  and  not  only  this,  but  to  add  to  the  evi 
dence,  if  it  were  necessary,  what  a  mighty  empire,  under  the 
influence  of  our  good  government,  has  grown  up  here  on  the 
sunset  side  of  the  Alleghanies  since  many  among  us  first  looked 
upon  the  beautiful  things  of  life  in  the  simple,  trusting  faith  of 
childhood. 


CINCINNATI,  111  Main  Street. 


t^T 


ENGRAVINGS. 


THE  WESTERN  STATES,  PACIFIC  STATES,  AND 
UNITED  STATES  TERRITORIES. 

List  of  Engravings  in  the  STATES  of  the  SOUTHWEST,  see  p.  12."] 


Portrait  of  J.  W.  Barber,  FRONTIS 
PIECE. 

Map,  All  the  West,  March  4,  1803, 
FRONTISPIECE. 

WEST  VIRGINIA. 

Arms  of  West  Virginia, 33 

Wheeling, 40 

Tray  Run  Viaduct, 43 

KENTUCKY. 

Arm's  of  Kentucky, 45 

Frankfort, 48 

State  House,  Frankfort, 49 

Military  Monument,.    49 

Grave  of  Daniel  Boone, 51 

Louisville, 53 

Medical  and  Law  Colleges, 54 

Green  River  Bridge, 56 

View  in  the  Mammoth  Cave, 56 

United  States  Barracks  and  Sus 
pension  Bridge,  Newport,...  58 

Public  Square,  Lexington, 64 

Ashland,  Seat  of  Henry  Clay,...  65 

Monument  of  Henry  Clay, 67 

Old  Fort  at  Boonesboro' 68 

Landing  at  Paducah, 70 

A  Tobacco  Plantation, 71 

A  Religious  Encampment, 77 

Signature  of  Daniel  Boone, 78 

Signature  of  Geo.  Rogers  Clark,  79 

Signature  of  Isaac  Shelby, 82 

Signature  of  Henry  Clay, 82 


OHIO. 

Arms  of  Ohio, 85 

Ancient  Mound,  Marietta, 90 

Campus  Martius,  Marietta, 91 

A  Pioneer  DwelHng, 93 

Gallipolis,  in  1791, 95 

*  Outline  View  of  Cincinnati, 98 

First  Church  in  Cincinnati, 100 

Cincinnati  in  1802, 101 

View  in  Fourth  St.,  Cincinnati,  103 

Pike's  Building, 105 

Longworth's  Vineyard, 107 

Harrison  House,  North  Bend,..  109 
Old  Block  House,  near  N.  Bend,  110 
Monument  of  J.  C.  Symmes,...  110 

Court  House,  Chillicothe, Ill 

Old  State  Capitol, 112 

Portsmouth, 115 

State  Capitol,  Columbus, 116 

Ohio  White  Sulphur  Springs,..  117 

Court  House,  Zanesville, 119 

Market  Street,  Steubenville,....  125 

Superior  Street,  Cleveland, 127 

Ancient  Map,  Cleveland, 128 

Toledo, 130 

Wayne's  Battle-ground, 133 

Public  Square,  Sandusky, 138 

Ancient  Map,  Sandusky, 138 

Fort  Sandusky, 139 

Wyandot  Mission  Church, 141 

View  in  Dayton, 142 

Old  Court  House  in  Greene  Co..  143 
Plan  of  St.  Glair's  Battlefield,..  145 


*  The  engravings  original  to  this  work  can  not  be  copied  by  other  publishers  with- 
ont  infringement  of  copyright^ 

(Vii) 


Vlll 


ENGRAVINGS. 


Birth-place  of  Tecumseh, 148 

Signature  of  Presid't  Harrison,  149 

Swiss  Emigrant's  Cottage, 149 

Grave  of  Simon  Kenton, 151 

Brady's  Pond, 152 

Statue  of  Com.  Perry,Cleveiand,  153 

INDIANA. 

Arms  of  Indiana, 155 

The  Harrison  House, Vincennes,  159 

State  Capitol,  Indianapolis, 164 

Union  Depot, 165 

View  in  Terre  Haute, 168 

Friends'  Board.  Sen.,  Richm'd,  169 

Evansville, 171 

Rapp's  Church,  New  Harmony,  172 

Calhoun  Street,  Fort  Wayne,...  175 

Old  Fort  Wayne, 177 

Lafayette,  180 

Tippecanoe  Battle-ground, ,  181 

Map  of  do.  18&%. 

Madison, 186 

New  Albany, 188 

Military  Monument, 189 

University  of  Indiana, 191 

Old  State  Capitol.  Corydon,....  191 

The  Jug  Rock,... 192 

The  Mill  Stream  Cave, 192 

ILLINOIS. 

Arms  of  Illinois, 195 

Chicago  in  1831, 200 

Court  House  Square,  Chicago,..  202 

Block  Raising,  Chicago, 204 

Grain  Houses,  etc.,  Chicago,...  205 
State  House  Square,  Springfi'd,  211 
Lincoln  Residence,  Springfield,  213 
Illinois  College,  Jacksonville,..  218 

Bloomington,  221. 

Peoria,.. 222 

Quincy,  .. 226 

Alton.......... 228 

Map  of  Levee  at  Cairo, 232 

June.  Ohio  and  Miss.,  Cairo,...  232 

Galena,. 233 

The  Lead  Region, 235 

Rock  Island  City, 236 

Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  237 

Nauvoo, 239 

Mt.  Joliet, 243 

Cave-in-the-Rock, 249 


MICHIGAN. 

Arms  of  Michigan, 251 

Detroit, 257 

Woodward  Avenue,  Detroit,  ...  259 

State  House,  Lansing, 265 

State  Penitentiary,  Jackson, 267 

State  University,  Ann  Arbor,...  268 

Winchester's  Head-q's,  Monroe,  269 

Site  of  Stockade  on  the  Raisin,  272 

Deaf  and  Dumb  Assylum,  Flint,  277 

Monroe  Street,  Grand  Kapids,..  279 

Lumberman's  Camp, 281 

Mackinaw  Island, 285 

The  Arched  Rock, 286 

Ruins  of  Old  Fort  Mackinaw,..  287 

Map  of  Mackinaw  and  Vicinity,  290 

Falls  of  St.  Mary, 292 

Map  of  Copper  &  Iron  Region,  294 

The  Minnesota  Mine,..  .  296 


WISCONSIN. 

Arms  of  Wisconsin, 

Harbor  of  Milwaukie, 

The  Portage, , 

Voyageurs'  Camp, , 

Madison, , 

Map  of  the  Four  Lakes, 

Ft.  Crawford,  Prairie  du  Chien. 

Racine, 

The  Maiden's  Rock, 

Fort  Winnebago,  in  1831, 


MINNESOTA. 

Arms  of  Minnesota, 

St.  Paul, 

Fort  Snelling, 

Minne-ha-ha  Falls, 

Lake  I ta sea, 

Dacotah  Dog  Dance  (music),... 
Ojibway  Sculp  Dance  (music),. 

IOWA. 

Arms  of  Iowa, 

Dubuque, 

Ruins  of  Camanche, 

Davenport,  

Attack  on  Bellevue  Hotel, 

Burlington, \... 

Judge  Rorer's  House, 

Keokuk, 

Prairie  Scenery, 


305 
311 
321 
322 
323 
327 
329 
334 
338 
341 


349 
354 
356 
357 
361 
363 
363 


367 
372 
379 
383 
387 
391 
392 
393 
395 


ENGRAVINGS. 


IX 


State  Capitol,  Des  Moines, 398 

Muscatine, , 399 

State  University,  Iowa  City,....  401 

MISSOURI. 

Arms  of  Missouri, 405 

Levee  at  St.  Louis, 409 

Court  House,  St.  Louis, 411 

Biddle  Monument, 417 

Jefferson  City, 418 

Lexington  Landing,  423 

Kansas  City, 424 

A  Santa  Fe  Train, 426 

St.  Joseph, 428 

Hannibal,  429 

Pilot  Knob, 438 

KANSAS. 

Arms  of  Kansas, 441 

Fort  Leavenworth, 446 

Leaven  worth, 447 

Lawrence, 449 

Lecompton, 451 

Topeka  Bridge, 453 

Kansas  Indian  Village, 455 

CALIFORNIA. 

Arms  of  California, 459 

Harbor  of  San  Francisco, 469 

Execution  by  Vigilance  Com...  474 
Sutter's  Mill, 479 


Washing  Gold  with  Long  Tom,  480 

Hydraulic  Mining, 482 

i'remont's  Ranch, 483 

Mammoth  Tree  Grove,  485 

OREGON. 

Arms  of  Oregon, 501 

Valley  of  the  Willamette, 506 

Giant  Pines, 507 

COLORADO. 

View  in  Denver, 516 

Street  in  Denver, 517 

UTAH. 

View  in  Salt  Lake  City, 538 

Mammon  Harem, 540 

NEW  MEXICO. 

Giant  Cactus, 551 

Pueblo,  or  town  of  Zuni, 553 

Ancient  Pueblo, 537 

do.         Plan, 537 

Canon  of  Chilly 559 

do.  Pueblo  in, 559 

Inscription  Rock, 561 

ARIZONA. 

Church  at  Tucson, 565 

Silver  Mine  Works, 566 


STATES. 

California,  459     Kentucky, 45  Nevada,  489 

Illinois, 195     Michigan, 271  Ohio,  85 

Indiana, 155     Minnesota, 349  Oregon, 501 

Iowa, 367     Missouri, 405  West  Virginia,..,.  33 

Kansas, 441     Nebraska, 509  Wisconsin, 305 


U.  S.  TERRITORIES. 

Arizona, 563     Idaho, 529  New  Mexico 545 

Colorado, 515     Indian, 532  Utah, .' 535 

Dacotah, 531     Montana, 525  Washington, 533 


CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 


Abingdon,         245    Connersville,  193  Hamilton,         110  Lima,  147 

Acoma,             555     Corydon,  191  Hannibal,         429  Logan,  148 

Adrian,             268     Coulterville,  489  JIarrodsburg.      51  Logansport,      189 

Albnrquerque,  555     Council  Bluffs,  399  Hastings,  359  Los  An  gel  os,    488 

Allegan,            284     Covington,  58  Henderson,         70  Louisville,  52 

Almont,            284  Crawfordsville,191  Hermann,         434  M'Connelsvillel48 

Acton,               227  Crescent  City,  488  Hickman,  70  Mackinaw,        284 

Ann  Arbor,      268  Cynthiana,  70  Hillsdale,          283  Macombe,         245 

Ash  tabula,        147  Davenport,  382  Hillsboro,         148  Madison,  186,  323 

Astoria,            508  Danville,  69  Hopkinsville,     70  Manhattan,      454 

Atchison,          448  Dayton,  141  Hudson,            338  Manitowoc,      348 

Aurora,     193-495  Decatur,  245  Humboldt  City,  Mansfield,         147 

Austin,             495  Delaware,  147  488  Marietta,            89 

Bannock  City,  526  Delphi,  193  Huntington,      193  Mariposa,         487 

Bardstown,         70  Denver,  516  Independence,  429  Marshall,          283 

Batavia,            245  Des  Moines,  398  Indianapolis,    163  Marquette,        299 

Battle  Creek,    283  Detroit,  257  Iowa  City,        401  Marysville,       483 

Beloit,               335  Dixon,  244  Ironton,     148,433  Massillon,         147 

Bellefontaine,  147  Dubuque,  372  Janesville,        335  Maysville,          57 

Bellville,           245  Dunleith,  244  Jackson,           267  Mendota,          359 

Bellvue,     386,559  Eaton,  148  Jacksonville,    217  Michigan  City,  190 

Belvidere,         245  Elgin,  245  Jefferson  City,  417  Milwaukie,       311 

Benicia,            488  Elyria,  147  Jeffersonville,  190  Mineapolis,       358 

Bloomington,  Evansville,  170  Joliet,                243  Mineral  Point,  335 

191, 221  Fillmore  City,  544  Kalamazoo,      283  Mishawaka,      193 

Boonville,         433  Flint,  277  Kankakee  City,  Moline,             245 

Bowling  Green,  68  Fond  du  Lac,  339  244  Monroe,            268 

Bucyrus,           147  Fort  Dodge,  402  Kansas  City,    424  Monterey,         488 

Burlington,       390  Fort  Snelling,  356  Kaskaskia,        213  Morgantown,      43 

Cairo,                231  Fort  Wayne,  175  Kenosha,          334  Mt.  Clemens,    284 

Cambridge,       148  Fort  Yuma,  488  Keokuk,           393  Mt.  Pleasant,   403 

Cambridge  City,  Frankfort,  48  Keosaugua,      403  Mt.    Vernon, 

456  Franklin,  193  Klamath,          488  147,  193 

Cannelton,        148  Fremont,  139  La  Crosse,        337  Muncie,            193 

Canton,             147  Freeport,  233  La  Fayette,       179  Muscatine,        399 

Carrolton,           70  Galena,  233  Lake  City,        359  Napierville,      245 

Carson  City,     492  Galesburg,  233  Laguana,          555  Nauvoo,            239 

Cedar  Falls,     403  Gallipolis,  94  Lancaster,         148  Nebraska  City,511 

Cedar  Rapids,  403  Georgetown,  70  Lansing,            265  Nemaha  City,  511 

Charleston,        42  Germantown,  148  La  Pointe,        348  New  Albany,    189 

Chicago,           199  Golden  City,  518  La  Porte,          190  Newark,            118 

Chillicothe,       111  Goshen,  193  La  Salle,           344  NewHarmony,172 

Cincinnati,          99  Grand  Haven,  284  Lawrence,         448  New  Lisbon,     148 

Circleville,        104  Grand  Rapids,  278  Lawrenceburg  190  New  Madrid,    419 

Clarksburg,        43  Grasshopper  Leavenworth  Newport,  58 

Cleveland,         127        Falls,  454  City,  447  Nicolet,             359 

Coldwater,        283  Green  Bay,  316  Lebanon,          148  Niles,                283 

Colorado  City,  518  Greencastle,  191  Lecornpton,       451  Newark,            147 

Coloma,            478  Greenfield,  148  Le  Sueur,          359  Oberlin,            147 

Columbus,  Greensburg,  193  Lotiisburg,          42  Olympia,           535 

70,116,193  Grinnell,  403  Lewistown,       529  Omaha  City,     511 

Conneaut,         125  Guyandotte,  51  Lexington,  64, 422  Ontonagon,       299 

(x) 


CITIES — TOWNS. 


XI 


Oregon  City,  508 
Oskaloosa,  403 
Ossawatomie,  454 


Ottawa, 

Owensboro, 

Ozaukce, 

Paducah. 

Painesville, 

Paris, 

Parkersburg, 

Pembina, 

Peoria, 

Peru, 

Piqua, 


245 
70 
348 
70 
147 
70 
39 
531 
222 
193 
147 


359 
169 
148 
193 
233 


286 

193 

284 

70 


Plattesmouth,  511 


Pomeroy, 
Pontiac, 


148 

282 


Portage  City,    340 


588 
282 
113 
433 


Portland, 

Port  Huron, 

Portsmouth, 

Potosi, 

Prairie  du  Chien, 

328 

Prescott,  338,563 
Princeton,  193 
Quincy,  226 

Racine,  333 

Ravenna,          147 


Red  Wing, 
Richmond, 
Ripley, 
Rising  Sun, 
Rockford, 
Rock  Island 

City, 

Rockville, 
Romeo, 
Russelville, 
Sacram.  City,  478 
Saginaw,  282 

Salem,  508 

St.  Anne,  402 
St.  Anthony,  357 
St.  Charles,245,432 
St.  Genevieve,  434 
St  Joseph,435,427 
St.  Paul,  409 

Salt  Lake  City,  538 
San  Diego,  488 
Sandoval,  245 
Sandusky,  137 
San  Francisco,  468 
San  Jose,  488 
Santa  Barbara,488 
Santa  Fe,  552 
Sault  de  Ste. 

Marie,  291 


Shakopee,  359 
Sheboygan,  348 
Shelbyville, 

70, 193 

Sidney,  147 

8pver  City,       491 
Sioux  City, 
Smithland, 
Sonora, 
South  Bend, 
Springfield, 

142,211 

Sterling,  245 

Steubenville,  124 
Stillwater,  359 
Stockton,  483 
Superior  City,  348 


Upper  Sanduskv, 

139 
Urban  a,  147,  245 


Vallejo, 


403 

70 

484 

190 


488 
245 
70 
191 
158 


Sycamore, 

Ta< 

Tecumseh, 


245 
554 

283 


Terre  Haute,    167 

Tiffin, 

Toledo, 

Topeka, 

Trinidad, 

Troy, 

Tubac, 

Tucson, 

Two  Rivers, 


147 
130 
452 
488 
147 
565 
565 
348 


lej 

Vandalia, 
Versailles, 
Vevay, 
Vincennes, 
Virginia  City,  491 
Wabashaw,"  359 
Warren,  147 

Watertown,  328 
Waubonsee,  454 
Waukegan,  245 
Wellsburg,  41 
Wellsville,  148 
Weston,  43, 428 
Wheeling,  39 

White  Sulphur 

Springs,  43 

Wilmington,  148 
Winona, 
Wooster, 
Wyandot, 
Xenia, 
Youngstown,  147 
Ypsilanti,  283 
Zanesville.  119 
Zuni.  555 


350 
147 
448 
143 


STATES  OF  THE  SOUTHWEST, 


ALABAMA. 

Arms  of  Alabama,      571 
St.  Louis  Wharf,  Mobile, 
575 
Fort  Morgan,  Mobile 


Point, 


76 


Central  View  in  Mont 
gomery,  576 

Landing  at  Selma,       580 

University  of  Alabama, 
Tuscaloosa,  582 

Public  Square,  Hunts- 
ville,  583 

MISSISSIPPI. 

Arms  of  Mississippi,  585 
Central  View  of  Jack 

son,  588 

Natchez,  588 

Vicksburg,  593 

Observatory  of  the  State 

'University,  594 

Harvesting  Cotton,      597 

LOUISIANA. 

Arms  of  Louisiana,  599 
Jackson  Square,  New 

Orleans,  602 

Levee  in  New  Orleans,602 
St.  Charles  street  in 

New  Orleans,  603 


ENGRAVINGS. 

Lafayette"Square,  New 
Orleans,  605 

Outline  View  of  New 
Orleans,  605 

Battle-field,  New  Orleans, 
607 

French   Cemetery,  in 
New  Orleans,  613 

Baton  Rouge,  674 

Gen.  Taylor's  Residence, 
674 

Gathering  Sugar  Cane,61 7 

TENNESSEE. 
Arms  of  Tennessee,     623 
Nashville,  627 

State  House,  Nashville, 

628 

President  Polk's  Resi 
dence,  529 
Memphis,                     630 
Knoxville,                    632 
Signature   of  Andrew 

Jackson,  635 

Residence  of  Andrew 

Jackson,  636 

Tomb  of  Andrew  Jack 
son,  638 
David  Crockett's  Cabin, 

640 

Brainerd,    Missionary 
Station,  642 

STATES. 


ARKANSAS. 

Arms  of  Arkansas,  645 
Little  Rock,  648 

Helena,  549 

Napoleon,  649 

Scene  on  the  Arkansas, 

650 

TEXAS. 

Arms  of  Texas,  65$ 

Galveston,  661 

View  of  the  Main  Plaza, 
San  Antonio,  662 

Church  of  the  Alamo, 

663 

Mission  of  San  Jose,  666 
The  Alamo,  667 

Plan  of  the  Alamo,  669 
Landing  at  Houston,  673 
Ancient  Capitol,  Houston, 

674 

Ruins  at  Goliad,  675 
State  Capitol,  Austin,  678 
The  Alamo  Monument, 

679 

San  Jacinto  Battle 
ground,  .  685 
Soldiers'  Grave,  t^an  Ja 
cinto  Battle-ground, 687 
A  night  Scene  on  the 
Buffalo  Bayou,        691 


Alabama, 
Arkansas 

571     Louisiana, 
645     Mississippi, 

599     Tennessee, 
585     Texas, 

523 
653 

CITIES—  TOWNS. 

Aberdeen, 

593 

Fort  Smith, 

650 

Marion, 

581 

Paris, 

695 

Alexandria, 

621 

Galveston, 

6fil 

Marshall, 

695 

Pine  Bluff, 

650 

Arkansas  Post, 

649 

Goliad, 

674 

Matagorda, 

695 

Port  Lavacca, 

695 

Athens, 

633 

Gallatin, 

533 

Memphis, 

630 

San  Antonio, 

661 

Austin, 

678 

Gonzales, 

5«5 

Mobile, 

575 

San  Augustine, 

695 

Batesville, 

648 

Greenville, 

633 

Montgomery, 

576 

Selma, 

580 

Baton  Rouge, 

674 

Helena, 

649 

Murfreesboro, 

632 

Shelbyville, 

633 

Brownsville, 

691 

Holly  Springs, 

599 

Nacogdoches, 

694 

Shreveport, 

621 

Canton, 

593 

Hot  Springs, 

650 

Napoleon, 

649 

Tuscaloosa, 

583 

Castorville, 

683 

Houston, 

673 

Natchez, 

587 

Tuscumbia, 

583 

Olarksville, 

633 

Huntsville, 

583 

Natchetoches, 

621 

Van  Buren, 

650 

Cleveland, 

633 

Jackson,       587, 

633 

Nashville, 

627 

Vicksburg, 

593 

Columbia, 

633 

Jonesboro, 

632 

New  Braunfels, 

680 

Victoria, 

695 

Columbus, 

593 

Knoxville, 

631 

New  Orleans, 

602 

Wetumpka, 

583 

Chattanooga, 

632 

Lebanon, 

633 

Opelousas> 

621 

Winchester, 

633 

Fayetteville,633,651 

Little  Rock, 

648 

Oxford. 

593 

Yaz.oo  City, 

593 

Florence, 

583 

McMinnville, 

633 

HISTORICAL    SKETCH 


OF   THE 


WEST 


TWENTY  years  after  the  great  event  occurred,  which  has  immor 
talized  the  name  of  Christopher  Columbus,  Florida  was  discovered 
by  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon,  ex-governor  of  Porto  Rico.  Sailing  from 
that  island  in  March,  1512,  he  discovered  an  unknown  country, 
which  he  named  Florida,  from  the  abundance  of  its  flowers,  the 
trees  being  covered  with  blossoms,  and  its  first  being  seen  on 
Easter  Sunday,  a  day  called  by  the  Spaniards  Pascua  Florida; 
the  name  imports  the  country  of  flowers.  Other  explorers  soon 
visited  the  same  coast.  In  May,  1539,  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  the 
Governor  of  Cuba,  landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  with  six  hundred  fol 
lowers.  He  marched  into  the  interior;  and  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1541,  discovered  the  Mississippi;  being  the  first  European  who 
had  ever  beheld  that  mighty  river. 

Spain  for  many  years  claimed  the  whole  of  the  country — bounded 
by  the  Atlantic  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  on  the  north,  all  of 
which  bore  the  name  of  Florida.  About  twenty  years  after  the 
discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  some  Catholic  missionaries  attempted 
to  form  settlements  at  St.  Augustine,  and  its  vicinity ;  and  a  few 
years  later  a  colony  of  French  Calvinists  had  been  established  on 
the  St.  Mary's,  near  the  coast.  In  1565,  this  settlement  was  anni 
hilated  by  an  expedition  from  Spain,  under  Pedro  Melendez  de 
Aviles;  and  about  nine  hundred  French,  men,  women  and  children, 
cruelly  massacred.  The  bodies  of  many  of  the  slain  were  hung 
'from  trees,  with  the  inscription,  k(>J^ot  as  Frenchmen,  but  as 
heretics"  Having  accomplished  his  bloody  errand,  Melendez 
founded  St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  town  by  half  a  century  of  any 
now  in  the  Union.  Four  years  after,  Dominic  de  Gourges,  burn 
ing  to  avenge  his  countrymen,  fitted  out  an  expedition  at  his  own 
.expense,  and  surprised  the  Spanish  colonists 'on  the  St.  Mary's; 
destroying  the  ports,  burning  the  houses,  and  ravaging  the  settle 
ments  with  fire  and  sword ;  finishing  the  work  by  also  suspending 
some  of  the  corpses  of  his  enemies  from  trees,  with  the  inscription, 


14-  OUTLINE  HISTORY. 

"Not  as  Spaniards,  but  as  murderers"  Unable  to  hold  possession 
of  the  country,  de  Gourges  retired  to  his  fleet.  Florida,  excepting 
for  a  few  years,  remained  under  the  Spanish  crown,  suffering  much 
in  its  early  history,  from  the  vicissitudes  of  war  and  piratical 
incursions,  until  1819,  when,  vastly  diminished  from  its  original 
boundaries,  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  in  1845  became 
a  State. 

In  1535,  James  Cartier,  a  distinguished  French  mariner,  sailed 
with  an  exploring  expedition  up  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  taking  pos 
session  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  his  king,  called  it  "New 
France."  In  1608,  the  energetic  Champlain  created  a  nucleus  for 
the^  settlement  of  Canada,  by  founding  Quebec.  This  was  the 
same  year  with  the  settlement  of  Jamestown,  Virginia,  and  twelve 
years  previous  to  that  on  which  the  Puritans  first  stepped  upon  the 
rocks  of  Plymouth. 

To  strengthen  the  establishment  of  French  dominion,  the  genius 
of  Champlain  saw  that  it  was  essential  to  establish  missions  among 
the  Indians.  Up  to  this  period  "the  far  west"  had  been  untrod 
by  the  foot  of  the  white  man.  In  1616,  a  French  Franciscan, 
named  Le  Caron,  passed  through  the  Iroquois  and  Wyandot 
nations — to  streaiiis  running  into  Lake  Huron ;  and  in  1634,  two 
Jesuits  founded  the  first  mission  in  that  region.  But  just  a  century 
elapsed  from  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  ere  the  first  Canadian 
envoys  met  the  savage  nations  of  the  northwest  at  the  falls  of  St. 
Mary's,  below  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior.  It  was  not  until  1659 
that  any  of  the  adventurous  fur-traders  wintered  on  the  shores  of 
this  vast  lake,  nor  until  1660  that  Rene  Mesnard  founded  the  first 
missionary  station  upon  its  rocky  and  inhospitable  coast.  Perish 
ing  soon  after  in  the  forest,  it  was  left  to  Father  Claude  Allouez, 
five  years  subsequent,  to  build  the  first  permanent  habitation  of 
white  men  among  the  Northwestern  Indians.  In  1668,  the  mission 
was  founded  at  the  falls  of  St.  Mary's,  by  Dablon  and  Marquette; 
in  1670,  Nicholas  Perrot,  agent  for  the  intendant  of  Canada, 
explored  Lake  Michigan  to  near  its  southern  termination.  Formal 
possession  was  taken  of  the  northwest  by  the  French  in  1671,  and 
Marquette  established  a  missionary  station  at  Point  St.  Ignace,  on 
the  mainland  north  of  Mackinac,  which  was  the  first  settlement  in 
Michigan. 

Until  late  in  this  century,  owing  to  the  enmity  of  the  Indians 
bordering  the  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  the  adventurous  mission 
aries,  on  their  route  west,  on  pain  of  death,  were  compelled  to 
pass  far  to  the  north,  through  "a  region  horrible  with  forests,"  by 
the  Ottawa  and  French  Rivers  of  Canada. 

As  yet  no  Frenchman  had  advanced  beyond  Fox  River,  of 
Wiunebago  Lake,  in  Wisconsin  ;  but  in  May,  1673,  the  missionary 
Marquette,  with  a  few  companions,  left  Mackinac  in  canoes; 
passed  up  Green  Bay,  entered  Fox  River,  crossed  the  country  to 
the  Wisconsin,  and,  following  its  current,  passed  into  and  dis 
covered  the  Mississippi;  down  which  they  sailed  several  hundred 


OUTLINE   HISTORY.  15 

miles,  and  returned  in  the  Autumn.  The  discovery  of  this  great 
river  gave  great  joy  to  New  France,  it  being  "a  pet  idea"  of  that 
age  that  some  of  its  western  tributaries  would  afford  a  direct  route 
to  the  South  Sea,  and  thence  to  China.  Monsieur  La  Salle,  a  man 
of  indefatigable  enterprise,  having  been  several  years  engaged  in 
the  preparation,  in  1682,  explored  the  Mississippi  to  the  sea,  and 
took  formal  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
France,  in  honor  of  whom  he  called  it  Louisiana.  In  1685,  he 
also  took  formal  possession  of  Texas,  and  founded  a  colony  on  the  I 
Colorado;  but  La  Salle  was ^ assassinated,  and  the  colony  dispersed.]' 

The  descriptions  of  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of  the  Valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  given  by  these  explorers,  led  many  adventurers 
from  the  cold  climate  of  Canada  to  follow  the  same  route,  and 
commence  settlements.  About  the  year  1680n  Kaskaskia  and 
Cahokia,  the  oldest  towns  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  were  founded. 
Kaskaskia  became  the  capital  of  the  Illinois  country,  and  in  1721, 
a  Jesuit  college  and  monastery  were  founded  there. 

A  peace  with  the  Iroquois,  Hurons  and  Ottawas,  in  1700,  gave 
the  French  facilities  for  settling  the  western  part  of  Canada.  In 
June,  1701,  De  la  Motte  Cadillac,  with  a  Jesuit  missionary  and  a 
hundred  men,  laid  the  foundation  of  Detroit.  All  of  the  extensive 
region  south  of  the  lakes  was  now  claimed  by  the  French,  under 
the  name  of  Canada,  or  New  France.  This  excited  the  jealousy 
of  the  English,  and  the  New  York  legislature  passed  a  law  for 
hanging  every  Popish  priest  that  should  come  voluntarily  into  the 
province.  The  French,  chiefly  through  the  miid  and  conciliating 
course  of  their  missionaries,  had  gained  so  much  influence  over 
the  western  Indians,  that,  when  a  war  broke  out  with  England,  in 
1711,  the  most  powerful  of  the  tribes  became  their  allies;  and  the 
latter  unsuccessfully  attempted  to  restrict  their  claims  to  the  country 
south  of  the  lakes.  The  Fox  nation,  allies  of  the  English,  in  1713, 
made  an  attack  upon  Detroit ;  but  were  defeated  by  the  French 
and  thefr  Indian  allies.  The  treaty  of  Utrecht,  this  year,  ended 
this  war. 

By  the  year  1720,  a  profitable  trade  had  arisen  in  furs  and  agri 
cultural  products  —  between  the  French  of  Louisiana  and  those  of 
Illinois;  and  settlements  had  been  made  on  the  Mississippi,  below 
the  junction  of  the  Illinois.  To  confine  the  English  to  the  Atlan 
tic  coast,  the  French  adopted  the  plan  of  forming  a  line  of  military 
posts,  to  extend  from  the  great  northern  lakes  to  the  Mexican  Gulf, 
and  as  one  of  the  links  of  the  chain,  Fort  Chartres  was  built  on  the 
Mississippi,  near  Kaskaskia ;  and  in  its  vicinity  soon  flourished 
the  villages  of  Cahokia  and  Prairie  du  Rocher. 

The  Ohio  at  this  time  was  but  little  known  to  the  French,  and 
on  their  early  maps  was  but  an  insignificant  stream.  Early  in  this 
century  their  missionaries  had  penetrated  to  the  sources  of  the  Al- 
leghany.  In  1721,  Joncaire,  a  French  agent  and  trader,  estab 
lished  himself  among  the  Senecas  at  Lewistown,  and  Fort  Niagara 
was  erected,  near  the  falls,  five  years  subsequent.  In  1735,  accord- 


16  OUTLINE   HISTORF. 

ing  to  some  authorities,  Post  St.  Vincent  was  erected  on  the 
Wabash.  Almost  coeval  with  this,  was  the  military  post  of  Presque 
Isle,  on  the  site  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  and  from  thence  a  cordon 
of  posts  extended  on  the  Alleghany  to  Pittsburgh;  and  from  thence 
down  the  Ohio  to  the  Wabash. 

A  map,  published  at  London  in  1755,  gives  the  following  list  of 
French  posts,  as  then  existing  in  the  west:  Two  on  French  Creek, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania;  Duquesne,  on  the  site  of 
Pittsburgh ;  Miamis,  on  the  Maumee,  near  the  site  of  Toledo ;  San- 
dusky,  on  Sandusky  Bay;  St.  Joseph's,  on  St.  Joseph's  River, 
Michigan;  Ponchartrain,  site  of  Detroit;  Massillimacinac;  one  on 
Fox  River,  Green  Bay;  Crevecceur,  on  the  Illinois;  Rockfort,  or 
Fort  St.  Louis,  on  the  Illinois;  Yincennes;  Cahokia;  Kaskaskia, 
and  one  at  each  of  the  mouths  of  the  Wabash,  Ohio,  and  Missouri. 
Other  posts,  not  named,  were  built  about  that  time.  On  the  Ohio, 
just  below  Portsmouth,  are  ruins,  supposed  to  be  those  of  a  French 
fort;  as  they  had  a  post  there  during  Braddock's  war. 

In  1749,  the  French  regularly  explored  the  Ohio,  and  formed 
alliances  with  the  Indians  in  Western  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Virginia.  The  English,  who  claimed  the  whole  west  to  the 
Pacific,  but  whose  settlements  were  confined  to  the  comparatively 
narrow  strip  east  of  the  mountains,  were  jealous  of  the  rapidly 
increasing  power  of  the  French  in  the  west.  Not  content  with 
exciting  the  savages  to  hostilities  against  them,  they  stimulated 
private  enterprise  by  granting  six  hundred  thousand  acres  of  choice 
land  on  the  Ohio,  to  the  "Ohio  Company." 

By  the  year  1751,  there  were  in  the  Illinois  country,  the  settle 
ments  of  Cahokia,  five  miles  below  the  site  of  St.  Louis ;  St.  Philip's, 
forty-live  miles  farther  down  the  river;  St.  Genevieve,  a  little  lower 
still,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  Fort  Chartres,  Kas 
kaskia  and  Prairie  du  Rocher.  The  largest  of  these  was  Kaskas 
kia,  which  at  one  time  contained  nearly  three  thousand  souls. 

In  1748,  the  Ohio  Company,  composed  mainly  of  wealthy  Vir 
ginians,  dispatched  Christopher  Gist  to  explore  the  country,  gain 
the  good-will  of  the  Indians,  and  ascertain  the  plans  of  the  French. 
Crossing  overland  to  the  Ohio,  he  proceeded  down  it  to  the  Great 
Miami,  up  which  he  passed  to  the  towns  of  the  Miamies,  about 
fifty  miles  north  of  the  site  of  Dayton.  The  next  year  the  com 
pany  established  a  trading  post  in  that  vicinity,  on  Loramies  Creek, 
the  first  point  of  English  settlement  in  the  western  country;  it  was 
soon  after  broken  up  by  the  French. 

In  the  year  1753,  Dinwiddie,  Governor  of  Virginia,  sent  George 
Washington,  then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  as  commissioner,  to 
remonstrate  with  the  French  commandant  who  was  at  Fort  le 
Boeuf,  near  the  site  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  against  encroachments 
of  the  French.  The  English  claimed  the  country  by  virtue  of  her 
first  royal  charters;  the  French  by  the  stronger  title  of  discovery 
and  possession.  The  result  of  the  mission  proving  unsatisfactory, 
the  English,  although  it  was  a  time  of  peace,  raised  a  force  to 


OUTLINE   HISTORY.  17 

expel  the  invaders  from  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries.  A  detachment 
under  Lieut.  Ward  erected  a  fort  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh ;  but  it 
was  surrendered  shortly  after,  in  April,  1754,  to  a  superior  force 
of  French  and  Indians  under  Contrecceur,  find  its  garrison  peace 
ably  permitted  to  retire  to  the  frontier  post  of  Cumberland.  Con- 
trecoeur  then  erected  a  strong  fortification  at  u  the  fork,"  under  the 
name  of  Fort  Duquesne. 

Measures  were  now  taken  by  both  nations  for  the  struggle  that 
was  to  ensue.  On  the  28th  of  May,  a  strong  detachment  of  Vir 
ginia  troops,  under  "Washington,  surprised  a  small  body  of  French 
from  Fort  Duquesne,  killed  its  commander,  M.  Jumonville,  and 
ten  men,  and  took  nearly  all  the  rest  prisoners.  He  then  fell  back 
and  erected  Fort  Necessity,  near  the  site  of  Uniontown.  In  July 
he  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians,  com 
manded  by  M.  Yilliers,  and  after  a  gallant  resistance,  compelled  to 
capitulate  with  permission  to  retire  unmolested,  and  under  the  ex 
press  stipulation  that  farther  settlements  or  forts  should  not  be 
founded  by  the  English,  west  of  the  mountains,  for  one  year. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1755,  Gen.  Braddock  was  defeated  within 
ten  miles  of  Fort  Duquesne.  His  army,  composed  mainly  of  vete 
ran  English  troops,  passed  into  an  ambuscade  formed  by  a  far 
inferior  body  of  French  and  Indians,  who,  lying  concealed  in  two 
deep  ravines,  each  side  of  his  line  of  march,  poured  in  upon  the 
compact  body  of  their  enemy  vollies  of  musketry,  with  ahnost  per 
fect  safety  to  themselves.  The  Virginia  provincials,  under  Wash 
ington,  by  their  knowledge  of  border  warfare  and  cool  bravery, 
alone  saved  the  army  from  complete  ruin.  Braddock  was  himself 
mortally  wounded  by  a  provincial  named  Fausett.  A  brother  of 
the  latter  had  disobeyed  the  silly  orders  of  the  general,  that  the 
troops  .should  not  take  positions'behind  the  trees,  when  Braddock 
rode  up  and  struck  him  down.  Fausett,  who  saw  the  whole  trans 
action,  immediately  drew  up  his  rifle  and  shot  him  through  the 
lungs;  partly  from  revenge,  and  partly  as  a  measure  of  salvation 
to  the  army  which  was  being  sacrificed  to  his  headstrong  obstinacy 
and  inexperience.  •  • 

The  result  of  this  battle  gave  the  French  and  Indians  a  complete 
ascendancy  on  the  Ohio,  and  put  a  check  to  the  operations  of  the 
English,  west  of  the  mountains,  for  two  or  three  years.  In  July, 
1758,  Gen.  Forbes,  with  seven  thousand  men,  left  Carlisle,  Penn., 
for  the  west.  A  corps  in  advance,  principally  of  Highland  Scotch, 
under  Major  Grant,  were  on  the  13th  of  September  defeated  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Duquesne,  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  A  short 
time  alter,  the  French  arid  Indians,  under  Col.  Boquet,  made  an 
unsuccessful  attack  upon  the  advanced  guard. 

In  November,  the  commandant  of  Fort  Duquesne,  unable  to 
cope  with  the  superior  force  approaching  under  Forbes,  abandoned 
the  fortress,  and  descended  to  !Ne^7  Orleans.  On  his  route,  he 
erected  Fort  Massac,  so  called  in  h^nor  of  M.  Massac,  who  super 
intended  its  construction.  It  vas  upon  the  Ohio,  within  forty 
2 


18  OUTLINE   HISTORY. 

miles  of  its  mouth — and  within  the  limits  of  Illinois.  Forbes  re 
paired  Fort  Dnquesne,  and  changed  its  name  to  Fort  Pitt,  in  honor 
of  the  English  Prime  Minister. 

The  English  were  now  for  the  first  time  in  possession  of  the 
upper  Ohio.  In  the  spring,  they  established  several  posts  in  that 
region,  prominent  among  which  was  Fort  Bnrd,  or  Redstone  Old 
Fort,  on  thu  site  of  Brownsville. 

Owing  to  the  treachery  of  Gov.  Lyttleton,  in  1760,  by  which, 
twenty-two  Cherokee  chiefs  on  an  embassy  of  peace  were  made 
prisoners  at  Fort  George,  on  the  Savannah,  that  nation  flew  to 
arms,  and  for  a  while  desolated  the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  the 
Carolinas.  Fort  London,  in  East  Tennessee,  having  bean  besieged 
by  the  Indians,  the  garrison  capitulated  on  the  7th  of  August,  and 
on  the  day  afterward,  while  on  the  route  to  Fort  George,  were 
attacked,  and  the  greater  part  massacred.  In  the  summer  of  1761, 
Col.  Grant  invaded  their  country,  and  compelled  them  to  sue  for 
peace.  On  the  north  the  most  brilliant  success  had  attended  the 
British  arms.  Ticoncleroga,  Crown  Point,  and  Fort  Niagara,  and 
Quebec  were  taken  in  1759,  and  the  next  year  Montreal  fell,  and 
with  it  all  of  Canada. 

By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  France  gave  up  her  claim  to 
New  France  and  Can atf a ;  embracing  all  the  country  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  from  its  source  to  the  Bayou  Iberville.  The  remainder 
of  her  Mississippi  possessions,  embracing  Louisiana  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  arid  the  Island  of  Orleans,  she  soon  after  secretly  ceded 
to  Spain,  which  terminated  the  dominion  of  France  on  this  con 
tinent,  and  her  vast  plans  for  empire. 

At  this  period  Lower  Louisiana  had  become  of  considerable  im 
portance.  The  explorations  of  La  Salic  in  the  Lower  Mississippi 
country,  were  renewed  in  1697,  'by  Lemoine  D'Iberville,  a  brave 
French  naval  officer.  Sailing  with  two  vessels,  he  entered  the 
Mississippi  in  March  1698,  by  the  Bayou  Iberville.  He  built  forts 
on  the  Bay  of  Biloxi,  and  at  Mobile,  both  of  which  were  deserted 
for  the  Island  of  Dauphine,  which  for  years  was  the  headquarters 
of  the  colony.  He  also  erected  Forfe  Balise,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  and  fixed  on  the  site  of  Fort  Rosalie ;  whic^  latter  became 
the  scene  of  a  bloody  Indian  war. 

After  his  death,  in  1706,  Louisiana  was  but  little  more  than  a 
wilderness,  and  a  vain  search  for  gold,  and  trading  in  furs,  rather 
than  the  substantial  pursuits  of  agriculture,  allured  the  colonists  ; 
and  much  time  was  lost  in  journeys  of  discovery,  and  in  collecting 
furs  among  distant  tribes.  Of  the  occupied  lands,  Biloxi  was  a 
barren  sand,  and  the  soil  of  the  Isle  of  Dauphine  poor.  Bienville, 
the  brother  and  successor  of  D'Iberville,  was  at  the  fort  on  the 
Delta  of  the  Mississippi,  where  -he  and  his  soldiers  were  liable  to 
inundations,  and  held  joint  possession  with  mosquitoes,  frogs, 
snakes  and  alligators. 

In  1712,  Antoine  de  Crozat,  an  East  India  merchant,  of  vast 

ealth,  purchased  a  grant  of  the  entire  country,  with  the  exclusive 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  19 

right  of  commerce  for  sixteen  years.  But  in  1717,  the  speculation 
having  resulted  in  his  ruin,  and  to  the  injury  of  the  colonists,  he 
surrendered  his  privileges.  Soon  after,  a  number  of  other  adven 
turers,  under  the  name  of  the  Mississippi  Company,  obtained  from 
the  French  government  a  charter,  which  gave  them  all  the  rights 
of  sovereignty,  except  the  bare  title,  including  a  complete  mono 
poly  of  the  trade,  and  the  mines.  Their  expectations  were  chiefly 
from  the  mines ;  and  on  the  strength  of  a  former  traveler,  Nicholas 
Perrot,  having  discovered  a  copper  mine  in  the  valley  of  St.  Peters, 
the, directors  of  the  company  assigned  to  the  soil  of  Louisiana, 
silver  and  gold ;  and  to  the  mud  of  the  Mississippi,  diamonds  and 
pearls.  The  notorious  Law,  who  then  resided  at  Paris,  was  the 
secret  agent  of  the  company.  To  form  its  capital,  its  shares  were 
sold  at  five  hundred  livres  each;  and  such  was  the  speculating 
mania  of  the  times,  that  in  a  short  time  more  tha;j  a  hundred  mil 
lions  wrere  realized.  Although  this  proved  ruinous  to  individuals, 
yet  the  colony  was  greatly  benefited  by  the  consequent  emigration, 
and  agriculture  and  commerce  flourished. 

In  1719,  Renault,  an  agent  of  the  Mississippi  Company,  left 
France  with  about  two  hundred  miners  and  emigrants,  to  carry  out 
the  mining  schemes  of  the  company.  He  bought  live  hundred 
slaves  at  St.  Domingo,  to  work  the  mines,  which  he  conveyed  to 
Illinois  in  1720.  He  established  himself  a  few  miles  above  Kas- 
kasia,  and  founded  there  the  village  of  St.  Philips.  Ext'ravagant 
expectations  existed  in  France*  of  his  probable  success  in  obtaining 
gold  and  silver.  He  sent  out  exploring  parties  in  various  sections  of  s~~4^ 
Illinois  and  Missouri.  His  explorations  extended  to  the  banks  of  y 
the  Ohio  and  Kentucky  rivers,  and  even  to  the  Cumberland  valley 
in  Tennessee,  where  at  "  French  Lick,"  on  the  site  of  Nashville,  the 
French  established  a  trading  post.  Although  Renault  was  woe 
fully  disappointed  in  not  discovering  extensive  mines  of  gold  or 
silver,  yet  he  made  various  discoveries  of  lead;  among  which 
were  the  mines  north  of  Potosi,  and  those  on  the  St.  Francois. 
He  eventually  turned  his  whole  attention  to  the  smelting  of  lead, 
of  which  he  made  considerable  quantities,  and  shipped  to  France. 
He  remained  in  the  country  until  1744.  Nothing  of  consequence 
was  again  done  in  mining,  until  after  the  American  Revolution. 

In  1718,  Bienville  laid  out  the  town  of  New  Orleans,  on  the 
plan  of  Rochefort,  France.  Some  four  years  after,  the  bankruptcy 
of  Law  threw  the  colony  into  the  greatest  confusion,  and  occasioned 
wide-spread  ruin  in  France,  where  speculation  had  been  carried  to 
an  extreme  unknown  before. 

The  expenditures  for  Louisiana,  were  consequently  stopped,  but 
the  colony  had  now  gained  strength  to  struggle  for  herself.  Louisi 
ana  was  then  divided  into  nine  cantons,  of  which  Arkansas  and 
Illinois  formed  each  one. 

About  this  time,  the  colony  had  considerable  difficulty  with  the 
Indian  tribes,  and  were  involved  in  wars  with  the  Chickasaws  and 
the  Natchez.  This  I  itter  named  tribe  were  finally  completely  con- 


20  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

quered.  The  remnant  of  them  dispersed  among  other  Indians,  so 
that,  that  once  powerful  people,  as  a  distinct  race,  was  entirely 
lost.  Their  name  alone  survives,  as  that  of  a  flourishing  city. 
Tradition  related  singular  stories  of  the  Natchez.  It  was  believed 
that  they  emigrated  from  Mexico,  and  were  kindred  to  the  Incas 
of  Peru.  The  Natchez  alone,  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  had  a  con 
secrated  temple,  where  a  perpetual  fire  was  maintained  by  ap 
pointed  guardians.  Near  the  temple,  on  an  artificial  mound, 
stood  the  dwelling  of  their  chief — called  the  Great  Sun ;  who  was 
supposed  to  be  descended  from  that  luminary,  and  all  around  were 
grouped  the  dwellings  of  the  tribe.  His  power  was  absolute  ;  the 
dignity  was  hereditary,  and  transmitted  exclusively  through  the 
female  line;  and  the  race  of  nobles  was  so  distinct,  that  usage  had 
moulded  language  into  the  forms  of  reverence. 

In  1732,  the  Mississippi  Company  relinquished  their  charter  to 
the  king,  after  holding  possession  fourteen  years.  At  this  period, 
Louisiana  had  five  thousand  whites,  and  twenty-five  hundred 
blacks.  Agriculture  was  improving  in  all  the  nine  cantons,  par 
ticularly  in  Illinois,  which  was  considered  the  granary  of  the 
colony.  Louisiana  continued  to  advance  until  the  war  broke  out 
with  England  in  1775,  which  resulted  in  the  overthrow  of  French 
dominion. 

Immediately  after  the  peace  of  1763,  all  the  old  French  forts  in 
the  west,  as  far  as  Green  Bay,  were  repaired  and  garrisoned  with 
British  troops.  Agents  and  surveyors  too,  were  making  examina 
tions  of  the  finest  lands  east  and  northeast  of  the  Ohio.  Judging 
from  the  past,  the  Indians  were  satisfied  that  the  British  intended 
to  possess  the  whole  country.  The  celebrated  Ottowa  chief,  Pon- 
tiac,  burning  with  hatred  against  the  English,  in  that  year  formed 
a  general  league  with  the  western  tribes,  and  by  the  middle  of  May 
all  the  western  posts  had  fallen — or  were  closely  besieged  by  the 
Indians,  and  the  whole  frontier,  for  almost  a  thousand  miles,  suf 
fered  from  the  merciless  fury  of  savage  warfare.  Treaties  of  peace 
were  made  with  the  different  tribes  of  Indians,  in  the  year  follow 
ing,  at  Niagara,  by  Sir  William  Johnson  ;  at  Detroit  or  vicinity 
by  General  Bradstreet,  and,  in  what  is  now  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  by  Col.  Boquet ;  at  the  German  Flats,  on  the  Mohawk,  with 
the  Six  Nations  and  their  confederates.  By  these  treaties,  exten 
sive  tracts  were  ceded  by  the  Indians  in  New  York  and  Pennsyl 
vania,  and  south  of  Lake  Erie. 

Peace  having  been  concluded,  the  excitable  frontier  population 
began  to  cross  the  mountains.  Small  settlements  were  formed  on 
the  main  routes,  extending  north  toward  Fort  Pitt,  and  south  to 
the  head  waters  of  the  Holston  and  Clinch,  in  the  vicinity  of  South 
western  Virginia.  In  1766,  a  town  was  laid  out  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  Pitt.  Military  land  warrants  had  been  issued  in  great  num 
bers,  and  a  perfect  mania  for  western  land  had  taken  possession  of 
the  people  of  the  middle  colonies.  The  treaty  made  by  Sir  William 
ohnson,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  on  the  site  of  Utica,  New  York,  in 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  21 

• 

October,  1768,  with  the  Six  Nations  and  their  confederates,  and  those 
of  Hard  Labor  and  Lochaber,  made  with  the  Cherokees,  afforded 
a  pretext  under  which  the  settlements  were  advanced.  It  was  now 
falsely  claimed  that  the  Indian  title  was  extinguished  east  and  south 
of  the  Ohio,  to  an  indefinite  extent,  and  the  spirit  of  emigration 
and  speculation  in  land  greatly  increased.  Among  the  land  com 
panies  formed  at  this  time  was  the  "  Mississippi  Company,"  of 
whi(*h  George  Washington  was  an  active  member. 

Up  to  this  period  very  little  was  known  by  the  English  of  the 
country  south  of  the  Ohio.  In  1754,  James  M.  Bride,  with  some 
others,  had  passed  down  the  Ohio  in  canoes;  and  landing  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kentucky  River,  marked  the  initials  of  their  names, 
and  the  date  on  the  barks  of  trees.  On  their  return,  they  were  the 
first  to  give  a  particular  account  of  the  beauty  and  richness  of  the 
country  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  settlements.  No  farther 
notice  seems  to  have  been  taken  of  Kentucky  until  the  year  1767, 
when  John  Finlay,  an  Indian  trader,  with  others,  passed  through 
a  part  of  the  rich  lands  of  Kentucky — then  called  by  the  Indians 
i;  the  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground."  Finlay,  returning  to  North 
Carolina,  fired  the  curiosity  of  his  neighbors  by  the  reports  of  the 
discoveries  he  had  made.  In  consequence  of  this  information,  Col. 
Daniel  Boone,  in  company  with  Finlay,  Stewart,  Holden,  Monay, 
and  Cool,  set  out  from  their  residence  on  the  Zadkin,  in  North 
Carolina,  May  1st,  1769;  and  after  a  long. and  fatiguing  march, 
over  a  mountainous  and  pathless  wilcterness,  arrived  on  the  lied 
River.  Here,  from  the  top  of  an  eminence,  Boone  and  his  com 
panions  first  beheld  a  distant  view  of  the  beautiful  lands  of  Kentucky. 
The  plains  and  forests  abounded  with  wild  beasts  of  every  kind ; 
deer  and  elk  were  common  ;  the  buffalo  were  seen  in  herds,  and 
the  plains  covered  with  the  richest  verdure.  The  glowing  descrip 
tions  of  these  adventurers  inflamed  the  imaginations  of  the  border 
ers,  and  their  own  sterile  mountains  beyond  lost  their  charms,  when 
compared  to  the  fertile  plains  of  this  newly-discovered  Paradise  in 
the  West. 

In  1770,  Ebenezer;  Silas  and  Jonathan  Zane  settled  Wheeling. 
In  1771,  such  was  the  rush  of  emigration  to  Western  Pennsylvania 
and  Western  Virginia,  in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Ohio,  that  every 
kind  of  breadstuff  became  so  scarce,  that,  for  several  months,  a  great 
part  of  the  population  were  obliged  to  subsist  entirely  on  meats, 
roots,  vegetables,  and  milk,  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  all  bread- 
stuffs  ;  and  hence  that  period  was  long  after  known  as  "the  starving 
year"  Settlers,  enticed  by  the  beauty  of  the  Cherokee  country, 
emigrated  to  East  Tennessee,  and  hundreds  of  families  also,  moved 
farther  south  to  the  mild  climate  of  West  Florida,  which  at  this 
period  extended  to  the  Mississippi.  In  the  summer  of  1773,  Frank 
fort  and  Louisville,  Kentucky,  were  laid  out.  The  next  year  was 
signalized  by  "  Dunmore's  war,"  which  ^temporarily  checked  the 
settlements. 

In  the  summer  of  1774,  several  other  parties  of  surveyors  and 


22  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

hunters  entered  Kentucky,  and  James  Harrod  erected  a  dwelling — 
the  first  erected  by  whites  in  the  country — on  or  near  the  site  of 
Harrodsburg,  around  which  afterward  arose  u  Harrod  Station." 
In  the  year  1775,  Col.  Kichard  Henderson,  a  native  of  North  Car 
olina,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  associates,  purchased  of  the  Cher- 
okees  all  the  country  lying  between  the  Cumberland  River  and 
Cumberland  Mountains  and  Kentucky  River,  and  south  of  the 
Ohio,  which  now  comprises  more  than  half  of  the  State  offKen- 
tucky.  The  new  country  he  named  Transylvania.  The  first 
legislature  sat  at  Boonsborough,  and  formed  an  independent  gov 
ernment,  on  liberal  and  rational  principles.  Henderson  was  very 
active  in  granting  lands  to  new  settlers.  The  legislature  of  Vir 
ginia  subsequently  crushed  his  schemes;  they  claimed  the  sole 
right  to  purchase  lands  from  the  Indians,  and  declared  his  purchase 
null  and  void.  But  as  some  compensation  for  the  services  re-n- 
dered  in  opening  the  wilderness,  the  legislature  granted  to  the  pro 
prietors  a  tract  of  land,  twelve  miles  square,  on  the  Ohio,  below 
the  mouth  of  Green  River. 

In  1775,  Daniel  Boone,  in  the  employment  of  Henderson,  laid 
out  the  town  and  fort  afterward  called  Boonsborough.  From  this 
time  Boonsborough  and  Harrodsburg  became  the  nucleus  and  sup 
port  of  emigration  and  settlement  in  Kentucky.  In  May,  another 
fort  was  also  built,  which  was  under  the  command  of  Col.  Benja 
min  Logan,  and  named  Logan's  Fort.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  Stan 
ford,  in  Lincoln  county,  and  became  an  important  post. 

In  1776,  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia  was  formally  extended  over 
the  colony  of  Transylvania,  which  was  organized  into  a  county 
named  Kentucky,  and  the  first  court  was  held  at  Harrodsburg  in 
3  the  spring  of  17§Y.  At  this  time  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was 
in  full  progress,  and  the  early  settlers  of  Kentucky  were  particu 
larly  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  Indian  allies  of  Great  Britain; 
a  detailed  account  of  which  is  elsewhere  given  in  this  volume.  The 
early  French  settlements  in  the  Illinois  country  now  being  in  pos 
session  of  that  power,  formed  important  points  around  which  the 
British  assembled  the  Indians  and  instigated  them  to  murderous 
incursions  against  the  pioneer  population. 

The  year  1779  was  marked  in  Kentucky  by  the  passage  of  the 
Virginia  Land  Laws.  At  this  time  there  existed  claims  of  various 
kinds  to  the  western  lands.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  ex 
amine  arid  give  judgment  upon  these  various  claims,  as  they  might 
be  presented.  These  having  been  provided  for,  the  residue  of  the 
the  rich  lands  of  Kentucky  were  in  the  market.  As  a  consequence 
of  the  passage  of  these  laws,  a  vast  number  of  emigrants  crossed 
the  mountains  into  Kentucky  to  locate  land  warrants:  and  in  the 
years  1779-'80  and  '81,  the  great  and  absorbing  topic  in  Kentucky 
was  to  enter,  survey  and  obtain  patents  for  the  richest  lands, 
and  this,  too,  in  the  face  of  all  the  horrors  and  dangers  of  an  In 
dian  war. 

Although  the  main  features  of  the  Virginia  land  laws  were  just 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  23 

and  liberal,  yet  a  great  defect  existed  in  their  not  providing  for  a 
general  survey  of  the  country  by  the  parent  State,  and  its  subdi 
vision  into  sections  and  parts  of  sections.  Each  warrant-holder 
being  required  to  make  his  own  survey,  and  having  the  privilege 
of  locating  according  to  his  pleasure,  interminable  confusion  arose 
from  want  of  precision  in  the  boundaries.  In  unskillful  hands, 
entries,  surveys,  and  patents  were  piled  upon  each  other,  overlap- 
pin'g  and  crossing  in  inextricable  confusion ;  hence,  when  the 
country  became  densely  populated,  arose  vexatious  lawsuits  and 
perplexities.  Such  men  as  Kenton  and  Boone,  who  had  done  so 
much  for  the  welfare  of  Kentucky  in  its  early  days  of  trial,  found 
their  indefinite  entries  declared  null  and  void,  and  were  dispos 
sessed,  in  their  old  age,  of  any  claim  upon  that  soil  for  which  they 
had  periled  their  all. 

The  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  for  a  time  only,  suspended 
Indian  hostilities,  when  the  Indian  war  was  again  carried  on  with 
renewed  energy.  This  arose  from  the  failure  of  both  countries  in 
fully  executing  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  By  it,  England  was  obli 
gated  to  surrender  the  northwestern  posts  within  the  boundaries 
of  the  Union,  and  to  return  slaves  taken  during  the  war.  The 
United  States,  on  their  part  had  agreed  to  offer  no  legal  obstacles 
to  the  collection  of  debts  due  from  her  citizens  to  those  of  Great 
Britain.  Virginia,  indignant  at  the  removal  of  her  slaves  by  the 
British  fleet,  by  law  prohibited  the  collection  of  British  debts, 
while  England,  in  consequence,  refused  to  deliver  up  the  posts,  so 
that  they  were  held  by  her  more  than  ten  years,  until  Jay's  treaty 
was  concluded. 

Settlements  rapidly  advanced.  Simon  Kenton  having,  in  1784, 
erected  a  blockhouse  on  the  site  of  Maysville — then  called  Lime 
stone — that  became  the  point  from  whence  the  stream  of  emigra 
tion,  from  down  its  way  on  the  Ohio,  turned  into  the  interior. 

In  the  spring  of  1783,  the  first  court  in  Kentucky  was  held  at 
Harrodsburg.  At  this  period,  the  establishment  of  a  government, 
independent  of  Virginia,  appeared  to  be  of  paramount  necessity, 
in  consequence  of  troubles  with  the  Indians.  For  this  object,  the 
first  convention  in  Kentucky  was  held  at  Danville,  in  December, 
1784;  but  it  was  not  consummated  until  eight  separate  conventions 
had  been  held,  running  through  a  term  of  six  years.  The  last  was 
assembled  in  July,  1790;  on  the  4th  of  February,  1791,  Congress 
passed  the  act  admitting  Kentucky  into  the  Union,  and  in  the 
April  following  she  adopted  a  State  Constitution. 

Prior  to  tins,  unfavorable  impressions  prevailed  in  Kentucky 
against  the  Union,  in  consequence  of  the  inability  of  Congress  to 
compel  a  surrender  of  the  northwest  posts,  and  the  apparent  dis 
position  of  the  Northern  States  to  yield  to  Spain,  for  twenty  years, 
the  sole  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
the  exclusive  right  to  which  was  claimed  by  that  power  as  being 
within  her  dominions.  Kentucky  was  suffering  under  the  horrors 
of  Indian  warfare,  and  having  no  government  of  her  own,  she  saw 


24  OUTLINE   HISTORY. 

that  that  beyond  the  mountains  was  unable  to  afford  them  protec 
tion.  When,  in  the  year  1786,  several  States  in  Congress  showed 
a  disposition  to  yield  the  right  of  navigating  the  Mississippi  to 
Spain  for  certain  commercial  advantages,  which  would  inure  to 
their  benefit,  but  not  in  the  least  to  that  of  Kentucky,  there  arose 
a  universal  voice  of  dissatisfaction ;  and  many  were  in  favor  of  de 
claring  the  independence  of  Kentucky  and  erecting  an  independent 
government  west  of  the  mountains. 

Spain  was  then  an  immense  landholder  in  the  West.  She  claimed 
all  east  of  the  Mississippi  lying  south  or  the  31st  degree  of  north 
latitude,  and  all  west  of  that  river  to  the  ocean. 

In  May,  1787,  a  convention  was  assembled  at  Danville  to  remon 
strate  with  Congress  against  the  proposition  of  ceding  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  to  Spain;'  but  it  having  been  ascertained 
that  Congress,  through  the  influence  of  Virginia  and  the  other 
Southern  States,  would  not  permit  this,  the  convention  had  no  occa 
sion  to  act  upon  the  subject. 

In  the  year  1787,  quite  a  sensation  arose  in  Kentucky  in  conse 
quence  of  a  profitable  trade  having  been  opened  with  JNTew  Orleans 
by  General  Wilkinson,  who  descended  thither  in  June,  with  a  boat 
load  of  tobacco  and  other  productions  of  Kentucky.  Pieviously, 
all  those  who  ventured  down  the  river  within  the  Spanish  settle 
ments,  had  their  property  seized.  The  lure  was  then  held  out  by 
the  Spanish  Minister,  that  if  Kentucky  would  declare  her  indepen 
dence  of  the  United  States,  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  should 
be  opened  to  her;  but  that,  never  would  this  privilege  be  extended 
while  she  was  a  part  of  the  Union,  in  consequence  of  existing  com 
mercial  treaties  between  Spain  and  other  European  powers. 
Y.  In  the  winter  of  1788-9,  the  notorious  Dr.  Connolly,  a  secret 
British  agent  from  Canada,  arrived  in  Kentucky.  His  object  ap 
peared  to  be  to  sound  the  temper  of  her  people,  and  ascertain  if 
they  were  willing  to  unite  with  British  troops  from  Canada,  and 
seize  upon  and  hold  New  Orleans  and  the  Spanish  settlements  on 
the  Mississippi.  He  dwelt  upon  the  advantages  which  it  must  be 
to  the  people  of  the  West  to  hold  and  possess  the  right  of  navigat 
ing  the  Mississippi ;  but  his  overtures  were  not  accepted. 

At  this  time  settlements  had  been  commenced  within  the  present 
limits  of  Ohio.  Before  giving  a  sketch  of  these,  we  glance  at  the 
western  land  claims. 

The  claim  of  the  English  monarch  to  the  North  western  Territory 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  of  peace  signed  at 
Paris,  September  3,  1783.  During  the  pendency  of  this  negotia 
tion,  Mr.  Oswald,  the  British  commissioner,  proposed  the  River 
Ohio  as  the  western  boundary  of  the  United  States,  and  but  for  the 
indomitable  persevering  opposition  of  John  Adams,  one  of  the 
American  commissioners,  who  insisted  upon  the  Mississippi  as  the 
boundary,  this  proposition  would  have  probably  been  acceded  to. 

Ihe  States  who  owned  western  unappropriated  lands  under  their 
original  charters  from  British  monarchs,  with  a  single  exception. 


OUTLINE   HISTORY.  25 

ceded  them  to  the  United  States.  In  March,  1784,  Virginia  ceded 
the  soil  and  jurisdiction  of  her  lands  northwest  of  the  Ohio.  In 
September,  1786,  Connecticut  ceded  her  claim  to  the  soil  and  juris 
diction  of  her  western  lands,  excepting  that  part  of  Ohio  known  as 
the  "Western  Reserve,"  and  to  that  she  ceded  her  jurisdictional 
claims  in  1800.  Massachusetts  and  New  York  ceded  all  their 
claims.  Beside  these  were  the  Indian  claims  asserted  by  the  right 
of  possession.  These  have  been  extinguished  by  various  treaties, 
from  time  to  time,  as  the  inroads  of  emigration  rendered  necessary. 

The  Iridan  title  to  a  large  part  of  the  territory  of  Ohio  having 
become  extinguished,  Congress,  before  settlements  were  com 
menced,  found  it  necessary  to  pass  ordinances  for  the  survey  and 
sale  of  the  lands  in  the  Northwest  Territory.  In  October,  1787, 
Manasseh  Cutler  and  Winthrop  Sargeant,  agents  of  the  New  Eng 
land  Ohio  Company,  made  a  large  purchase  of  land,  bounded  south 
by  the  Ohio,  and  west  .by  the  Scioto  river.  Its  settlement  was  com 
menced  at  Marietta  in  the  spring  of  1788,  which  was  the  first  made 
by  the  Americans  within  Ohio-  A  settlement  had  been  attempted 
within  the  limits  of  Ohio,  on  the  site  of  Portsmouth,  in  April, 
1785,  by  four  families  from  Redstone,  Pennsylvania,  but  difficul 
ties  with  the  Indians  compelled  its  abandonment. 

About  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Marietta,  Congress  appointed 
General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Governor;  Winthrop  Sargeant,  Secre 
tary;  and  Samuel  Holden  Parsons,  James  M.  Varan  m  and  John 
Clevis  Symmes,  Judges  in  and  over  the  Territory.  They  organ 
ized  its  government  and  passed  laws,  and  the  governor  erected  the 
county  of  Washington,  embracing  nearly  the  whole  of  the  eastern 
half  of  the  present  limits  of  Ohio. 

In  November,  1788,  the  second  settlement  within  the  limits  of 
Ohio  was  commenced  at  Columbia,  on  the  Ohio,  five  miles  above 
the  site  of  Cincinnati,  and  within  the  purchase  and  under  the 
auspices  of  John  Cloves  Symmes  and  associates.  Shortly  after, 
settlements  were  commenced  at  Cincinnati  and  at  North  Bend, 
sixteen  miles  below,  both  within  Symmes'  purchase.  In  1790, 
another  settlement  was  made  at  Galliopolis  by  a  colony  from 
France — the  name  signifying  City  of  the  French. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1789,  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  Fort 
Harmer,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  opposite  Marietta,  by 
Governor  St.  Clair,  in  which  the  treaty  which  had  been  made  four 
years  previous  at  Fort  M 'In  tosh,  on  the  site  of  Beaver,  Pennsyl 
vania,  was  renewed  and  confirmed.  It  did  not,  however,  produce 
the  favorable  results  anticipated.  The  Indians,  the  same  year, 
committed  numerous  murders,  which  occasioned  the  alarmed  set 
tlers  to  erect  block-houses  in  each  of  the  new  settlements.  In 
June,  Major  Doughty,  with  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  commenced 
the  erection  of  Fort  Washington,  on  the  site  of  Cincinnati.  In  the 
course  of  the  summer,  Gen.  Harmer  arrived  at  the  fort  with  three 
hundred  men. 

Negotiations  with  the  Indians  proving  unfavorable,  Gen.  Harmer 


26  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

marched, in  September,  1790,  from  Cincinnati  with  thirteen  hundred 
men,  less  than  one-fourth  of  whom  were  regulars,  to  attack  their 
towns  on  the  Maurnee.  He  succeeded  in  burning  their  towns;  but 
in  an  engagement  with  the  Indians,  part  of  his  troops  met  with  a 
severe  loss.  The  next  year  a  larger  army  was  assembled  at  Cin 
cinnati,  under  Gen.  St.  Clair,  composed  of  about  three  thousand 
men.  With  this  force  he  commenced  his  march  toward  the  Indian 
towns  on  the  Maumee.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  Nov., 
1791,  his  army,  while  in  camp  on  what  is  now  the  line  of  Darke 
and  Mercer  counties,  within  three  miles  of  the  Indiana  line,  and 
about  seventy  north  from  Cincinnati,  were  surprised  by  a  large 
body  of  Indians,  and  defeated  with  terrible  slaughter.  A  third 
army,  under  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  was  organized.  On  the  20th 
of  August,  1791,  they  met  and  completely  defeated  the  Indians, 
ton  the  Maumee  River,  about  twelve  miles  south  of  the  site  of 
Toledo.  The  Indians  at  length,  becoming  convinced  of  their 
inability  to  resist  the  American  arms,  sued  for  peace.  On  the  3d 
of  August,  1795,  Gen.  Wayne  concluded  a  treaty  at  Greenville, 
sixty  miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  with  eleven  of  the  most  powerful 
northwestern  tribes  in  grand  council.  This  gave  peace  to  the 
West  of  several -years'  duration,  during  which  the  settlements  pro 
gressed  with  great  rapidity.  Jay's  Treaty,  concluded  November 
19th,  1794,  was  a  most  important  event  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
West.  It  provided  for  the  withdrawal  of  all  the  British  troops 
from  the  northwestern  posts.  In  1796,  the  Northwestern  Territory 
was  divided  into  five  counties.  Marietta  was  the  seat  of  justice 
of  Hamilton  and  Washington  counties;  Viucennes,  of  Knox 
county ;  Ivaskaskia,  of  St.  Clair  county ;  and  Detroit,  of  Wayne 
county.  The  settlers,  out  of  the  limits  of  Ohio,  wTere  Canadian  or 
Creole  French.  The  headquarters  of  the  northwest  army  were 
removed  to  Detroit,  at  which  point  a  fort  had  been  built,  by 
De  la  Motte  Cadillac,  as  early  as  1701. 

Originally  Virginia  claimed  jurisdiction  over  a  large  part  of 
Western  Penns37lvania  as  being  within  her  dominions,  yet  it  was 
not  until  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution  that  the  boundary  line 
was  permanently  established.  Then  this  tract  was  divided  into 
two  counties.  The  one,  Westmoreland,  extended  from  the  moun 
tains  west  of  the  Alleghany  River,  including  Pittsburgh  and  all 
the  country  between  the  Kishkeminitas  and  the  Youghioghen}T. 
The  other,  Washington,  comprised  all  south  and  west  of  Pittsburgh, 
inclusive  of  all  the  country  east  and  west  of  the  Monongahela 
River.  At  this  period  Fort  Pitt  was  a  frontier  post,  around  which 
had  sprung  up  the  village  of  Pittsburgh,  which  was  not  regularly 
laid  out  into  a  town  until  1781.  The  settlement  on  the  Monou- 
gahela  at  "  Redstone  Old  Fort,'1  or  "  Fort  Burd,"  as  it  originally 
was  called,  having  become  an  important  point  of  embarkation  for 
western  emigrants,  was  the  next  year  laid  off  into  a  town  under 
the  name  of  Brownsville.  Regular  forwarding  houses  were  soon 
established  here,  by  whose  lines  goods  were  systematically  wagoned 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  27 

over  the  mountains,  thus  superseding  the  slow  and  tedious  mode 
of  transportation  by  pack-horses,  to  which  the  emigrants  had 
previously  been  obliged  to  resort. 

In  July,  1786,  u  The  Pittsburgh  Gazette,"  the  first  newspaper 
issued  in  the  west,  was  published;  the  second  being  the  u  Ken 
tucky  Gazette,'1  established  at  Lexington,  in  August  of  the  next 
year.  As  late  a$  1791,  the  Alleghany  River  was  the  frontier 
limit  of  the  settlements  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Indians  holding 
possession  of  the  region  around  its  northwestern  tributaries,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  scattering  settlements,  which  were  all 
simultaneously  broken  up  and  exterminated  in  one  night,  in 
February  of  this  year,  by  a  band  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians. 
During  the  campaigns  of  Harmer,  St.  Glair  and  Wayne,  Pitts 
burgh  wTas  the  great  depot  for  the  armies. 

By  this  time  agriculture  and  manufactures  had  begun  to  flourish 
in  Western  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  an  extensive  trade 
was  carried  on  with  the  settlements  on  the  Ohio  and  on  the  Lower 
Mississippi,  with  New  Orleans  and  the  rich  Spanish  settlements  in 
its  vicinity.  Monongahela  whisky,  horses,  cattle,  and  agricultural 
and  mechanical  implements  of  iron  were  the  principal  articles  of 
export.  The  Spanish  government  soon  after  much  embarrassed 
this  trade  by  imposing  heavy  duties. 

The  first  settlements  in  Tennessee  were  made  in  the  vicinity  of 
Fort  London,  on  the  Little  Tennessee,  in  what  is  now  Monroe 
county,  East  Tennessee,  about  the  year  1758.  Forts  London  and 
Chissel  were  built  at  that  time  by  Colonel  Byrd,  who  marched  into 
the  Cherokee  country  with  a  regiment  from  Virginia.  The  next 
year  war  broke  out  with  the  Cherokees.  In  1760,  the  Cherokees 
besieged  Fort  Loudon,  into  which  the  settlers  had  gathered  their 
families,  numbering  nearly  three  hundred  persons.  The  latter 
were  obliged  to  surrender  for  want  of  provisions,  but  agreeably  to 
the  terms  of  capitulation  were  to  retreat  unmolested  beyond  the 
Blue  Ridge.  When  they  had  proceeded  about  twenty  miles  on 
their  route,  the  savages  fell  upon  them  and  massacred  all  but  nine, 
not  even  sparing  the  women  and  children. 

The  only  settlements  were  thus  broken  up  by  this  war.  The 
next  year  the  celebrated  Daniel  Boone  made  an  excursion  from 
North  Carolina  to  the  waters  of  the  Holston.  In  1766,  Colonel 
James  Smith,  with  five  others,  traversed  a  great  portion  of  Middle 
and  West  Tennessee.  At  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee,  Smith's 
companions  left  him  to  make  farther  explorations  in  Illinois,  while 
he,  in  company  with  a  negro  lad,'  returned  home  through  the 
wilderness,  after  an  absence  of  eleven  months,  during  which  he 
saw  "  neither  bread,  money,  women,  nor  spirituous  liquors/' 

Other  explorations  soon  succeeded,  and  permanent  settlements 
first  made  in  1768  and  '69,  by  emigrants  from  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina,  who  were  scattered  along  the  branches  of  the  Holston, 
French  Broad  and  Watauga.  The  jurisdiction  of  North  Carolina 
was,  in  1777,  extended  over  the  Western  District,  which  was 


28]  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

organized  as  the  county  of  Washington,  and  extending  nominally 
westward  to  the  Mississippi.  Soon  after,  some  of  the  more  daring 
pioneers  made  a  settlement  at  Bledsoe's  Station,  in  Middle  Tennes 
see,  in  the  heart  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  and  separated  several 
hundred  miles,  by  the  usual  traveled  route,  from  their  kinsmen  on 
the  Holston.  A  number  of  French  traders  had  previously  estab 
lished  a  trading  post  and  erected  a  few  cabins  a£  the  t;  Bioff"  m-ar 
the  site  of  Nashville.  To  the  same  vicinity  Colonel  James 
Kobertson,  in  the  fall  of  1780,  emigrated  with  forty  families  from 
North  Carolina,  who  were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  maraud 
ing  incursions  of  Tarleton's  cavalry,  and  established  "Robertson's 
Station,"  which  formed  the  nucleus  around  which  gathered  the 
settlements  on  the  Cumberland.  The  Cherokees  having  com 
menced  hostilities  upon  the  frontier  inhabitants  about  the  com 
mencement  of  the  year  1781,  Colonel  Campbell,  of  Virginia,  with 
seven  hundred  mounted  riflemen,  invaded  their  country  and  defeated 
them.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  settlers  moved  in  in  large 
numbers  from  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  Georgia. 
Nashville  was  laid  out  in  the  summer  of  1784,  and  named  from 
General  Francis  Nash,  who  fell  at  Brandywine. 

The  people  of  this  district,  in  common  with  those  of  Kentucky, 
and  on  the  upper  Ohio,  were  deeply  interested  in  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  under  the  tempting  offers  of  the  Spanish  gov 
ernor  of  Louisiana,  many  were  lured  to  emigrate  to  West  Florida 
and  become  subjects  of  the  Spanish  king. 

North  Carolina  having  ceded  her  claims  to  her  western  lands, 
Congress,  in  May,  1790,  erected  this  into  a  territory  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Southwestern  Territory,1'  according  to  the  provi 
sions  of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  excepting  the  article  prohibiting 
slavery.' 

The  territorial  government  was  organized  with  a  legislature,  a 
legislative  council,  with  William  Blount  as  their  first  Governor. 
Knoxville  was  made  the  seat  of  government.  A  fort  was  erected 
to  intimidate  the  Indians,  by  the  United  States,  in  the.  Indian 
country,  on  the  site  of  Kingston.  From  this  period  until  the  final 
overthrow  of  the  northwestern  Indians  by  Wayne,  this  territory 
suffered  from  the  hostilities  of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  who  were 
secretly  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition  by  the  Spanish  agents, 
with  the  hope  that  they  would  exterminate  the  Cumberland  settle 
ments.  In  1795  the  territory  contained  a  population  of  seventy- 
seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-two,  of  whom  about  ten 
thousand  were  slaves.  On  the  first  of  June,  1796,  it  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  as  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  27,  1795,  with  Spain,  the  old  sore,  the 
right  of  navigating  the  Mississippi,  was  closed,  that  power  ceding 
to  the  United  States  the  right  of  free  navigation. 

The  Territory  of  Mississippi  was  organized  in  1798,  and  Win- 
throp  Sargeant  appointed  Governor.  By  the  ordinance  of  1787, 
the  people  of  the  Northwest  Territory  were  entitled  to  elect  Repre- 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  29 

sentatives  to  a  Territorial  Legislature  whenever  it  contained  5000 
males  of  full  age.  Before  the  close  of  the  year  1798  the  Territory 
had  this  number,  and  members  to  a  Territorial  Legislature  weie 
soon  after  chosen.  In  the  year  1799,  William  II.  Harrison  was 
chosen  the  first  delegate  to  Congress  from  the  Northwest  Territory. 
In  1800,  the  Territory  of  Indiana  was  formed,  and  the  next  year, 
William  H.  Harrison  appointed  Governor.  This  Territory  com 
prised  the  present  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and 
Michigan,  which  vast  country  then  had  less  than  6000  whites,  and 
those  mainly  of  French  origin.  'On  the  30th  of  April,  1802,  Con 
gress  passed  an  act  authorizing  a  convention  to  form  a  constitution 
for  Ohio.  This  convention  met  at  Chillicothe  in  the  succeeding 
November,  and  on  the  29th  of  that  month,  a  constitution  of  State 
Government  was  ratified  and  signed,  by  which  act  Ohio  became 
one  of  the  States  of  the  Federal  Union.  In  October,  1802,  the 
whole  wrestern  country  was  thrown  into  a  ferment  by  the  suspension 
of  the  American  right  of  depositing  goods  and  produce  at  New 
Orleans,  guaranteed  by  the  treaty  of  17^5,  with  Spain.  The  whole 
commerce  of  the  West  was  struck  at  in  a  vital  point,  and  the  treaty 
evidently  violated.  On  the  25th  of  February,  1803,  the  port  was 
opened  to  provisions,  on  paying  a  duty,  and  in  April  following,  by 
orders  of  the  King  of  Spain,  the  right  of  deposit  was  restored. 

After  the  treaty  of  1763,  Louisiana  remained  in  possession  of 
Spain  until  1803,  when  it  was  again  restored  to  France  by  the 
terms  of  a  secret  article  in  the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso  concluded 
with  Spain  in  1800.  France  held  but  brief  possession  ;  on  the  30th 
of  April  she  sold  her  claim  to  the  United  States  for  the  considera 
tion  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.  On  the  20th  of  the  succeeding 
December,  General  Wilkinson  and  Claiborne  took  possession  of  the 
country  for  the  United  States,  and  entered  New  Orleans  at  the  head 
of  the  American  troops. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  1805.  Congress  established  the  Terri 
tory  of  Michigan,  and  appointed  William  Hull,  Governor.  This 
same  year  Detroit  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  town  occupied  only 
about  two  acres,  completely  covered  with  buildings  and  cumbusti- 
ble  materials,  excepting  the  narrow  intervals  of  fourteen  or  fifteen 
feet  used  as  streets  or  lanes,  and  the  whole  was  environed  with  a 
very  strong  and  secure  defense  of  tall  and  solid  pickets. 

At  this  period  the  conspiracy  of  Aaron  Burr  began  to  agitate 
the  western  country.  In  December,  1806,  a  fleet  of  boats  with 
arms,  provisions,  and  ammunition,  belonging  to  the  confederates 
of  Burr,  were  seized  upon  the  Muskingum,  by  agents  of  the  United 
States,  which  proved  a  fatal  blow  to  the  project.  In  1809,  the  Ter 
ritory  of  Illinois  was  formed  from  the  western  part  of  the  Indiana 
Territory,  and  named  from  the  powerful  tribe  which  once  had 
occupied  its  soil. 

The  Indians,  who,  since  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  had  been  at 
peace,  about  the  year  1810,  began  to  commit  aggressions  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  the  West,  under  the  leadership  of  Tecumseh.  The 


30  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

next  year  they  were  defeated  by  General  Harrison,  at  the  battle  of 
Tippecanoe,  in  Indiana.  This  year  was  also  distinguished  by  the 
voyage  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans,  of  the  steamboat  u  New 
Orleans,"  the  firs.t  steamer  ever  launched  upon  the  western  waters. 

In  June,  1812,  the  United  States  declared  war  against  Great 
Britain.  Of  this  war,  the  West  was  the  principal  theater.  Its 
opening  scenes  were  as  gloomy  and  disastrous  to  the  American 
arms  as  its  close  was  brilliant  and  triumphant. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  population  of  the  Territories  of  In 
diana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan  was  tess  than  50,000.  But  from  that 
time  onward,  the  tide  of  emigration  again  went  forward  with  un 
precedented  rapidity.  On  the  19th  of  April,  1816,  Indiana  was 
admitted  into  the  Union,  and.  Illinois  on  the  3d  of  December,  1818. 
The  remainder  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  as  then  organized,  \vas 
included  in  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  of  which  that  section  west 
of  Lake  Michigan  bore  the  name  ot  the  Huron  District.  This  part 
of  the  West  increased  so  slowly  that,  by  the  census  of  1830,  the 
Territory  of  Michigan  contained,  exclusive  of  the  Huron  District, 
but  28,000  souls,  while  that  had  only  a  population  of  3,640.  Em 
igration  began  to  set  in  more  strongly  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan 
in  consequence  of  steam  navigation  having  been  successfully  intro 
duced  upon  the  great  lakes  of  the  West.  The  first  steamboat  upon 
these  immense  inland  seas  was  the  "  Walk-in-the-Water,"  which, 
in  1819,  went  as  far  as  Mackinaw;  yet  it  was  not  until  1826  that  a 
steamer  rode  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  six  years  more  had 
elapsed  ere  one  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Chicago. 

The  year  1832  was  signalized  by  three  important  events  in  the 
history  of  the  West,  viz:  the  first  appearance  of  the  Asiatic 
Cholera,  the  Great  Flood  in  the  Ohio,  and  the  war  with  Black 
Hawk. 

The  West  has  suffered  serious  drawbacks,  in  its  progress,  from 
inefficient  systems  of  banking.  One  bank  frequently  was  made 
the  basis  of  another,  and  that  of  a  third,  and  so  on  throughout  the 
country.  Some  three  or  four  shrewd  agents  or  directors,  in  estab 
lishing  a  bank,  would  collect  a  few  thousands  in  specie,  that  had 
been  honestly  paid  in,  and  then  make  up  the  remainder  of  the 
capital  with  the  bills  or  stock  from  some  neighboring  bank.  Thus 
so  intimate  was  the  connection  of  each  bank  with  others,  that 
when  one  or  two  gave  way,  they  all  went  down  together  in  one 
common  ruin. 

In  1804,  the  year  preceding  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  Congress 
formed,  from  part  of  it,  the  "  Territory  of  Orleans,"  which  was 
admitted  into  the  Union,  in  1812,  as  the  State  of  Louisiana.  In 
1805,  after  the  Territory  of  Orleans  was  erected,  the  remaining 
part  of  the  purchase  from  the  French  was  formed  into  the  Territory 
of  Louisiana,  of  which  the  old  French  town  of  St.  Louis  was  the 
capital.  This  town,  the  oldest  in  the  Territory,  had  been  founded 
in  1764,  by  M.  Laclede,  agent  for  a  trading  association,  to  whom 
had  been  given,  by  the  French  government  of  Louisiana,  a  mono- 


OUTLINE    HISTORY.  31 

poly  of  the  commerce  in  furs  and  peltries  with  the  Indian  tribes 
of  the  Missouri  and  Upper  Mississippi.  The  population  of  the 
Territory  in  1805  was  trifling,  and  consisted  mainly  of  French 
Creoles  and  traders,  who  were  scattered  along  the  hanks  of  the 
Mississippi  and  the  Arkansas.  Upon  the  admission  of  Louisiana 
as  a  State,  the  name  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana  was  changed  to 
that  of  Missouri.  From  the  southern  part  of  this,  in  1819,  was 
erected  the  Territory  of  Arkansas,  which  then  contained  but  a  few 
thousand  inhabitants,  who  were  mainly  in  detached  settlements  on 
the  Mississippi  and  on  the  Arkansas,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  "Post 
of  Arkansas."  The  first  settlement  in  Arkansas  was  made  on  the 
Arkansas  River,  about  the  year  1723,  upon  the  grant  of  the  noto 
rious  John  Law;  but,  being  unsuccessful,  was  soon  after  aban 
doned.  In  1820,  Missouri  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  and 
Arkansas  in  1836. 

Michigan  was  admitted  as  a  State  in  1837.  The  Huron  District 
was  organized  as.the  Wisconsin  Territory  in  18  >6,  and  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  as  a  State  in  1848.  The  first  settlement  in  Wis 
consin  was  made  in  1665,  when  Father  Claude  Allouez  established 
a  mission  at  La  Pointe,  at  the  western  end  of  Lake  Superior. 
Four  years  after,  a  mission  was  permanently  established  at  Green 
Bay;  and,  eventually,  the  French  also  established  themselves  at 
Prairie  du  Chien.  In  1819,  an  expedition,  under  Governor  Cass, 
explored  the  Territory,  and  found  it  to  be  little  more  than  the 
abode  of  a  few  Indian  traders,  scattered  here  and  there.  About 
this  time,  the  Government  established  military  posts  at  Green  Bay 
and  Prairie  du  Chien.  About  the  year  1825,  some  farmers  settled 
in  the  vicinity  of  Galena,  which  had  then  become  a  noted  mineral 
region.  Immediately  after  the  war  with  Black  Hawk,  emigrants 
flowed  in  from  New  York,  Ohio,  and  Michigan,  and  the  flourishing 
towns  of  Milwatikie,  Sheboygan,  Racine,  and  So  nth  port  were  laid 
out  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Michigan.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
same  war,  the  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  thrown  open  to 
emigrants,  who  commenced  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Madison  and  Burlington  in  1833.  Dubuque  had  long  before  been 
a  trading  post,  and  was  the  first  settlement  in  Iowa.  It  derived  its 
name  from  Julian  Dubuque,  an  enterprising  French  Canadian, 
who,  in  1788,  obtained  a  grant  of  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
acres  from  the  Indians,  upon  which  he  resided  until  his  death  in 
1810,  when  he  had  accumulated  immense  wealth  by  lead-mining 
and  trading.  In  June,  1838,  Iowa  was  erected  into  a  Territory, 
and  in  1846  became  a  State. 

In  1849,  Minnesota  Territory  was  organized;  it  then  contained 
a  little  less  than  five  thousand  souls.  The  first  American  estab 
lishment  in  the  Territory  was  Fort  Snelling,  at  the  mouth  of  St 
Peter's  or  Minnesota  River,  which  was  founded  in  1819.  The 
French,  and  afterward  the  English,  occupied  this  country  with 
their  fur-trading  forts.  Pembina,  on  the  northern  boundary,  is  the 
oldest  village,  having  been  established  in  1812  by  Lord  Selkirk,  a 


32  OUTLINE    HISTORY. 

Scottish  nobleman,  under-  a  grant  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany. 

There  were  not  until  near  the  close  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  any 
American  settlements  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  continent.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  century  not  a  single  white  man  had  ever  been  known 
to  have  crossed  the  continent  north  of  the  latitude  of  St.  Louis. 
The  geography  of  the  greater  part  of  the  Pacific  slope  was  almost 
wholly  unknown,  until  the  explorations  of  Fremont,  between  the 
years  1842  and  1848.  That  region  had  formerly  been  penetrated 
only  by  fur  traders  and  trappers.  The  Mexican  war  of  1846-'48, 
gave  to  the  Union  an  immense  tract  of  country,  the  large  original 
provinces  of  Upper  California  and  New  Mexico.  The  discovery  of 
gold  in  Upper  California  in  1848,  at  once  directed  emigration  to  that 
part  of  the  continent.  From  that  period  settlements  were  rapid  and 
territories  formed  in  quick  succession.  In  1848,  the  Mormons,  ex 
pelled  from  Missouri,  settled  in  Utah,  which  was  erected  into  a  ter 
ritory  in  1850.  In  1848,  Oregon  became  an  organised  territory,  and 
California,  then  conquered  from  Mexico,  in  1850,  was  admitted  as  a 
State,  and  Oregon  in  1859.  The  emigration  to  California  was  im 
mense  for  the  first  few  years :  in  the  years  1852  and  1853,  her  pro 
duct  in  gold  reached  the  enormous  value  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
millions  of  dollars. 

In  1854,  after  the  first  excitement  in  regard  to  California  had 
somewhat  subsided,  the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska  were 
organized.  Kansas  became  for  a  time  a  favorite  country  for  emi 
grants  ;  and  at  last  a  bloody  arena  between  the  free  soil  and  pro- 
slavery  parties  for  mastery.  The  overwhelming  preponderance  of 
the  former,  resulted  in  its  success,  and  Kansas  was  admitted  as  a 
free  State  in  1861. 

The  formation  of  territories  from  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War  to 
the  close  of  the  Southern  Rebellion,  was  rapid  without  precedent,  as 
the  following  summary  exhibits.  This  was  consequent  upon  the  dis 
covery  of  vast  mineral  wealth  in  the  mountain  country : 

CALIFORNIA,  ceded  by  treaty  with  Mexico  in  1848;  admitted  as  a  STATE  in 
1850. 

NEW  MEXICO,  ceded  by  treaty  with  Mexico,  and  organized  as  a  Territory  in 
1848. 

MINNESOTA,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1849 ;  admitted  as  a  STATE  in  1858. 

UTAH,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1850. 

ARIZONA,  purchased  of  Mexico  in  1854;  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1863. 

OREGON,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1848;  admitted  as  a  STATE  in  1859. 

WASHINGTON,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1853. 

KANSAS,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1854;  admitted  as  a  STATE  in  1861. 

NEBRASKA,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1854. 

NEVADA,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1861 ;  admitted  as  a  STATE  in  1864. 

DACOTAH,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1861. 

COLORADO,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1861. 

IDAHO,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1863. 

MONTANA,  organized  as  a  Territory  in  1864. 


WEST    VIRGINIA. 


WEST  VIRGINIA  owes  her  existence  to  the  Great  Rebellion  ;  or  rather 
to  the  patriotism  of  her  people,  who,  when  the  mother  State,  Virginia. 

plunged  into  the  vortex  of  seces 
sion,  resolved  to  stand  by  the  Union . 
The  wisdom  of  their  loyalty  has 
been  signally  shown  by  its  saving 
them  from  the  sore  desolation  that 
fell  upon  most  parts  of  the  Old  Do 
minion. 

The  seal  of  the  state  is  remarka 
bly  appropriate.  It  has  the  motto. 
"Montani  semper  liberi" — mountain 
eers  always  free.  In  the  center  is  a 
rock,  with  ivy,  emblematic  of  sta 
bility  and  continuance;  the  face 
of  the  rock  bears  the  inscription. 
"June  20,  1863,"  the  date  of  found 
ation,  as  if  "graved  with  a  pen  of 
iron  in  the  rock  forever."  On  the 
right  stands  a  farmer  clothed  in  the 
traditional  hunting-shirt  peculiar  to 
this  region;  his  right  arm  resting  on  the  plow  handles,  and  his  left 
supporting  a  woodman's  ax — indicating  that  while  the  territory  is  par 
tially  cultivated  it  is  still  in  process  of  being  cleared  of  the  original 
forest.  At  his  right  is  a  sheaf  of  wheat  and  corn  growing.  On  the  left 
of  the  rock  stands  a  miner,  indicated  by  a  pickax  on  his  shoulder. 
with  barrels  and  lumps  of  mineral  at  his  feet.  On  his  left  is  an  anvil 
partly  seen,  on  which  rests  a  sledge  hammer,  typical  of  the  mechanic- 
arts — the  whole  indicating  the  principal  pursuits  and  resources  of  the 
state.  In  front  of  the  rocks  and  figures,  as  if  just  laid  down  by  the 
latter,  and  ready  to  be  resumed  at  a  moment's  notice,  are  two  hunter's 
rifles,  crossed  and  surmounted  at  the  place  of  contact  by  the  Phrygian 
cap,  or  cap  of  Liberty — indicating  that  the  freedom  and  independence 
of  the  state  were  won  and  will  be  maintained  by  arms. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  when  the  question  of  secession  was  submitted 
to  the  people,  those  of  Eastern  Virginia  voted  almost  unanimously  in 
its  favor,  but  in  the  northwestern  counties  quite  as  strongly  against  it. 
In  fact,  the  desire  for  a  separate  state  government  had  lor  a  quarter 
of  a  century  prevailed  in  this  section,  where  the  slaveholding  interest 
was  slight,  and  the  habits  of  the  people  diverse.  The  reasons  foi'this- 
3  (33) 


Aitxs  OF  WEST  VIRGINIA. 
Montani  semper  liber i — Mountaineers  always  free. 


34  •  WEST  VIRGINIA 

were,  that  they  were  in  a  measure  cut  off  from  intercourse  with  East 
ern  Virginia  by  chains  of  mountains,  and  that  state  legislation  had 
been  unfavorable  to  the  development  of  their  resources.  The  break 
ing  out  of  the  rebellion  was  a  favorable  moment  to  initiate  measures 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  long-desired  separation.  As  the  move 
ment  was  one  of  grave  importance,  we  must  give  it  more  than  a  pass 
ing  notice,  from  a  pen  familiar  with  the  subject. 

"It  has  passed  into  history,  that  for  many  years,  while  the  western 
counties  of  Virginia  had  the  preponderance  of  white  population  and 
taxable  property,  the  eastern  counties  controlled  the  legislation  of  the 
state,  by  maintaining  an  iniquitous  basis  of  representation.  It  is 
enough  to  say,  that  the  western  counties,  with  few  slaves,  were  a  mere 
dependency  of  the  eastern,  with  many  slaves ;  and  the  many  revenues 
of  the  state  were  expended  for  the  benefit  mainly  of  the  tide-water  re 
gion,  while  the  west  paid  an  unjust  proportion  of  the  taxes.  This  was 
always  a  cause  of  dissatisfaction.  Besides,  there  was  no  -homogeniety 
of  population  or  interest,  and  the  Alleghany  Mountains  were  a  natu 
ral  barrier  to  commercial  and  social  intercourse.  There  were  much 
closer  relations  in  these  respects  with  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  than 
with  the  tide-water  region,  growing  as  well  out  of  the  substantial  sim 
ilarity  of  society,  as  the  short-sighted  policy  of  having  no  great  public 
improvement  in  the  direction  of  Richmond.  The  construction  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  and  its  connections,  intensified  the  isolation 
of  the  west  from  the  rest  of  the  state. 

"When  the  ordinance  of  secession  was  submitted  to  the  people,  the 
western  counties,  with  great  unanimity,  voted  against  it.  This  was 
on  the  23d  of  May,  1861.  The  traitors  never  waited  the  result  of  the 
popular  vote,  for  as  soon  as  the  ordinance  passed  the  convention,  Vir 
ginia  was  practically  hitched  on  to  the  Confederacy;  and  while  at 
Richmond  the  state  authorities  were  busy  in  the  military  seizure  of 
the  state,  the  people  of  Virginia,  who  were  still  loyal,  met  at  Wheeling 
immediately  after  the  vote  on  the  ordinance  and  called  a  convention, 
the  members  of  which  should  be  duly  elected,  to  assemble  at  that  city 
on  the  llth  of  June.  The  loyal  people  of  the  whole  state  were  invited 
to  join  in  this  movement.  There  was  nothing  in  the  state  constitu 
tion  against  it,  on  the  contrary,  it  provided  for  it  by  just  this  method. 
There  happened  to  be,  also,  a  notable  precedent  for  this  action,  in  the 
history  of  the  state.  In  1774,  Lord  Dunmore,  the  colonial  governor 
of  Virginia,  dissolved  the  house  of  burgesses;  and  for  the  purpose  of 
preventing  legislation  in  any  event,  retired  with  liis  council  on  board 
a  British  man-of-war.  The  assembly  being  thus  deprived  of  a  gov 
ernment,  met  together  in  convention,  as  private  citizens,  and  assumed 
the  powers  of  the  state.  They  issued  an  invitation,  without  any  leg 
islative  authority,  for  the  several  counties  or  districts  to  send  delegates 
to  a  convention.  There  was  no  legal  or  authorized  act  calling  this 
convention,  or  for  the  choice  of  delegates ;  but  it  was  the  spontaneous 
act  of  the  people,  who  were  in  favor  of  a  free  government.  The  con 
vention  met  in  1775,  and  declared  'the  necessity  of  immediately  put 
ting  the  country  in  a  posture  of  defense,  for  the  better  protection  of 
our  lives,  liberties  and  property.'  And  after  enumerating  the  acts  by 
which  the  colonial  authorities  had  subverted  government,  asserted 
that  'we  are  driven  to  the  necessity  of  supplying  the  present  want  of 


WEST  VIRGINIA.  35 

government,  by  appointing  proper  guardians  of  the  lives  and  liberties' 
of  our  country.'  And  thereupon  they  elected  state  officers  and  re 
stored  the  government. 

"Mark,  these  Virginians,  when  they  restored  the  government  thus 
abandoned,  did  not  proclaim  revolution  or  secession  from  Great 
Britain;  on  the  contrary,  they  said :  'Lest  our  views  be  misrepresented 
or  misunderstood,  we  publicly  and  solemnly  declare  before  God  and 
the  world  that  we  do  bear  true  faith  and  allegiance  to  his  majesty 
King  George  the  Third,  as  our  lawful  and  rightful  king.' 

"Accordingly,  on  the  llth  of  June,  1861,  the  convention  assembled, 
there  being  quite  a  number  of  delegates  from  the  eastern  counties. 
The  first  ordinance,  after  reciting  the  grievances  of  the  people,  sol 
emnly  declares:  'That  the  preservation  of  their  dearest  rights  and 
liberties,  and  their  security  in  person  and  property,  imperatively  de 
mand  the  reorganization  of  the  government;  and  that  all  acts  of  the 
convention  and  executive  (at  Eichmond)  tending  to  separate  this 
state  from  the  United  States,  or  to  levy  and  carry  on  war  against  them, 
are  without  authority  and  void;  and  that  the  offices  of  all  who  adhere 
to  the  said  convention  and  executive,  whether  legislative,  executive 
or  judicial,  are  vacated.'1  They  then  proceeded  to  elect  a  governor  and 
other  state  officers,  who  should  hold  their  offices  until  an  election  could 
he  had;  and  to  mark  the  era  of  reorganization,  they  added  the  words 
'Union  and  Liberty'  to  the  '•Sic  semper  tyrannis"1  of  the  state  arms. 

"This  was  not  revolution,  for  it  was  a  case  within  the  constitution 
of  the  state.  It  could  not  be  revolution  to  support  the  constitution 
and  laws,  both  of  which  the  Eichmond  traitors  had  abrogated.  They 
could  not  be  the  government,  for  they  had  destroyed  it.  That  can  not 
be  revolution  which  upholds  or  sustains  the  supreme  law  of  the  land,  viz: 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  and  the  laws  in  pursuance  of  it. 

"But  it  is  said,  there  was  only  a  fraction  of  the  people  who  joined 
in  this  movement.  We  answer  in  the  language  of  another:  'Doubtless, 
it  is  desirable  that  a  clear  majority  should  always  speak  in  government; 
but  where  a  state  is  in  insurrection,  and  the  loyal  citizens  are  under  du 
ress,  the  will  of  the  people,  who  are  for  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  is 
the  only  lawful  will  under  the  constitution;  and  that  will  must  be  col 
lected  as  far  as  is  practicable  under  the  external  force.' 

"Immediately  upon  the  election  of  FRANCIS  H.  PIERPONT  as  gov 
ernor,  he  notified  the  president  of  the  United  States,  that  there  existed 
a  treasonable  combination  against  the  constitution  and  laws,  known  as 
'The  Confederate  States  of  America,'  whose  design  was  to  subvert  the 
authority  of  the  United  States  in  Virginia;  that  an  army  of  the  insur 
gents  was  then  advancing  upon  the  loyal  people  of  the  state  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  them  under  the  domination  of  the  Confederacy; 
and  that  he  had  not  at  his  command  sufficient  force  to  suppress  the 
insurrection,  and  as  governor  of  Virginia,  requested  national  aid.  This 
he  had  an  undoubted  right  to  do,  if  he  were  governor  of  Virginia,  for 
the  constitution  of  the  United  States  provides  for  the  very  case.  [See 
article  iv,  sec.  4.] 

"Was  he  governor  of  Virginia?  Who  was  to  decide  between  Gov. 
Pierpont,  at  Wheeling,  and  Gov.  Letcher,  at  Eichmond?  Which  was 
the  government  of  Virginia,  the  Wheeling  or  the  Eichmond? 

"Happily,  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States  furnished  a  solu- 


36  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

tion  of  the  question,  and  put  forever  at  rest,  any  doubt  about  the 
legitimacy  of  the  Wheeling  government.  [Luther  v.  Borden,  7  How 
ard  Eep.  p.  1.1  This  is  the  case  growing  out  of  the  celebrated  Dorr 
rebellion  in  Khode  Island,  in  1840,  and  involves  the  very  question 
under  consideration.  It  is  useless  to  go  into  the  history  of  the  origin  of 
that  conflict.  There  were  two  governors  and  legislatures  in  that  state 
— the  minority,  or  charter  government,  with  Gov.  King  at  its  head, 
and  the  majority,  or  popular  government,  with  Gov.  Dorr  af  its  head. 
John  Tyler,  a  Yirginian,  then  president  of  the  United  States,  decided 
in  favor  of  the  minority  or  charter  government;  and  in  pursuance  of  a 
request  of  Gov.  King  'for  national  aid,  similar  to  that  made  by  Gov. 
Pierpont,  the  president  offered  the  military  and  naval  force  of  the 
United  States  to  Governor  King,  and  the  Dorr  government  thereupon 
succumbed  and  was  disbanded.  The  question  involved  was  carried  to 
the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  and  Chief  Justice  Taney  de 
livered  the  opinion  of  the  whole  court.  No  lawyer  can  deny,  that  if 
President  Tyler  had  recognized  the  Dorr  government,  the  supreme 
court  would  have  guided  its  judgment  accordingly.  The  supreme 
court  say : 

"'The  power  of  deciding  whether  the  government  of  the  United 
States  is  bound  to  interfere  (in  case  of  domestic  violence  between  con 
flicting  parties  in  a  state),  is  given  to  the  president  of  the  United  States. 
He  is  to  act  upon  the  application  of  the  legislature  or  of  the  executive, 
and  consequently  he  must  determine  what  body  of  men  constitute  the  legislature, 
and  who  is  the  governor,  before  he  can  act.  The  fact  that  both  parties 
claim  to  be  the  government  can  not  alter  the  case,  for  both  can  not  be 
entitled  to  it.  If  there  be  an  armed  conflict,  it  is  a  case  of  domestic 
violence,  and  one  of  the  parties  must  be  in  insurrection  against  the 
lawful  government;  and  the  president  must  necessarily  decide  which  is 
the  government,  and  which  party  is  unlawfully  arrayed  against  it,  in 
order  to  perform  his  duty.  And  after  the  president  has  acted  and 
called  out  the  militia,  his  decision  can  not  be  reviewed,  by  any  legal  tribunal, 
It  is  said  this  power  in  the  president  is  dangerous  to  liberty,  and  may 
be  abused.  All  power  may  be  abused  if  placed  in  unworthy  hands ; 
but  it  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any  other  hands  in  which  this 
power  could  be  more  safe  and  at  the  same  time  equally  effective.  At 
all  events,  it  is  conferred  upon  him  by  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the 
United  States,  and  must,  therefore,  be  respected  and  enforced  by  its  judicial 
tribunals' 

"In  one  word,  the  question  between  two  governments  in  a  state, 
under  these  circumstances,  is  not  a  judicial  question  at  all,  but  rests 
solely  with  the  president  under  the  constitution  and  laws;  and  his 
decision  is  final  and  binding,  and  settles  all  claims  between  conflicting 
jurisdictions  in  a  state. 

"President  Lincoln  responded  nobly  to  the  call  of  Gov.  Pierpont, 
and  furnished  the  requisite  aid  to  the  restored  government.  The  battles 
of  Phillipi  and  Rich  Mountain  followed,  and  the  Confederates  wrere 
driven  out  of  Western  Virginia.  Here,  then,  was  a  definite  and  final 
settlement  of  the  questions  as  to  who  was  governor  of  Virginia,  by  the 
president,  and  no  tribunal  or  authority  can  review  that  decision  or  call 
it  in  question.  The  heads  of  the  executive  departments  have  recog 
nized  the  restored  government — the  secretary  of  war.  by  assigning 


WEST  VIRGINIA.  37 

quotas  under  calls  for  volunteers;  the  treasurer  by  paying  over  to  the 
state,  upon  the  order  of  its  legislature,  her  share  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
sales  of  public  lands,  and  so  on. 

"On  the  20th  of  August,  1861,  the  convention  at  Wheeling,  being 
still  in  session,  provided  for  the  election  of  congressmen,  and  they 
were  received  into  the  lower  house.  They  also  called  the  legislature 
of  Virginia  together  at  Wheeling,  to  consist  of  such  members  as  had 
been  elected  previous  to  the  passage  of  the  ordinance  of  secession,  and 
provided  for  tilling  vacancies  if  any  by  election.  And  on  July  9th,  the 
legislature  elected  John  S.  Carlile  and  Waitman  T.  Willey  as  senators 
of  the  United  States,  from  Virginia,  to  supply  the  places  of  E.  M.  T. 
Hunter  and  James  M.  Mason.  These  senators  were  admitted  to  scats 
in  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  and  were  so  recognized  by  both  the 
executive  and  legislative  branches  of  the  federal  government,  so  that 
any  question  as  to  the  rightfulness  of  the  legislature  at  Wheeling  as 
the  legislature 'of  Virginia  was  at  an  end. 

"Thus  the  State  of  Virginia,  with  a  governor  and  legislature,  and 
other  state  machinery  in  operation,  recognized  by  all  departments  of 
the  federal  government,  was  fully  adequate  to  the  exercise  of  all  the 
functions  of  a  state,  as  well  then  and  now,  as  at  any  period  of  her 
history. 

"Let  us  now  turn  to  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  article  iv, 
see,  3,  which  reads  as  follows:  'New  states  maybe  admitted  by  the 
congress  into  the  Union;  but  no  new  state  shall  be  formed  or  erected 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  other  state,  nor  any  state  be  formed  by 
the  junction  of  two  or  more  states,  or  parts  of  states,  without  the  con 
sent  of  the  legislatures  of  the  states  concerned,  as  well  as  of  the  con 
gress.' 

"Now  it  is  apparent  that  to  form  a  new  state  out  of  a  part  of  the 
State  of  Virginia,  the  concurrent  consent  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia 
and  of  congress  is  all  that  is  needed  under  the  constitution.  We  have 
shown  that  the  government  at  Wheeling  was  the  government  of  Vir 
ginia,  with  a  duly  constituted  governor,  legislature,  etc.;  and  the  way 
pointed  out  by  the  constitution  is  plain.  Let  us  now  see  whether  the 
necessary  steps  were  taken  as  prescribed  by  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

"On  August  20,  1861,  the  convention  passed  an  ordinance  providing 
for  the  submission  of  the  question  of  the  formation  of  a  new  state  to 
the  people,  and  also  further  the  election  of  delegates  to  a  convention 
to  form  a  constitution  for  the  new  state,  if  the  people  decided  in  favor  of 
it;  and  also  for  the  various  details  of  the  movement.  The  governor 
was  directed  to  lay  before  the  general  assembly,  at  its  next  ensuing 
meeting,  for  their  consent,  the  result,  if  that  result  should  be  favorable 
to  a  new  state,  in  accordance  with  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 
The  peoples  expressed  themselves  by  an  overwhelming  majority  in 
favor  of  a  new  state.  The  constitutional  convention  for  the  new  state 
met  and  prepared  a  constitution,  which  was  ratified  by  the  people,  and 
the  necessary  officers  for  the  state  government  chosen.  At* the  next 
session  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia,  on  May  13,  1862,  that  body  gave 
its  formal  consent  to  the  formation  of  the  State  of  West  Virginia, 
within  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia,  and  directed  that  the  act  be 
transmitted  to  their  senators  and  representatives  in  congress,  and  they 


38  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

were  requested  to  use  their  endeavors  to  obtain  the  consent  of  congress 
to  the  admission  of  the  new  state  into  the  Union. 

"At  the  following  session  of  congress,  the  application  was  formally 
made,  first  to  the  senate.  Pending  its  consideration,  an  amendment 
to  the  state  constitution  was  proposed,  providing  for  the  gradual  abo 
lition  of  slavery,  and  also  for  the  submission  of  the  amendment  to  the 
people  of  the  new  state;  and  if  approved  by  them,  the  president  of  the 
United  States  was,  by  proclamation,  to  announce  the  fact,  and  the 
state  should  be  admitted  into  the  Union.  In  this  shape  the  bill  for 
admission  passed  the  senate,  and  afterward  the  house,  and  was  ap 
proved  by  the  president.  The  constitutional  convention  for  the  new 
state  held  an  immediate  session,  approved  the  congressional  amend 
ment,  and  submitted  the  constitution  thus  amended,  to  the  people,  who 
also  approved  it  by  an  over\vhelming  majority;  and  so,  now,  all  that 
was  needed  in  order  to  its  admission  into  the  Union,  was  the  procla 
mation  of  the  president,  which  was  accordingly  issued;  and  on  the 
20th  of  June,  1863,  the  new  member,  with  its  motto,  "  Montani  semper 
liberi"  was  born  into  the  family  of  states  in  the  midst  of  the  throes  of 
a  mighty  revolution,  and  cradled  in  storms  more  terrible  and  de 
structive,  than  any  that  ever  swept  among  its  mountains,  but  clothed 
in  the  majesty  of  constitutional  right. 

"Until  the  time  fixed  by  act  of  congress,  West  Virginia  was  not  a 
state,  and  the  movement,  therefore,  did  not  interfere  with  the  regular 
and  successful  operation  of  the  government  of  Virginia.  As  soon, 
however,  as  the  time  for  the  inauguration'  of  the  new  state  arrived, 
Gov.  Pierpont  and  the  officers  of  the  government  of  Virginia,  in  ac 
cordance  with  an  act  of  the  legislature,  removed  to  Alexandria,  Va., 
where  the  seat  of  government  was,  and  still  is  located;  and  A.  J.  Bore- 
man,  the  first  governor  of  West  Virginia,  was  duly  installed,  and  the 
seat  of  government  temporarily  fixed  at  Wheeling,  until  the  times 
become  more  settled,  so  that  the  capital  of  the  new  state  maybe  located 
nearer  the  geographical  center  of  its  territory. 

"  The  area  of  the  new  state  is  23,000  square  miles — twenty  times  as 
large  as  Rhode  Island,  more  than  ton  times  as  large  as  Delaware,  five 
times  as  large  as  Connecticut,  three  times  as  large  as  Massachusetts, 
more  than  twice  as  large  as  New  Hampshire,  and  more  than  twice  as 
large  as  Maryland — an  area  about  equal  to  the  aggregate  of  Rhode 
Island,  Connecticut,  Delaware,  Massachusetts  and  Vermont. 

"According  to  the  census  of  1860,  it  had  a  white  population  of 
335,000 — a  population  much  greater  than  any  of  the  new  states,  at  the 
time  of  their  admission  into  the  Union,  and  much  greater  than  many 
of  the  old  states.  % 

"It  is  among  the  most  loyal  of  the  states,  for  she  has  always  filled 
her  quotas  under  all  calls  without  a  draft:  she  furnished  more  than 
20,000  soldiers  for  the  Union,  and  several  thousands  in  excess  of  all 
drafts.  The  revenue  of  the  whole  State  of  Virginia  in  1850  was  only 
$533, 000^  while  in  1860  the  forty-eight  counties  composing  the  new 
state  paid  over  $600,000  into  the  state  treasury. 

"  The  new  state  has  a  rich  legacy  committed  to  her  keeping,  and 
has  all  the  elements  to  make  a  great  and  prosperous  commonwealth. 
Lumber,  coal,  iron,  petroleum,  salt,  etc.,  abound,  and  the  fertility  of 
her  soil  is  equal  to  that  of  most  states  in  the  Union.  And  now  that 


WEST  VIRGINIA. 


she  is  freed  from  the  incubus  of  slavery,  and  wealth  and  enterprise  are 
beginning  to  develop  her  resources,  she  will  outstrip  many  of  the  more 
favored  states  and  take  her  place  among  the  foremost  common 
wealths." 


both 
the 

and  100  below  Wheeling.  It  has  a  connection  with  the  west  by 
the  Cincinnati  &  Marietta  railroad,  and  with  the  east  by  the  North 
western  railroad,  the  southernmost  fork  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  rail 
road.  ^  It  is  a  thriving  town  of  about  7000  inhabitants.  The  valley  of 
the  Little  Kanawha  is  of  growing  importance  from  its  wealth  in  pe 
troleum:  oil  Wells  of  great  richness  are  being  worked.  Just  below 
Parkersburg  is  the  long  celebrated  Blannerhasset's  Island,  so  charm 
ingly  described  by  Wirt  in  his  graceful  oratory  at  the  trial  of  Aaron 
Burr  at  Eichmond,  half  a  century  ago.  Herman  Blannerhasset  was 
of  wealthy  Irish  parentage  and  born  in  England.  He  married  Miss 
Adeline  Agnew,  a  grand-daughter  of  General  Agnew,  who  was  with 
Wolfe  at  Quebec.  She  was  a  most  elegant  and  accomplished  woman 
and  he  a  refined  and  scholarly  man.  'in  1798  he  began  his  improve 
ments  upon  the  island.  In  *1805,  Aaron  Burr  landed  on  the  island, 
where  he  was  entertained  with  hospitality  by  the  family. 

Wheeling  is  on  the  east  hank  of  Ohio  River,  and  on  both  sides  of  Wheeling 
creek,  351  miles  from  Richmond,  56  miles  from  Pittsburg,  and  365  above 
Cincinnati.  The  hills  hack  of  the  city  come  near  the  river,  so  as  to  leave  but 
a  limited  area  for  building,  so  that  the  place  is  forced  to  extend  along  the 
high  alluvial  bank  for  two  miles.  A  fine  stone  bridge  over  Wheeling  creek 
connects  the  upper  and  lower  portions  of  the  city.  Wheeling  is  the  most 
important  place  on  the  Ohio  River  between  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburg.  It  is 
surrounded  by  bold  hills  containing  inexhaustible  quantities  of  bituminous 
coal,  from  which  the  numerous  manufacturing  establishments  are  supplied  at 
a  small  expense.  The  place  contains  several  iron  foundries,  cotton  mills,  and 
factories  of  various  kinds.  A.  large  business  is  done  in  the  building  of  steam 
boats.  Population  1860,  14,000, 

The  National  Road,  irom  Cumberland  across  the  Alleghany  Mountains  to 
St.  Louis,  passes  through  Wheeling,  and  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
terminates  here,  making  this  place  a  great  thoroughfare  of  travel  between  the 
east  and  west.  The  Ohio  River  is  crossed  here  by  a  magnificent  wire  sus 
pension  bridge,  erected  at  a  cost  of  upward  of  $200,000.  Its  span,  one  of  the 
longest  in  the  world,  measures  1,010  feet.  The  hight  of  the  towers  is  153  feet 
above  low  water  mark,  and  60  above  the  abutments.  The  entire  bridge  is 
supported  by  12  wire  cables,  1,380  feet  in  length  and  4  inches  in  diameter, 
each  composed  of  550  strands.  These  cables  are  laid  in  pairs,  3  pairs  on 
each  side  of  the  flooring. 

In  1769  Col.  Ebenezer  Zane,  his  brothers  Silas  and  Jonathan,  with  some 
others  from  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  visited  the  Ohio  for  the  pur 
pose  of  making  improvements,  and  severally  proceeded  to  select  posi 
tions  for  their  future  residence.  They  chose  for  their  residence  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  city  of  Wheeling,  and  having  made  the  requisite  preparations 
returned  to  their  former  homes,  and  brought  out  their  families  the  ensuing 


40 


WEST  VIRGINIA. 


year.  The  Zanes  we?e  men  of  enterprise,  tempered  with  prudence,  and  di 
rected  by  sound  judgment.  To  the  bravery  and  good  conduct  of  these  three 
brothers,  the  Wheeling  settlement  was  mainly  indebted  for  its  security  and 
preservation  during  the  war  of  the  revolution.  Soon  after  the  settlement  of 
this  place  other  settlements  were  made  at  different  points,  both  above  and  be 
low  Wheeling,  in  the  country  on  Buffalo,  Short  and  Grave  creeks. 

The  name  of  Wheeling  was  originally  Weeling,  which  in  the  Delaware  lan 
guage  signifies  the  place,  of  a  head.  At  a  very  early  day,  some  whites  de 
scending  the  Ohio  in  a  boat,  stopped  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  and  were  mur 
dered  by  Indians.  The  savages  cut  off  the  head  of  one  of  their  victims,  and 
placing  it  on  a  pole  with  its  face  toward  the  river,  called  the  spotWeeUng. 


Southern  View  of  }V  heeling. 


The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Wheeling  as  it  is  entered  upon  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad.  Tht 
str.imlM'iit  landing  and  part  of  the  city  are  seen  in  the  central  part.  The  suspension  bridge  crossing  over  t« 
•Whirling  Island  on  the  left.  Part  of  the  railroad  depot  is  on  the  right: 


The  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  Wheeling  was  the  siege 
Henry,  at  the  mouth  of  Wheeling  creek,  in  September,  1777.  The  fort  was 
originally  called  Fort  Fineastle,  and  was  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  settlers  in 
Diinmore's  war.  .The  name  was  afterward  changed  to  Henry,  in  honor  of 
Patrick  Henry.  The  Indians  who  besieged  the  fort  were  estimated  at  from 
380  to  500  warriors,  led  on  by  the  notorious  Simon  Girty.  The  garrison 
numbered  only  42  fighting  men,  under  the  command  of  Col.  Shepherd.  The 
savages  made  several  attempts  to  force  themselves  into  the  fort;  they  were 
driven  back  by  the  unerring  rifle  shots  of  the  brave  little  garrison.  A  rein 
forcement  of  about  50  men  having  got  into  the  fort,  the  Indians  raised  the 
siege,  having  lost  from  60  to  100  men.  The  loss  of  the  garrison  was  26 
killed,  all  of  whom,  excepting  three  or  four,  fell  in  an  ambuscade  outside  the 


WEST  VIRGINIA.  41 

walls  before  the  attack  on  the  fort  commenced.  The  heroism  of  Elizabeth 
Zane  during  the  siege  is  worthy  of  record.  This  heroine  had  but  recently 
returned  from  school  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  totally  unused  to  such  scenes 
as  were  daily  transpiring  on  the  frontier : 

"The  stock  of  gunpowder  in  the  fort  having  been  nearly  exhausted,  it  was  de 
termined  to  seize  the  favorable  opportunity  offered  by  the  suspension  of  hostilities 
to  send  for  a  keg  of  gunpowder  which  was  known  to  be  in  the  house  of  Ebenezer 
Zane,  about  sixty  yards  from  the  gate  of  the  fort.  The  person  executing  this  ser 
vice  would  necessarily  expose  himself  to  the  danger  of  being  shot  down  by  the  In 
dians,  who  were  yet  sufficiently  near  to  observe  everything  that  transpired  about 
the  works.  The  colonel  explained  the  matter  to  his  men,  and,  unwilling  to  order 
one  of  them  to  undertake  such  a  desperate  enterprise,  inquired  whether  any  man 
would  volunteer  for  the  service.  Three  or  four  young  men  promptly  stepped  for 
ward  in  obedience  to  the  call.  The  colonel  informed  them  that  the  weak  state  of 
the  garrison  would  not  justify  the  absence  of  more  than  one  man,  and  that  it  was 
for  themselves  to  decide  who  that  person  should  be.  The  eagerness  felt  by  each 
volunteer  to  undertake  the  honorable  mission  prevented  them  from  making  the  ar 
rangement  proposed  by  the  commandant;  and  so  much  time  was  consumed  in  the 
contention  between  them  that  fears  began  to  arise  that  the  Indians  would  renew 
the  attack  before  the  powder  could  be  procured.  At  this  crisis,  a  young  lady,  the 
sister  of  Ebenezer  and  feilas  Zane,  came  forward  and  desired  that  she  might  be 
permitted  to  execute  the  service.  This  proposition  seemed  so  extravagant  that  it 
met  with  a  peremptory  refusal;  but  she  instantly  renewed  her  petition  in  terms  of 
redoubled  earnestness,  and  all  the  remonstrances  of  the  colonel  and  her  relatives 
failed  to  dissuade  her  from  her  heroic  purpose.  It  was  finally  represented  to  her 
that  either  of  the  young  men.  on  account  of  his  superior  fleetness  and  familiarity 
with  scenes  of  danger,  would  be  more  likely  than  herself  to  do  the  work  success 
fully.  She  replied  that  the  danger  which  would  attend  the  enterprise  was  the 
identical  reason  that  induced  her  to  offer  her  services,  for,  as  the  garrison  was  very 
weak,  no  soldier's  life  should  be  placed  in  needless  jeopardy,  and  that  if  she  were 
to  fall  her  loss  would  not  be  felt.  Her  petition  was  ultimately  granted,  and  the 
gate  opened  for  her  to  pass  out.  The  opening  of  the  gate  arrested  the  attention  of 
several  Indians  who  were  straggling  through  the  village.  It  was  noticed  that  their 
eyes  were  upon  her  as  she  crossed  the  open  space  to  reach  her  brother's  house; 
hut  seized,  perhaps,  with  a  sudden  freak  of  clemency,  or  believing  that  a  woman's 
life  was  not  worth  a  load  of  gunpowder,  or  influenced  by  some  other  unexplained 
motive,  they  permitted  her  to  pass  without  molestation.  When  she  reappeared 
with  the  powder  in  her  arms  the  Indians,  suspecting,  no  doubt,  the  character  of  her 
burden,  elevated  their  firelocks  and  discharged  a  volley  at  her  as  she  swiftly  glided 
toward  the  gate,  but  the  balls  all  flew  wide  of  the  mark,  and  the  fearless  girl 
reached  the  fort  in  safety  with  her  prize.  The  pages  of  history  may  furnish  a 
parallel  to  the  noble  exploit  of  Elizabeth  Zane,  but  an  instance  of  greater  self- 
devotion  and  moral  intrepidity  is  not  to  be  found  anywhere." 

Sixteen  miles  above  Wheeling  on  the  river  is  the  thriving  business 
town  of  Vyelltfnirg.  Eight  miles  east  of  this  place  in  a  healthy,  beau 
tiful  site  among  the  hills,  is  the  flourishing  institution  known  as  Beth 
any  College.  It  was  founded  by  Elder^Alexander  Campbell,  and  is 
conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Disciples  or  Christians.  Their 
peculiarity  is  that  they  have  no  creed — just  simply  a  belief  in  the 
BIBLE  as  the  sufficient  rule  of  Christian  faith  and  practice;  thus  leav 
ing  its  interpretation  free  to  each  individual  mind. 

Below  Wheeling  eleven  miles,  at  the  village  of  Moundsville,  on  the 
river  flats,  is  the  noted  curiosity  of  this  region,  the  Mammouth  Mound. 
It  is  69  feet  in  height,  and  is  in  full  view  of  the  passing  steamers. — 
An  aged  oak,  cut  down  on  its  summit  some  years  since,  showed  by  its 
concentric  circles  that  it  was  about  500  years  old. 


42  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

Point  Pleasant  is  a  small  village  at  the  junction  of  tlie  Kanawha  with  the 
Ohio.  It  is  noted  as  the  site  of  the  most  bloody  battle  ever  fought  with  the 
Indians  in  Virginia — the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant — which  took  place  in  Dun- 
more's  war,  Oct.  10,  1774.  The  Virginians,  numbering  1,100  men,  were 
under  the  command  of  Gen.  Andrew  Lewis.  The  Indians  were  under  the 
celebrated  Shawnee  chieftain  Cornstalk,  and  comprised  the  flower  of  the 
Shawnee,  Wyandot,  Delaware,  Mingo  and  Cayuga  tribes.  The  action  lasted 
from  sunrise  until  sunset,  and  was  contested  with  the  most  obstinate  bravery 
on  both  sides.  The  Virginians  at  length  were  victorious,  but  with  a  loss  of 
more  than  200  of  their  number  in  killed  and  wounded,  among  whom  were 
some  of  their  most  valued  officers.  This  event  was  made  the  subject  of  a 
rude  song,  which  is  still  preserved  among  the  mountaineers  of  western  Vir 
ginia: 

SONG  ON  THE  SHAWNEE  BATTLE. 

Let  us  mind  the  tenth  day  of  October,  By  which  the  heathen  were  confounded, 

Seventy-four,  which  caused  woe,  Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

The  Indian  savages  they  did  cover 

The  pleasant  banks  of  the  Ohio.  Col.  Lewis  and  some  noble  captains 

Did  down  to  death  like  Uriah  go, 
The  battle  beginning  in  the  morning,  Alas  !  their  heads  wound  up  in  napkins, 

Throughout  the  day  it  lashed  sore,  Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Till  the  evening  shades  were  returning  down 

Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  Kings  lamented  their  mighty  fallen 

Upon  the  mountains  of  Gilboa, 
Judgment  precedes  to  execution,  And  now  we  mourn  for  brave  Hugh  Allen, 

Let  fame  throughout  all  dangers  go,  Far  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Our  heroes  fought  with  resolution 

Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  0  bless  the  mighty  King  of  Heaven 

For  all  his  wondrous  works  below, 
Seven  score  lay  dead  and  wounded  Who  hath  to  us  the  victory  given, 

Of  champions  that  did  face  their  foe,  Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Ceredo  is  a  new  town  established  by  Eli  Thayer,  of  Massachusetts, 
just  before  the  rebellion,  and  settled  by  New  England  emigrants.  It 
is  on  the  Ohio  river,  about  five  miles  above  the  line  of  West  Virginia 
and  Kentucky.  The  settlement  was  nearly  broken  up  by  the  rebel 
lion.  A  few  miles  above  it  is  G-uyandotte,  which  was  mostly  burnt  in 
the  war. 

CHARLESTON  is  the  most  important  town  in  West  Virginia  excepting 
Wheeling  and  Parkersburg.  It  is  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Kanawha, 
46  miles  east  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  contains  several  thousand  people. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  this  valley  is  immense  in  salt  and  coal.  In 
coal  alone,  it  has  been  said,  this  valley  could  supply  the  whole  world 
for  fifty  years,  if  it  could  be  had  from  no  other  source.  The  Kanawha 
salt  works  commence  on  the  river  near  Charleston  and  extend  on  both 
sides  for  nearly  fifteen  miles.  Millions  of  bushels  of  salt  are  annually 
manufactured.  The  salt  water  is  drawn  from  wells  bored  in  solid 
rock  from  300  to  500  feet  in  depth.  Bituminous  coal,  which  abounds 
in  the  neighborhood,  is  used  in  the  evaporation  of  the  water. 

LEWISBURG  is  an  important  town  near  the  south  eastern  line  of  the 
state,  on  the  direct  road  from  Charleston  to  Ilichmond,  about  100 
miles  east  from  the  former,  and  200  west  from  the  latter;  near  it  and  in 
the  same  county,  are  the  Blue  Sulphur  and  White  Sulphur  Springs:  the 
latter,  the  most  celebrated  watering  place  in  the  south:  long  the  fa 
vorite  resort  of  the  wealthy  planters  and  prominent  politicians  of  the 
south. 


WEST  VIRGINIA. 


43 


The  situation  of  the  White  Sulphur  Springs  is  charming.  j.t  is  in  a 
beautiful  valley  environed  by  softly  curving  mountains.  Fifty  acres 
or  more  are  occupied  with  lawns  and  walks,  and  the  cabins  and  cot 
tages  for  the  guests,  built  in  rows  around  the  public  apartments,  the 
dining-room,  the  ball-room,  etc.,  which  give  the  place  quite  a  village 
air.  The  rows  of  cottages  are  variously  named,  as  Alabama  row, 
Louisiana,  Paradise,  Baltimore,  Virginia,  Georgia,  Wolf  and  Bachelor 
rows,  Broadway,  the  Virginia  lawn,  the  Spring,  the  Colonnade,  and 
other  specialities.  The  cottages  are  built  variously,  of  brick,  wood 
and  logs,  one  story  high.  The  place  is  205  miles  west  from  Richmond, 
and  242  southwest  of  Washington  City. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Monon- 
gahela,  are  some  thriving  noted  towns,  as  Morgantown,  Clarksburg, 
Weston,  etc.  At  the  latter  place  is  the  state  Asylum  for  the  Insane. 
The  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad  is  doing  much  for  the  development  of 
this  region  of  the  state.  This  great  work  of  engineering  skill  is  here 
given  a  more  than  passing  notice.  „ 

The  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  379  miles  in  length,  extending  from 
the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake,  at  Baltimore,  to  those  of  the  Ohio,  at  Wheel 
ing,  is  one  of  the  greatest 
works  of  engineering  skill 
on  the  continent.  This  im 
portant  undertaking  owes  its 
origin  to  the  far-reaching  sa 
gacity  of  Philip  E.  Thomas, 
a  Quaker  merchant  of  Balti 
more,  who  lived  to  see  its 
completion,  although  nearly 
thirty  years  had  elapsed  from 
the  time  of  its  commence 
ment.  At  that  period,  Bal 
timore  city  was  worth  but 
$25,000,000,  yet  it  unhesita 
tingly  embarked  in  an  enter 
prise  which  cost  31,000,000. 
The  first  stone  was  laid  on 
the  4th  of  July,  1828,  by 
the  venerable  Charles  Car 
roll,  of  Carrollton,  who  pro 
nounced  it,  next  to  signing 
the  declaration  of  indepen 
dence,  the  most  important 

TIIAY  HUN  VIADUCT,  B.  &  0.  EAILROAD.  act  of  his  life. 


This  elegant  structure  is  of  cast  iron,  GOO  feet  in  length,  and 
150  feet  above  the  level  of  the  stream. 


"  This  was  at  a  very  early 
period  in  the  history  of  rail 
ways;  and  during  the  progress  of  the  work,  from  year  to  year,  old  theories  were 
exploded  and  new  principles  introduced,  increasing  in  boldness  and  originality  as 
it  advanced.  Its  annual  reports  went  forth  as  text  books;  its  workshops  were 
practical  lecture  rooms,  and  to  have  worthily  graduated  in  this  school,  is  an  hon 
orable  passport  to  scientific  service  in  any  part  of  the  world.  In  its  struggles 
with  unparalleled  difficulties — financial,  physical,  legislative  and  legal — the  gallant 
little  state  of  Maryland  found  men  equal  to  each  emergency  as  it  arose,  and  the 


44  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

development  of  so  much  talent  and  high  character  in  various  department?,  should 
not  be  esteemed  the  smallest  benefit  which  the  country  has  derived  from  this  great 
enterprise." 

"The  line  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  traversing  the  Alleghanies,  has 
already  become  somewhat  classic  ground.  The  vicinity  of  Harper's  Ferry,  old 
Fort  Frederick,  Cumberland,  and  other  portions  along  the  Potomac  River,  havo 
long  been  known  to  the  world  for  their  imposing  scenery,  as  well  as  for  their 
historical  interest.  It  is  beyond  Cumberland,  however,  that  the  grandest  and  most 
effective  views  on  this  route  are  presented.  The  Piedmont  grade;  Oakland,  with 
its  inviting  summer  atmosphere ;  Valley  River  Falls ;  the  Monongahela,  and  other 
attractive  points,  inspire  wonder  in  all  who  witness  them. 

Nor  should  the  grand  scientific  features  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road  be 
overlooked.  To  say  nothing  of  its  unique  and  most  successfully  planned  grades 
(by  which  an  elevation  of  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  tide  is  reached),  there 
are  its  numerous  splendid  bridges  of  iron,  and  brick,  and  stone;  its  massive  build 
ings  of  all  kinds;  its  solidly  arched  tunnels,  and  numerous  other  features,  devel 
oping  the  greatest  skill  and  ingenuity  upon  the  part  of  the  strong  minds  which 
wrought  them.  The  longest  finished  tunnel  in  America  is  Kingwood  Tunnel,  261 
miles  from  Baltimore;  it  is  four  fifths  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  cost  more  than  a 
million  of  dollars ! 

Our  engraving  of  'Tray  Run  Viaduct,'  "  says  Leslie's  Pictorial,  from  which  this 
is  copied,  "  is  from  an  accurate  and  faithful  drawing,  made  upon  the  spot,  by  Mr. 
D.  C.  Hitchcock,  our  artist,  who  has  also  been  engaged  in  taking  numerous  views 
on  this  attractive  route  for  the  London  Illustrated  News.  Appropriate  to  our  no 
tice  of  the  Tray  Run  Viaduct,  we  may  quote  the  following  paragraphs  from  the 
'Book  of  the  Great  Railway  Celebration  of  1857,'  published  by  the  Appletons  : 

Cheat  River  is  a  rapid  mountain  stream,  of  a  dark  coffee  colored  water,  which  is  sup 
posed  to  take  its  hue  from  the  forests  of  laurel,  hemlock  and  black  spruce  in  which  it  has 
its  rise.  Our  road  crossed  the  stream  at  the  foot  of  Cranberry  grade  by  a  viaduct.  This 
is  composed  of  two  noble  spans  of  iron,  roofed  in  on  abutments,  and  a  pier  of  solid  free 
stone  taken  from  a  neighboring  quarry.  Arrived  at  this  point,  we  fairly  entered  the '  Cheat 
River  valley,'  which  presents  by  far  the  grandest  and  most  boldly  picturesque  scenery  to  be 
found  on  the  line  of  this  road,  if  indeed  it  is  not  the  finest  series  of  railroad  views  on  our 
continent.  The  European  travelers  in  our  party  were  as  much  enraptured  by  it  as  were 
those  of  us  who  have  never  visited  the  mountains,  lakes  and  glens  of  Scotia  or  Switzer 
land.  For  several  miles,  we  ran  along  the  steep  mountain  side,  clinging,  as  it  were,  to  the 
gigantic  cliffs,  our  cars  like  great  cages  suspended — though  upon  the  safest  and  most  solid 
of  beds — midway,  as  it  were,  between  heaven  and  earth.  At  one  moment  the  view  w;is 
confined  to  our  immediate  locality,  hemmed  in  on  every  side,  as  we  were,  by  the  towering 
mountain  spurs.  At  the  next,  a  slight  curve  in  the  road  opened  to  view  fine  stretchco  of 
the  deep  valley,  with  the  dark  river  flowing  along  its  bottom,  and  glorious  views  of  the  for 
est-covered  slopes  descending  from  the  peaks  to  the  water's  edge.  Amazed  at  the  grand 
eur  of  the  ever-varying  scenery  of  this  region,  a  French  gentleman  is  said  to  have  ex 
claimed  in  ecstacy,  '  Magnifiquc!  Zcreis  nossinq  likczisin  France!'1  The  engineering  dif 
ficulties,  overcome  in  the  part  of  the  road  within  the  first  few  miles  west  of  Cheat  River 
bridge,  must  have  been  appalling  ,  but  for  us  the  rough  places  had  been  made  smooth  as 
the  prairie  levels.  After  crossing  this  river  itself,  at  Rowlesburg,  the  next  point  was  to  as 
cend  along  its  banks  the  '  Cheat  River  lull.'  The  ravine  of  Kyer's  run,  a  mile  from  the 
bridge,  76  feet  deep,  was  crossed  by  a  solid  embankment.  Then,  after  bold  cutting  along 
the  steep,  rocky  hill  side,  we  reached  Buckeye  hollow,  which  is  108  feet  below  the  road  level, 
and  finally  came  to  Tray  run,  which  we  crossed  at  a  hight  of  150  feet  above  its  original 
bed  by  a  splendid  viaduct,  600  feet  long,  founded  on  a  massive  base  of  masonry  piled  upon 
the  solid  rock  below.  These  viaducts  are  of  iron — designed  by  Mr.  Albert  Fink,  one  of 
Mr.  Latrobe's  assistants — and  are  exceedingly  graceful,  as  well  as  very  substantial  struc 
tures.  When  we  reached  the  west  end  of  the  great  Tray  run  viaduct,  the  cars  halted,  and 
the  company  alighted  for  a  better  view  of  the  works.  A  walk  of  a  few  feet  brought  us  to 
the  brow  of  the  precipice  overlooking  the  river,  nearly  300  feet  below.  The  view  from  this  spot, 
both  of  the  scenery  and  the  gr^nd  structure  which  so  splendidly  spanned  the  immense  mount 
ain  ravine,  was  truly  inspiring.  From  our  great  elevation  the  stream  appeared  to  be  almost 
beneath  our  feet,  an  illusion  promptly  dispelled  when  the  strongest  and  longest  armed 
among  us  failed  to  throw  a  stone  far  enough  to  drop  in  its  bed.  With  the  entire  train  full 
of  guests,  the  band  also,  alighted  here,  and  taking  position  near  the  cliff,  struck  up  the  pop 
ular  air  of  '  Love  Not,'  in  sweet  harmony  with  the  emotions  inspired  by  the  scene. 


KENTUCKY. 


KENTUCKY  was  originally  included  in  the  limits  of  Virginia,  and  the  name, 
said  to  signify,  in  the  Indian  tongue,  "The  dark  and  bloody  ground,"  is  in 
dicative  of  her  early  conflicts  with  a 
wily  and  savage  foe.  The  first  ex 
plorer  of  her  territory  of  whom  we  have 
any  very  definite  knowledge  was  Col. 
James  Smith,  who  traveled  westward 
in  1766,  from  Holston  Iliver,  with 
three  men  and  a  mulatto  slave.  The 
beautiful  tract  of  country  near  the 
Kentucky  Iliver  appears  to  have  been 
reserved  by  the  Indians  as  a  liwitincj 
ground,  and  consequently  none  of  their 
settlements  were  found  there.  The  dark 
forests  and  cane  thickets  of  Kentucky 
separated  the  Creeks,  Cherokees  and 
Catawbas  of  the  south  from  the  hostile 
tribes  of  the  Shawnees,  Wyandots  and 
Delawares  of  the  north. 

In  1767,  John  Findley  and  some 
others  made  a  trading  expedition  from  North  Carolina  to  this  region.  In 
1769,  Daniel  Boone  (the  great  pioneer  of  Kentucky),  with  five  others,  among 
whom  was  Findley,  undertook  a  journey  to  explore  the  country.  After  a 
long  fatiguing  march  over  a  mountainous  wilderness,  they  arrived  upon  its 
borders,  and  "from  an  eminence  discovered  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Ken 
tucky.  Boone  and  his  companions  built  a  cabin  on  Red  Iliver,  from  whence 
they  made  various  excursions.  Boone  being  out  hunting  one  day,  in  com 
pany  with  a  man  named  Stuart,  was  surprised  and  both  taken  prisoners  by 
the  Indians.  They  eventually  succeeded  in  making  their  escape.  On  re 
gaining  their  camp,  they  found  it  dismantled  and  deserted.  The  fate  of  its 
inmates  was  never  ascertained.  After  an  absence  of  nearly  three  years,  Boone 
returned  to  his  family  in  North  Carolina. 

In  1770,  Col.  James  Knox  led  into  Kentucky  a  party  from  Holston,  on 
Clinch  Iliver,  who  remained  in  the  country  about  the  same  length  of  time 
with  Boone's  party,  and  thoroughly  explored  the  middle  and  southern  part 
of  the  country.  Boone's  party  traversed  the  northern  and  middle  region  with 
great  attention.  Although  both  parties  were  in  the  country  together,  they 

45 


ARMS  OF  KKNTUCKY. 


4(3  KENTUCKY. 

never  met.  When  these  pioneers  returned,  they  gave  glowing  description^ 
of  the  fertility  of  the  soil  throughout  the  western  territories  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina.  The  lands  given  to  the  Virginia  troops  for  their  services 
in  the  French  war  were  to  be  located  on  the  western  waters,  and  within  two 
years  after  the  return  of  Boone  and  Knox,  surveyors  were  sent  out/  for  this 
purpose.  In  1773,  Capt.  Bullitt  led  a  party  down  the  Ohio  to  the  Falls, 
where  a  camp  was  constructed  and  fortified. 

In  the  summer  of  1774,  parties  of  surveyors  and  hunters  followed,  and 
within  the  year  James  Harrod  erected  a  log  cabin  where  Harrodsburg  is  now 
built;  this  soon  grew  into  a  settlement  or  station — the  oldest  in  Kentucky. 

In  1775,  Daniel  Boore  constructed  a  fort,  afterward  called  Boonesborough, 
during  which  time  his  party  was  exposed  to  fierce  attacks  from  the  Indians. 
By  the  middle  of  April,  the  fort  was  completed,  and  soon  after  his  wife  and 
daughters  joined  him  and  resided  in  the  fort — the  first  white  women  who  ever 
stood  on  the  banks  of  Kentucky  River. 

In  1775,  the  renowned  pioneer  Simon  Kenton  erected  a  log  cabin  where 
the  town  of  Washington  now  stands,  in  Mason  county.  In  the  winter  of  this 
year,  Kentucky  was  formed  into  a  county  by  the  legislature  of  Virginia.  In 
the  spring  of  1777,  the  court  of  quarter  sessions  held  its  first  sitting  at  Har 
rodsburg. 

The  years  1780  and  1781  were  distinguished  for  a  great  emigration  to  Ken 
tucky,  and  great  activity  in  land  speculations,  and  by  inroads  of  the  Indians. 
In  1780,  an  expedition  of  Indians  and  British  troops,  under  Col.  Byrd,  threat 
ened  the  settlements  with  destruction.  Cannon  were  employed  against  the 
stockade  forts,  some  of  the  stations  were  destroyed,  and  the  garrisons 
taken. 

In  1781,  every  portion  of  the  country  was  continually  in  alarm,  and  many 
lives  were  lost.  The  most  important  battle  between  the  whites  and  Indians 
ever  fought  on  its  soil  was  on  the  19th  of  August,  1782,  near  the  Blue  Lick 
Springs.  The  celebrated  Col.  Boone  bore  a  prominent  part  in  this  engage 
ment,  in  which  he  lost  a  son.  The  whites  numbered  but  182,  while  the  In 
dians  were  twice  or  thrice  that  number.  From  the  want  of  due  caution  in 
advancing  against  the  enemy,  they  were,  after  a  short  but  severe  action,  routed 
with  the  loss  of  seventy-seven  men  and  twelve  wounded.  Kentucky  being 
the  first  settled  of  the  western  states,  a  large  number  of  expeditions  were  sent 
out  by  her  from  time  to  time  against  the  Indians  in  the  then  wilderness  coun 
try  north,  of  the  Ohio;  these  were  mostly  within  the  present  limits  of  Ohio, 
which  thus  became  the  battle  ground  of  Kentucky,  and  was  watered  with 
the  blood  of  her  heroic  pioneers. 

After  the  revolutionary  war,  there  was  a  period  of  political  discontent. 
This  arose  partly  from  the  inefficient  protection  of  Virginia  and  the  old  fed 
eral  congress  against  the  inroads  of  the  Indians,  and  partly  by  a  distrust  lest 
the  general  government  should  surrender  the  right  to  navigate  the  Missis 
sippi  to  its  mouth. 

Kentucky  was  the  central  scene  of  the  imputed  intrigues  of  Aaron  Burr 
and  his  coadjutors  to  form  a  western  republic.  What  the  precise  designs  of 
Burr  really  were  has  perhaps  never  been  fully  understood. 

Kentucky  took  an  active  part  in  the  war  of  1812.  After  the  surrender  of 
Hull  at  Detroit,  the  whole  quota  of  the  state,  consisting  of  upward  of  5,000 
volunteers,  was  called  into  active  service.  In  addition  to  these,  a  force  of 
mounted  volunteers  was  raised,  and  at  one  time  upward  of  7,000  Kentuckians 
are  said  to  have  been  in  the  field,  and  such  was  the  desire  in  the  state  to 


KENTUCKY 


47 


enter  into  the  contest  that  executive  authority  was  obliged  to  interpose  to 
limit  the  number.  At  this  period,  Isaac  Shelby,  a  hero  of  the  revolutionary 
war,  was  governor  of  the  state.  At  the  barbarous  massacre  of  the  River 
Raisin,  and  also  in  the  unfortunate  attempt  to  relieve  Fort  Meigs,  many 
of  her  brave  sons  perished.  In  the  recent  war  with  Mexico,  several  of  her 
distinguished  citizens  engaged  in  the  contest. 

Kentucky  was  separated  from  Virginia  in  1786,  after  having  had  several 
conventions  at  Danville.  In  1792,  it  was  received  into  the  Union  as  an  in 
dependent  state.  The  first  constitution  was  formed  in  1790,  the  second  in 
1796.  The  financial  revulsion  which  followed  the  second  war  with  Great 
Britain  was  severely  felt  in  Kentucky.  The  violence  of  the  crisis  was  much 
enhanced  in  this  state  by  the  charter  of  forty  independent  banks  in  1818, 
with  a  capital  of  nearly  ten  millions  of  dollars,  which  were  permitted  to  re 
deem  their  notes  with  the  paper  of  the  bank  of  Kentucky.  The  state  was 
soon  flooded  with  the  paper  of  these  banks.  This  soon  depreciated,  and  the 
state  laws  were  such  that  the  creditor  was  obliged  to  receive  his  dues  at  one 
half  their  value.  The  people  of  the  state  became  divided  into  two  parties; 
the  debtor  party,  which  constituted  the  majority,  was  called  the  Relief,  and 
the  creditors  the  Anti-Ptelief  party.  The  judges  of  the  courts  declared  the 
acts  of  the  legislature,  in  sustaining  the  currency,  unconstitutional.  The  ma 
jority  attempted  to  remove  them  from  office  by  establishing  new  courts;  the 
people  became  divided  into  the  "new  court"  and  "old  court"  parties.  The 
contest  was  finally  decided  in  the  canvass  of  1826,  when  the  old  court  party 
pervailed. 

Kentucky  is  bounded  N.  by  the  Ohio  River,  separating  it  from  the  states  of 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois;  E.  by  Virginia;  W.  by  the  Mississippi  River,  sepa 
rating  it  from  Missouri,  and  S.  by  Tennessee.  It  is  situated  between  36°  30' 
and  39°  10'  N.  Lat.,  and  between  81°  50'  and  89°  20'  W.  Long.  Its  length 
is  about  400  miles,  and  its  breadth  170  miles,  containing  37,680  square 
miles. 

Kentucky  presents  a  great  diversity  of  surface.  In  the  eastern  part,  where 
it  is  bordered  by  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  there  are  numerous  lofty  ele/va- 
tions;  and  on  the  Ohio  River,  through  nearly  the  whole  extent  of  the  state, 
there  is  a  strip  of  hilly  but  fertile  land  from  five  to  twenty  miles  in  breadth. 
On  the  margin  of  the  Ohio  are  numerous  tracts  of  bottom  lands,  which  are 
periodically  overflowed.  Between  the  hilly  country  of  the  more  mountain 
ous  eastern  counties  and  Green  River  is  a  fertile  tract,  frequently  called  the 
"garden  of  the  state."  This  is  in  the  blue  limestone  region,  in  the  midst  of 
which  is  the  beautiful  town  of  Lexington.  The  line  demarking  this  region 
passes  from  the  Ohio  round  the  heads  of  Licking  and  Kentucky  Rivers, 
Dick's  River,  and  down  Great  Green  River  to  the  Ohio;  and  within  this 
compass  of  above  one  hundred  miles  square  is  found  one  of  the  most  fertile 
and  extraordinary  countries  on  which  the  sun  has  ever  shone.  The  soil  is 
of  a  loose,  deep  and  black  mold,  without  sand — on  first-rate  lands,  from  two 
to  three  feet  deep — and  exceedingly  luxuriant  in  all  its  productions.  It  is 
well  watered  by  fine  springs  and  streams,  and  its  beautiful  climate  and  the 
salubrity  of  the  country  are  unequalled  ;  the  winter,  even,  being  seldom  so 
inclement  as  to  render  the  housing  of  cattle  necessary.  In  a  state  of  nature, 
nearly  the  whole  surface  of  this  region  was  covered  with  a  dense  forest  of 
majestic  trees,  and  a  close  undergrowth  of  gigantic  reeds,  forming  what  in 
the  country  are  called  canebrakes.  In  the  southern  part,  however,  on  the 
head  waters  of  Green  River  and  its  tributaries,  is  an  extensive  tract,  thinly 


48 


KENTUCKY 


wooded,  and  covered  in  summer'with  high  grass  growing  amid  scattered  and 
stunted  oaks.  Struck  with  the  contrast  this  region  presented  to  the  luxu 
riant  forests  of  the  neigboring  districts,  the  first  settlers  gave  the  country  the 
unpromising  name  of  "barrens." 

In  1800,  the  legislature  considering  this  tract  hut  of  little  value,  made  a 
gratuitous  grant  of  it  to  actual  settlers.  This  land  proved  to  be  excellent  for 
grain,  and  also  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cattle.  The  whole  state,  below  the 
mountains,  has,  at  the  usual  depth  of  eight  feet,  a  bed  of  limestone,  which  has 
frequent  apertures.  The  rivers  have  generally  worn  deep  channels  in  the 
calcareous  rocks  over  which  they  flow.  There  are  precipices  on  the  Ken 
tucky  River  of  solid  limestone  300  feet  high.  Iron  ore  and  coal  are  widely 
diffused;  coal,  especially,  occupies  an  extensive  field.  Salt  springs  are  nu 
merous,  and  mineral  springs  are  found  in  many  places.  The  great  agricul 
tural  productions  are  hemp,  flax,  Indian  corn,  tobacco,  wheat  and  live  stock. 
More  than  half  of  all  the  hemp  raised  in  the  Union  is  grown  in  Kentucky. 
Population,  in  1790,  73,077;  in  1820,  5G4,317;  in  1840,  779,828;  in  1850. 
982,405  ;  in  1860,  1,185,567,  of  whom  225,490  were  slaves. 


South-eastern  view  of  Frankfort, 

the  appearance  of  the  place  from  the  railroad.  The  southern  entrance  of  the  tunnel  through 
the  limestone  bluff,  and  under  the  State  Arsenal  and  foot  path  to  the  Cemetery,  is  «'en  on  the  ri^ht.  The 
,  Capitol  and  some  other  pultlic  buildings  are  seen  in  the  central  part,  Kentucky  River  in  front  on  the  ML 

FRANKFORT,  the  capital  of  Kentucky,  is  25  miles  N.  W.  from  Lexington, 
and  53  E.  from  Louisville.  It  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  right  or  north 
east  bank  of  Kentucky  River,  60  miles  above  its  mouth,  in  the  midst  of  the 
wild  and  picturesque  scenery  which  renders  that  stream  so  remarkable.  The 
city  stands  on  an  elevated  plain  between  the  river  and  the  high  bluff?,  which 
rise  150  feet  immediately  behind  the  town.  The  river,  which  is  navigable, 
for  steamboats  to  this  place,  is  nearly  100  yards  wide,  and  flows  through  ;i 
deep  channel  of  limestone  rock.  A  chain  bridge  crosses  the  river  here,  con 
necting  the  city  with  South  Frankfort,  its  suburb.  The  railroad  from  Lox- 


KENTUCKY 


49 


ington  passes  into  the  city  in  a  tunnel  through  the  limestone  rock 


on  which  the  State  Arsenal  is  erected, 
edifices  of  brick  and  Kentucky  marble. 


FKANKFOUT. 


Frankfort  is  well  built,  and  has  fine 
The  State  House  is  a  handsome  ed 
ifice  of  white  marble.  The 
city  is  well  supplied  with  ex 
cellent  spring  water,  which  is 
conveyed  into  the  town  by 
iron  pipes.  The  State  Peuf- 
tentiary  is  located  here,' arid 
the  trade  of  the  place  is  fa 
cilitated  by  railroads  in  vari 
ous  directions.  The  Ken 
tucky  Military  Institute,  a 
thriving  institution,  is  in  the 
vicinity  of  Frankfort.  Popu 
lation  about  5,000. 

"Frankfort  was  established 
by  the  Virginia  legislature  in 
1786,  though  the  first  survey 
of  600  acres  was  made  by 
Robert  McAfee,  on  the  16th 

of  July,  1773.  The  seat  of  government  was  located  in  1792,  and  the  first 
session  of  the  assembly  was  held 
in  1793.  The  public  buildings 
not  being  ready,  the  legislature 
assembled  in  a  large  frame  house 
belonging  to  Maj.  James  Love, 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  city." 

The  Frankfort  Cemetery  is  laid 
out  on  the  summit  of  the  high  and 
commanding  bluffs  which  imme 
diately  rise  in  an  eastern  direc 
tion  from  the  city.  The  "Mili 
tary  Monument"  (an  engraving  of 
which  is  annexed)  was  erected  in 
pursuance  of  an  act  of  the  legisla 
ture,  Feb.,  1848.  The  following 
inscriptions  and  names  are  en 
graved  upon  it,  viz: 

MILITARY    MONUMENT    ERECTED    BY 

KENTUCKY,  A.  D.,  1860. 
Mexico,  Lt.  J.  W.  Powell ;  Boones- 
boronyh,  liar  mar  s  Defeat,   Capt.  J. 
McMurtsy;    Monterey,    P.     M.    Bar- 
bour;   Buenq  Vista,  Col.  William  K. 
McKee,  Lieut.  Col.  Clay,  dipt.  Wm. 
T.  Willis,  Adjutant   E."  P.  Vaughn ; 
Rai-sin,  Col.  John  Allen,  Maj.  Benja 
min  Graves,    Capt.    John  WboHblk, 
('apt.  N.  G.  S.  Hart,  Capt  James  Meade,  Capt.  Robert  Edwards,  C.-ipt.  Virgil  Mc- 
Cracken,  Capt.  William  Price,  Capt.  John  Edmundson,  Capt.  John  Simpson,  Cnpt, 
hn  Wllhamsai 


MILITARY  MONUMENT,  FRANKFORT. 
The  small  monument  in  front    is   that  of   Mnj.  Har 
bour;  in  the  distance  is  shown  that  of  Col.  Fl.  M.  Johnson. 


Pascal  Hickraan,  Lieut.  John 


?on;    Thames  Col.  Wm.  Whitlej,  Capt.  Elijah 


50  KENTUCKY. 

Craig,  Lieut.  Robert  Logan,  Lieut.  Thos.  C.  Graves,  Lieut.  Thos.  Overton.  Lieut. 
Francis  Chinn,  Ensign  Levi  Wells,  Ensign Shawhan,  Burgeon  Alex.'  Mont 
gomery,  Sui'geon  Thomas  C.  Davis,  Surgeon  John  Trvin,  Surgeon  Thos.  Mcllvainc; 
Indian  Wars,  Col.  John  Floyd,  Col.  Nathaniel  Hart,  Col.  Walker  Daniel,  Col.  Wm. 


ton,  Capt.  Chapman,  Capt.  McCracken,  Capt.  James  Shelby,  Capt.  Samuel  Grant, 
Supv'r  Hanc'y  Taylor,  Supv'r  Willis  Lee;  Massissinaway,  St.  Glair's  Defeat,  Col. 
Wm.  Oldham;  Estilfs  Defeat,  Capt.  James  Estill,  Lieut.  South;  Tippecanoe,  Col. 
Joseph  H.  Daviess,  Col.  Abram  Owen;  Fort  Meic/s,  Col.  Wm.  Dudley,  Capt.  John 
C.  Morrison,  Capt.  Chrts'r  Irvin,  Capt.  Joseph  Clark,  Capt.  Thomas  Lewis;  Blue 
Licks,  Col.  John  Todd,  Col.  Stephen-  Trigg,  Major  Silas  Harlan,  Maj.  Wm.  McBride, 
Capt.  Edward  Bulger,  Capt.  John  Gordon,  Capt.  Isaac  Boone. 

The  principal  battles  and  campaigns  in  which  her  sons  devoted  their  lives  to 
their  country  are  inscribed  on  the  bands,  and  beneath  the  same  are  the  names  of 
the  officers  who  fell.  The  names  of  her  soldiers  who  died  for  their  country  are  too 
numerous  to  be  inscribed  on  any  column.  By  order  of  the  legislature,  the  name 
of  Col.  J.  J.  Hardin,  of  the  1st  Keg.  Illinois  Infantry,  a  son  of  Kentucky,  who  fell 
at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  is  inscribed  hercon. 

Kentucky  has  erected  this  column  in  gratitude  equally  to  her  officers  and  soldiers. 


To  the  memory  of  COL.  RICHARD  M.  JOHNSON,  a  faithful  public  servant  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  as  a  member  of  the  Kentucky  legislature  and  senator  in  congress. 
Author  of  the  Sunday  Mail  Report,  and  of  the  laws  for  the  abolishment  for  debt  in 
Kentucky  and  in  the  United  States.  Distinguished  for  his  valor  as  a  colonel  of  a 
Kentucky  regiment  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  For  four  years  vice-president  of 
the  United  States.  Kentucky,  his  native  state,  to  mark  the  sense  of  his  eminent 
services  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the  field,  has  erected  this  monument  in  the  resting 
place  of  her  illustrious  dead.  Richard  Mentor  Johnson,  born  at  Bryant's  Station, 
on  the  17th  day  of  October,  J.781  ;  died  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  on  the  19th  day  of  No 
vember,  1850. 


PHILIP  NORBOURNE  BARBOUR,  born  in  Henderson,  Kentucky,  graduated  with 
merit  at  West  Point  in  1829;  and  immediately  commissioned  Lieutenant  3d  Regi 
ment  U.  S.  Infantry;  captain  by  brevet  for  valor  in  the  Florida  War;  served  with 
distinction  at  Palo  Alto;  major  by  brevet  for  distinguished  gallantry  and  skill  at 
Resaca  de  la  Palma.  He  fell  at  the  head  of  his  command,  covered  with  honor  and 
lory,  at  the  storming  of  Monterey,  Sept.  21;  1846.  Florida,  Palo  Alto,  Resaca  de 
alma,  Monterey.  Kentucky  has  erected  this  monument  to  a  brave  and  noble  son. 


gl 
P 


"At  its  session  of  1844-45,  the  legislature  of  Kentucky  adopted  measures  to  have 
the  mortal  remains  of  the  celebrated  pioneer;  Daniel  Boone,  and  those  of  his  wife, 
removed  from  their  place  of  burial  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  for  the  purpose 
of  interment  in  the  public  cemetery  at  Frankfort. 

The  consent  of  the  surviving  relations  of  the  deceased  having  been  obtained,  a 
commission  was  appointed,  under  whose  superintendence  the  removal  was  effected; 
and  the  13th  of  September,  1845,  was  fixed  upon  as  the  time  when  the  ashes  of  the 
venerable  dead  would  be  committed  with  fitting  ceremonies  to  the  place  of  their 
final  repose.  The  deep  feeling  excited  by  the  occasion  was  evinced  by  the  as 
sembling  of  an  immense  concourse  of  citizens  from  all  parts  of  the  state,  and  the 
ceremonies  were  most  imposing  and  impressive.  A  procession,  extending  moro 
than  a  mile  in  length,  accompanied  the  coffins  to  the  grave.  The  hearse,  decorated 
with  evergreens  and  flowers,  and  drawn  by  four  white  horses,  was  placed  in  its  as 
signed  position  in  the  line,  accompanied,  as  pall  bearers,  by  the  following  distin 
guished  pioneers,  viz:  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  of  Scott;  General  James  Taylor, 
of  Campbell,  Capt.  James  Ward,  of  Mason  ;  Gen.  Robert  B.  McAfee  and  Peter  Jor* 
dan,  of  Mercer;  Waller  Bullock,  Esq.,  of  Fayctte ;  Capt.  Thos.  Joyce,  of  Louisville 


KENTUCKY. 


51 


Mr.  Landin  Sneed,  of  Franklin;  Col.  John  Johnston,  of  the  state  of  Ohio;  Major 
Z.  Williams,  of  Kenton,  and  Col.  Wm.  Boone,  of  Shelby.  The  procession  was  ac 
companied  by  several  military  companies,  and  by  the  members  of  the  Masonic  Fra 
ternity,  and  the  Independent  order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  rich  regalia.  Arrived  at  the 
grave,  the  company  was  brought  together  in  a  beautiful  hollow  near  the  grave,  as 
cending  from  the 
center  on  every  side. 
Here  the  funeral  ser 
vices  were  perform 
ed.  The  hymn  was 
given  out  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Godell,  of 
the  Baptist  Church; 
prayer  by  Bishop 
tfoule,  of  the  Metho 
dist  E.  Church ;  ora 
tion  by  the  Honora 
ble  John  J.  Critten- 
den;  closing  prayer 
by  the  Rev.  J.  J. 
Bullock,  of  the  Pres 
byterian  Church, 
and  benediction  by 
the  Rev;  P.  S.  Fall, 
of  the  Christian 
Church.  The  coffins 
were  then  lowered 
into  the  graves.  The 
spot  where  the 
graves  are  situated 
is  as  beautiful  as  na- 

The  graves  of  Boone  and  his  wife  are  without  a  monument  save  the  forest  +n-a    n^(]     0~f    nr\™ 

scene  by  which  they  are  surrounded.     The  spot  where  they  were  interred  is  .    e 

at  the  foot  of  the  two  trees,  around  which  is  a  simple  hoard  seat.     It  is  near  billed  can  make  it. 
the  edge  of  the  high  bluff  rising  from  the  river.     The  beautiful  valley  of 

Kentucky  River  is  seen  in  the  extreme  distance.  On ly  two  perSOllS 

were  present  of  all 

the  assembled  thousands  who  had  known  Boone  personally.  One  of  these 
was  the  venerable  Col.  John  Johnston,  of  Ohio,  long  an  agent  of  the  U.  S. 
government  over  the  Indians,  having  been  appointed  to  that  office  by  Wash 
ington.  The  other  was  a  humble  old  man  named  Ellison  Williams,  who 
walked  barefoot  from  Covington  to  Frankfort,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  to 
see  Boone V,  bones  buried,  but  he  was  a  silent  mourner  and  an  entire  stranger 
in  that  vast  crowd.  He  left  as  his  dying  request  that  he  should  be  buried 
by  the  side  of  Boone,  and  the  legislature  of  Kentucky  in  1860  appropriated 
ninety  dollars  for  that  purpose.  At  the  same  session  they  passed  a  bill  ap 
propriating  two  thousand  dollars  to  erect  a  monument  over  the  remains  of 
Boone  and  his  wife.  The  originator  of  the  bill  was  the  Hon.  Samuel  Hay- 
craft,  senator  from  Hardin,  who  advocated  the  measure  in  a  speech  of  "al 
most  matchless  beauty,  eloquence  and  patriotism." 


GRAVES  OF  DANIEL  BOONE  AND  ms  WIFE  AT  FKANKFOKT. 


HARRODSBURG,  the  county  seat  of  Mercer  county,  is  situated  near  the 
geographical  center  of  the  state,  thirty  miles  south  from  Frankfort,  on  an 
eminence,  1  mile  from  Salt  River  and  8  miles  from  Kentucky  River.  It 
contains  the  county  buildings,  7  churches,  2  banks  25  stores,  several  manu 
facturing  establishments,  the  Kentucky  University,  2  female  colleges,  and 
about  2,500  inhabitants.  Bacon  College,  founded  in  1836,  under  the  pat 
ronage  of  the  Christian  denomination,  is  located  in  this  place.  The  Har 


52  KENTUCKY. 

rodsburg  Springs  are  celebrated  for  the  medicinal  virtue  of  their  waters,  and 
for  the  beauty  and  extent  of  the  adjoining  grounds. 

According  to  some  authorities,  Harrodsburg  was  the  first  settled  place  in 
Kentucky.  In  July,  1773,  the  McAfee  company  from  Bottetourt  county, 
Ya.,  visited  this  region,  and  surveyed  lands  on  Salt  River.  Capt.  James 
Harrod,  with  forty-one  men,  descended  the  Ohio  River  from  the  Mononga- 
hcla,  in  May,  1774,  and  penetrating  into  the  intervening  forest  made  hie 
principal  camp  about  one  hundred  yards  below  the  town  spring,  under  the 
branches  of  a  large  elm  tree.  About  the  middle  of  June,  Capt.  Harrod  and 
companions  laid  off  a  town  plot  (which  included  the  camp),  and  erected  a 
number  of  cabins.  The  place  received  the  name  of  Harrodstown,  afterward 
Oldtown,  and  finally  the  present  name  of  Harrodsburg.  The  first  corn  raised 
in  Kentucky  was  in  1775,  by  John  Harmon,  in  a  field  at  the  east  end  of 
Harrodsburg.  During  the  year  1777,  the  Indians,  in  great,  lumbers,  col 
lected  about  Harrodsburg,  in  order,  it  was  supposed,  to  prevent  any  corn 
being  raised  for  the  support  of  the  settlers.  In  this  period  of  distress  and 
peril,  a  lad  by  the  name  of  Ray,  seventeen  years  of  age,  rendered  himself  an 
object  of  general  favor  by  his  courage  and  enterprise.  He  often  rose  before 
day,  and  left  the  fort  on  an  old  horse  to  procure  (by  hunting)  food  for  the 
garrison.  This  horse'was  the  only  one  left  unslaughtered  by  the  Indians 
of  forty  brought  to  the  country  by  Major  M'Grary.  He  proceeded,  on  these 
occasions,  cautiously  to  Salt  River,  generally  riding  in  the  bed  of  some  small 
stream  to  conceal  his  course.  When  sufficiently  out  of  hearing,  he  would 
kill  his  load  of  game  and  bring  it  in  to  the  suffering  people  of  the  fort  after 
nightfall. 

LOUISVILLE,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Jefferson  county,  is  the  largest  city  in 
the  state,  and,  next  to  Cincinnati  and  Pittsburg,  the  most  important  on  the 
Ohio.  It  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  the  rapids, 
65  miles  by  railroad  W.  of  Frankfort,  130  below  Cincinnati,  590  W.  by  S.  from 
Washington,  and  1,411  above  New  Orleans.  The  city  is  built  on  a  gentle  ac 
clivity,  75  feet  above  low  watermark,  on  a  slightly  undulating  plain.  Eight 
handsome  streets,-  nearly  two  miles  in  length,  run  east  and  west,  parallel  with 
the  river:  they  are  crossed  by  more  than  30  others  running  at  right  angles, 
The  situation  and  surrounding  scenery  of  Louisville  are  beautiful,  and  from 
some  parts  is  had  a  delightful  view  of  the  Ohio  River  and  of  the  town  of 
New  Albany,  a  few  miles  below. 

Its  immediate  trade  extends  into  all  the  surrounding  country,  and  em 
braces  within  the  state  of  Kentucky  a  circuit  of  one  of  the  most  productive 
regions  of  the  world.  The  manufactures  of  Louisville  are  very  extensive, 
embracing  a  great  variety.  It  has  founderies  and  machine  shops,  steam  bag 
ging  factories,  cotton,  woolen  and  tobacco  factories,  mills  of  various  kinds, 
distilleries,  breweries,  agricultural  factories,  etc.  Ship  buijding  is  also  ex 
tensively  carried  on.  The  trade  of  Louisville  is  estimated  at  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars  annually.  The  principal  agricultural  exports  are  tobacco, 
pork,  hemp,  and  flour.  It  is  connected  with  its  suburb  Portland  by  a  rail 
road  operated  by  horse  power,  and  by  a  canal  2J-  miles  around  the  Falls  of 
the  Ohio,  with  a  total  lockage  of  22  feet.  It  is  also  connected  by  railroads 
with  the  interior.  Since  the  completion  of  the  railroad  to  Nashville,  an  im 
mense  trade  has  opened  with  the  south,  which  has  given  a  great  impulse  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  city.  Louisville  contains  many  splendid  public  build 
ings,  10  banks,  about  50  churches,  and  a  population,  in  1860,  of  75,196. 

The  Medical  Institute,   organized   in   1837,  by  an  ordinance  of  the  city 


KENTUCKY. 


53 


council,  ranks  high  among  the  public  institutions  of  Louisville.  The  Uni- 
c^rsity  of  Louisville  is  in  success! ul  operation,  and  has  buildings  which  are  an 
ornament  to  the  city.  The  Marine  Hospital,  designed  as  a  refuge  for  sick 


View  of  the  Central  part  of  Louisville. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  the  central  part  of  Louisville,  from  the  Indiana  side  of  the  Ohio. 
The  J,;.fterson  City  Ferry  Landing,  and  Gait  House  appear  on  the  left,  the  Louisville  Hotel  in  the  dis 
tance  on  the  right,  the  Court  House  and  City  Hall,  the  Catholic  and  other  Churches  in  the  central  part. 

and  infirm  mariners,  is  an  important  public  institution,  located  and  established 
here  in  1820,  by  a  grant  from  the  state  of  $40,000.  Another  Marine  Asy 
lum  has  been  erected  here  by  the  general  government.  The  Asylum  jor  ike 
Blind,  established  by  the  state  in  1842,  has  a  spacious  building  erected  by 
the  joint  contributions  of  the  state  and  citizens  of  Louisville.  The  students, 
be.side  their  literary  studies,  are  also  instructed  in  various  kinds  of  handi 
craft,  by  which  they  can  support  themselves  after  leaving  the  institution.  St. 
Jvsr-plis  Infirmary  is  a  Catholic  benevolent  institution.  The  Kentucky  His 
torical  Society,  in  this  place,  was  incorporated  in  1838:  it  has  collected  valua 
ble  documents  relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  state  and  of  the  west. 
The  Mercantile  Library  Association  has  a  large  and  valuable  collection  of 
books.  The  Artesian  Well,  at  Louisville,  sends  up  immense  quantities  of 
mineral  water  of  rare  medicinal  value  in  various  complaints,  proving  a  bless 
ing  as  great  as  it  was  unexpected  to  the  citizens. 

The  following,  relative  to  the  first  settlement,  etc.,  of  Louisville,  is  from 
Culi ins'  Historical  Sketches  of  Ky.: 

Captain  Thomas  Bullitt,  of  Virginia,  uncle  of  the  late  Alexander  Scott  Bullitt, 
wno  was  the  first  lieutenant-governor  of  Kentucky,  is  said  to  have  laid  off  Louisville 
in  1773.  This  was  before  the  first  log  cabin  was  built  in  Kentucky.  For  several 
years  after  this,  the  silence  of  the  forest  Avas  undisturbed  by  the  white  man.  The 
place  was  occasionally  visited-  by  different  persons,  but  no  settlement  was  made  un 
til  1778.  In  the  spring  of  this  year,  a  party,  consisting  of  a  small  number  of 
families,  came  to  the  Falls  with  George  Rogers  Clark,  and  were  left  by  him  on  an 


54 


KENTUCKY. 


island  near  the  Kentucky  shore,  now  called  Corn  Island.  The  name  is  suppose  1 
to  have  bden  derived  from  the  circumstance  that  the  settlers  planted  their  first  In 
dian  corn  on  this  island. 

These  settlers  were  sixty  or  seventy  miles  distant  from  any  other  settlement, and 
had  nothing  but  their  insular  position  to  defend  them  from  the  Indians.  The  posts 
in  the  Wabash  country,  occupied  by  the  British,  served  as  points  of  support  for 
the  incursions  of  the  savages.  After  these  had  been  taken  by  Clark,  the  settlors 
were  inspired  with  confidence,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1778,  removed  from  the  island  to 
the  site  now  occupied  by  Louisville.  Here  a  block  house  was  erected,  arid  the 
number  of  settlers  was  increased  by  the  arrival  of  other  emigrants  from  Virginia. 

In  1780,  the  legislature  of  Virginia  passed  'an  act  for  establishing  the  town  of 
Louisville,  at  the  falls  of  Ohio.'  By  this  act,  'John  Todd,  jr.,  Stephen  Trigg,  Geo. 
Slaughter,  John  Floyd,  William  Pope,  George  Meriwether,  Andrew  Ilynes,  James 
Sullivan,  gentlemen,'  were  appointed  trustees  to  lay  off  the  town  on  a  tract  of  one 
thousand  acres  of  land,  wlych  had  been  granted  to  John  Connelly  by  the  British 
government,  and  which  he  had  forfeited  by  adhering  to  the  English  monarch. 
Each  purchaser  was  to  build  on  his  own  lot  'a  dwelling  house  sixteen  feet  by  twenty 
at  least,  with  a  brick  or  stone  chimney,  to  be  finished  within  two  years  from  the  day 
of  sale.'  On  account  of  the  interruptions  caused  by  the  inroads  of  the  Indians, 
the  time  was  afterward  extended.  The  state  of  the  settlers  was  one  of  constant 
danger  and  anxiety.  Their  foes  were  continually  prowling  around,  and  it  was 
risking  their  lives  to  leave  the  fort. 

The  settlement  at  the  falls  was  more  exposed  than  those  in  the  interior,  on  ac 
count  of  the  facility  with  which  the  Indians  could  cross  and  recross  the  river,  and 
the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  pursuing  them.  The  savages  frequently  crossed  the 
river,  and  after  killing  some  of  the  settlers,  and  committing  depredations  upon 
property,  recrossed  and  escaped.  In  1780,  Colonel  George  Slaughter  arrived  at 
the  Falls  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  state  troops.  The  inhabitants  were  inspired 
with  a  feeling  of  security  which  led  them  frequently  to  expose  themselves  with  too 
little  caution.  Their  foes  were  ever  on  the  watch,  and  were  continually  destroying 
valuable  lives.  Danger  and  death  crouched  in  every  path,  and  lurked  behind 
every  tree. 


Medical  and  Law  Colleges,  Louisville. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  graveyards 
of  Louisville,  the  first  three  being  in  the  old  yard  in  the  city,  the  remainder 
in  the  Cave  Hill  Cemetery  : 

Erected  by  Dr.  J.  M.  Talbot  to  the  memory  of  liis  Father,  Capt.  ISHAM  TALBOT,  who  de 
parted  this  life  July  30,  18:59,  in  his  81s!:  year.  He  was  bum  iu  Virginia.  At  a  tender  age 


KENTUCKY.  55 

ho  entered  the  Anay  of  the  Revolution,  was  in  the  memorable  battles  of  Brandywine,  Ger- 
uriT3town  and  Monrnouth.  Visited  Ky.  in  '79,  and  after  his  permanent  location  in  '82,  was 
in  the  disastrous  engagement  with  the  Indians  at  the  Lower  Blue  Licks.  He  sustained 
through  life  the  character  of  a  high  minded,  honorable  gentleman.  His  Honesty  and  In 
tegrity  were  never  questioned,  and  far  better  than  all,  he  died  with  a  bright  hope  of  enjoying 
eternal  Life  beyond  the  grave. 


REV.  ISAAC  McCoy,  born  June  13th,  1784,  died  June  21st,  1836%  For  near  30  years,  his 
entire  lime  and  energies  were  devoted^to  the  civil  and  religious  improvement  of  the  Abo 
riginal  tribes  of  this  country.  He  projected  and  founded  the  plan  of  their  Colonization, 
their  only  hope,  the  imperishable  monument  of  his  wisdom  and  benevolence. 

The  Indian's  Friend,  for  them  he  loved  through  life, 

For  them  in  death  he  breathed  his  final  prayer. 

Now  from  his  toil  he  rests — the  care — the  strife — 

Ami  waits  in  heaven,  his  works  to  follow  there. 

To  the  memory  of  MAJOR  Jonx  HAERISOK,  who  was  born  in  "Westmoreland  Co.,  Virginia, 
A. D.  175-i.  After  having  fought  for  the  Liberty  of  his  Country  during  the  struggles  of  the 
American  Revolution,  he  settled  in  Louisville  in  1786,  and  paid  nature's  final  debt,  July  ]5th, 
1821. 

PHARSOX  FOLLAXSP.EE,  City  Missiona^  in  Louisville,  born  March  4,  1808,  in  Vassalboro, 
Me.,  died  Sept.  6th,  1846.     "  He  went  about  doing  good.     His  record  is  on  high." 
00 

Sacred  to  tho  memory  of  JOHN  McKiXLEY,  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
U.  Q.  Born  May  1,  1780;  died  July  19,  1852.  "In  his  manner  he  was  simple  and  ur, af 
fected,  and  his  character  was  uniformly  marked  with  manliness,  integrity  and  honor.  He 
was  a  candid,  impartial  and  righteous  judge,  shrinking  from  no  responsibility.  He  was 
fearless  in  the  performance  of  his  duty,  seeking  only  to  do  right,  and  fearing  nothing  but 
to  do  wrong." — Hon.  J.  J.  Critteiidcn'a  remark*  -in  U.  S.  Court. 

WM.  H.  G.  BUTI,F.U,  born  in  Jefferson  Co.,  Ind.,  Oct.  3,  1825,  died  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
Nov.  2,  1853.  A  man  without  fear  and  without  reproach,  of  gentle  and  retiring  disposi 
tion,  of  clear  and  vigorous  mind:  an  accomplished  scholar,  a  devoted  and  successful 
teacher,  a  meek  and  humble  Christian.  He  fell  by  the  hand  of  violence  in  the  presence  of 
his  loving  pupils,  a.  Martyr  to  his  fidelity  in  the  discharge  *ef  duty.  This  monument  is 
erected  by  his  pupils,  and  a  bereaved  communitj',  to  show  their  appreciation  of  his  worth, 
and  to  perpetuate  their  horror  at  his  murder. 

JAKE  McCuM.ouGH,  wife  of  John  Martin,  died  by  the  falling  of  the  "Walnut  Presby 
terian  Church,  Aug.  27,  1854.  Aged  59  years. 


She  loved  the  Courts  of  God  below, 
There  found  her  Saviour  nigh, 


And  while  engaged  in  worship  there, 
Was  called  to  those  on  high. 


Annexed  is  a  view  of  the  magnificent  bridge  over  Green  River  on  the 
Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad.  Excepting  the  Victoria  Bridge,  at  Mon 
treal,  it  is  the  larnesl  iron  bridge  on  this  continent.  The  iron  work  of  the 
SiU'Oj'structurc,  which  was  built  by  Inman  &  Gault,  of  Louisville,  was  begun 
in -July,  1358,  and  by  July,  1859,  the  bridge  was  in  its  place  ready  for  the 
passd'gQ  of  trains. 

"  U  crosses  tho  valley  of  Green  River  near  tho  town  of  Mumfordsvillo,  Kentucky, 
Jibuti!-;  70  miles  from  Louisville,  and  twenty  miles  above  the  celebrated  Mammoth 
Cavo.  \vji5ch  is  located  on  the  same  stream.  Its  total  length  is  1,000  feet,  consist- 
in:;-  of  three  spans  of  208  feet,  and  two  of  2K8  feet  each;  is  118  feet  above  low- 
water;  contains  63^.0'iO  pounds  of  cast,  and  381,000  pounds  of  wrought  iron,  and 
2,5-jO  cubic  fcotof  timber  in  the  form  of  rail  joists.  There  are  10,220  cubic  yards 
of  masonry  in  the  piers  and  abutments.  The  cost  of  the  superstructure,  includ 
ing  that  of  erection,  was  sixty-eight  dollars  per  foot  lineal — that  of  the  entire  work, 
$165,000.  The  plan  of  truss  is' that  invented  by  Albert  Fink,  the  designer  and 
constructor  of  the  bridges  and  viaducts  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad;  and 
is  micuiiar  in  this,  that  it  is  self  compensating  and  self-adjusting,  and  no  extremes 
of  temperature  can  put  it  in  such  a  condition  chat  ail  the  parts  can  not  act  in  their 
accustomed  manner  and  up  to  their  full  capacity." 


56 


KENTUCKY. 


The  celebrated   Mammoth   Cave,  one  of  the  great  wonders  of  the  western 
world,  is  in  Edmondson  county,  near  the  line  of  the  Louisville  and  Nashville 


Iron  Jji'idye  over  (j'rccn  liicer. 

Railroad,  and  about  90  miles  from  each  of  the  two  cities.     It  is  said  to  have 
been  explored  to  the  distance  of  10  miles  without  reaching  its  termination,  while 

the  aggregate  width  of  all 
its  brunches  exceeds  forty 
miles. 

"The  cave  is  approached 
through  a  romantic  shade. 
At  the  entrance  is  a  rush 
of  cold  air;  a,  descent  of  30 
feet,  by  stone  steps,  and  an 
advance  of  J50  feet  inward, 
brings  the  visitor  to  tho 
door,  in  a  solid  stone  wall, 
which  blocks  up  the  en 
trance  of  the  cave.  A  nar 
row  passage  leads  to  tho 
great  vestibule,  or  ante 
chamber,  an  oval  hall,  200 
by  150  feet,  and  50  feet 
high.  Two  passages,  of 
one  hundred  feet  width, 
open  into  it,  and  the  whole 
is  supported  without  a  sin 
gle  column.  This  chamber 
was  used  by  the  races  of 
yore  ns  a  cemetery,  judg 
ing  from  the  bones  of  gi 
gantic  size  which  are  dis 
covered.  A  hundred  feet 
above  your  head,  you  catch 
a  fitful  glimpse  of  a  dark 
gray  ceiling,  rolling  dimly  away  like  a  cloud;  and  heavy  buttresses,  apparently 


GOTHIC  CHAPKI,,  MAMMOTH  CAVE. 


KENTUCKY.  57 

Lending  under  the  superincumbent  weight,  project  their  enormous  masses  from  the 
shadowy  wall.  The  scene  is  vast,  solemn,  and  awful.  In  the  silence  that  pervades, 
you  can  distinctly  hear  the  throbbings  of  your  heart.  In  Auditbon  Avenue,  lead- 
'ng  from  the  hall,  is  a  deep  well  of  pure  spring  water,  surrounded  by  stalagmite 
columns  from  the  floor  to  the  roof.  The  Little  Sat  Room  contains  a  pit  of  280 
feet  deep,  and  is  the  resort  of  myriads  of  bats.  The  Grand  Gallery  is  a  vast  tun 
nel,  many  miles  long  and  50  feet  high,  and  as  wide.  At  the  end  of  the  first  quar 
ter  of  a  mile  are  the  Kentucky  Cliffs,  and  the  Church,  100  feet  in  diameter' and 
03  feet  high.  A  natural  pulpit  and  organ  loft  are  not  wanting.  '  In  this  temple 
ix-ligious  services  have  frequently  been  performed.'  The  Gothic  Avenue,  reached 
by  a  flight  of  stairs,  is  40  feet  wide,  15  feet  high,  and  2  miles  long.  Mummies  have 
been  discovered  here,  which  have  been  the  subject  of  curious  study  to  science; 
(here  are  also  stalagmites  and  stalactites  in  Louisas  Boicer  and  Vulcan  s  Furnace. 
On  the  walls  of  the  Register  Rooms  are  inscribed  thousands  of  names.  The 
Gothic,  Chapel,  or  Stalagmite  Hall,  is  an  elliptical  chamber,  80  feet  long  by  50 
wide.  Stalagmite  columns  of  immense  size  nearly  block  up 'the  two  ends ;  and 
two  rows  of  pillars  of  smaller  dimensions,  reaching  from  the  floor  to  the  ceiling, 
and  equi-distant  from  the  wall  on  either  side,  extend  the  entire  length  of  the  hall. 
This  apartment  is  one  of  surprising  grandeur,  and  when  illuminated  with  lamps, 
inspires  the  beholder  with  feelings  of  solemnity  and  awe.  At  the  foot  of  the 
Devil' s  Arm  Chair  is  a  small  basin  of  sulphur  water.  Then  there  is  the  Breast- 
Kork,  the  Elephant 's  Head,  Lover  s  Leap,  Gatewood's  Dining  Table,  and  the  Cool 
ing  Tub,  a  basin  6  feet  wide  and  3  feet  deep,  of  the  purest  water,  Napoleon  s  Dome, 
etc.  The  Ball  Room  contains  an  orchestra  15  feet  high;  near  by  is  a  row  of 
cabins  for  consumptive  patients — the  atmosphere  being  always  temperate  and  pure. 
The  Star  Chamber  presents  an  optical  illusion.  'In  looking  up,  the  spectator 
seems  to  see  the  firmament  itself,  studded  with  s.tars,  and  afar  off  a  comet  with  a 
bright  tail.'  The  Temple  is  an  immense  vault,  covering  an  area  of  two  acres,  and 
covered  by  a  single  dome  of  solid  rock,  120  feet  high.  It  rivals  the  celebrate;! 
vault  in  the  Grotto  of  Antiparos,  which  is  the  largest  in  the  world.  In  the  middle 
of  the  dome  there  is  a  large  mound  of  rocks  rising  on  one  side  nearly  to  the  top, 
very  steep,  and  forming  what  is  called  the  Mountain.  The  River  Hall  descends 
like  the  slope  of  a  mountain;  the  ceiling  stretches  away  before  you,  vast  and  grand 
as  the  firmament  at  midnight.  A  short  distance  on  the  left  is  a  steep  precipice, 
over  which  you  can  look  down,  by  the  aid  of  torches,  upon  a  broad,  Mack  sheet 
of  water,  80  feet  below,  called  the  Dead  Sea.  This  is  an  awfully  impressive  plane, 
the  sights  and  sounds  of  which  do  not  easily  pass  from  memory." 

Maysville  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ohio,  73  miles  N.E.  from 
Frankfort,  441  below  Pittsburg,  and  55  above  Cincinnati  by  the  river.  It  is 
beautifully  located  on  a  high  bank,  having  a  range  of  lofty  verdant  hills  or 
bluffs  rising  immediately  behind  the  city.  Maysville  has  a  good  harbor,  and 
is  the  port  of  a  large  and  productive  section  of  the  state.  Among  the  pub 
lic  buildings,  there  is  a  handsome  city  hall,  2  large  seminaries,  a  hospital 
and  7  churches.  Bagging,  rope,  machinery,  agricultural  implements,  and 
various  other  articles,  are  extensively  manufactured.  It  is  one  of  the  largest 
hemp  markets  in  the  Union.  Population  about  3,000. 

Maysville  was  known  for  many  years  as  Limestone,  from  the  Creek  of  that 
name,  which  here  empties  into  the  Ohio.  It  received  its  present  name  from 
John  May,  the  owner  of  the  land,  a  gentleman  from  Virginia.  The  first  set 
tlement  was  made  at  this  place  in  1784,  and  a  double  log  cabin  and  block 
house  were  built  by  Edward  and  John  Waller,  and  George  Lewis,  of  Vir 
ginia.  -  Col.  Daniel  Boone  resided  here  in.  1786,  and  while  here  made  a 
treaty  with  the  Indians  at  the  mouth  of  Fishing  Gut,  opposite  Maysville. 
The  town  was  established  in  1788.  The  first  school  was  opened  in  1700,  by 
Israel  Donaldson,  who  had  been  a  captive  among  the  Indians.  The  frontier 
and  exposed  situation  of  Maysville  retarded  its  progress  for  many  years,  and 


58 


KENTUCKY. 


it  was  not  until  about  the  year  1815,  thnt  its  permanent  improvement  fairly 
commenced.     It  was  incorporated  a  city  in  1883. 


View  i if  the  Moii lit  of  Licking  River,  bef-wecn  yen-port  and  Covbujton. 

The  Suspension  IJrid^i;  between  Newport  anil  Covinji'ton  is  soon  in  the  central  part,  passing  over  Licking 
River.     The  U.  S.  Barracks,  in  Newport,  appear  on  the  left,  part  of  Covingtou  on  the  right. 

COVINGTON  is  in  Kenton  county,  on  the  west  side  of  Licking  River,  at  its 
mouth,  also  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Ohio,  opposite  Cincinnati,  and  at  the 
northern  terminus  of  the  Kentucky  Central  Railroad:  it  is  60  miles  N.N.E. 
from  Frankfort.  ,It  is  built  on  a  beautiful  plain  several  miles  in  extent,  and 
the  streets  are  so  arranged  as  to  appear,  from  the  hills  back  of  Cincinnati,  as 
a  continuation  of  that  city,  of  which,  with  Newport,  it  is  a  suburb.  The  fa 
cilities  of  communication  are  such  that  many  persons  reside  here,  whose 
places  of  business  are  in  Cincinnati.  Its  manufacturing  interests  are  ex 
tensive  and  varied.  A  magnificent  suspension  bridge  is  now  constructing 
over  the  Ohio,  to  connect  Covington  with  Cincinnati.  Population  about 
15,000. 

Newport,  is  on«a  handsome  plain,  on  the  Ohio  B-ivor,  opposite  Cincinnati: 
it  is  separated  from  Covington  by  Licking  River,  with  which  it  is  connected 
by  a  beautiful  suspension  bridge.  An  U.  S.  arsenal  and  barracks  are  located 
here.  It  contains  several  rolling  mills,  iron  founderics,  steam  mills,  etc. 
Population  about  12,000. 

The  valley  of  the  Ohio,  a  short  distance  from  the  Licking,  was  the  scene  of 
a  most  sanguinary  event  years  before  white  men  had  settled  in  this  vicinity. 
It  was  Rogers'  defeat  and  massacre,  which  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1771),  at 
which  time  this  spot,  and  the  site  of  the  now  flourishing  city  of  Cincinnati, 
opposite,  was  one  dense  forest : 

Col.  David  Rogers  and  Capt.  Benham,  with  100  men,  were  in  tv;o  large  keel 
boats,  on  their  way  from  New  Orleans,  with  supplies  of  ammunition  and  provis 
ions  lor  the  western  posts.  In  October,  when  near  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  a 
few  Indians  were  seen,  and  supposing  himself  to  be  superior  in  numbers,  Ro  l^ers 
landed  to  attack  them,  and  was  led  into  an  ambuscade  of  400  Indians.  The  vvhii.cs 
fought  with  desperation,  but  in  a  furious  onset  with  tomahawk  and  gcalping-knife, 
the  commander,  with  about  ninety  of  his  men,  were  soon  dispatched.  Tho  escape 
of  Capt.  Benharn  was  almost  miraculous.  A  shot  passed  through  both  legs,  shut- 


KENTUCKY.  59 

tci-inijc  the  bones.  With  great  pain  ho  dragged  himself  into  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree, 
where  he  lay  concealed  from  the  search  of  the  Indians  after  the  battle  was  over. 
IL1  remained  there  until  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  when,  being  in  danger  of 
furnishing,  he  shot  a  raccoon  which  he  perceived  descending  a  tree  near  where  he 
lav.  Just  at  that  moment  he  heard  a  human  cry,  Apparently  within  a  few  rods, 
trnpposinu'  if'  to  be  an  enemy,  he  loaded  his  gun  and  remained  silent.  A  second, 
and  then  a  third  halloo  was  given,  accompanied  by  the  exclamation,  'Whoever  von 
are.  for  God's  sake  answer  me?'  This  time  Benham  replied,  and  soon  found  the 
unknown  to  be  a  fellow  soldier,  with  both  arms  broken  !  Thus  each  was  enabled 
to  supply  the  deficiency  of  the  other.  Bonham  could  load  and  shoot  game,  while 
his  companion  could  kick  it  to  Benham  to  cook.  ]n  this  way  they  supported  them 
selves  for  several  weeks  until  their  Avounds  healed  sufficiently  to  enable  them  to 
move  down  to  the  month  of  Licking  River,  where  they  remained  until  the  27th  of 
November,  when  a  fiat-boat  appeared  moving  by  on  the  river.  They  hailed  the 
boat,  but  the  crew  fearing  it  to  be  an  Indian  decoy,  at  first  refused  to  come  to  their 
aid,  but  eventually  were  prevailed  upon  to  take  them  on  board.  Both  of  them  re 
covered.  Benham  served  through  the  Indian  wars  down  to  the  victory  of  Wayne, 
and  subsequently  resided  near  Lebanon,  Ohio,  .until  his  death,  about  the  year 
1808. 

The  Blue  Lick  Springs  is  a  watering  place  of  high  repute  on  the  Licking 
River,  in  Nicholas  county,  19  miles  from  Lexington,  and  80  miles  south 
easterly  from  Covington.  At  an  early  period,  the  Licks  became  a  place  of 
much  importance  to  the  settlers,  as  it  was  chiefly  here  that  they  procured,  at 
great  labor  and  expense,  their  supply  of  salt.  In  modern  times  it  has  be 
come  a  fashionable  place  of  resort;  the  accommodations  greatly  extended, 
and  the  grounds  improved  and  adorned.  The  Blue  Lick  water  has  become 
an  article  of  commerce,  several  thousand  barrels  being  annually  exported. 

It  was  at  this  place,  on  the  19th  of  Aug.,  1782,  that  a  bloody  buttle  was 
fought  with  the  Indians,  "which  shrouded  Kentucky  in  mourning,"  and, 
next  to  St.  Glair's  defeat,  has  become  famous  in  the  annals  of  savage  war 
fare.  Just  prior  to  this  event,  the  enemy  had  been  engaged  in  the  siege  of 
Bryant's  Station,  a  post  on  the  Elkhorn,  about  five  miles  from  Lexington. 
As  the  battle  was  a  sequel  to  the  other,  we  give  the  narrative  of  the  first  in 
connection,  as  described  in  McClung's  Sketches: 

In  the  summer  of  1782,  600  Indians,  under  the  influence  of  the  British  at  De 
troit,  assembled  at  old  Chillicothe,  to  proceed  on  an  expedition  to  exterminate  the 
"  Long  Knife"  from  Kentucky,  and  on  the  night  of  the  14th  of  August,  this  body 
gathered  around  Bryant's  Station.  The  fort  itself  contained  about  forty  cabins, 
placed  in  parallel  lines,  connected  by  strong  palisades,  and  garrisoned  by  forty  or 
fifty  men.  It  was  a  parallelogram  of  thirty  rods  in  length  by  twenty  in  breadth, 
forming  an  inelosure  of  nearly  four  acres,  which  was  protected  by  digging  a  trench 
four  or  five  feet  deep,  in  which  strong  and  heavy  pickets  were  planted  by  ramming 
the  earth  well  down  against  them.  These  were  twelve  feet  out  of  the  ground, 
being  formed  of  hard,  durable  timber,  at  least  a  foot  in  diameter.  Such  a  wall,  it 
must  be  obvious,  defied  climbing  or  leaping,  and  indeed  any  means  of  attack,  can 
non  excepted.  At  the  angles  were  small  squares  or  block-houses,  which  projected 
beyond  the  palisades,  and  served  to  impart  additional  strength  at  the  corners,  as 
well  as  permitted  the  besieged  to  pour  a  raking  fire  across  the  advanced  party  of 
the  assailants.  Two  folding  gates  were  in  front  and  rear,  swinging  on  prodigious 
wooden  hinges, -sufficient  for  the  passage  in  and  out  of  men  or  wagons  in  times  of 
security.  These  were  of  course  provided  with  suitable  bars. 

This  was  the  st;ite  of  things,  as  respects  the  means  of  defense,  at  Bryant's  Sta 
tion  on  the  morning  of  the  4 5th  of  August,  1782,  while  the  savages  lay  concealed 
in  the  thick  weeds  around  it,  which  in  those  days  grew  so  abundantly  and  tall,  as 
would  have  sufficed  to  conceal  mounted  horsemen.  They  waited  for  daylight,  and 
the  opening  of  the  gates  for  the  garrison  to  get  water  for  the  day's  supply  from  an 
adjacent  spring,  before  they  should  commence  the  work  of  carnage. 


60  KENTUCKY. 

It  seems  that  the  garrison  here  were  rather  taken  off  their  guard.  Some  of  the 
palisade  work  had  not  been  secured  as  permanently  as  possible,  and  the  original 
party  which  built  the  fort  had  been  tempted,  in  the  hurry  of  constructing  and  their 
fewness  of  hands,  to  restrict  its  extent,  so  as  not  to  include  a  spring  of  water  within 
its  limits,  < Jreat  as  were  these  disadvantages,  they  were  on  the  eve  of  exposure  tc 
a  still  greater  one,  for  had  the  attack  been  delayed  a  few  hours,  the  garrison  would 
have  been  found  disabled  by  sending  off  a  reinforcement  to  a  neighboring  station 
— Holder's  settlement — on  an  unfounded  alarm  that  it  was  attacked  by  a  party  of 
savages.  As  it  was,  no  sooner  had  a  few  of  the  men  made  their  appearance  out- 
Hide  of  the  gate  than  they  were  fired  on,  and  compelled  to  regain  the  inside. 

According  to  custom,  the  Indians  resorted  to  stratagem  for  success.  A  detach 
ment  of  one  hundred  warriors  attacked  the  south-cast  angle  of  the  station,  calcu 
lating  to  draw  the  entire  body  of  the  besieged  to  that  quarter  to  repel  the  attack, 
and  thus  enable  the  residue  of  the  assailants,  five  hundred  strong,  who  were  on  the 
opposite  side  in  ambush  near  the  spring,  to  take  advantage  of  its  unprotected  situ 
ation,  when  the  whole  force  of  the  defense  should  be  drawn  off  to  resist  the  assault 
at  the  south-east.  Their  purpose,  however,  was  comprehended  inside,  and  instead 
of  returning  the  fire  of  the  smaller  party,  they  secretly  dispatched  an  express  to 
Lexington  for  assistance,  and  began  to  repair  the  palisades,  and  otherwise  to  put 
themselves  in  the  best  possible  posture  of  defense. 

The  more  experienced  of  the  garrison  felt  satisfied  that  a  powerful  party  was  in 
ambuscade  near  the  spring,  but  at  the  same  time,  they  supposed  that  the  Indians 
would  not  unmask  themselves  until  the  firing  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  fort 
was  returned  with  such  warmth  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  the  feint  had  suc 
ceeded.  Acting  upon  this  impression,  and  yielding  to  the  urgent  necessity  of  the 
case,  they  summoned  all  the. women,  without  exception,  and  explaining  to  them  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed,  and  the  improbability  that  any  injury 
would  be  offered  them  until  the  firing  had  been  returned  from  the  opposite  side  of 
the  fort,  they  urged  them  to  go  in  a  body  to  the  spring  and  each  to  bring  up  a 
bucket  full  of  water.  Some  of  the  ladies  had  no  relish  for  the  undertaking,  and 
asked  why  the  men  could  not  bring  water  as  well  as  themselves?  observing  that 
they  were  not  bullet-proof,  and  that  the  Indians  made  no  distinction  between  male 
and  female  scalps.  To  this  it  was  answered,  that  the  women  were  in  the  habit  of 
bringing  water  every  morning  to  the  fort,  and  that  if  the  Indians  saw  them  engaged 
as  usual,  it  would  induce  them  to  believe  that  their  ambuscade  was  undiscovered, 
and  that  they  would  not  unmask  themselves  for  the  sake  of  firing  upon  a  lew 
women,  when  they  hoped,  by  remaining  concealed  a  few  moments  longer,  to  obtain 
complete  possession  of  the  fort.  That  if  men  should  go  down  to  the  spring  the  In 
dians  would  immediately  suspect  that  something  was  wrong,  would  despair  of  suc 
ceeding  by  ambuscade,  and  would  instantly  rush  upon  them,  follow  them  into  the 
fort,  or  shoot  them  down  at  the  spring.  The  decision  was  soon  over.  A  few  of 
the  boldest  declared  their  readiness  to  brave  the  danger,  and  the  younger  and  more 
timid  rallying  in  the  rear  of  these  veterans,  they  all  marched  down  in  a  body  to 
the  spring,  within  point  blank  shot  of  five  hundred  Indian  warriors!  Some  of  the 
•girls  could  not  help  betraying  symptoms  of  terror,  but  the  married  women,  in  gen 
eral,  moved  with  a  steadiness  and  composure  which  completely  deceived  the  In 
dians.  Not  a  shot  was  fired.  The  party  were  permitted  to  fill  their  buckets  one 
after  another,  without  interruption,  and  although  their  steps  became  quicker  and 
quicker  on  their  return,  and  when  near  the  fort  degenerated  into  a  rather  unmili- 
tnry  celerity,  attended  with  some  little  crowding  at  the  gate,  yet  not  more  than  one 
fifth  of  the  water  was  spilled. 

When  an  ample  supply  of  Avater  had  been  thus  obtained,  and  the  neglected  de 
fenses  completed,  a  party  of  thirteen  men  sallied  out  in  the  direction  in  which  the 
assault  had  been  made.  They  were  fired  on  by  the  savages,  and  driven  again  within 
the  palisades,  but  without  sustaining  any  loss  of  life.  Immediately  the  five  hun 
dred  on  the  opposite  side  rushed  to  the  assault  of  what  they  deemed  the  unpro 
tected  side  of  the  fort,  without  entertaining  any  doubts  of  their  success.  A  well 
directed  fire,  however,  put  them  promptly  to  flight.  Some  of  the  more  daring  and 
desperate  approached  near  enough  with  burning  arrows  to  fire  the  houses,  one  or 
two  of  which  were  burned,  but  a  favorable  wind  drove  the  flames  away  from  the 


KENTUCKY.  gj 

mass  of  the  buildings,  and  the  station  escaped  the  danger  threatened  from  this 
source.  A  second  assault  from  the  great  Ifody  of  the  Indians,  was  repelled  with 
the  same  vigor  and  success  as  the  first. 

Disappointed  of  their  object  thus  far,  the  assailants  retreated,  and  concealed 
themselves  under  the  bank  of  the  creek  to  await  and  intercept  the  arrival  of  the 
assistance  which  they  were  well  aware  was  on  its  way  from  Lexington.  Tlie  ex 
press  from  Bryant's  Station  reached  that  town  without  difficulty,  but  found  its 
male  inhabitants  had  left  there  to  aid  in  the  defense  of  Holder's  Station,  which 
was  reported  to  be  attacked.  Following  their  route,  he  overtook  them  at  Booties- 
borough,  and  sixteen  mounted  men,  with  thirty  on  foot,  immediately  retraced  their 
steps  for  the  relief  of  the  besieged  at  Bryant's.  When  this  reinforcement  ap 
proached  the  fort,  the  firing  had  entirely  ceased,  no  enemy  was  visible,  and  the 
Earty  advanced  in  reckless  confidence  that  it  was  either  a  false  alarm,  or  that  the 
ndians  had  abandoned  the  siege.  Their  avenue  to  the  garrison  was  a  lane  be 
tween  two  cornfields,  which  growing  rank  and  thick  formed  an  effectual  hiding 
place  to  the  Indians  even  at  the  distance  of  a  few  yards.  The  line  of  ambush  ex 
tended  on  both  sides  nearly  six  hundred  yards.  Providentially  it  was  in  the  heat 
of  midsummer,  and  dry  accordingly,  and  the  approach  of  the  horsemen  raised  a 
cloud  of  dust  so  thick  as  to  compel  the  enemy  to  fire  at  random,  and  the  whites 
happily  escaped  without  losing  a  man. .  The  footrnen,  on  hearing  the  firing  in 
front,  dispersed  amidst  the  corn,  in  hopes  of  reaching  the  garrison  unobserved. 
Here  they  were  intercepted  by  the  savages,  who  threw  themselves  between  them 
and  the  fort,  and  but  for  the  luxuriant  growth  of  corn  they  must  all  have  been  shot 
down.  As  it  was,  two  men  were  killed  and  four  wounded  of  the  party  on  foot,  be 
fore  it  succeeded  in  making  its  way  into  the  fort. 

Thus  reinforced,  the  garrison  felt  assured  of  safety,  while  in  the  same  measure 
the  assailing  party  began  to  despair  of  success. 

One  expedient  remained,  which  was  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  intimidating 
the  brave  spirits  who  were  gathered  for  the  defense  of  their  wives  and  little  ones. 
As  the  shades  of  evening  approached,  Girty,  who  commanded  the  party,  addressed 
the  inmates  of  the  fort.  Mounting  a  stump,  from  which  he  could  be  distinctly 
heard,  with  a  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  place,  he  assured  the  garrison  that  a 
reinforcement  with  cannon  would  arrive  that  night,  that  the  station  must  fall,  that  he 
could  assure  them  of  protection  if  they  surrendered,  but  could  not  restrain  the 
Indians  if  they  carried  the  fort  by  storm;  adding,  he  supposed  they  knew  who  it 
was  that  thus  addressed  them.  A  young  man,  named  Reynolds,  fearing  the  effect 
which  the  threat  of  cannon  might  have  on  the  minds  of  the  defending  party,  with 
the  fate  of  Martin's  and  Ruddle's  Stations  fresh  in  their  memories,  left  no  oppor 
tunity  for  conference,  by  replying  instantly,  that  he  knew  him  well,  and  held  him 
in  such  contempt  that  he  had  called  a  good  for  nothing  dog  he  had  by  the  name 
of  Simon  Girty.  '  Know  you/  added  he,  '  we  all  know  you  for  a  renegade  cowardly 
villain,  that  delights  in  murdering  women  and  children?  Wait  until  morning, 
and  you  will  find  on  what  side  the'reinforcements  are.  We  expect  to  leave  not 
one  of  your  cowardly  souls  alive,  and  if  you  are  caught,  our  women  shall  whip  you 
to  death  with  hickory  switches.  Clear  out,  you  cut-throat  villain.'  Some  of  the 

Iventuckians  shouted  out,  '  Shoot  thetl d  rascal! '  and  Girty  was  glad  to  retreat 

3ut  of  the  range  of  their  rifles  lest  some  one  of  the  garrison  might  be  tempted  to 
adopt  the  advice. 

The  night  passed  away  in  uninterrupted  tranquillity,  and  at  daylight  in  the  morn 
ing  the  Indian  camp  was  found  deserted.  Fires  were  still  burning  brightly,  and 
several  pieces  of  meat  were  left  upon  their  roasting  sticks,  from  which  it  was  in 
ferred  that  they  had  retreated  just  before  daybreak. 

Battle  of  the  Blue  Licks. — Early  in  the  day  reinforcements  began  to  drop  in, 
and  by  noon  167  men  were  assembled  at  Bryant's  Station,  among  whom  were  Cols. 
Boone,  Todd.  and  Trigg;  Majors  Harland,  McBride,  M'Gary,  and  Levy  Todd;  and 
Captains  Bulzer  and  Gordon;  of  the  last  six  named,  except  Todd  and  ^  M'Gary,  all 
fell  in  the  subsequent  battle.  A  tumultuous  conversation  ensued,  and  it  was  unan 
imously  resolved  to  pursue  the  enemy  forthwith,  notwithstanding  that  they  were 
three  to  one  in  numbers.  The  Indians,  contrary  to  their  usual  custom,  left  a  broad 
and  obvious  trail,  and  manifested  a  willingness  to  be  pursued.  Notwithstanding, 


6-2 


KENTUCKY. 


such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the  Kentuckians,  that  they  overlooked  these  consid 
^rations,  and  hastened  on  with  fatal  resolution,  most  of  them  being  mounted. 

The  next  day,  about  noon,  they  came,  for  the  first  time,  in  view  of  the  enemy 
it  the  Lower  Blue  Licks.  A  number  of  Indians  were  seen  ascending  the  rocky 
ridge  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Licking.  They  halted  upon  -the  appearance  of 
the  Kentuckians,  and  gazed  at  them  a  few  moments,  and  then  calmly  and  leisurely 
disappeared  over  the  top  of  the  hill.  An  immediate  halt  ensued.  A  dozen  or 
twentv  officers  met  in  front  of  the  ranks  and  entered  into  a  consultation.  The 
wild  and  lonely  aspect  of  the  country  around  them,  their  distance  from  any  point 
of  support,  with  the  certainty  of  their  being  in  the  presence  of  a  superior  enemy, 
seems  to  have  inspired  a  portion  of  seriousness  bordering  upon  awe.  Ail  eyes 
were  now  turned  upon  Boone,  and  Col.  Todd  asked  his  opinion  as  to  what  should 
be  done.  The  veteran  woodsman,  with  hia  usual  unmoved  gravity,  replied: 

That  their  situation  was  critical  and  delicate;  that  the  force  opposed  to  them 
was  undoubtedly  numerous  and  ready  for  battle,  as  might  readily  be  seen  from  the 
leisurely  retreat  of  the  few  Indians  who  had  appeared  on  the  crest  of  the  hill;  that 
he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  ground  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Lick,  and  was 
apprehensive  that  an  ambuscade  was  formed  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  in  advance, 
where  two  ravines,  one  upon  each  side  of  the  ridge,  ran  in  such  a  manner  that  a 
concealed  enemy  might  assail  them  at  once  both  in  front  and  flank,  before  they 
were  apprised  of  the  danger. 

It  would  be  proper,  therefore,  to  do  one  of  two  things.  Either  to  await  the  arri 
val  of  Logan,  who  was  now  undoubtedly  on  his  march  to  join  them,  with  a  strong 
force  from  Lincoln,  or,  if  it  was  determined  to  attack  without  delay,  that  one  half 
of  their  number  should  march  up  the  river,  which  there  bends  in  an  elliptical  form, 
cross  at  the  rapids  and  fall  upon  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  while  the  other  division 
attacked  in  front.  At  any  rate,  he  strongly  urged  the  necessity  of  rcconnoitering 
the  ground  carefully  before  the  main  body  crossed  the  river. 

Boone  was  heard  in  silence  and  with  deep  attention.  Home  wished  to  adopt  the 
first  plan;  others  preferred  the  second ;  and  the  discussion  threatened  to  be  drawn 
out  to  some  length,  when  the  boiling  ardor  of  M'Gary,  Avho  could  never  endure  the 
presence  of  an  enemy  without  instant  battle,  stimulated  him  to  an  act,  which  had 
nearly  proved  destructive  to  his  country,  lie  suddenly  interrupted  the  consulta 
tion  with  a  loud  whoop,  resembling  the  war-cry  of  the  Indians,  spurred  his  horse 
into  the  stream,  waved  his  hat  over  his  head,  and  shouted  aloud:  'Let  all  who  are 
not  cowards  follow  me ! '  The  words  and  the  action  together,  produced  a  i  electri 
cal  effect.  The  mounted  men  dashed  tumultuously  into  the  river,  each  striving  to 
be  foremost.  The  footmen  were  mingled  with  them  in  one  rolling  and  irregular 
mass. 

Xo  order  was  given,  and  none  observed.  They  struggled  through  a  deep  ford  as 
well  as  they  could,  M'Gary  still  leading  the  van,  closely  followed  by  Majors  liar- 
land  and  McBride.  With  the  same  rapidity  they  ascended  the  ridge,  which,  by 
the  trampling  of  Buffalo  foragers,  had  been  stripped  bare  of  all  vegetation,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  dwarfish  cedars,  and  which  was  rendered  still  more  desolate 
in  appearance,  by  the  multitude  of  rocks,  blackened  by  the  sun,  which  was  spread 
over  its  surface.  • 

Suddenly  the  van  halted.  They  had  reached  the  spot  mentioned  by  Boone, 
where  the  two  ravines  head,  on  each  side  of  the  ridge.  Here  a  body  of  Indians 
presented  themselves,  and  attacked  the  van.  M'Gary's  party  instantly  returned 
the  fire,  but  under  great  disadvantage.  They  were  upon  a  bare  and  open  ridge; 
the  Indians  in  a  bushy  ravine.  The  center  and  rear,  ignorant  of  the  ground,  hur 
ried  up  to  the  assistance  of  the  van,  but  were  soon  stopped  by  a  terrible  fire  from 
the  ravine,  which  flanked  them.  They  found  themselves  inclosed  as  if  in  the  wings 
of  a  net,  destitute  of  proper  shelter,  while  the  enemy  were,  in  a  great  measure, 
covered  from  their  fire.  Still,  however,  they  maintained  their  ground.  The  action 
became  warm  and  bloody.  The  parties  gradually  closed,  the  Indians  emerged 
from  the  ravine,  and  the  fire  became  mutually  destructive.  The  officers  suffered 
dreadfully.  Todd  and  Trigg,  in  the  rear;  Harland,  McBride,  and  young  Boone,  in 
front,  were  already  killed. 

The  Indians  gradually  extended  their  line,  to  turn  the  right  of  the  Kentuckians. 


KENTUCKY.  (33 

and  cut  off  their  retreat.  This  was  quickly  perceived  by  the  weight  of  the  fire 
from  that  quarter,  and  the  rear  instantly  fell  back  in  disorder,  and  attempted  to 
rush  through  their  only  opening  to  the  river.  The  motion  quickly  communicated 
itself  to  the  van,  and  a  hurried  retreat  became  general.  The  Indians  instantly 
sprung  forward  in  pursuit,  and  falling  upon  them  with  their  tomahawks,  made  a 
cruel  slaughter.  From  the  battleground  to  the  river,  the  spectacle  was  terrible. 
The  horsemen  generally  escaped,  but  the  foot,  particularly  the  van,  which  had  ad 
vanced  farthest  within  the  wings  of  the  net,  were  almost  totally  destroyed.  Col. 
Boone,  after  witnessing  the  death  of  his  son  and  many  of  hi's  dearest  friends, 
found  himself  almost  entirely  surrounded  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  ro- 
treat. 

Several  hundred  Indians  were  between  him  and  the  ford,  to  which  the  great 
mass  of  the  fugitives  were  bending  their  flight,  and  to  which  the  attention  of  the 
savages  was  principally  directed.  Being  intimately  acquainted  with  the  ground, 
he,  together  with  a  few  friends,  dashed  into  the  ravine  which  the  Indians  had  occu 
pied,  but  which  most  of  them  had  now  left  to  join  in  the  pursuit.  After  sustaining 
one  or  two  heavy  fires,  and  baffling  one  or  two  small  parties,  who  pursued  him  for 
a  short  distance,  he  crossed  the  river  below  the  ford,  by  swimming,  and  entering 
the  wood  at  a  point  where  there  was  no  pursuit,  returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to 
Bryant's  Station.  In  the  meantime,  the  great  mass  of  the  victors  and  vanquished 
crowded  the  bank  of  the  ford. 

The  slaughter  was  great  in  the  river.  The  ford  was  crowded  with  horsemen  and 
foot  and  Indians,  all  mingled  together.  Some  were  compelled  to  seek  a  passage 
above  by  swimming;  some,  who  could  not  swim,  were  overtaken  and  killed  at  the 
edge'  of  the  water.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Netherland,  who  had  formerly  been 
strongly  suspected  of  cowardice,  here  displayed  a  coolness  and  presence  of  mind, 
equally  noble  and  unexpected. 

Being  among  the  first  in  gaining  the  opposite  bank,  he  then  instantly  checked 
his  horse,  and  in  a  loud  voice,  called  upon  his  companions  to  halt,  fire  upon  the 
Indians,  and  save  those  who  were  still  in  the  stream.  The  party  instantly  obeyed, 
and  facing  about,  poured  a  close  and  fatal  discharge  of  rifles  upon  the  foremost  of 
the  pursuers.  The  enemy  instantly  fell  back  from  the  opposite  bank,  and  gave 
time  for  the  harrassed  and  miserable  footmen  to  cross  in  safety.  The  check,  how 
ever,  was  but  momentary.  Indians  were  seen  crossing  in  great  numbers  above  and 
below,  and  the  flight  again  became  general.  Most  of  the  foot  left  the  great  buffalo 
track,  and  plunging  into  the  thickets,  escaped  by  a  circuitous  route  to  Bryant's 
Station. 

But  little  loss  was  sustained  after  crossing  the  river,  although  the  pursuit  was 
urged  keenly  for  twenty  miles.  From  the  battle-ground  to  the  ford,  the  loss  was 
very  heavy;  and  at  that  stage  of  the  retreat,  there  occurred  a  rare  and  striking  in 
stance  of  magnanimity,  which  it  would  be  criminal  to  omit.  The  reader  could  not 
have  forgotten  young  Reynolds,  who  replied  with  such  rough  but  ready  humor  to 
the  pompous  summons  of  Girty,  at  the  siege  of  Bryant's.  This  young  man,  after 
bearing  his  share  in  the  action  with  distinguished  gallantry,  was  galloping  with 
several  other  horsemen  in  order  to  reach  the  ford.  The  great  body  of  fugitives 
had  preceded  them,  and  their  situation  was  in  the  highest  degree  critical  and  dan 
gerous. 

About  half  way  between  the  battle-ground  and  the  river,  the  party  overtook 
Copt.  Patterson,  on  foot,  exhausted  by  the  rapidity  of  the  flight,  and  in  consequence 
of  former  wounds  received  from  the  Indians,  so  infirm  as  to  be  unable  to  keep  up 
with  the  main  body  of  the  men  on  foot.  The  Indians  were  close  behind  him,  and 
his  fate  seemed  inevitable.  Reynolds,  upon  corning  up  with  this  brave  officer,  in 
stantly  sprung  from  his  horse,  aided  Patterson  to  mount  into  the  saddle,  and  con 
tinued  his  own  flight  on  foot.  Being  remarkably  active  and  vigorous,  he  contrived 
to  elude  his  pursuers,  and  turning  off  from  the  main  road,  plunged  into  the  river 
near  the  spot  where  13oone  had  crossed,  and  swam  in  safety  to  the  opposite  side. 
Unfortunately  he  wore  a  pair  of  buckskin  breeches,  which  had  become  so  heavy 
and  full  of  water  as  to  prevent  his  exerting  himself  with  his  usual  activity,  and 
while  sitting  down  for  the  purpose  of  pulling  them  off,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  party 
of  Indians,  and  made  prisoner. 


G4 


KENTUCKY. 


A  prisoner  is  rarely  put  to  death  by  the  Indians,  unless  wounded  or  infirm,  until 
;hey  return  to  their  own  country;  and  then  his  fate  is  decided  in  solemn  council. 
Young  Reynolds,  therefore,  was  treated  kindly,  and  compelled  to  accompany  his 
captors  in  the  pursuit.  A  small  party  of  Kentuekians  soon  attracted  their  atten 
tion;  and  he  was  left  in  charge  of  three  Indians,  who,  eager  in  pursuit,  in  turn 
committed  him  to  the  charge  of  one  of  their  number,  white  they  followed  their 
companions.  Reynolds  and  his  guard  jogged  along  very  leisurely;  the  former  to 
tally  unarmed;  the  latter,  with  a  tomahawk  and  rifle  in  his  hands.  At  length  the 
lndi.an  stopped  to  tie  his  moccasin,  when  Reynolds  instantly  sprung  upon  him, 
knocked  him  down  with  his  fist,  and  quickly  disappeared  in  the  thicket  which  sur 
rounded  them.  For  his  act  of  generosity,  Capt.  Patterson  afterward  made  him  a 
present  of  two  hundred  acres  of  first  rate  land. 

The  melancholy  intelligence  rapidly  spread  throughout  the  country,  and  the 
whole  land  was  covered  with  mourning,  for  it  was  the  severest  Joss  that  Kentucky 
had  ever  experienced  in  Indian  warfare.  Sixty  Kerituckians  were  slain  and  a 
number  taken  prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  Indians,  while  the  battle  lasted,  was  also 
considerable,  though  far  inferior  to  that  of  the  whites. 

On  the  very  day  of  the  battle,  Col.  Logan  arrived  at  Bryant's  Station  with  four 
hundred  and  fifty  men.  Fearful  of  some  disaster,  he  marched  on  with  the  utmost 
diligence,  and  soon  met  the  foremost  of  the  fugitives.  Learning  from  them  the  sad 
tidings,  he  continued  on,  hoping  to  come  up  with  the  enemy  at  the  field  of  battle 
which  he  reached  on  the  second  day.  The  enemy  were  gone,  but  the  bodies  of  the 
Kentuckians  still  lay  unburied  on  the  spot  where  they  had  fallen.  Immense  flocks 
of  buzzards  were  soaring  over  the  battle  ground,  and  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  had 
become  so  much  swollen  and  disfigured  that  it  was  impossible  to  recognize  tho 
features  of  the  most  particular  friends.  Many  corpses  were  floating  near  the  shore 
of  the  northern  bank,  already  putrid  from  the  r.ction  of  the  sun,  and  partially  eaten 
by  fishes.  The  whole  were  carefully  collected  by  Col.  Logan,  and  interred  as  de 
cently  as  the  nature  of  the  soil  would  permit." 


South-western  view  of  Lexington  Court  House. 

LEXINGTON,  the  county  seat  of  Fayette  county,  is  a  remarkably  neat  and 
beautiful  city,  situated  on  a  branch  of  Elkhorn  River,  25  miles  S.K.  from 
Frankfort,  85  from  Cincinnati,  77  S.E.  from  Louisville,  and  51.7  from  "Wash 
ington  City.  The  streets  of  Lexington  are  laid  out  at  right  angles,  well 
paved,  and  bordered  with  ornamental  trees.  Many  of  the  private  residences 
and  several  of  the  public  edifices  are  fine  specimens  of  architectural  taste, 
while  the  surrounding  country,  rich  and  highly  cultivated,  is  adorned  with 
elegant  mansions.  The  city  contains  a  court  house,  a  Masonic  Hall,  the 
State  Lunatic  Asylum,  12  churches,  the  Transylvania  University,  several 
aoadamies  and  an  orphan  asylum.  It  is  celebrated  throughout  the  Union  foi 


KENTUCKY. 


65 


its  intelligent  and  polished  society,   and  as  an  elegant  place  of  residence. 
Population  about  12,000. 

Lexington  was  founded  in  1776.  About  the  first  of  April  in  this  year,  a 
block  house  was  built  he^re,  and  the  settlement  commenced  under  the  influ 
ence  of  Col.  Robert  Patterson,  joined  by  the  Messrs.  McConnels,  Lindseys. 
and  James  Masterson.  Maj.  John  Morrison  removed  his  family  soon  after 
from  Harrodsburg,  and  his  wife  was  the  first  white  woman  in  the  infant  set 
tlement.  It  appears  that  a  party  of  hunters  in  1775,  while  encamped  on 
the  spot  where  Lexington  is  now  built,  heard  of  the  first  conflict  between  i\\e 
British  and  Provincial  forces,  at  Lexington,  Mass.  In  commemoration  of 
this  event,  they  called  the  place  of  their  encampment  Lexington. 

Transylvania  University,  the  oldest  college  in  the  state,  was  established  in 
1798,  and  has  departments  of  law  and  medicine.  The  medical  school  has 
eight  professors.  Connected  with  the  institution  is  a  fine  rsuseum  and  a  very 
valuable  library,  with  chemical  apparatus,  etc.  The  State  Lunatic  Asylum  lo 
cated  here  is  a  noble  institution.  Lexington  was  incorporated  by  Virginia  in 
1782,  a'nd  was  for  several  years  the  seat  of  government  of  the  state.  The 
"Kentucky  Gazette"  was  established  here  in  1787,  by  the  brothers  John  and 
Fielding  Bradford,  and,  excepting  the  Pittsburg  Gazette,  is  the  oldest  paper 
west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

Ashland,  the  home  of  HENRY  CLAY,  is  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from 
Lexington.  Mr.  Clay  lived  at  Ashland  between  forty  and  fifty  years.  His' 

house  was  a  modest,  spacious, 
agreeable  mansion,  two  sto 
ries  high.  Since  the  death 
of  Mr.  Clay,  this  building 
having  become  somewhat 
dilapidated  and  insecure,  his 
son,  James  B.  Clay,  Esq., 
hud  it  taken  down  and  a 
more  elegant  edifice  erected 
upon  the  same  spot,  and  with 
but  slight  modifications  of 
the  original  plan.  Mr.  Clay 
has  many  interesting  relics 

OK  H.K.T  CUT.  °f1llis  father'  WJliph  a[6  Care' 

fully  preserved  in  the  new 
building.  The  estate,  consisting  of  about  600  acres,  bore  the  name  of  Ash 
land  before  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Clay,  probably  on  account  of 
the  ash  timber,  with  which  it  abounds.  By  Mr.  C.'s  management,  it  became 
one  of  the  most  delightful  retreats  in  the  west;  the  whole  tract,  except  about 
200  acres  of  park,  was  under  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  When  its 
illustrious  occupant  was  living,  it  was  the  abode  of  elegant  hospitality,  and 
thousands  then  annually  thronged  thither  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  states 
man,  who  had  such  a  hold  upon  the  affections  of  his  countrymen  that,  when 
he  was  defeated  for  the  presidency,  an  intensity  of  sorrow*  was  every  where 

*A  friend  tells  us  that  he  recollects  attending,  in  a  distant  New  England  city,  an  im 
promptu  political  meeting  which  had  gathered  in  a  public  hall  at  this  time.  Various 
speeches  of  condolence  had  been  made  by  those,  who,  in  their  ardor,  had  regarded  the  suc 
cess  of  their  candidate  as  identified  with  the  salvation  of  their  country,  when  an  aged  man, 
with  silvered  hair,  arose  to  offer  comfort  in  the  general  sorrow.  He  had  but  three  words  ; 
but,  Christian-like,  he  started  for  those  three  straightway  to  the  BIBLE.  He  raided  his  tall 
slender  form  to  its  full  hight,  with  palms  uplifted,  and  then  bowing  submissively,  utte-red 
in  prayerful  tones — '•  The  Lord  reiyni!  " 

5 


66 


KENTUCKY. 


exhibited  that  never  was  equalled  by  any  similar  occurrence  in  the  history 
of  the  country.  A  stranger  in  the  place  not  long  subsequent,  thus  describes 
his  impressions  of  the  town  and  visit  to  Ashland: 

No  where  is  there  a  more  delightful  rural  tract  in  all  our  broad  land,  than  that 
part  of  this  state  in  the  vicinity  of  Lexington — the  celebrated  u  blue  grass"  region 
of  Kentucky.  For  miles  and  miles,  in  every  direction,  it  is  bedecked  with  grace 
ful  curving  lawns,  wood  embowered  cottages,  and  tall  open  forests,  where  not  a 
shrub  rises  to  mar  the  velvety  sward  that  every  where  carpets  the  earth  in  living 
green.  Enter  the  dwellings,  and  you  will  find  them  the  abodes  of  elegance  and 
taste.  Your  reception  will  be  frank  and  hospitable.  The  town,  Lexington,  is  well 
worthy  of  the  country.  It  has  a  highly  cultivated  population,  institutions  of  liter 
ature,  elegant  mansions,  partly  concealed  in  groves  of  locusts,  whose  tiny  fragile 
leaves  gently  dance  in  the  sunlight  to  the  softest  zephvr,  and  is,  moreover,  the  home 
of  one  whose  very  name  holds  a  dear  place  in  our  memories. 

In  a  minor  street  of  this  beautiful  town,  is  a  plain  two  story  brick  edifice,  over 
the  doors  of  which  is  the  sign,  H.  &  J.  B.  CLAY.  One  morning,  a  few  weeks 
since,  I.  entered  its  plainly  furnished  office,  and,  in  the  absence  of  its  occupants, 
helped  myself  to  a  chair  and  a  newspaper,  that  industrious  whig  sheet,  the  New 
York 'Tribune.  In  a  few  minutes  in  walked  a  tall,  elderly  gentleman,  attired  in 
black  coat  and  white  pantaloons.  My  eyes  had  never  before  rested  upon  him,  but 
it  needed  not  a  second  glance  to  know  HENRY  CLAY.  I  presented  a  letter  of  intro 
duction,  upon  which,  after  some  little  conversation,  he  invited  me  out  to  tea  at  his 
seat,  Ashland,  some  twenty  minutes  walk  from  the  central  part  of  the  town.  At 


the  appointed  hour,  I  was  on  my  way  thither,  and  from  a  gate  on  the  roadside  ap- 

>ached  the  mansion  by  a  winding  pa 
on  a  smooth,  undulating  lawn  of  the  purest  green,  fringed  by  a  variety  of  trees. 


proached  the  mansion  by  a  winding  path  of  maybe  thirty  rods  in  length.     It  stands 


The  open  door  disclosed  to  my  view  two  elderly  ladies,  seated  in  one  of  the  three 
rooms  into  which  a  common  entry  led.  One  of  them,  Mrs.  Clay,  called  to  me  to 
walk  in,  and  directed  me  to  the  flower  garden  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  where  stood 
Judge  K.,  of  Ohio,  and  her  husband.  The  former,  as  I  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
Clay,  received  me  with  the  stiffness  of  the  north — the  latter  met  me  in  the  cordial, 
off  hand  manner  of  an  old  acquaintance.  He  then  showed  us  some  rare  plants, 
joked  with  his  little  grandchild,  and  we  entered  the  house.  Passing  through  the 
room  where  sat  his  lady  and  the  wife  of  the  judge,  he  pleasantly  said — u  these 
ladies  have  some  conspiracy  together,  let  us  walk  into  the  parlor."  On  the  hearth 
was  an  elegant  rug,  with  the  words  worked  in  it,  "PROTECTION  TO  AMERICAN  INDUS 
TRY  ;"  around  were  busts  and  paintings.  The  furniture  was  old  fashioned,  but 
rich,  and  an  air  of  comfort  pervaded  the  apartment.  Among  the  curiosities  shown 
us  by  Mr.  Clay,  was  the  identical  wine  glass  used  by  Washington  through  the  Rev 
olution. 

The  conversation  of  Mr.  Clay  is  frequently  anecdotical,  and  his  knowledge  of 
all  parts  of  our  country,  their  condition,  prospects  and  people,  renders  it  easy  foi 
him  to  adapt  himself  in  familiar  topics  to  the  great  variety  of  characters  that 
assemble  at  his  residence.  His  manner  is  one  of  entire  ease.  Taking  out  a  golden 
snuff  box,  he  drew  in  a  pinch  of  its  exhilarating  powder  with  an  air  of  solid  satis 
faction  ;  then  spreading  his  handkerchief  in  his  lap,  he  leaned  forward  his  whole 
body,  with  his  forearms  folded  and  resting  on  his  knees,  and  talked  with  us  in  the 
most  genial,  social  way,  like  a  fine,  fatherly,  old  country  gentleman — as,  indeed, 
he  is. 

Now  that  I  have  seen  Henry  Clay,  I  do  not  wonder  at  the  hold  he  has  upon  the 
affections  of  our  people.  Benevolence  is  the  strongest  expression  in  his  counte 
nance,  and  the  humblest  individual  can  not  but  feel,  in  his  presence,  as  much  at 
ease  as  if  by  his  own  fireside.  His  manner  is  irresistible:  such  as  would  enable 
him,  if  need  there  was,  to  say  disagreeable  things  in  a  way  that  would  occasion 
you  to  thank  him  for  it.  Literally,  his  is  the  power  to  give  "hard  facts  with  soft 
words." 

When  Henry  Clay  walks  the  streets  of  Lexington,  the  citizens  gaze  upon  him 
vrith  pride,  and  greet  him  with  pleasure.  A  kind  word  and  a  smile  he  has  for 
every  body,  no  matter  what  their  age,  sex,  or  condition;  and  little  children  run  up 


KENTUCKY. 


to  take  him  by  the  hand,  with  a  "how  do  you  do,  Mr.  Clay?"  My  landlord,  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  said  to  me,  "I  have  known  Mr.  Clay  for  many  years,  and  am 
opposed  to  him  in  politics  ;  but  I  can  not  help  liking  the  man." 

The  corner  stone  of  the  Mon 
ument  erected  to  Henry  Clay,  in 
the  Lexington  Cemetery,  was 
laid  July  4,  1857,  with  imposing 
ceremonies,  and  the  structure 
completed  in  1858.  It  is  con 
structed  of  magnesian  lime 
stone,  obtained  from  Boone's 
Creek,  about  14  miles  distant. 
The  remains  of  Henry  Clay,  his 
mother,  and  sonie  other  rela 
tives,  are  to  be  deposited  in  the 
vaulted  chamber  in  the  base  of 
the  monument.  At  the  top  of 
the  column,  the  flutings  are  13 
spiked  spears,  representing  the 
original  states  of  the  Union. 
The  statue  of  Clay,  surmount 
ing  the  whole,  is  11  feet  in  hight. 
The  hight  of  the  monument 
from  the  ground  to  the  top  of 
the  statue  is  119  feet.  The  fol 
lowing  inscription  appears  on 
one  of  the  blocks  of  stone  : 

"I  would  rather  be    right,   than  be 

President." 

National  Guard,  St.  Louis,  July  4th, 
1857. 


HENRY  CLAY  MONUMENT. 

Situated  about  a  mile  from  the  central  part  of  Lexington, 
near  the  Railroad  from  Oovington,  in  the  Lexington  Ceme 
tery. 


The  following  inscription  is  copied  from  the  monument  of  Maj.  Barry,  in 
the  public  square,  or  court  house  yard: 

To  the  memory  of  WILLIAM  TAYLOR  BARRY,  this  monument  is  erected  by  his  friends  in 
Kentucky  (the  site  being  granted  by  the  County  Court  of  Fayette),  as  a  testimony  of  their 
respect  and  admiration  of  his  virtues  and  talents.  He  was  born  5th  Feb.,  1784,  in  Lunen- 
burg  City,  Va.,  and  came  to  Kentucky  in  his  12th  year.  Was  successively  a  member  of 
both  Houses  of  the  General  Assembly,  a  Judge,  a  Senator  and  Representative  in  Congress, 
Lieut,  Gov.  of  Ky.,  and  an  Aiclecamp  to  Gov.  Shelby  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames.  On  An 
drew  Jackson's  accession  to  the  Presidency,  he  was  called  to  his  Cabinet  as  Post  Master 
General,  which  office  he  held  until  1st  of  May,  1835,  when  he  was  appointed  Bnv.  Ex.  «fe 
Min.  Plen.  to  Spain.  He  was  elected  llon'y  Member  of  the  French  Univ.  Stat.  Soc.,  in 
June,  1833.  He  died  at  Liverpool,  on  his  way  to  Madrid,  on  30th  Aug.,  1835.  His  body 
lies  on  Albion's  white  shares ;  his  Fame  in  the  History  of  his  Country,  and  is  as  immortal 
as  America's  Liberty  and  Glory. 

About  twenty  miles  south-east  of  Lexington,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Ken 
tucky  River,  is  the  small,  dilapidated  village  of  Boonesborough,  a  point  noted 
in  the  history  of  the  state.  It  was  here  that  Daniel  Boone,  the  great  pioneer, 
built  the  first  fort  ever  erected  in  Kentucky,  and  made  the  commencement  of 
a  permanent  settlement.  Here,  too,  was  convened  more  than  eighty  years 
ago  the  first  legislative  assembly  that  ever  sat  west  of  the  mountains,  the  leg 
islature  of  Transylvania,  the  history  of  which  is  as  follows : 

"Col.  Richard  Henderson,  a  man  of  ardent  temperament  and  great  talents,  formed 
the  most  extensive  speculation  ever  recorded  in  the  history  of  this  country.  Hav- 


68 


KENTUCKY. 


ing  formed  a  company  for  that  purpose,  he  succeeded  in  negotiating,  with  the  head 
chiefs  of  the  Cherokee  nation,  a  treaty  (known  as  the  treaty  of  Watauga),  by  which 
all  that  tract  of  country  lying  between  the  Cumberland  River,  the  mountains  of  the 
same  name,  and  the  Kentucky  River,  and  situated  south  of  the  Ohio,  was  transferred, 
for  a  reasonable  consideration,  to  the  * 

company.  By  this  treaty  Henderson 
nnd  his  associates  became  the  proprie 
tors  of  all  that  country  which  now  com 
prises  more  than  one  half  of  the  state 
of  Kentucky.  This  was  in  1775.  They 
immediately  proceeded  to  establish  a 
proprietary  government,  of  which  Hen 
derson  became  the  president,  and  which 
had  its  seat  at  Boonesborough.  The 
new  country  received  the  name  of  Tran 
sylvania.  The  first  legislature  assem 
bled  at  Boonesborough,"and  held  its  sit 
tings  under  the  shade  of  a  large  elm 
tree,  near  the  walls  of  the  fort,  "it  was 
composed  of  Squire  Boone,  Daniel  Boone, 
William  Coke,  Samuel  Henderson,  Rich 
ard  Moore,  Richard  Galloway,  Thomas 
{Slaughter,  John  Lythe,  Valentine  Har- 
mond,  James  Douglass,  James  Harrod, 
Nathan  Hammond,  Isaac  Hite,  Azariah 
Davis,  John  Todd,  Alexander  S.  Dan- 
dridge,  John  Floyd  and  Samuel  Wood. 
These  members  formed  themselves  into 
a  legislative  body,  by  electing  Thomas 
Slaughter  chairman  and  Matthew  Jew- 
etfc  clerk.  This  cismontane  legislature, 
the  earliest  popular  body  that  assembled 

on  this  side  of  the  Appalachian  mountains,  was  addressed  by  Colonel  Henderson) 
on  behalf  of  himself  and  his  associates,  in  a  speech  of  sufficient  dignity  and  of  ex* 
cellent  sense.  A  compact  was  entered  into  between  the  proprietors  and  the  colo' 
nists,  by  which  a  free,  manly,  liberal  government  was  established  over  the  terri 
tory.  'The  most  important  parts  of  this  Kentucky  Magna  Charta  were:  1st.  That 
the  election  of  delegates  should  be  annual.  2d.  Perfect  freedom  of  opinion  in  mat 
ters  of  religion.  3d.  That  judges  should  be  appointed  by  the  proprietors,  but  an 
swerable  for  mal-conduct  to  the  people;  and  that  the  convention  have  the  solo 
power  of  raising  and  appropriating  all  moneys  and  electing  their  treasurer.  This 
epitome  of  substantial  freedom  and  manly,  rational  government,  was  solemnly  ex 
ecuted  under  the  hands  and  seals  of  the  three  proprietors  acting  for  the  company, 
and  Thomas  Slaughter  acting  for  the  colonists.  The  purchase  of  Henderson  from 
the  Cherokees  was  afterward  annulled  by  act  of  the  Virginia  legislature,  as  being 
contrary  to  the  chartered  rights  of  that  state.  But,  as  some  compensation  for  the 
services  rendered  in  opening  the  wilderness,  and  preparing  the  way  for  civiliza 
tion,  the  legislature  granted  to  the  proprietors  a  tract  of  land  twelve  miles  square, 
on  the  Ohio,  below  the  mouth  of  Green  River."  * 

The  fort  at  Boonesborough  was  built  in  1775.  The  engraving  is  from  a 
drawing  by  Col.  Henderson.  The  structure  must  .have  been  about  260  feet 

*Mr.  Henderson  was  born  in  Hanover  county,  Virginia,  in  1735.  When  a  boy  his  father 
removed  to  North  Carolina  and  became  county  sheriff,  and  the  son  obtained  much  of  hia 
education  in  his  father's  office.  He  studied  law,  showed  talents  of  the  highest  order,  and 
was  elevated  to  the  bench  of  the  superior  court.  In  1779,  Judge  Henderson  was  appointed 
commissioner  to  extend  the  boundary  line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina  into  Pow 
ell's  Valley.  In  the  same  year  he  opened  an  office  at  French  Lick,  afterward  Nashville, 
for  the  sale  of  his  lands.  He  died  iu  1785,  aged  50  years.  His  four  sons  studied  law  and 
attained  distinction. 


OLD  FORT  AT  BOONESI-.OKOVGH,  1775. 


KENTUCKY.  69 

long  and  150  feet  broad.  It  was  several  times  attacked  by  the  Indians,  but 
always  unsuccessfully.  The  last  time  was  in  September  of  1778,  when  the 
enemy  appeared  in  great  force. 

"There  were  nearly  five  hundred  Indian  warriors,  armed  and  painted  in  the  usual 
manner,  and  what  was  still  more  formidable,  they  were  conducted  by  Canadian 
officers,  well  skilled  in  the  usages  of  modern  warfare.  As  soon  as  they  were  ar 
rayed  in  front  of  the  fort,  the  British  colors  were  displayed,  and  an  officer,  with  a 
flag,  was  sent  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  with  a  promise  of  quarter  and 
good  treatment  in  case  of  compliance,  and  threatening  the  ' hatchet'  in  case  of  a 
storm.  Boone  requested  two  days  for  consideration,  which,  in  defiance  of  all  ex 
perience  and  common  sense,  was  granted.  This  interval,  as  usual,  was  employed 
in  preparation  for  an  obstinate  resistance.  The  cattle  were  brought  into  the  fort, 
the  horses  secured,  and  all  things  made  ready  against  the  commencement  of  hos 
tilities. 

Boone  then  appeared  at  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  and  communicated  to  Capt.  Du- 
quesne,  their  leader,  the  resolution  of  his  men  to  defend  the  fort  to  the  last  extremity. 
Disappointment  and  chagrin  were  strongly  painted  upon  the  face  of  the  Canadian 
at  this  answer,  but  endeavoring  to  disguise  his  feelings,  he  declared  that  Gov.  Ham 
ilton  had  ordered  him  not  to  injure  the  men  if  it  could  be  avoided,  and  that  if  nine 
of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  fort  would  come  out  and  treat  with  them  they 
would  instantly  depart  without  further  hostility. 

The  word  "treat '  sounded  so  pleasantly  in  the  ears  of  the  besieged  that  they 
agreed  at  once  to  the  proposal,  and  Boone  himself,  attended  by  eight  of  his  men, 
went  out  and  mingled  with  the  savages,  who  crowded  around  them  in  great  num 
bers,  and  with  countenances  of  deep  anxiety.  The  treaty  then  commenced  and 
was  soon  concluded,  upon  which  Duquesne  informed  Boone  that  it  was  a  custom 
with  the  Indians,  upon  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  with  the  whites',  for  two  warriors 
to  take  hold  of  the  hand  of  each  white  man. 

Boone  thought  this  rather  a  singular  custom,  but  there  was  no  time  to  dispute 
about  etiquette,  particularly,  as  he  could  not  be  more  in  their  power  than  he  al 
ready  was,  so  he  signified  his  willingness  to  conform  to  the  Indian  mode  of  ce 
menting  friendship.  Instantly,  two  warriors  approached  each  white  man,  with  the 
word  'brother'  upon  their  lips,  but  a  very  different  expression  in  their  eyes,  and 
grappling  him  with  violence,  attempted  to  bear  him  off.  They  probably  (unless 
totally  infatuated)  expected  such  a  consummation,  and  all  at  the  same  moment 
sprung  from  their  enemies  and  ran  to  the  fort,  under  a  heavy  tire,  which  fortunately 
only  wounded  one  man. 

The  attack  instantly  commenced  by  a  heavy  fire  against  the  picketing,  and  was 
returned  with  fatal  accuracy  by  the  garrison.  The  Indians  quickly  sheltered  them 
selves,  and  the  action  became  more  cautious  and  deliberate.  Finding  but  little 
effect  from  the  fire  of  his  men,  Duquesne  next  resorted  to  a  more  formidable  mode 
of  attack.  The  fort  stood  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  within  sixty  yards  of  the 
water.  Commencing  under  the  bank,  where  their  operations  were  concealed  from 
the  garrison,  they  attempted  to  push  a  mine  into  the  fort.  Their  object,  however, 
was  fortunately  discovered  by  the  quantity  of  fresh  earth  which  they  were  com 
pelled  to  throw  into  the  river,  and  by  which  the  water  became  muddy  for  some 
distance  below.  Boone,  who  had  regained  his  usual  sagacity,  instantly  cut  a  trench 
within  the  fort  in  such  a  manner  as  to  intersect  the  line  of  their  approach,  and 
thus  frustrated  their  design. 

The  enemy  exhausted  all  the  ordinary  artifices  of  Indian  warfare,  but  were 
steadily  repulsed  in  every  effort.  Finding  their  numbers  daily  thinned  by  the  de 
liberate  but  fatal  fire  of  the  garrison,  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  final  success,  they 
broke  up  on  the  ninth  dav  of  the  siege,  and  returned  home.  The  loss  of  the  gar 
rison  was  two  men  killed  and  four  wounded.  On  the  part  of  the  savages,  thirty- 
seven  were  killed  and  many  wounded,  who,  as  usual,  were  all  carried  off." 

Danville,  county  seat  of  Boyle  county,  is  situated  in  a  fertile  district  of 
country,  on  a  small  branch  of  the  Kentucky  Elver,  40  miles  south  from  Frank 
fort  ami  35  from  Lexington.  It  contains  0  churches,  2  banks,  the  Kentucky 


70 


KENTUCKY. 


Asylum  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  (an  elegant  building),  several  mills  and  fac 
tories,  and  about  2.500  inhabitants.  Center  College,  chartered  in  1819,  is  lo 
cated  here;  the  Rev.  Dr.  Chamberlain  became  its  first  president  in  1823. 
There  are  also  here  2  female  academies  and  a  theological  institute.  The 
town  was  laid  out  by  Walker  Daniel,  who  gave  it  its  name;  it  was  established 
by  the  legislature  in  1787,  and  was  for  many  years  the  seat  of  government 
for  Kentucky.  The  first  court  house  and  jail  in  the  limits  of  Kentucky  were 
erected  here,  and  here  the  first  constitution  of  state  government  was  formed. 
Paris,  Shelbyvilfe,  Cynthiana,  Versailles,  Carrolton,  Georgetown  and  Bards- 
town  are  all  important  towns  in  this  part  of  the  state,  the  largest  of  which 
has  a  population  of  2,500.  That  well  known  Catholic  institution,  St.  Jo 
seph's  College,  is  at  Bardstown,  and  Georgetown  College  is  at  Georgetown. 
Paducah,  the  seat  of  justice  for  McCracken  county,  situated  at  the  mouth 
of  Tennessee  River,  is  an  important  shipping  port,  347  miles  below  Louis 
ville.  It  is  a  place  of  active  business,  and  a  great  amount  of  agricultural 
products  are  brought  down  the  Tennessee  River  to  this  place,  consisting  of 
tobacco,  pork,  live  stock,  etc.,  it  being  the  depot  for  the  product  of  the  valley 

of  that  stream.  It 
has  large  ware 
houses,  2  banks, 
10  churches,  a 
large  number  of 
stores,  and  about 
5,000  inhabitants. 
It  was  laid  out  in 
1827  by  General 
William  Clark,  of 
St.  Louis,  brother 
of  Gen.  George 
Rogers  Clark, 
and  named  after 
the  Indian  chief 

Paducah,  who  once  resided  in  this  region.  The  town  is  substantially  built, 
and  has  a  very  thriving  appearance,  being  the  largest  and  most  important 
place  in  Kentucky  west  of  Louis,ville.  Hon.  Linn  Eoyd  resided  in  this  vi 
cinity,  where  he  died  in  1859.  He  was  speaker  of  the  house  of  representa 
tives  from  1851  to  1855,  and  in  1852  was  prominent  as  a  candidate  of  the 
democratic  party  for  the  nomination  for  the  presidency. 

Henderson,  capital  of  Henderson  county,  12  miles  below  Evansville  and 
210  below  Louisville,  is  the  principal  shipping  point  on  the  Ohio  for  the  to 
bacco,  corn  and  other  rich  products  of  the  fertile  valley  of  Green  River.  It 
is  a  thriving  business  town,  and  has  about  3,000  inhabitants.  Smithland, 
on  the  Ohio,  .just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  is  a  point  for  the  re- 
shipment  of  goods  up  that  river.  Owensltoro,  capital  of  Daviess  county,  155 
miles  below  Louisville,  on  the  Ohio;  Hickman,  capital  of  Fulton  county,  on 
the  Mississippi,  35  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  in  the  extreme  south 
western  corner  of  the  state,  are  both  busy  towns,  each  having  about  2,500  in 
habitants.  Bowling  Green,  ffopkinsville  and  Russelvillc  are  county  seats  and 
important  interior  towns  in  Lower  Kentucky,  with  each  from  2,000  to  3,000 
inhabitants.  Columbus,  a  village  of  about  1,200  inhabitants,  on  the  Missis 
sippi,  25  miles  below  Cairo,  is  the  terminus  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Rail 
road. 


LANDING  AT  PADUCAH. 


KENTUCKY. 


71 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 

Kentucky,  next  to  Virginia,  is  the  greatest  tobacco  producing  state  in  the 
Union.  The  statistics  of  1850  gave  her  total  product  at  55J  millions  of 
pounds,  while  that  of  Virginia  exceeded  it  but  a  little  over  a  million.  The 
plant  is  most  extensively  cultivated  in  western  Kentucky,  in  the  Green 
lliver  country  and  vicinity ;  and  the  greatest  tobacco  raising  county  is  Chris 
tian,  the  annual  yield  of 
which  is  six  millions  of 
pounds.  This  part  of 
the  state  was  much  set 
tled  by  Virginians,  who 
followed  out  the  general 
law  of  emigrants,  of  es- 
pecially  cultivating 
those  crops  to  which 
they  had  been  accus 
tomed  on  the  soil  of 
their  birth. 

"It  is  a  curious  fact  in 
the  history  of  tobacco  that 
the  exports  from  this 
country  have  varied  but 
very  little  in  the  last  fifty 
years;  in  1790,  our  coun 
try,  in  round  numbers, 
sent  abroad  one  hundred 
and  eighteen  thousand 
hogsheads;  in  1840,  one 
hundred  and  nineteen 
thousand.  This  is  one  of 
the  most  curious  facts  de 
veloped  in  statistics,  and 
may  probably  be  directly 
traced  to  the  fact  that  the 
population  and  wealth  of 
European  countries  have 
not  increased,  and  that 
the  duties  levied  upon  its 
introduction  are  as  high 
as  can  possibly  be  borne. 
No  article  of  cpmmeree 
pays  a  duty  so  enormous, 
compared  with  its  home 
price,  as  American  tobacco.  From  it  is  derived  an  important  part  of  the  revenue  of 
almost  every  European  government.  In  Great  Britain,  the  import  duty  is  three 
shillings  sterling  (seventy-five  cents)  per  pound — about  twelve  hundred  per  cent, 
upon  the  original  cost — and  two  dollars  per  pound  on  manufactured  tobacco;  thus  for 
what  her  people  give  us  less  than  two  millions  of  dollars  they  pay  to  their  own  govern 
ment,  for  the  privilege  of  using  it,  twenty-two  millions  of  dollars,  which  is  twice  the 
sum  realized  by  the  American  producer  for  all  the  tobacco  exported  to  every  part 


A  TOBACCO  PLANTATION. 


72  KENTUCKY. 

of  the  world!  As  might  be  supposed,  the  most  stringent  laws  govern  its  introduc 
tion  into  that  country,  and  a  large  fleet  of  ships  and  a  heavy  marine  are  supported 
to  detect  smugglers  who  alone  traffic  in  this  article.  It  is  therefore  not  surprising 
that  among  all  the  wonders  of  London,  and  all  the  creations  of  that  great  Babylon 
dedicated  to  commerce,  few  are  so  remarkable  as  the  government  warehouses  used 
for  bonding  or  storing  tobacco.  Their  interiors  present  such  vast  areas  of  ground 
that  they  become  bewildering  to  the  eye,  and  they  never  had  any  rivals  in  size  until 
the  erection  of  the  Crystal  Palace.  Almost  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  are  alleys 
of  hogsheads,  whose  number  is  immense.  In  all  convenient  places  are  large  scales 
for  weighing,  together  Avith  other  apparatus  connected  with  the  operation  of  exam 
ining  the  staple." 

The  amount  of  the  present  production  of  tobacco  is  about  two  hundred  millions 
of  pounds.  The  home  consumption  is  increasing  faster  than  the  population.  Its 
use  is  most  detrimental  to  our  people  by  increasing  their  mental  activity  at  the  ex 
pense  of  their  bodies,  through  its  continual  strain  upon  the  nervous  system  and 
weakening  of  the  appetite  and  digestive  organs.  It  is  at  the  seasons  of  greatest  ex 
citement  that  he  who  uses  the  plant  is  certain  to  do  so  in  unwonted  quantities.  A 
young  volunteer,  relating  his  experience  at  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  truthfully 
remarked,  though  in  coarse  phrase,  "Our  boys  chawed  lots  of  tobacco  that  day!" 
So  fascinating  the  habit,  that  few  can  break  from  it;  and  he  who  succeeds  should 
be  more  honored  than  he  who  storms  a  battery.  Multitudes  essay  the  trial;  gener 
ally,  they  only  make  the  good  resolution  at  the  precise  moment  when  under  the 
exhilerating  influence  of  a  quid  of  extra  size  revolving  against  the  inner  wall  of 
their  cheek.  The  corresponding  depression  that  succeeds  the  disuse  is  continu 
ally  pressing  for  the  stimulus,  with  a  power  akin  to  that  of  a  raging  thirst,  day  in 
and  day  out,  week  in  and  week  out,  month  in  and  month  out,  until  finally  a  weak 
iiiome'ht  arrives,  when  the  will  gives  way  and  the  victim  flies  for  relief  to  his  chains 
again — only  to  repeat  in  the  future  a  similar  futile  attempt  to  escape  his  enslave 
ment.  A  gentleman  who  had  censed  using  it  for  five  years  stated  that  the  desire 
was  even  then  continually  upon  him,  and  he  ''would  give  anything"  for  the  indul 
gence,  were  it  not  for  the  accompanying  suffering  that  he  knew  would  accrue. 
Probably  few  persons  use  tobacco  to  excess  but  acknowledge  to  themselves,that,  in 
their  individual  experience,  the  sum  of  misery  from  it  a  thousand  fold  outweighs 
the  sum  of  gratification. 

It  is  often  amusing  to  witness  the  resolution  with  which  those  who  use  tobacco 
part  even  temporarily  from  the  indulgence.  ''Fanny  Kemble  used  to  relate,  with 
great  gusto,  a  cigar  adventure  she  met  with  while  traveling  in  Georgia.  It  appears 
that  the  day  was  hot,  the  roads  rough,  and  she  an  invalid — the  passengers  in  the 
stage,  herself  and  a  gentleman.  As  the  heavy  vehicle  rumbled  along,  there  mingled, 
with  the  dust  that  constantly  penetrated  its  interior,  the  fumes  of  a  most  execrable 
cigar.  Every  blast  of  the  'Stygian  fume'  sent  a  tremor  of  deadly  sickness  through 
Fanny's  heart.  The  gentleman,  her  traveling  companion,  remonstrated  with  the 
driver,  explained  the  mischief  he  was  doing,  and  promised  the  independent  Jehu, 
at  the  end  of  the  journey,  the  reward  of  twenty-five  choice  Havanas  if  he  would 
throw  away  his  vile -weed.  The  driver's  reply  was,  'Yes,  yes,  in  a  minute,'  but  the 
evil  complained  of  continued  until  finally  it  became  insufferable.  Then  it  was  that 
Fanny  leaned  out  of  the  coach  window  and  said,  'Sir,  I  appeal  to  your  generosity 
to  throw  away  ^hat  cigar,  and  I  know,  from  the  proverbial  politeness  of  the  Ameri 
cans,  that  my  request  will  be  granted.'  'Yes,  yes,'  said  the  driver,  with  some  trep 
idation,  'I  intended  to  do  it,  but  1  wanted  first  to  smoke  it  short  enough  to  put  in 
my  hat!'1' 

EARLY    TIMES    AMONG    THE    PIONEERS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

That  eccentric  and  talented  Methodist  preacher,  Peter  Cartwright,  has 
given  in  his  autobiography  some  valuable  reminiscences  of  life  among  the 
pioneers  of  Kentucky,  from  which  we  extract  this  article  as  a  valuable  con 
tribution  to  the  history  of  the  times: 

I  was  born  September  1,  1783,  in  Amhcrst  county,  on  James  River,  in  the  state 


KENTUCKY. 


73 


of  Virginia.  My  parents  were  poor.  My  father  was  n  soldier  in  the  great  strug 
gle  for  liberty,  in  the  Revolutionary  war  with  Great  Britain.  He  served  over  two 
years.  My  mother  was  an  orphan.  Shortly  after  the  united  colonies  gained  their 
independence,  my  parents  moved  to  Kentucky,  which  was  a  new  country.  It  was 
an  almost  unbroken  wilderness  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  at  that  early  day,  and 
this  Avilderness  was  filled  with  thousands  of  hostile  Indians,  and  many' thousands 
of  the  emigrants  to  Kentucky  lost  their  lives  by  these  savages.  There  Avero  no 
roads  for  carriages  at  that  time,  and  although  the  emigrants  moved  by  thousands, 
they  had  to  move  on  pack  horses.  Many  adventurous  young  men  went  to  this  new 
country.  The  fall  my  father  moved,  there  were  a  great  many  families  who  joined 
together  for  mutual  safety,  and  started  for  Kentucky.  Besides  the  two  hundred 
families  thus  united,  there  were  one  hundred  young  men,  well  armed,  who  agreed 
to  guard  these  families  through,  and,  as  a  compensation,  they  were  to  be  supported 
for  their  services.  After  we  struck  the  wilderness  we  rarely  traveled  a  day  but  we 
passed  some  white  persons,  murdered  and  scalped  by  the  Indians  while  going  to 
or  returning  from  Kentucky.  We  traveled  on  till  Sunday,  and,  instead  of  resting 
that  day,  the  voice  of  the  company  was  to  move  on. 

It  was  a  dark,  cloudy  day,  misty  with  rain.  Many  Indians  were  seen  through 
the  day  skulking  round  by  our  guards.  Late  in  the  evening  wre  came  to  what  was 
called  "  Camp  Defeat,"  Avhere  a  number  of  emigrant  families  had  been  all  mur 
dered  by  the  savages  a  short  time  before.  Here  the  company  called  a  halt  to  camp 
for  the  night.  It  was  a  solemn,  gloomy  time;  every  heart  quaked  with  fear. 

Soon  the  captain  of  our  young  men's  company  placed  his  men  as  sentinels  all 
round  the  encampment.  The  stock  and  the  women  and  children  were  placed  in 
the  center  of  the  encampment.  Most  of  the  men  that  were  heads  of  families,  were 
placed  around  outside  of  the  women  and  children.  Those  who  were  not  placed  in 
this  position,  were  ordered  to  take  their  stand  outside  still,  in  the  edge  of  the  brush. 
It  was  a  dark,  dismal  night,  and  all  expected  an  attack  from  the  Indians. 

That  night  my  father  was  placed  as  a  sentinel,  with  a  good  rifle,  in  the  edge  of 
the  brush.  Shortly  after  he  took  his  stand,  and  all  was  quiet  in  the  camp,  he 
thought  he  heard  something  moving  toward  him,  and  grunting  like  a  swine.  He 
knew  that  there  was  no  swine  with  the  moving  company,  but  it  was  so  dark  he 
could  not  see  what  it  was.  Presently  he  perceived  a  d;irk  object  in  the  distance, 
but  nearer  him  than  at  first,  and  believing  it  to  be  an  Indian,  aiming  to  spring  upon 
him  and  murder  him  in  the  dark,  he  leveled  his  rifle,  nnd  aimed  at  the  dark  lump 
as  well  as  he  could,  and  fired.  He  soon  found  he  had  hit  the  object,  for  it  flounced 
about  at  a  terrible  rate,  and  my  father  gathered  himself  up  and  ran  into  camp. 

When  his  gun  fired,  there  was  an  awful  screaming  throughout  the  encampment 
by  the  women  and  children.  My  father  was  soon  inquired  of  as  to  what  was  the 
matter.  He  told  them  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  but  some  said  he  was  scared 
and  wanted  an  excuse  to  come  in;  but  he  affirmed  that  there  was  no  mistake,  that 
there  was  something,  and  he  had  shot  it ;  and  if  they  would  get  a  light  and  go  with 
him,  if  ho  did  not  show  thorn  something,  then  they  might  call  him  a  coward1  for 
ever.  They  got  a  light  and  went  to  the  place,  and  there  found  an  Indian,  with  a 
rifle  in  one  hand  and  a  tomahawk  in  the  other,  dead.  My  father's  rifle-ball  had 
struck  the  Indian  nearly  central  in  the  head. 

When  we  came  within  seven  miles  of  the  Crab  Orchard,  where  there  was  a  fort 
and  the  first  white  settlement,  it  was  nearly  night.  We  halted,  and.  a  vote  was 
taken  whether  we  should  go  on  to  the  fort,  or  camp  there  for  the  night.  Indians 
had  been  seen  in  our  rear  through  the  day.  All  wanted  to  go  through  except  seven 
families,  who  refused  to  go  any  further  that  night.  The  main  body  went  on,  but 
they,  the  seven  families,  carelessly  stripped  off  their  clothes,  laid  down  without  any 
guards,  and  went  to  sleep.  Some  time  in  the  night,  about  twenty-five  Indians 
rushed  on  them,  and  every  one,  men,  women,  and  children,  was  slain,  except  one 
man,  who  sprang  from  his  bed  and  ran  into  the  fort,  barefooted  and  in  his  night 
clothes.  He  brought  the  melancholy  news  of  the  slaughter.  These  murderous 
bands  of  savages  lived  north  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  would  cross  over  into  Ken 
tucky,  kill  and  steal,  and  then  recross  the  Ohio  into  their  own  country. 

Kentucky  was  claimed  by  no  particular  tribe  of  Indians,  but  was  regarded  as  a 
ground  by  the  various  tribes,  east,  west,  north,  and  south.     It 


74  KENTUCKY. 

abounded  in  various  valuable  game,  such  as  buffalo,  elk,  bear,  deer,  turkeys,  and 
many  other  smaller  game,  and  hence  the  Indians  struggled  hard  to  keep  the  white 
people  from  taking  possession  of  it.  It  was  chiefly  settled  by  Virginians,  as  noble 
and  brave  a  race  of  men  and  women  as  ever  drew  the  breath  of  life. 

In  the  fall  of  1793,  my  father  determined  to  move  to  what  was  then  called  the 
Green  River  country,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state  of  Kentucky.  He  did  so, 
and  settled  in  Logan  county,  nine  miles  south  of  Russellville,  the  county  seat,  ajid 
within  one  mile  of  the  state  line  of  Tennessee. 

Logan  county,  when  rny  father  moved  to  it,  was  called  "Rogues'  Harbor."  Here 
many  refugees,  from  almost  all  parts  of  the  Union,  fled  to  escape  justice  or  punish 
ment;  for  although  there  was  law,  yet  it  could  not  be  executed,  and  it  was  a  des: 
perate  state  of  society.  Murderers,  horse  thieves,  highway  robbers,  and  counter 
feiters  fled  here  until  they  combined  and  actually  formed  a  majority.  The  honest 
and  civil  part  of  the  citizens  would  prosecute  these  wretched  banditti,  but  they 
would  swear  each  other  clear;  and  they  really  put  all  law  at  defiance,  and  carried 
on  such  desperate  violence  and  outrage  that  the  honest  part  of  the  citizens  seemed 
to  be  driven  to  the  necessity  of  uniting  and  combining  together,  and  taking  the 
law  into  their  own  hands,  under  the  name  of  Regulators.  This  was  a  very  des 
perate  state  of  things. 

Shortly  after  the  Regulators  had  formed  themselves  into  a  society,  and  estab 
lished  their  code  of  by-laws,  on  a  court  day  at  Russellville,  the  two  bands  met  in 
town.  Soon  a  quarrel  commenced,  and  a  general  battle  ensued  between  the  rogues 
and  Regulators,  and  they  fought  with  guns,  pistols,  dirks,  knives,  and  clubs.  Some 
were  actually  killed,  many  wounded,  the  rogues  proved  victors,  kept  the  ground, 
and  drove  the  Regulators  out  of  town.  The  Regulators  rallied  again,  hunted,  killed, 
and  lynched  many  of  the  rogues,  until  several  of  them  fled,  and  left  for  parts  un 
known.  Many  lives  were  lost  on  both  sides,  to  the  great  scandal  of  civilized  peo 
ple.  This  is  but  a  partial  view  of  frontier  life.* 

When  my  father  settled  in  Logan  county,  there  was  not  a  newspaper  printed 
south  of  Green  River,  no  mill  short  of  forty  miles,  and  no  schools  worth  the  name. 

*  The  most  notorious  of  the  desperadoes  who  infested  the  settlements  were  two  brother, 
named  Harpe,  of  whom  Judge  Hall,  iu  his  Western  Sketches,  has  given  this  narrative : 

In  the  fall  of  1801  or  1802,  a  company  consisting  of  two  men  and  three  women  arrived 
in  Lincoln  county,  Ky.,  and  encamped  about  a  mile  from  the  present  town  of  Stanford. 
The  appearance  of  the  individuals  composing  this  party  was  wild  and  rude  in  the  extreme. 
The  one  who  seemed  to  be  the  leader  of  the  band,  was  above  the  ordinary  stature  of  men. 
His  frame  was  bony  and  muscular,  his  breast  broad,  his  limbs  gigantic.  His  clothing  was 
uncouth  and  shabby,  his  exterior,  weatherbeaten  and  dirty,  indicating  continual  exposure 
to  the  elements,  and  designating  him  as  one  who  dwelt  far  from  the  habitations  of  men, 
and  mingled  not  in  the  courtesies  of  civilized  life.  His  countenance  was  bold  and  ferocious 
and  exceedingly  impulsive,  from  its  strongly  marked  expression  of  villainy.  His  face, 
which  wa.s  larger  than  ordinary,  exhibited  the  lines  of  ungovernable  passion,  'and  the  com 
plexion  announced  that  the  ordinary  feelings  of  the  human  breast  were  in  him  extinguished. 
Instead  of  the  healthy  hue  which  indicates  the  social  emotions,  there  was  a  livid  unnatu 
ral  redness,  resembling  that  of  a  dried  and  lifeless  skin.  His  eye  was  fearless  and  steady, 
but  it  was  also  artful  and  audacious,  glaring  upon  the  beholder  with  an  unpleasant  fixed 
ness  and  brilliancy,  like  that  of  a  ravenous  animal  gloating  on  its  prey.  He  wore  no  cov 
ering  on  his  head,  and  the  natural  protection  of  thick  coarse  hair,  of  a  fiery  redness,  un 
combed  and  matted,  gave  evidence  of  long  exposure  to  the  rudest  visitations  of  the  sun 
beam  and  the  tempest.  He  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  and  a  broad  leathern  belt,  drawn  closely 
around  his  waist,  supported  a  knife  and  a  tomahawk.  He  seemed,  in  short,  an  outlaw, 
destitute  of  all  the  nobler  sympathies  of  human  nature,  and  prepared  at  all  points  for  as 
sault  or  defense.  The  other  man  was  smaller  in  size  than  him  who  led  the  party,  but  sim 
ilarly  armed,  having  the  same  suspicious  exterior,  and  a  countenance  equally  fierce  and 
sinister.  The  females  were  coarse,  and  wretchedly  attired. 

The  men  stated  in  answer  to  the  inquiry  of  the  inhabitants,  that  their  names  were  Harpe, 
and  that  they  were  emigrants  from  North  Carolina.  They  remained  at  their  encampment 
the  greater  part  of  two  days  and  a  night,  spending  the  time  in  rioting,  drunkenness  and 
debauchery.  When  they  left,  they  took  the  road  leading  to  Green  River.  The  day  suc 
ceeding  their  departure,  a  report  reached  the  neighborhood  that  a  young  gentleman  of 
wealth  from  Virginia,  named  Lankford,  had  been  robbed  and  murdered  on  what  was 


KENTUCKY.  75 

Sunday  was  a  day  set  apart  for  hunting,  fishing,  horse  racing,  card  playing,  balls, 
dances,  and  all  kinds  of  jollity  and  mirth.  We  killed  our  meat  out  of  the  woods, 
wild;  and  beat  our  meal  and  hominy  with  a  pestle  and  mortar.  We  stretched  a 
deer  skin  over  a  hoop,  burned  holes  in  it  with  the  prongs  of  a  fork,  sifted  our  meal, 
baked  our  bread,  eat  it,  and  it  was  first-rate  eating  too.  We  raised,  or  gathered 
out  of  the  woods,  our  own  tea.  We  had  sage,  bohea,  cross-vine,  spice,  and  sassa 
fras  teas,  in  abundance.  As  for  coffee,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ever  srnelled  it  for  ten 
years.  We  made  our  sugar  out  of  the  water  of  the  maple-tree,  and  our  molasses 
too.  These  were  great  luxuries  in  those  days. 

We  raised  our  own  cotton  and  flax.  We  water-rotted  our  flax,  broke  it  by  hand, 
scutched  it;  picked  the  seed  out  of  the  cotton  with  our  fingers;  our  mothers  and 
sisters  carded,  spun,  and  wove  it  into  cloth,  and  they  cut  and  made  our  garments 
and  bed-clothes,  etc.  And  when  we  got  on  a  new  suit  thus  manufactured,  and 
sallied  out  into  company,  we  thought  ourselves  "so  biff  as  anybody." 

Time  rolled  on,  population  increased  fast  around  us,  the  country  improved,  horse- 
thieves  and  murderers  were  driven  away,  and  civilization  advanced  considerably. 
Ministers  of  different  denominations  came  in,  and  preached  through  the  country; 

then  called,  and  is  still  known  as  the  "Wilderness  Road,"  which  runs  through  the  Rock- 
castle  hills.  Suspicion  immediately  fixed  upon  the  Harpes  as  the  perpetrators,  and  Cap 
tain  Ballanger,  at  the  head  of  a  few  bold  and  resolute  men,  started  in  pursuit.  They  ex 
perienced  great  difficulty  in  following  their  trail,  owing  to  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  which  had 
obliterated  most  of  their  tracks,  but. finally  came  upon  them  while  encamped  in  a  bottom 
on  Green  River,  near  the  spot  where  the  town  of  Liberty  now  stands.  At  first  they  made 
a  show  of  resistance,  but  upon  being  informed  that  if  they  did  not  immediately  surrender, 
they  would  be  shot  down,  they  yielded  themselves  prisoners.  They  were  brought  back 
to  Stanford,  and  there  examined.  Among  their  effects  were  found  some  fine  linen  shirts, 
marked  with  the  initials  of  Lankford.  One  had  been  pierced  by  a  bullet  and  was  stained 
with  blood.  They  had^ilso  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  in  gold.  It  was  afterward  as 
certained  that  this  was  the  kind  of  money  Lankford  had  with  him.  The  evidence  against 
them  being  thus  conclusive,  they  were  confined  in  the  Stanford  jail,  but  were  afterward 
sent  for  trial  to  Danville,  where  the  district  court  was  in  session.  Here  they  broke  jail, 
and  succeeded  in  making  their  escape. 

'They  were  next  heard  of  in  Adair  county,  near  Columbia.  In  passing  through  that 
county,  they  met  a  small  boy,  the  son  of  Colonel  Trabue,  with  a  pillow-case  of  meal  or 
flour,  an  article  they  probably  needed.  This  boy,  it  is  supposed,  they  robbed  and  then 
murdered,  as  he  was  never  afterward  heard  of.  Many  years  afterward,  human  bones,  an 
swering  the  size  of  Colonel  Trabue's  son  at  the  time  of  his  disa'ppearance,  were  found  in 
a  sink  hole  near  the  place  where  he  was  said  to  have  been  murdered.  The  Harpes  still 
shaped  their  course  toward  the  mouth  of  Green  River,  marking  their  path  by  murders  and 
robberies  of  the  most  horrible  and  brutal  character.  The  district  of  country  through  which 
they  passed  was  at  that  time  very  thinly  settled,  and  from  this  reason  their  outrages  went 
unpunished.  They  seemed  inspired  with  the  deadliest  hatred  against  the  whole  human 
race,  and  such  was  their  implacable  misanthropy,  that  they  were  known  to  kill  where  there 
was  no  temptation  to  rob.  One  of  their  victims  was  a  little  girl,  found  at  some  distance 
from  her  home,  whose  tender  age  and  helplessness  would  have  been  protection  against  any 
but  incarnate  fiends.  The  last  dreadful  act  of  barbarity,  which  led  to  their  punishment 
and  expulsion  from  the  country,  exceeded  in  atrocity  all  the  others. 

Assuming  the  guise  of  Methodist  preachers,  they  obtained  lodgings  one  night  at  a  soli 
tary  house  on  the  road.  Mr.  Stagall,  the  master  of  the  house,  was  absent,  but  they  found 
his  wife  and  children,  and  a  stranger,  who,  like  themselves,  had  stopped  for  the  night. 
Hero  they  conversed  and  made  inquiries  about  the  two  noted  Harpes,  who  were  represented 
as  prowling  about  the  country.  When  they  retired  to  rest,  they  contrived  to  secure  an  ax, 
which  they  carried  with  them  to  their  chamber.  In  the  dead  of  night,  they  crept  softly 
down  stairs,  and  assassinated  the  whole  family,  together  with  the  stranger,  in  their  sleep, 
and  then  setting  fire  to  the  house,  made  their  escape.  When  Stagall  returned,  he  found 
no  wife  to  welcome  him;  no  home  to  receive  him.  Distracted  with  grief  and  rage,  he 
turned  his  horse's  head  from  the  smoldering  ruins,  and  repaired  to  the  house  of  Captain 
John  Leeper.  Leeper  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  men  of  his  day,  and  fearless  as  pow 
erful.  Collecting  four  or  five  other  men  well  armed,  they  mounted  and  started  in  pursuit 
of  vengeance.  It  was  agreed  that  Leeper  should  attack  "  Big  Harpe,"  leaving  "  Little 
Harpe"  to  be  disposed  of  by  Stagall.  The  others  were  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
to  assist  Leeper  and  Stagall,  as  circumstances  might  require. 

This  party  found  the  women  belonging  to  the  Harpes  attending  to  their  little  camp  b.v 


76  KENTUCKY. 

but  the  Methodist  preachers  were  the  pioneer  messengers  of  salvation  in  these  ends 
of  the  earth.  Even  in  Rogues'  Harbor  there  was  a  Baptist  church  a  few  miles  west 
of  my  father's,  and  a  Presbyterian  congregation  a  few  miles  north,  and  the  Meth 
odist  Ebenezer  a  few  miles  south. 

Somewhere  between  1800  and  1801.  in  the  upper  part  of  Kentuckv,  at  a  memor 
able  place  called  "Cane  Ridge,"  there  was  appointed  a  sacramental  meeting  by 
some  of  the  Presbyterian  ministers,  at  which  meeting,  seemingly  unexpected  by 
ministers  or  people,  the  mighty  power  of  God  was  displayed  in  a  very  extraordin 
ary  manner;  many  were  moved  to  tears,  and  bitter  and  loud  crying  for  mercy. 
The  meeting  was  protracted  for  weeks.  Ministers  of  almost  all  denominations 
flocked  in  from  far  and  near.  The  meeting  was  kept  up  by  night  and  day.  Thou 
sands  heard  of  the  mighty  work,  and  came  on  foot,  on  horseback,  in  carriages  and 
wagons.  It  was  supposed  that  there  were  in  attendance  at  times  during  the  meet 
ing  from  twelve  to  twenty-five  thousand  people.  Hundreds  fell  prostrate  under  the 
mighty  power  of  God,  as  men  slain  in  battle.  Stands  were  erected  in  the  woods, 
from  which  preachers  of  different  churches  proclaimed  repentance  toward  God 
and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  it  was  supposed,  by  eye  and  ear  witnesses, 
that  between  one  and  two  thousand  souls  were  happily  and  powerfully  converted 
to  God  during  the  meeting.  It  was  not  unusual  for  one,  two,  three,  and  four  to 
seven  preachers  to  be  addressing  the  listening  thousands  at  the  same  time  from  the 
different  stands  erected  for  the  purpose.  The  heavenly  fire  spread  in  almost  every 
direction.  It  was  said,  by  truthful  witnesses,  that  at  times  more  than  one  thousand 
persons  broke  out  into  loud  shouting  all  at  once,  and  that  the  shouts  could  be  heard 
for  miles  around. 

From  this  camp-meeting,  for  so  it  ought  to  be  called,  the  news  spread  through  all 
the  Churches,  and  through  all  the  land,  and  it  excited  great  wonder  and  surprise; 
but  it  kindled  a  religious  flame  that  spread  all  over  Kentucky,  and  through  many 
other  states.  And  I  may  here  be  permitted  to  say,  that  this  was  the  first  camp- 
meeting  ever  held  in  the  United  States,  and  here  our  camp-meetings  took  their 
rise. 

To  show  the  ignorance  the  early  Methodist  preachers  had  to  contend  with  in 
the  western  wilds,  1  will  relate  an  incident  that  occurred  to  Wilson  Lee,  in  Ken 
tucky  : 

There  was  in  the  congregation  a  very  wicked  Dutchman  and  his  wife,  both  of 

the  road  side;  the  men  having  gone  aside  into  the  woods  to  skoot  an  unfortunate  traveler, 
of  the  name  of  Smith,  who  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  and  whom  the  women  had  begged 
might  not  be  dispatched  before  their  eyes.  It  was  this  halt  that  enabled  the  pursuers  to 
overtake  them.  The  women  immediately  gave  the  alarm,  and  the  miscreants,  mounting 
their  horses,  which  were  large,  fleet  arid  powerful,  fled  in  separate  directions.  Leeper 
singled  out  the  Big  Harpe,  and  being  better  mounted  than  his  companions,  soon  left  them 
far  behind.  Little  Harpe  succeeded  in  escaping  from  Stagall,  and*he,  with  the  rest  of  his 
companions,  turned  and  followed  the  track  of  Leeper  and  Big  Harpe.  After  a  chase  of 
about  nine  miles,  Leeper  came  within  gun  shot  of  the  latter  and  fired.  The  ball  entering 
his  thigh,  passed  through  it  and  penetrated  his  horse,  and  both  fell.  Harpe's  gun  escaped 
from  his  hand  and  rolled  some  eight  or  ten  feet  clown  the  bank.  Reloading  his  rifle  Leo- 
per  ran  to  where  the  wounded  outlaw  lay  weltering  in  his  biood,  and  found  him  with  one 
thigh  broken  and  the  other  crushed  beneath  his  horse.  Leeper  rolled  the  horse  away,  and 
set  Harpe  in  an  easier  position.  The  robber  begged  that  he  might  not  be  killed.  Leeper 
told  him  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  him,  but  that  Stagall  was  coming  up,  and  could 
not  probably  be  restrained.  Harpe  appeared  very  much  frightened  at  hearing  this,  and  im 
plored  Leeper  to  protect  him.  In  a  few  moments  Stagall  appeared,  and  without  uttering  a 
word,  raised  his  rifle  and  shot  Harpe  through  the  head.  They  then  severed  the  head  from 
the  Dudy,  and  stuck  it  upon  a  pole  where  the  road  crosses  the  creek,  from  which  the  place 
was  then  named  and  is-  yet  called  Harpers  Head.  Thus  perished  one  of  the  boldest  and 
most  noted  freebooters  that  hag  ever  appeared  in  America.  Save  courage,  he  was  without 
one  redeeming  quality,  and  his  death  freed  the  country  from  a  terror  which  had  long  para 
lyzed  its  boldest  spirits. 

The  Little  Harpe  afterward  joined  the  band  of  Mason,  and  became  one  of  his  most  val 
uable  assistants  in  the  dreadful  trade  of  robbery  and  murder.  He  was  one  of  the  two 
bandits  that,  tempted  by  the  reward  for  their  leader's  head,  murdered  him,  and  eventually 
themselves  suffered  the  penalty  of  the  law  as  previously  related. 


KENTUCKY. 


77 


whom  were  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  Scriptures  and  the  plan  of  salvation.  TTis 
wife  was  a  notorious  scold,  and  so  much  was  she  given  to  this  practice,  that  she 
made  her  husband  unhappy,  and  kept  him  almost  always  in  a  perfect  fret,  so  that 
he  led  a  most  miserable  and  uncomfortable  life.  It  pleased  God  that  day  to  cause 
«h.<  preaching  of  Mr.  Lee  to  reach  their  guilty  souls,  and  break  up  the  great  deep 
of  their  hearts.  They  "wept  aloud,  seeing  their  lost  condition,  and  they,  then  and 
there,  resolved  to  do  better,  and  from  that  time  forward  to  take  up  th»  cross  arid 
bear  it,  be  it  what  it  might. 


A  Relit/ions  Encampment  in  the  Wilderness. 

The  congregation  were  generally  deeply  affected.  Mr.  Lee  exhorted  them  ancj 
prayed  for  them  as  long  as  he  consistently  could,  and,  having- another  appointment 
some  distance  off  that  evening,  he  dismissed  the  congregation,  got  a  little  refresh 
ment,  saddled  his  horse,  mounted,  and  started  for  his  evening  appointment.  After 
riding  some  distance,  he  sa\v,  a  little  ahead  of  him.  a  man  trudiring  along,  carry 
ing  a  woman  on  his  bnck.  This  greatly  surprised  Mr.  Lee.  He  very  naturally 
supposed  that  the  woman  was  a  cripple,  or  had  hurt  herself  in  some  way,  so  that 
she  could  not  walk.  The  traveler  was  a  small  man,  and  the  woman  large  and 
heavy. 

He  fore  he  overtook  them  Mr.  Lee  began  to  cast  about  in  his  mind  how  he  could 
render  them  assistance.  When  he  came  up  to  them,  lo  and  behold,  who  should  it 
Ito  but  the  Dutchman  and  his  wife  that  had  been  so  affected  under  his  sermon  at 
meeting.  Mr.  Lee  rode  up  and  spoke  to  them,  and  inquired  of  the  man  what  had 
happened,  or  what  was  the  matter,  that  he  was  carrying  his  wife. 

Trie  Dutchman  turned  to  Mr.  Lee  and  said,  "Besure  you  did  tell  us  in  your  sar- 
mon  dat  we  must  take  up  de  cross  and  follow  de  Saviour,  or  dat  we  could  not  be 
sa^ed  or  go  to  heaven,  and  I  does  desire  to  go  to  heaven  so  much  as  any  pody;  and 
dish  vife  is  so  pad,  she  scold  and  scold  all  de  time,  and  dish  woman  is  de  Greatest 
cross  /  have  in  de  whole  world,  and  I  does  take  her  up  and  pare  her,  for  I  must 
save  my  so?/Z." 

From  1801,  for  years,  a  blessed  revival  of  religion  spread  through  almost  the 
entire  inhabited  parts  of  the  west,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  the  Carolinas,  and  many 
other  parts,  especially  through  the  Cumberland  country,  which  was  so  called  from 
the  Cumberland  River,  which  headed  and  mouthed  in  Kentucky,  but  in  its  great 


78  KENTUCKY. 

bend  circled  south  through  Tennessee,  near  Nashville.  The  Presbyterians  and 
Methodists  in  a  great  measure  united  in  this  work,  met  together,  prayed  together-, 
and  preached  together. 

In  this  revival  originated  our  camp-meetings,  and  in  both  these  denominations 
they  were  held  every  year,  and,  indeed,  have  been  ever  since,  more  or  less.  They 
would  erect  their  camps  with  logs,  or  frame  them,  and  cover  them  with  clapboards 
or  shingles.  They  would  also  erect  a  shed,  sufficiently  large  to  protect  five  thou 
sand  people  from  wind  and  rain,  and  cover  it  with  boards  or  shingles ;  build  a 
large  stand,  seat  the  shed,  and  here  they  would  collect  together  fronTforty  to  fifty 
miles  around,  sometimes  further  than  that.  Ten,  twenty,  and  sometimes  thirty 
ministers,  of  different  denominations,  would  com5  together  and  preach  night  and 
day,  four  or  five  days  together;  and,  indeed,  I  have  known  these  camp  meetings  to 
last  three  or  four  weeks,  and  great  good  resulted  from  them.  I  have  seen  more 
than  a  hundred  sinners  fall  like  dead  men  under  one  powerful  sermon,  and  I  have 
seen  and  heard  more  than  five  hundred  Christians  all  shouting  aloud  the  high 
praises  of  God  at  once ;  and  I  will  venture  to  assert  that  many  happy  thousands 
were  awakened  and  converted  to  God  at  these  camp  meetings.  Some  sinners 
mocked,  some  of  the  old  dry  professors  opposed,  some  of  the  old  starched  Presby 
terian  preachers  preached  against  these  exercises,  but  still  the  work  went  on  and 
spread  almost  in  every  direction,  gathering  additional  force,  until  our  country 
seemed  all  coming  home  to  God. 

In  this  great  revival  the  Methodists  kept  moderately  balanced  ;  for  we  had  ex 
cellent  preachers  to  steer  the  ship  or  guide  the  flock.  But  some  of  our  members 
ran  wild,  and  indulged  in  some  extravagancies  that  were  hard  to  control.  The 
Presbyterian  preachers  and  members,  not  being  accustomed  to  much  noise  or 
shouting,  when  they  yielded  to  it  went  into  great  extremes  and  downright  wild- 
ness,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  cause  of  God. 

Col.  Daniel  Boone,  the  celebrated 
pioneer  of  Kentucky,  was1  born  of 
English  parentage,  in  Pennsylvania, 
in  1734.  When  a  small  boy,  his  pa 
rents  emigrated  to  the  banks  of  the 
Yadkin,  in  North  Carolina.  "At 

that  time  the  region  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge  was  an  unknown  wilderness  to  the 
white  people,  for  none  had  ventured  thither,  as  far  as  is  known,  until  about  the 
year  1750.  It  was  almost  twenty  years  later  than  this,  when  Boone  was  approach 
ing  the  prime  of  life,  that  he  first  penetrated  the  great  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  in 
company  with  others.  He  had  already,  as  a  bold  hunter,  been  within  the  eastern 
verge  of  the  present  Kentucky,  but  now  he  took  a  long  'hunt'  of  about  three  years. 
He  had  made  himself  familiar  with  the  wilderness,  and  in  1773,  in  company  with 
other  families,  he  started  with  his  own  to  make  a  settlement  on  the  Kain-tuck-ee 
River.  The  hostile  Indians  compelled  them  to  fall  back,  and  Boone  resided  on  the 
Clinch  River  until  1775,  when  he  went  forward  and  planted  the  settlement  of 
Boonesborough,  in  the  present  Madison  county,  Kentucky.  There  he  built  a  log 
fort,  and  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  years  several  other  settlers  joined  him.  His 
wife  and  daughters  were  the  first  white  women  ever  seen  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Kentucky  River.  He  became  a  groat  annoyance  to  the  Indians,  and  while  at  the 
Blue  Licks,  on  the  Licking  River,  in  February,  1778,  engaged  with  others  in 
making  salt,  he  was  captured  by  some  Shawnee  warriors  from  the  Ohio  country, 
and  taken  to  Chillicothe.  The  Indians  became  attached  to  him,  and  he  was  adopted 
into  a  family  as  a  son.  A  ransom  of  five  hundred  dollars  was  offered  for  him,  but 
the  Indians  refused  it.  He  at  length  escaped  (in  July  following  his  capture),  when 
he  ascertained  that  a  large  body  of  Indians  were  preparing  to  march  against  Boones 
borough.  They  attacked  that  station  three  times  before  the  middle  of  September, 
but  were  repulsed.  During  Boone's  captivity,  his  wife'  and  children  had  r6turned 
to  the  house  of  her  father,  on  the  Yadkin,  where  the  pioneer  visited  them  in  1779, 
and  remained  with  them  for  many  months.  He  returned  to  Kentucky  in  1780, 
with  his  family,  and  assisted  Colonel  Clark  in  his  operations  against  the  Indians  in 
the  Illinois  country." 


KENTUCKY. 


79 


At  the  close  of  the  war,  Boone  settled  down  quietly  upon  his  farm.  But  he  was 
not  long  permitted  to  remain  unmolested.  His  title,  owing  to  the  imperfect  nature 
of  the  land  laws  of  Kentucky,  was  legally  decided  to  be  defective,  and  Boone  was 
deprived  of  all  claim  to  the  soil  which  he  had  explored,  settled,  and  so  bravely  de 
fended.  In  1795,  disgusted  with  civilized  society,  he  sought  a  new  home  in  the 
wilds  of  the  far  west,  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  then  within  the  dominion  of 
Spain.  He  was  treated  there  with  kindness  and  attention  by  the  public  authorities, 
and  he  found  the  simple  manners  of  that  frontier  people  exactly  suited  to  his  pe 
culiar  habits  and  temper.  With  them  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  days,  and  was 
gathered  to  his  fathers,  Sept.  26th,  1820,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  bur 
ied  in  a  coffin  which  he  had  hacf  made  for  years,  and  placed  under  his  bed,  ready 
to  receive  him  whenever  he  should  be  called  from  these  earthly  scenes.  In  the 
summer  of  1845,  his  remains  were  removed  to  Frankfort.  In  person,  Boone  was 
five  feet  ten  inches  in  night,,  and  of  robust  and  powerful  proportions.  He  was  or 
dinarily  attired  as  a  hunter,  wearing  a  hunting  shirt  and  moccasins.  His  biogra 
pher,  who  saw  him  at  his  residence,  on  the  Missouri  River,  but  a  short  time  before 
his  death,  says  that  on  his  introduction  to  Col.  Boone,  the  impressions  were  those 
of  surprise,  admiration  and  delight.  In  boyhood,  he  had  read  of  Daniel  Boone,  the 
pioneer  of  Kentucky,  the  celebrated  hunter  and  Indian  fighter,  and  imagination 
had  portrayed  a  rough,  fierce-looking,  uncouth  specimen  of  humanity,  and  of 
course,  at  this  period  of  life,  a  fretful  and  unattractive  old  man.  But  in  every  re 
spect  the  reverse  appeared.  His  high,  bold  forehead  was  slightly  bald,  and  his  silver 
locks  were  combed  smooth ;  his  countenance  was  ruddy  and  fair,  and  exhibited  the 
simplicity  of  a  child.  His  voice  was  soft  and  melodious;  a  smile  frequently  played 
over  his  features  in  conversation;  his  clothing  was  the  coarse,  plain  manufacture 
of  the  family,  but  everything  about  him  denoted  that  kind  of  comfort  which  was  • 
congenial  to  his  habits  and  feelings,  and  evinced  a  happy  old  age.  His  room  was 
part  of  a  range  of  log  cabins,  kept  in  order  by  his  affectionate  daughter  and  grand 
daughter,  and  every  member  of  the  household  appeared  to  delight  in  administering 
to  the  comforts  of  "grandfather  Boone,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called. 

When  age  had  enfeebled  his  once  athletic  frame,  he  made  an  excursion,  twice  a 
year,  to  some  remote  hunting  ground,  employing  a  companion,  whom  he  bound'by 
a  written  contract  to  take  care  of  him,  and  should  he  die  in  the  wilderness  to  bring 
bis  body  to  the  cemetery  which  he  had  selected  as  a  final  resting-place. 

George  Rogers  Clark  was 
born  in  Albemarle  county,  Vir 
ginia,  in  1752.  He  pos'sessed 
a  most  extraordinary  military 
genius,  and  became  conspicu 
ously  prominent  in  the  con 
quest  and  settlement  of  the 
whole  west.  "He  first  appeared 
in  history  as  an  adventurer  be 
yond  the  Alleghanies,  in  1772. 
He  had  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  land-surveyor  for  some  time,  and  that  year 
he  went  down  the  Ohio  in  a  canoe  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha,  in 
company  with  Rev.  David  Jones,  then  on  his  way  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  west 
ern  tribes.  He  was  captain  of  a  company  in  Dunmore's  army,  which  marched 
against  the  Indians  on  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries,  in  1774.  Ever  since  his  trip 
in  1772,  he  ardently  desired  an  opportunity  to  explore  those  deep  wildernesses  in  the 
great  valleys,  and  in  1775  he  accompanied  some  armed  settlers  to  Kentucky,  as 
their  commander.  During  that  and  the  following  year,  he  traversed  a  great  ex 
tent  of  country  south  of  the  Ohio,  studied  the  character  of  the  Indians,  and  made 
himself  master  of  many  secrets  which  aided  in  his  fiuture  success.  He  beheld  a 
beautiful  country,  inviting^immigration,  but  the  pathway  to  it  was  made  dangerous 
y»y  the  enemies  of  the  colonists,  who  sallied  forth  from  the  British  posts  at  Detroit, 
Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes,  with  Indian  allies.  Convinced  of  the  necessity  of  pos 
sessing  these  posts,  Clark  submitted  the  plan  of  an  expedition  against  them  to  the 
Virginia  legislature,  and  early  in  the  spring  of  1778  he  was  at  the  falls  of  the  Ohio 
(now  Louisville)  with  four  companies  of  soldiers.  There  he  was  joined  by  Simon 


80  KENTUCKY. 

Kenton,  another  bold  pioneer.  .  He  marched  through/ the  wilderness  toward  those 
important  posts,  and  at  the  close  of  summer  all  but  Detroit  were  in  his  possession. 
Clark  was  now  promoted  to  colonel,  and  was  instructed  to  pacify  the  western 
tribes,  if  possible,  and  bring  them  into  friendly  relations  with  the  Americans. 
While  thus  engaged,  he  was  informed  of  the  re-capture  of  Vincemies.  With  his 
usual  energy,  and  followed  by  less  than  two  hundred  men,  he  traversed  the  drowned 
lands  of  Illinois,  through  deep  morasses  and  snow  floods,  in  February,  1779,  and  on 
the  19th  of  that  month  appeared  before  Vincennes.  To  the  astonished  garrison,  it 
seemed  as  if  these  rough  Kentuckians  had  dropped  from  the  clouds,  for  the  whole 
country  was  inundated.  The  fort  was  speedily  surrendered,  and  commander  Ham 
ilton  (governor  of  Detroit),  and  several  others,  wore  sent  to  Virginia  as  prisoners. 
Colonel  Clark  also  captured  a  quantity  of  goods,  under  convoy  from  Detroit,  valued 
at  $.30,000;  and  having  sufficiently  garrisoned  Vincennes  and  the  other  posts,  he 
proceeded  to  build  Fort  Jefferson,  on  the  Avestern  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  below  the 
Ohio.  When  Arnold  invaded  Virginia,  in  1781,  Colonel  Clark  joined  the  forces 
under  the  Baron  Steuben,  and  performed  signal  service  until  the  traitor  had  de 
parted.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  the  same  year,  and  went  beyond 
the  mountains  a^ain,  hoping  to  organize  an  expedition  against  Detroit.  His  scheme 
failed,  and  for  awhile  Clark  was  in  command  of  a  post  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio. 
In  the  autumn  of  1782,  he  penetrated  the  Indian  country  between  the  Ohio  and  the 
lakes,  with  a  thousand  men,  and  chastised  the  tribes  severely  for  their  marauding 
excursions  into  Kentucky,  and  awed  them  into  comparatively  peaceful  relations. 
For  these  deeds,  John  Randolph  afterward  called  Clark  the  'American  Hannibal, 
who,  by  the  reduction  of  those  military  posts  in  the  wilderness,  obtained  the  lakes 
for  the  northern  boundary  of  our  Union  at  the  peace  of  1783.'  Clark  made  Ken 
tucky  his  future  home,  and  during  Washington  s  administration,  when  Genet,  the 
French  minister,  attempted  to  organize  a  force  in  the  west  against  the  Spaniards, 
Clark  accepted  from  him  the  commission  of  maior-ceneral  in  the  armies  of  France. 
The  project  was  abandoned,  and  the  hero  of  the  north  west  never  appeared  in 
public  life  afterward."  General  Clark  was  never  married,  and  he  was  long  in  in 
firm  health.  He  died  in  February,  1S18,  and  was  buried  at  Locust  Grove,  near 
Louisville. 

'''Gen.  Charles  Scott  was  a  native  of  Cumberland  county,  Virginia.  He  raised 
the  first  company  of  volunteers  in  that  state,  south  of  the  James  River,  that  actually 
entered  into  the  continental  service.  So  much  was  he  appreciated  that  in  1777  the 
shire  town  of  Powhattan  county  was  named  in  honor  of  him.  Congress  appointed 
him  a  brigadier  in  the  continental  army  on  the  1st  of  April,  1777.  He  served  with 
distinction  during  the  war,  and  at  its  termination  he  went  to  Kentucky.  He  settled 
in  Woodford  county,  in  that  state,  in  1785.  He  was  with  St.  Clair  at  his  defeat  in 
1791,  and  in  1794*  he  commanded  a  portion  of  Wayne's  army  at  the  battle  of  the 
Fallen  Timber.  He  was  governor  of  Kentucky  from  1808  to  1812.  He  died  on 
the  22d  of  October,  1820,  aged  seventy-four  years." 

Scott  was  a  man  of  strong  natural  powers,  but  somewhat  illiterate  and  rough  in 
his  manners.  He  was  eccentric,  and  many  amusing  anecdotes  are  related  of  him. 
When  a  candidate  for  governor,  he  was  opposed  by  Col.  Allen,  a  native  of  Ken 
tucky,  who,  in  an  address  to  the  people  when  Scott  was  present,  made  an  eloquent  ap 
peal.  The  friends  of  the  latter,  knowing  he  was  no  orator,  felt  distressed  for  him, 
but  Scott,  nothing  daunted,  mounted  the  stump,  and  addressed  the  company  nearly 
as  follows : 

"Well,  boys,  I  am  sure  you  must  all  be  well  pleased  with  the  speech  you  have  just  heard. 
It  does  my  heart  good  to  think  we  have  so  smart  a  man  raised  up  among  us  here.  He  is  a 
native  Kentuckian.  I  see  a  good  many  of  you  here  that  I  brought  out  to  this  country  when 
a  wilderness.  At  that  time  we  hardly  expected  we  should  live  to  see  such  a  smart  man 
raised  up  among  ourselves.  You  who  were  with  me  in  those  early  times  know  we  had  no 
time  for  education,  no  means  ofr  improving  from  books.  We  dared  not  then  go  about  our 
most  common  affairs  Avithout  arms  in  our  hands,  to  defend  ourselves  against  the  Indians. 
But  we  guarded  and  protected  the  country,  and  now  every  one  can  go  where  he  pleases,  and 
you  now  see  what  smart  fellows  are  growing  up  to  do  their  country  honor.  J>ut  I  think  it 
would  be  a  pity  to  make  this  man  governor;  I  think  it  would  be  better  to  send  him  to  Con 
gress.  I  don't  think  it  requires  a  very  smart  man  to  make  a  governor,  if  he  has  sense 
enough  to  gather  smart  men  about  who  can  help  him  on  with  the  business  of  state.  It 


KENTUCKY.  81 

would  suit  a  worn-out  old  wife  of  a  man  like  myself.  But  as  to  this  young  man,  I  am  very 
proud  of  him,  as  much  so  as  any  of  his  kin,  if  any  of  them  have  been  her*  to-day  listening 
to  his  speech."  Scott  then  descended  from  the  stump,  and  the  huzzas  for  the  old  soldier 
made  the  welkin  ring. 

Gen.  Benjamin  Logan,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  pioneers,  was  born  in  Vir 
ginia,  of  Irish  parentage,  about  the  year  1742.  He  was  a  sergeant  in  Boquet's  ex 
pedition,  and  was  in  Dunmore's  campaign.  In  1775,  he  came  to  Kentucky  with 
feoone,  Henderson,  and  others.  The  next  year  he  brought  out  his  family,  and 
established  a  fort,  called  "Logan's  Fort,"  which  stood  at  St.  Asaph's,  about  a  mile 
west  of  the  present  town  of  Stanford,  in  Lincoln  county.  That  period  is  memora 
ble  in  the  history  of  Kentucky,  as  one  of  peculiar  peril.  The  woods  literally 
swarmed  with  Indians.  Having  been  reinforced  by  several  white  men,  Logan  de 
termined  to  maintain  himself  at  all  hazards. 

"  On  the  20th  of  May,  1777,  this  fort  was  invested  by  a  force  of  a  hundred  Indians;  and 
on  the  morning  of  that  day,  as  some  of  the  females  belonging  to  it  were  engaged,  outside 
of  the  gate,  in  milking  the  cows,  the  men  who  acted  as  the  guard  for  the  occasion,  were 
fired  upon  by  a  party  of  the  Indians,  who  had  concealed  themselves  in  a  thick  canebrake. 
One  man  was  shot  dead,  another  mortally  wounded,  and  a  third  so  badly,  as  to  be  disabled 
from  making  his  escape;  the  remainder  made  good  their  retreat  into  the  fort,  and  closed 
the  gate.  Harrison,  one  of  the  wounded  men,  by  a  violent  exertion,  ran  a  few  paces  and 
fell.  His  struggles  and  exclamations  attracted  the  notice,  and  awakened  the  sympathies, 
of  the  inmates  of  the  station.  The  frantic  grief  of  his  wife  gave  additional  interest  to 
the  scene.  The  enemy  forbore  to  fire  upon  him,  doubtless  from  the  supposition  that  some 
of  the  garrison  would  attempt  to  save  him,  in  which  event  they  were  prepared  to  fire  upon 
them  from  the  canebrake.  The  case  was  a  trying  one;  and  there  was  a  strong  conflict  be 
tween  sympathy  and  duty,  on  the  part  ot  the  garrison.  The  number  of  effective  men  had 
been  reduced  from  fifteen  to  twelve,  and  it  was  exceedingly  hazardous  to  put  the  lives  of 
any  of  this  small  number  in  jeopardy;  yet  the  lamentations  of  his  family  were  so  distress 
ing,  and  the  scene  altogether  so  moving,  as  to  call  forth  a  resolute  determination  to  save 
him  if  possible.  Logan,  always  alive  to  the  impulses  of  humanity,  and  insensible  to  fear, 
volunteered  his  services,  and  appealed  to  some  of  his  men  to  accompany  him.  But  so  ap 
palling  was  the  danger,  that  all,  at  first,  refused.  At  length,  John  Martin  consented,  and 
rushed,  with  Logan,  from  the  fort;  but  he  had  not  gone  far,  before  he  shrunk  from  the 
imminence  of  the  danger,  and  sprung  back  within  the  gate.  Logan  paused  fora  moment, 
then  dashed  on,  alone  and  undaunted — reached,  unhurt,  the  spot  where  Harrison  lay — 
threw  him  on  his  shoulders,  and,  amidst  a  tremendous  shower  ojf  rifle  balls,  made  a  safe 
and  triumphant  retreat  into  the  fort. 

The  fort  was  now  vigorously  assailed  by  the  Indian  force,  and  as  vigorously  defended 
by  the  garrison.  The  men  were  constantly  at  their  posts,  whilst  the  women  were  actively 
engaged  in  molding  bullets.  But  the  weakness  of  the  garrison  was  not  their  only  griev 
ance.  The  scarcity  of  powder  and  ball,  one  of  the  greatest  inconveniences  to  which  the 
settlers  were  not  unfrequently  exposed,  began  now  to  be  seriously  felt.  There  were  no  in- 
dications-that  the  siege  would  be  speedily  abandoned;  and  a  protracted  resistance  seemed 
impracticable,  without  an  additional  supply  of  the  munitions  of  war.  The  settlements  on 
Holston  could  furnish  a  supply — but  how  was  it  to  be  obtained?  And,  even  it'  men  could 
be  found  rash  and  desperate  enough  to  undertake  the  journey,  how  improbable  was  it  that 
the  trip  could  be  accomplished  in  time  for  the  relief  to  be  available.  Logan  stepped  for 
ward,  in  this  extremity,  determined  to  take  the  dangerous  office  upon  himself.  Encour 
aging  his  men  with  the  prospect  of  a  safe  and  speedy  return,  he  left  the  tort  under  cover 
of  the  night,  and,  attended  by  two  faithful  companions  of  his  own  selection,  crept  cau 
tiously  through  the  Indian  lines  without  discovery.  Shunning  the  ordinary  route  through 
Cumberland  Gap,  he  moved,  with  incredible  rapidity,  over  mountain  and  valley — arrived 
at  the  settlement  on  the  Holston — procured  the  necessary  supply  of  powder  and  lead — im 
mediately  retraced  his  steps,  and  was  again  in  the  fort  in  ten  days  from  the  time  of  his 
departure.  He  returned  alone.  The  necessary  delay  in  the  transportation  of  the  stores, 
induced  him  to  intrust  them  to  the  charge  of  his  companions;  and  his  presence  at  St. 
Asaph's  was  all-important  to  the  safety  of  its  inhabitants.  His  return  inspired  them  with 
fresh  courage;  and,  in  a  few  days,  the  appearance  of  Col.  Bowman's  party  compelled  the 
Indians  to  retire." 

In  the  year  1779,  Logan  was  first  in  command  under  Bowman,  in  his  expedition 
against  the  Indian  town  of  Chillicothe.  It  failed  through  the  imbecility  of  the  com 
mander;  but  Logan  gained  great  credit  for  his  bravery  and  generalship  on  the  occa 
sion.  In  the  summer  of  1788,  he  conducted  a  successful  expedition  against  the 
Indians  in  the  Miami  country.  From  this  period  until  his  death,  Cren.  Logan  de- 

6 


82 


KENTUCKY. 


voted  himself  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
of  1792,  which  framed  the  first  constitution  of  Kentucky.  He  died  full  of  years 
and  of  honors. 

Gov,  Isaac  Shelby,  the  first  governor  of  Kentucky,  and  the  "hero  of  two  wars." 

was  of  Welsh 
descent,  and 
was  born  near 
Ha  gar  » town, 


age  of  21  years 
he  emigrated 
t  o  Virginia, 

and  engaged  as  a  surveyor  there,  and  in  1775,  in  Kentucky.  Early  in  the  Revo 
lution  he  was,  for  a  time,  in  the  commissary  department;  but  later,  in  1780,  he  was 
commissioned  as  a  colonel  by  Virginia,  and  raised  300  riflemen.  He  gained  great 
distinction  in  several  actions,  especially  in  the  important  battle  of  King's  Moun 
tain,  the  turning  point  of  the  Revolution  in  the  south.  He  was  the  most  promi 
nent  officer  in  this  celebrated  victory,  and  originated  the  expedition  which  led  to 
it.  After  this  he  served  under  Gen.  Marion. 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina,  but 
soon  after  returned  to  Kentucky,  and  settled  down  upon  a  farm  for  life.  "  He  was 
elected  the  first  governor  of  the  new  state,  and  after  an  interval  of  comparative 
repose,  he  was  again  the  incumbent  of  that  important  office  in  1812.  Another  war 
with  Great  Britain  was  then  impending.  The  fire  of  1776  still  warmed  his  bosom, 
and  he  called  his  countrymen  to  arms,  ^hen  the  proclamation  of  Avar  went  forth. 
J  Lenry  Clay  presented  him  with  a  sword,  voted  by  the  legislature  of  North  Caro 
lina  for  his  gallantry  at  King's  Mountain,  thirty-two  years  before,  and  with  that 
weapon  he  marched  at  the  head  of  four  thousand  Kentucky  volunteers,  toward  the 
Canada  frontier,  in  1813,  though  the  snows  of  three  score  and  three  winters  were 
upon  his  head.  He  fought  gallantly  upo  i  the  Thames,  in  Canada;  and  for  his 
valor  there,  congress  honored  him  with  a  gold  medal.  President  Monroe  appointed 
him  secretary  of  war  in  1817,  but  he  declined  the  honor,  for  he  coveted  the  repose 
which  old  age  demands.  His  last  public  act  was  the  holding  of  a  treaty  with  the 
Chickasaw  Indians,  in  1818,  with  General  Jackson  for  his  colleague.  His  sands 
of  life  were  now  nearly  exhausted.  In  February,  1820,  he  was  prostrated  by  par 
alysis,  yet  he  lived,  somewhat  disabled,  until  the  18th  of  July,  1826,  when  apo 
plexy  terminated  his  life.  He  was  then  almost  seventy-six  years  of  age,  and  died 
as  he  had  lived,  with  the  hope  of  a  Christian." 

Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  was  born  »at  Bry- 
afc's  Station,  five  miles  north-east  of  Lexington,  in  Oct.,  1781.  The  outline  of  the 
history  of  this  one  of  the  most  distinguished  natives  of  Kentucky,  is  given  in  the 
monumental  inscription,  copied  on  page  908  of  this  work. 

"  Henry     Clay    was 
born  in  Hanover  county, 

4^  -  S*  ,  ~  Virginia,  April  12, 1777. 
Having  received  a  com 
mon  school  education, 
he  became  at  an  early 


2? 
/ 


court  of  chancery,  afc 
Richmond.  At  nine- 
teen  he  commenced  the 
study  of  law,  and  short 

ly  afterward  removed  to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1799,  and  soon  obtained  extensive  practice.  He  began  his  political  career,  by 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  election  of  delegates  to  frame  a  new  constitution  for 
the  state  of  Kentucky.  In  1803,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  by  the  citizens 


KENTUCKY.  83 

of  Fayetto  county;  and  in  1806,  he  was  appointed  to  the  United  States  senate  for 
the  remainder  of  the  term  of  General  Adair,  who  had  resigned.  In  1807,  he  was 
again  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assembly  of  Kentucky,  and  was  chosen 
speaker.  In  the  following  year  occurred  his  duel  with  Humphrey  Marshall.  In 
1809,  he  was  again  elected  to  the  United  States  senate  for  the  unexpired  term  of 
Mr.  Thurston,  resigned.  In  1811,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  house  of  repre 
sentatives,  and  was  chosen  speaker  on  the  first  day  of  his  appearance  in  that  body, 
and  was  five  times  re-elected  to  this  office.  During  this  session,  his  eloquence 
aroused  the  country  to  resist  the  aggressions  of  Great  Britain,  and  awakened  a  na 
tional  spirit.  In  1814,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  negotiate  a 
treaty  of  peace  at  Ghent.  Returning  from  this  mission,  he  was  re-elected  to  con 
gress,  and  in  1818,  he  spoke  in  favor  of  recognizing  the  independence  of  the  South 
American  Republics.  In  the  same  year,  he  put  forth  his  strength  in  behalf  of  a 
national  system  of  internal  improvements.  A  monument  of  stone,  inscribed  with 
his  name, "was  erected  on  the  Cumberland  road,  to  commemorate  his  services  in 
behalf  of  that  improvement. 

In  the  session  of  1819-20,  he  exerted  himself  for  the  establishment  of  protec 
tion  to  American  industry,  and  this  was  followed  by  services  in  adjusting  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise.  After  the  settlement  of  these  questions,  he  withdrew  from 
congress,  in  order  to  attend  to  his  private  affairs.  In  1823  he  returned  to  congress 
and  was  re-elected  speaker;  and  at  this  session  he  exerted  himself  in  support  of 
the  independence  of  Greece.  Under  John  Quincy  Adams,  he  filled  the  office  of 
secretary  of  state;  the  attack  upon  Mr.  Adams'  administration,  and  especially  upon 
the  secretary  of  state,  by  John  Randolph,  led  to  a  hostile  meeting  between  him  and 
Mr.  Clay,  which  terminated  without  bloodshed.  In  1829  he  returned  to  Kentucky ; 
and  in  1831  was  elected  to  the  United  States  senate,  where  he  commenced  his  la 
bors  in  favor  of  the  Tariff;  in  the  same  month  of  his  reappearance  in  the  senate, 
lie  was  unanimously  nominated  for  president  of  the  United  States.  In  1836,  he 
was  re-elected  to  the  senate,  where  he  remained  until  1842,  when  he  resigned,  and 
took  his.  final  leave,  as  he  supposed,  of  that  body.  In  1839,  he  was  again  nomi 
nated  for  the  presidency,  but  General  Harrison  was  selected  as  the  candidate.  Ho 
also  received  the  nomination  in  1844,  for  president,  and  was  defeated  in  this  elec 
tion  by  Mr.  Polk. 

lie  remained  in  retirement  in  Kentucky  until  1849,  when  he  was  re-elected  to 
the  senate  of  the  United  States.  Here  he  devoted  all  his  energies  to  the  measures 
known  as  the  Compromise  Acts.  His  efforts  during  this  session  weakened  his 
strength,  and  he  went  for  his  health  to  Havana  and  New  Orleans,  but  with  no  per 
manent  advantage;  he  returned  to  Washington,  but  was  unable  to  participate  in 
the  active  duties  of  the  senate,  and  resigned  his  seat,  to  take  effect  upon  the  6th 
of  September,  1852.  He  died  in  Washington  City,  June  29,  1852.  He  was  inter 
ested  in  the  success  of  the  Colonization  Society,  and  was  for  a  Jong  time  one  of 
its  most  efficient  officers,  and  also  its  president." 

Gen,  Zachary  Taylor  was  a  Virginian  born,  and  a  Kentuckian  bred.  In  1785, 
while  he  was  an  infant  a  year  old,  his  parents  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Louis 
ville.  At  the  age  of  24  years,  he  entered  the  army  as  lieutenant  of  infantry,  and 
continued  in  the  service  of  his  country  until  his  death,  while  holding  the  position 
of  President  of  the  United  States,  July  9,  1850,  at  the  age  of  65  years.  His  bio 
graphy  is  written  in  honorable  lines  in  the  history  of  his  country,  and  his  memory 
is  warmly  cherished  in  the  hearts  of  her  people. 


OHIO. 


THE  territory  now  comprised  within  the  limits  of  Ohio  was,  originally, 
part  of  that  vast  region  formerly  claimed  by  France,  between  the  Alleghany 

and  Rocky  Mountains,  known  by  the 
general  name  of  Louisiana.  It  re 
ceived  its  name  from  the  river  that 
forms  its  southern  boundary.  The 
word  Ohio,  in  the  Wyandot,  signifies, 
11  fair"  or  tl  beautiful  river"  which 
was  the  name  given  to  it  by  the 
French,  the  first  Europeans  who  ex 
plored  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  disastrous  expedition,  under 
La  Salle,  who  was  murdered  by  his 
own  men,  did  not  abate  the  ardor  of 
the  French  in  their  great  plan  of  ob 
taining  possession  of  the  vast  region 
westward  of  the  English  colonies. 
Iberville,  a  French  officer,  having  in 
charge  an  expedition,  sailed  from 
France  to  the  Mississippi.  He  en 
tered  the  mouth  of  this  river,  and  proceeded  upward  for  several  hundred 
miles.  Permanent  establishments  were  made  at  different  points,  and  from 
this  time,  the  French  colonies  west  of  the  Allcghanies  increased  in  numbers 
and  strength.  Previous  to  the  year  1725,  the  colony  had  been  divided  into 
quarters,  each  having  its  local  governor,  but  all  subject  to  the  superior  coun 
cil  general  of  Louisiana.  One  of  these  quarters  was  established  north-west 
of  the  Ohio. 

Before  the  year  1750,  a  French  post  had  been  fortified  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Wabash,  and  a  communication  opened  with  Canada,  through  that  river 
and  the  Maumee.  About  the  same  time,  and  for  the  purpose  of  checking 
the  French,  the  "Ohio  Company"  was  formed,  and  made  some  attempts  to 
establish  trading  houses  among  the  Indians. 

The  claims  of  the  different  European  monarchs  to  large  portions  of  Amer 
ica,  were  founded  on  the  first  discoveries  of  their  subjects.  In  1609,  the 
English  monarch  granted  to  the  London  Company,  a  tract  of  land  two  hun 
dred  miles  along  the  coast,  "up  into  the  land  throughout  from  sea  to  sea,  west 
and  north-west."  In  1662,  Charles  II  granted  to  certain  settlers  on  the  Con- 

85 


ARMS  OF  OHIO. 


86  OHIO. 

• 

necticut,   a  tract  which  extended  its  present  limits  north  and  south,   due 
west  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

In  1749,  the  year  after  the  formation  of  the  Ohio  Company,  it  appears  that 
the  English  built  a  trading  house  upon  the  Great  Miami.  In  1752,  this  was 
destroyed,  after  a  severe  battle,  and  the  traders  were  carried  away  to  Canada. 
This  was  the  first  British  settlement  in  this  section  of  which  we  have  any 
record.  The  Moravian  missionaries,  prior  to  the  American  Revolution,  had 
a  number  of  stations  within  the  limits  of  Ohio.  As  early  as  1762,  the  mis 
sionaries,  Heckewelder  and  Post,  were  on  the  Muskingum.  Mary  Heclte- 
welder,  the  daughter  of  the  missionary,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  white 
child  born  in  Ohio. 

After  Braddock's  defeat,  in  1755,  the  Indians  pushed  their  excursions  as 
far  as  the  Blue  Ridge.  In  1764,  Gen.  Bradstreet,  having  dispersed  the  In 
dian  forces  besieging  Detroit,  passed  into  the  Wyandot  country  by  way  of 
Sandusky  Bay.  A  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  by  the  chiefs  and  head  men. 
The  Shawnees,  of  the  Scioto  River,  and  the  Delawares,  of  the  Muskingum, 
however,  still  continued  hostile.  Col.  Boquet,  in  1764,  with  a  body  of  troops, 
marched  from  Fort  Pitt  into  the  heart  of  the  Ohio  country,  on  the  Mus 
kingum  River.  This  expedition  was  conducted  with  great  prudence  and 
skill,  and  with  scarcely  any  loss  of  life.  A  treaty  of  peace  was  effected  with 
the  Indians,  who  restored  the  prisoners  they  had  captured  from  the  white 
settlements.  The  next  war  with  the  Indians  was  Lord  Dunmore's,  in  1774. 
In  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  Indians  were  defeated  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the 
Virginia  side  of  the  Ohio.  Shortly  after,  peace  was  made  with  the  Indians 
at  Camp  Charlotte,  a  few  miles  north  of  the  site  of  the  city  of  Chillicothe. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war,  most  of  the  western  Indians  were  more  or 
less  united  against  the  Americans.  In  the  summer  of  1780,  Gen.  Clark  led 
a  body  of  Kentuckians  against  the  Shawnees.  Old  Chillicothe,  on  the  Lit 
tle  Miami,  was  burnt  on  their  approach,  but  at  Piqua,  on  Mad  River,  six 
miles  below  the  site  of  Springfield,  they  gave  battle  to  the  whites  and  were 
defeated.  Their  towns,  Upper  and  Lower  Piqua,  were  destroyed.  In  March, 
1782,  a  party  of  Americans,  in  cold  blood,  murdered  94  of  the  defenseless  Mo 
ravian  Indians,  within  the  limits  of  Tuscarawas  county.  In  June  following 
Col.  Crawford,  at  the  head  of  about  500  men,  was  defeated  by  the  Indians, 
three  miles  north  of  the  site  of  Upper  Sandusky,  in  Wyandot  county.  Col. 
Crawford  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  retreat,  and  burnt  at  the  stake  with  hor 
rible  tortures. 

'  After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  states  which  owned  western 
unappropriated  lands,  with  a  single  exception,  ceded  their  lands  to  the  TJnited 
States.  Virginia,  in  1784.  ceded  all  her  claim  to  lands  north-west  of  the 
Ohio.  In  1786,  Connecticut  also  ceded  her  claim  of  soil  and  jurisdiction  to 
all  the  territory  within  her  chartered  limits  west  of  Pennsylvania.  She  also, 
in  May,  1801,  ceded  her  jurisdictional  claims  to  all  that  territory  called  tht- 
''Western  Reserve  of  Connecticut."  New  York  and  Massachusetts  also 
ceded  all  their  claims.  Numerous  tribes  of  Indians,  by  virtue  of  their  prior 
possession,  asserted  their  respective  claims,  which,  also,  had  to  be  extin 
guished,  for  which  purpose  treaties  with  the  several  tribes  were  made  at  viui- 
oud  times. 

The  Indian  title  to  a  large  part  of  the  territory  within  the  limits  of  Ohio 
having  become  extinguished,  legislative  action  on  the  part  of  congress  be 
came  necessary  before  commencing  settlements.  In  1785,  they  passed  an 
ordinance  for  determining  the  mode  of  disposing  of  these  lands.  Under  that 


OHIO.  87 

ordinance,  the  first  seven  ranges,  bounded  on  the  east  by  Pennsylvania  and 
on  the  south  by  the  Ohio,  were  surveyed.  Sales  of  parts  of  these  were  made 
in  New  York  in  1787,  and  sales  of  other  parts  of  the  same  range  were  made 
at  Pittsburgh  and  Philadelphia.  No  further  sales  were  made  in  that  dis 
trict  until  the  land  office  was  opened  in  Steubenville,  July  1,  1801. 

In  October,  1787,  the  U.  S.  board  of  treasury  sold  to  Manassah  Cutler  and 
Winthrop  Sargeant,  the  agents  of  the  New  England  Ohio  Company,  a  tract 
of  land,  bounded  by  the  Ohio,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  to  the  intersec 
tion  of  the  western  boundary  of  the  seventh  range  of  townships  then  sur 
veying:  thence  by  said  boundary,  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  tenth 
township  from  the  Ohio,  etc.  These  bounds  were  altered  in  1792.  The  set 
tlement  of  this  purchase  commenced  at  Marietta,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mus- 
kingum,  in  the  spring  of  1788,  and  was  the  first  settlement  formed  in  Ohio. 

The  same  year  in  which  Marietta  was  first  settled,  congress  appointed  Gen. 
Arthur  St.  Glair  governor.  The  territorial  government  was  organized,  laws 
were  made  or  adopted  by  the  governor  and  Judges  Parsons  and  Varnum. 
The  county  of  Washington,  embracing  about  half  the  territory  within  the 
present  limits  of  Ohio,  was  established  by  the  proclamation  of  the  governor. 
A.  short  time  after  the  settlement  had  commenced,  an  association  was  formed 
under  the  name  of  the  "  Scioto  Land  Company."  A  contract  was  made  for 
the  purchase  of  part  of  the  lands  of  the  Ohio  Company.  Plans  and  descrip 
tions  of  these  lands  being  sent  to  France,  they  were  sold  to  companies  and 
individuals.  On  Feb.  19,  1791,  two  hundred  and  eighteen  of  these  pur 
chasers  left  France,  and  arrived  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  from  whence  they  went 
to  Marietta,  where  about  fifty  of  them  landed:  the  remainder  of  them  pro 
ceeded  to  Gallipolis,  which  was  laid  out  about  that  time.  Their  titles  to  the 
lands  proving  defective,  congress,  in  1798,  granted  them  a  tract  on  the  Ohio, 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto  River,  called  the  '•'•French  Grant.1' 

In  January,  1789,  a  treaty  was  made  at  Fort  Harrnar,  between  Gov.  St. 
Clair  and  the  Wyandots,  Chippewas,  Pottawatomies,  and  Sacs,  in  which  for 
mer  treaties  were  renewed.  It  did  not,  however,  produce  the  favorable  re 
sults  anticipated.  The  Indians,  the  same  year,  assumed  a  hostile  appear 
ance,  hovered  around  the  infant  settlements  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum, 
and  between  the  Miamis.  Nine  persons  were  killed,  the  new  settlers  became 
alarmed,  and  block  houses  were  erected. 

Negotiations  with  the  Indians  proving  unavailing.  Gen.  Harmar  was  di 
rected  to  attack  their  towns.  He  marched  from  Cincinnati,  in  Sept.,  1790, 
with  1,300  men,  and  went  into  the  Indian  country  near  the  site  of  Fort 
Wayne,  in  north-western.  Indiana,  and,  after  some  loss,  succeeded  in  burning 
towns,  and  destroying  standing  corn,  but  the  object  of  the  expedition  in 
intimidating  the  Indians  was  entirely  unsuccessful.  As  the  Indians  continued 
hostile,  a  new  army  was  assembled  at  Cincinnati,  consisting  of  about  3,000 
men,  under  the  command  of  Gov.  St.  Clair,  who  commenced  his  march  toward 
the  Indian  towns  on  the  Maurnee.  On  the  4th  of  Nov.,  1791,  when  near  the 
present  northern  line  of  Darkc  county,  the  American  army  was  surprised 
about  half  an  hour  before  sunrise,  as  there  id  good  reason  to  believe,  by  the 
whole  disposable  force  of  the  north-west  tribes.  The  Americans  were 
totally  defeated  :  upward  of  six  hundred  were  killed,  among  whom  was  Gen. 
Butler. 

In  the  spring  of  1794,  an  American  army  assembled  at  Greenville,  in 
Darke  county,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  consisting  of 
about  2,000  regular  troops,  and  1,500  mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky. 


88 

The  Indians  had  collected  their  whole  force,  amounting  to  about  2.000  war 
riors,  near  a  British  fort  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  of  Maumee.  On  the  20th 
of  Aug.,  1794,  Gen.  Wayne  encountered  the  enemy  in  a  short  and  deadly 
conflict,  when  the  Indians  fled  in  the  greatest  confusion.  After  destroying 
all  the  houses  and  cornfields  in  the  vicinity,  the  victorious  army  returned  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Auglaize,  where  "Wayne  erected  Fort  Defiance.  The  In 
dians,  being  convinced  of  their  inability  to  resist  the  American  arms,  sued 
for  peace.  A  grand  council  of  eleven  of  the  most  powerful  tribes  assembled 
at  Greenville,  when  they  agreed  to  acknowledge  the  United  States  their  sole 
protector,  and  never  to  sell  their  lands  to  any  other  power. 

At  this  period  there  was  no  fixed  seat  of  government.  The  laws  were 
passed  whenever  they  seemed  to  be  needed,  at  any  place  where  the  territorial 
legislators  happened  to  assemble.  The  population  of  the  territory  continued 
to  increase  and  extend.  From  Marietta,  settlers  spread  into  the  adjoining 
country.  The  Virginia  military  reservation  drew  a  considerable  number  of 
Revolutionary  veterans  and  others  from  that  state.  The  region  between  the 
Miamis,  from  the  Ohio  far  upward  toward  the  sources  of  Mad  River,  became 
chequered  with  farms.  The  neighborhood  of  Detroit  became  populous,  and 
Connecticut,  by  grants  of  land  within  the  tract  reserved  in  her  deed  of  ces 
sion,  induced  many  of  her  citizens  to  seek  a  home  on  the  borders  of  Lake 
Erie. 

The  territorial  legislature  first  met  in  1799.  An  act  was  passed  confirming 
the  laws  enacted  by  the  judges  and  governor,  the  validity  of  which  had  been 
doubted.  This  act,  as  well  as  every  other  which  originated  in  the  council, 
was  prepared  and  brought  forward  by  Jacob  Burnet,  afterward  a  distinguished 
judge  and  senator,  to  whose  labors,  at  this  session,  the  territory  was  indebted 
for  some  of  its  most  beneficial  laws.  William  H.  Harrison,  then  secretary  of 
the  territory,  was  elected  delegate  to  congress.  In  1802,  congress  having  ap 
proved  the  measure,  a  convention  assembled  in  Chillicothe  and  formed  a  state 
constitution,  which  became  the  fundamental  law  of  the  state  by  the  act  of  the 
convention  alone,  and  by  this  act  Ohio  became  one  of  the  states  of  the  federal 
union. 

The  first  general  assembly  under  the  state  constitution  met  at  Chillicothe, 
March  1,  1803.  Eight  new  counties  were  made  at  this  session,  viz:  Gallia, 
Scioto,  Franklin,  Columbiana,  Butler,  Warren,  Greene  and  Montgomery. 
In  1805,  the  United  States,  by  a  treaty  with  the  Indians,  acquired  for  thn 
use  of  the  grantees  of  Connecticut  all  that  part  of  the  Western  Reserve  which 
lies  west  of  the  Cuyahoga.  By  subsequent  treaties,  all  the  country  watered 
by  the  Maumee  and  Sandusky  was  acquired,  and  the  Indian  title  to  lands 
in  Ohio  is  now  extinct. 

About  the  year  1810,  the  Indians,  who,  since  the  treaty  at  Greenville,  had 
been  at  peace,  began  to  commit  depredations  upon  the  western  settlers.  The 
celebrated  Tecumseh  was  active  in  his  efforts  to  unite  the  native  tribes  against 
the  Americans,  and  to  arrest  the  further  extension  of  the  settlements.  In 
1811,  Gen.  Harrison,  then  governor  of  Indiana  territory,  marched  against 
the  Indians  on  the  Wabash.  The  battle  of  Tippecanoe  ensued,  in  which  the 
Indians  were  totally  defeated.  In  the  war  of  1812,  with  Great  Britain,  Ohio 
bore  her  full  share  in  the  contest.  Her  sons  volunteered  with  alacrity  their 
services  in  the  field,  and  hardly  a  battle  was  fought  in  the  north-west  in 
which  some  of  these  citizen  soldiers  did  not  seal  their  devotion  to  their  coun 
try  in  their  blood. 

In  1816,  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Columbus.     In  1817,  the 


OHIO. 


89 


first  resolution  relating  to  a  canal  connecting  the  Ohio  River  with  Lake  Erie 
was  introduced  into  the  legislature.  In  1825,  an  act  was  passed  "to  provide 
for  the  internal  improvement  of  the  state  by  navigable  canals."  The  con 
struction  of  these  and  other  works  of  improvement  has  been  of  immense  ad 
vantage  in  developing  the  resources  of  Ohio,  which  in  little  more  than  half  a 
century  has  changed  from  a  wilderness  to  one  of  the  most  powerful  states  of 
the  union. 

Ohio  is  bounded  N.  by  Michigan  and  Lake  Erie,  E.  by  Pennsylvania  and 
Virginia,  W.  by  Indiana,  and  southerly  by  Kentucky  and  Virginia,  being 
separated  from  these  last  named  two  states  by  the  Ohio  River,  which  washes 
the  borders  of  the  state,  through  its  numerous  meanderings,  for  a  distance  of 
more  than  430  miles.  It  is  about  220  miles  long  from  E.  to  W.,  and  200 
from  N.  to  S.,  situated  between  38°  32'  and  42°  N.  Lat.,  and  between  80°  35' 
and  84°  40'  W.  Long.  The  surface  of  the  state  covers  an  area  of  about 
39,964  square  miles,  or  25,576,  960  acres,  of  which  about  one  half  are  im 
proved. 

The  land  in  the  interior  of  the  state  and  bordering  on  Lake  Erie  is  gen 
erally  level,  and  in  some  places  marshy.  From  one  quarter  to  one  third  of 
the  territory  of  the  state,  comprising  the  eastern  and  southern  parts  bordering 
on  the  Ohio  River,  is  hilly  and  broken.  On  the  margin  of  the  Ohio,  and 
several  of  its  tributaries,  are  alluvial  lands  of  great  fertility.  The  valleys  of 
the  Scioto  and  the  Great  and  Little  Miami  are  the  most  extensive  sections  of 
level,  rich  and  fertile  lands  in  the  state.  In  the  north-west  section  of  the 
state  is  an  extensive  tract  of  great  fertility,  called  the  "Black  Swamp,"  much 
of  which,  since  the  year  1855,  has  been  opened  into  farms  with  un 
precedented  rapidity.  Though  Ohio  has  no  elevations  which  may  be 
termed  mountains,  the  center  of  the  state  is  about  1,000  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  The  summit  of  the  abrupt  hills  bordering  on  the  Ohio,  several 
hundred  feet  high,  are  nearly  on  a  level  with  the  surrounding  country  through 
which  the  rivers  have  excavated  their  channels  in  the  lapse  of  ages. 

Ohio  possesses  in  abundance  the  important  minerals  of  coal  and  iron.  The 
bituminous  coal  region  commences  at  the  Ohio  River,  and  extends  in  a  belt, 
between  the  Scioto  and  Muskingum  Rivers,  nearly  to  Lake  Erie.  Great  quan 
tities  of  iron  ore  are  found  in  the  same  section  in  a  bed  about  100  miles  long 
by  12  wide,  said  to  be  superior  to  any  other  in  the  United  States  for  the  finer 
castings.  Salt  springs  are  frequent  and  very  valuable.  Marble  and  free 
stone,  well  adapted  for  building  purposes,  abound.  Almost  all  parts  are  suit 
able  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  the  state  ranks  among  the  first  in  the  pro 
ducts  of  the  soil.  Indian  corn  is  the  staple  production.  Large  crops  of 
wheat,  great  quantities  of  pork,  butter,  cheese  and  wool  are  annually  pro 
duced.  The  grain  crops  of  Ohio  are  very  large ;  the  estimate  for  1860,  a 
favorable  year,  was:  Indian  corn,  80  millions  of  bushels;  wheat,  30  millions; 
and  oats,  20  millions.  It  is  estimated  that  the  whole  state  has  the  natural 
capacity  to  feed  18  millions  of  people.  Population  in  1800  was  45,365;  in 
1820,  581,434;  in  1850,  1,980,408,  and  in  1860,  2,377,917. 


MARIETTA,  the  capital  of  Washington  county,  and  oldest  town  in  the  state, 
is  beautifully  situated  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  at  its  con 
fluence  with  the  Ohio,  104  miles  south-east  of  Columbus,  62  below  Wheeling, 
Va,.,  and  300,  by  the  river,  above  Cincinnati.  It  is  built  principally  on  level 
ground,  surrounded  by  beautiful  scenery.  Many  of  the  houses  are  con 
structed  with  great  neatness,  having  fine  gardens,  and  ornamental  trees  and 


90 


OHIO. 


shrubbery,  which  mark  the  New  England  origin  of  its  population.  The 
founders  of  the  town  comprised  an  unusual  number  of  persons  of  refinement 
and  taste.  Very  many  of  them  had  served  as  officers  in  the  armies  of  the 
revolution,  and  becoming  ruined  in  their  fortunes  in  the  service  of  their  coun 
try,  were  thus  prompted  to  seek  a  new  home  in  the  wilds  of  the  west.  Ma 
rietta  College,  in  this  place,  was  chartered  in  1835,  and  is  one  of  the  most  re 
spectable  institutions  of  the  kind  in  the  state.  Population  about  5,000. 

In  the  autumn  of  1785,  a 
detachment  of  U.  S.  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Maj. 
Doughty,  commenced  the 
erection  of  Fort  Harmar,  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Musk- 
ingum.  It  was  named  in 
honor  of  Col.  Harmar,  to 
whose  regiment  Maj  or 
Doughty  was  attached.  In 
the  autumn  of  1787,  the  di 
rectors  of  the  Ohio  Company 
organized  in  New  England, 
preparatory  to  a  settlement. 
In  the  course  of  the  winter 
following,  a  party  of  about 
40  men,  under  the  superin 
tendence  of  Col.  Rufus  Put 
nam,  proceeded  over  the  Al- 
leghanies  by  the  old  Indian 
path  which  had  been  opened 
into  Braddock's  road,  and 

boats  being  constructed,  they  proceeded  down  the  river,  and  on  the  7th  of 
April,  1788,  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  state  of  Ohio. 

"As  St.  Clair,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  the  preceding  October,  had  not 
yet  arrived,  it  became  necessary  to  erect  a  temporary  government  for  their  internal 
security,  for  which  purpose  a  set  of  laws  was  passed  and  published,  by  being  nailed 
to  a  tree  in  the  village,  and  Return  Jonathan  Meigs  was  appointed  to  administer 
them.  It  is  a  strong  evidence  of  the  good  habits  of  the  people  of  the  colony,  that 
during  three  months  but  one  difference  occurred,  and  that  was  compromised.  In 
deed,  a  better  set  of  men  altogether  could  scarce  have  been  selected  for  the  pur 
pose  than  Putnam's  little  band.  Washington  might  well  say,  'no  colony  in  America 
was  ever  settled  under  such  favorable  auspices  as  that  which  was  first  commenced 
at  the  Muskingum.  Information,  property  and  strength  will  be  its  characteristics. 
I  know  many  of  the  settlers  personally,  and  there  never  were  men  better  calculated 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  such  a  community.' 

On  the  2d  of  July,  a  meeting  of  the  directors  and  agents  was  held  on  the  banks 
of  the  Muskingum,  for  the  purpose  of  naming  the  neAV-born  city  and  its  public 
squares.  As  the  settlement  had  been  merely  'The  Muskingum,'  the  name  Marietta 
was  now  formally  given  to  it,  in  honor  of  Marie  Antoinette. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  an  oration  was  delivered  by  James  M.  Varnum,  who,  with 
S.  It.  Parsons  and  John  Armstrong,  had  been  appointed  to  the  judicial  bench  of 
the  territory,  on  the  16th  of  October,  1787.  Five  days  later,  the  governor  arrived, 
and  the  colony  began  to  assume  form.  The  ordinance  of  1787  provided  two  dis 
trict  grades  of  government  for  the  north-west  territory,  under  the  first  of  which  the 
whole  power  was  in  the  hands  of  the  governor  and  three  judges,  and  this  form  was 
at  once  organized  upon  the  governor's  arrival.  The  first  law,  which  was  'for  rega- 


SOUTHEUN   VIEW    OF   THE    ANCIENT   MOUND,    MARIETTA. 

The  engraving  shows  the  appearance  of  the  Mound  as  seen 
from  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Rosseter,  in  Marietta,  opposite  the 
grave-yard.  Its  base  is  a  regular  circle,  115  feet  in  diameter ; 
its  perpendicular  altitude  is  3d  feet.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch 
4  feet  deep  and  lo  wide,  defended  by  a  parapet  4  feet  high, 
through  which  is  a  gate-way. 


OHIO. 


91 


.ating  and  establishing  the  militia,'  was  published  upon  the  25th  of  July,  and  the 
iext  clay  appeared  the  governor's  proclamation,  erecting  all  the  country  that  had 
been  ceded  by  the  Indians  east  of  the  Scioto  River  into  the  county  of  Wash 
ington. 

From  that  time  forward,  notwithstanding  the  doubt  yet  existing  as  to  the  In 
dians,  all  at  Marietta  went  on  prosperously  and  pleasantly.  On  the  2d  of  Septem 
ber,  the  first  court  was  held,  with  becoming  ceremonies,  which  was  the  first  civil 
court  ever  convened  in  the  territory  north-west  of  the  Ohio. 

;The  procession  was  formed  at  the  Point  (where  most  of  the  settlers  resided),  in 
the  following  order:  1st,  the  high  sheriff,  with  his  drawn  sword;  2d,  the  citizens; 
3d,  the  officers  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Harmar;  4th,  the  members  of  the  bar;  5th, 
the  supreme  judges;  6th,  the  governor  and  clergyman;  7th,  the  newly  appointed 
judges  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  generaJs  Riifus  Putnam  and  Benj.  Tupper. 

They  marched  up  a  path  that  had  been  cut  and  cleared  through  the  forest  to 
Campus  Martius  Hill  (stockade))  where  the  whole  counter-marched,  and  the  judges 
(Putnam  and  Tupper)  took  their  seats.  The  clergyman,  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  then  in 
voked  the  divine  blessing.  The  sheriff,  Col.  Ebenezer  Sproat  (one  of  nature's  no 
bles),  proclaimed  with  his  solemn  'Oh  yes'  that  a  court  is  opened  for  the  adminis 
tration  of  even-handed  justice  to  the  poor  and  the  rich,  to  the  guilty  and  the  inno 
cent,  without  respect  of  persons;  none  to  be  punished  without  a  trial  by  their 
peers,  and  then  in  pursuance  of  the  laws  and  evidence  in  the  case.'  Although  this 
gcene  was  exhibited  thus  early  in  the  settlement  of  the  state,  few  ever  equaled  it 
in  the  dignity  and  exalted  character  of  its  principal  participators.  Many  of  them 
belong  to  the  history  of  our  country,  in  the  darkest  as  well  as  most  splendid  pe 
riods  of  the  revolutionary  war.  To  witness  this  spectacle,  a  large  body  of  Indians 
was  collected  from  the  most  powerful  tribes  then  occupying  the  almost  entire  west. 
They  had  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  treaty.  Whether  any  of  them 
entered  the  hall  of  justice,  or  what  were  their  impressions,  we  are  not  told.'  " 


Campus  Martins,  at  Marietta,  in  1791. 

Soon  after  landing,  Campus  Martins,  a  stockaded  fort,  was  begun  on  the 
verge  of  that  beautiful  plain,  overlooking  the  Muskingum,  on  which  arc 
seated  those  celebrated  remains  of  antiquity,  but  it  was  not  completed  with 
palisades  and  bastions  until  the  winter  of  1790-1.  It  was  a  square  of  180 
feet  on  a  side.  At  each  corner  was  a  strong  block-house,  surmounted  by  a 
tower  and  sentry-box  : 

These  houses  were  20  feet  square  below,  and  24  feet  above,  and  projected  6  feet 
beyond  the  curtains,  or  main  walls  of  the  fort.  The  intermediate  curtains  were 
built  up  with  dwelling  houses,  made  of  wood,  whipsawed  into  timbers  four  inches 
thick,  and  of  the  requisite  width  and  length.  These  were  laid  up  similar  to  the 


92  OHI°- 

structure  of  log  houses,  \vlth  the  ends  nicely  dove-tailed  or  fitted  together  so  as  to 
make  a  neat  finish.  The  whole  were  two  stories  high,  and  covered  with  good  shin 
gle  roofs.  Convenient  chimneys  were  erected  of  bricks,  for  cooking  and  warming 
the  rooms.  A  number  of  the  dwelling  houses  were  built  and  owned  by  private  in 
dividuals,  who  had  families.  In  the  west  and  south  fronts  were  strong  gateways; 
and  over  that  in  the  center  of  the  front  looking  to  the  Muskingum  liiver,  was  n 
belfry.  The  chamber  underneath  was  occupied  by  the  Hon.  Winthrop  Sargeant, 
as  an  office,  he  being  secretary  to  the  governor  of  the  N.  W.  Territory,  Uen.  St. 
Clair,  and  performing  the  duties  of  governor  in  his  absence.  The  dwelling  houses 
occupied  a  space  from  15  to  30  feet  each,  and  were  sufficient  for  the  accommoda 
tion  of  forty  or  fifty  families,  and  did  actually  contain  from  200  to  300  persons, 
men,  women  and  children,  during  the  Indian  war. 

Before  the  Indians  commenced  hostilities,  the  block-houses  were  occupied  as  fol 
lows  : — the  south-west  one  by  the  family  of  Gov.  St.  Clair ;  the  north-west  one  for 
public  worship  and  holding  of  courts.  The  south-east  block-house  was  occupied 
by  private  families ;  and  the  north-east  as  an  office  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
directors  of  the  company.  The  area  within  the  walls  was  144  feet  square,  aftd  af 
forded  a  fine  parade  ground.  In  the  center  was  a  well,  80  feet  in  depth,  for  the 
supply  of  water  to  the  inhabitants  in  case  of  a  siege.  A  large  sun-dial  stood  for 
many  years  in  the  square,  placed  on  a  handsome  post,  and  gave  note  of  the  march 
of  time.  It  is  still  preserved  as  a  relic  of  the  old  garrison.  ,After  the  war  com 
menced,  a  regular  military  corps  was  organized,  and  a  guard  constantly  kept  night 
and  day.  The  whole  establishment  formed  a  very  strong  work,  and  reflected  great 
credit  on  the  head  that  planned  it. 

Ship  building,  at  Marietta,  was  carried  on  quite  extensively  at  an  early  day. 
From  the  year  1800  to  1807,  the  business  was  very  thriving.  Com.  Abm. 
Whipple,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution,  conducted  the  one  first  built,  the  St. 
Clair,  to  the  ocean. 

At  that  time  Marietta  was  made  "a  port  of  clearance,"  from  which  vessels  could 
receive  regular  papers  for  a  foreign  country.  "This  circumstance  was  the  cause 
of  a  curious  incident,  which  took  place  in  the  year  1806  or  .1807.  A  ship,  built  at 
Marietta,  cleared  from  that  port  with  a  cargo  of  pork,  flour,  etc.,  for  New  Orleans. 
From  thence  she  sailed  to  England  with  a  load  of  cotton,  and  being  chartered  to 
take  a  cargo  to  St.  Petersburg,  the  Americans  being  at  that  time  carriers  for  half 
the  world,  reached  that  port  in  safety.  Her  papers  being  examined  by  a  naval 
officer,  and  dating  from  the  port  of  Marietta,  Ohio,  she  was  seized,  upon  the  plea 
of  their  being  a  forgery,  as  no  such  port  was  known  in  the  civilized  world.  With 
considerable  difficulty  the  captain  procured  a  map  of  the  United  States,  and  point 
ing  with  his  finger  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  traced  the  course  of  that  stream 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio;  from  thence  he  led  the  astonished  and  admiring  naval 
officer  along  the  devious  track  of  the  latter  river  to  the  port  of  Marietta,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingura,  from  whence  he  had  taken  his  departure.  This  explan 
ation  was  entirely  satisfactory,  and  the  American  was  dismissed  with  every  token 
of  regard  and  respect." 

One  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  region,  gave  Mr.  Howe,  for  his  work  on 
Ohio,  the  annexed  amusing  sketch,  illustrating  pioneer  life: 

People  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  an  old  settled  country,  can  form  but  a  faint 
idea  of  the  privations  and  hardships  endured  by  the  pioneers  of  our  now  flourish 
ing  and  prosperous  state.  When  I  look  on  Ohio  as  it  is,  and  think  what  it  was  in 
1802,  when  I  first  settled  here,  I  am  struck  with  astonishment,  and  can  hardly 
credit  my  own  senses.  When  I  emigrated,  I  was  a  young  man,  without  any  prop 
erty,  trade,  or  profession,  entirely  dependent  on  my  own  industry  for  a  living.  I 
purchased  60  acres  of  new  land  on  credit,  2  1-2  miles  from  any  house  or  road"  and 
built  a  camp  of  poles,  7  by  4  feet,  and  5  feet  high,  with  three  sides  and  a  fire  in 
front.  I  furnished  myself  with  a  loaf  of  bread,  a  piece  of  pickled  pork,  some  po 
tatoes,  borrowed  a  frying  pan,  and  commenced  housekeeping.  1  was  not  hindered 
from  my  work  by  company;  for  the  first  week  I  did  not  see  a  living  soul,  but,  to 
make  amends  for  the  want  of  it,  I  had  every  night  a  most  glorious  concert  of 


OHIO.  93 


wolves  and  owls.  I  soon  (like  Adam)  saw  the  necessity  of  a  help-mate,  and  per 
suaded  a  young  woman  to  tie  her  destiny  to  mine.  1  built  a  log-house  20  feet 

8qUare quite  "aristocratic  in  those  days — and  moved   into  it.      I  was  fortunate 

enough  to  possess  a  jack-knife;  with  that  I  made  a  wooden  knife  and  two  wooden 
forks^  which  answered  admirably  for  us  to  eat  with.  A  bedstead  was  wanted:  I 
took  two  round  poles  for  the  posts,  inserted  a  pole  in  them  for  a  side  rail,  two  other 
poles  were  inserted  for  end  pieces,  the  ends  of  which  were  put  in  the  logs  of  the 
}louse_some  puncheons  were  then  split  and  laid  from  the  side  rail  to  the  crevice 
between  the  logs  of  the  house,  which  formed  a  substantial  bed-cord,  on  which  we 
laid  our  straw  bed,  the  only  one  we  had — on  which  we  slept  as  soundly  and  woke  as 
happv  as  Albert  and  Victoria. 


A  Pioneer  Dwelling  in  the  Woods. 

Tn  process  of  time,  a  yard  and  a  half  of  calico  Avas  wanted ;  T  started  on  foot 
through  the  woods  ten  miles,  to  Marietta,  to  procure  it;  but  alas!  when  1  arrived 
there  I  found  that,  in  the  absence  of  both  money  and  credit,  the  calico  was  not  to 
be  obtained.  The  dilemma  was  a  serious  one,  and  how  to  escape  I  could  not  de 
vise;  but  I  had  no  sooner  informed  my  wife  of  my  failure,  than  she  suggested  that 
I  had  a  pair  of  thin  pantaloons  which  I  could  very  well  spare,  that  would  make 
quite  a  decent  frock:  the  pants  were  cut  up,  the  frock  made,  and  in  due  time,  the 
child  was  dressed. 

The  long  winter  evenings  were  rather  tedious,  and  in  order  to  make  them  pass 
more  smoothly,  by  great  exertion,  I  purchased  a  share  in  the  Belpre  library,  0  miles 
distant.  From  this  I  promised  myself  much  entertainment,  but  another  obstacle 
presented  itself — I  had  no  candles ;  however,  the  woods  afforded  plenty  of  pine 
knots — with  these  1  made  torches,  by  which  I  could  read,  though  I  nearly  spoiled 
my  eyes.  Many  a  night  have  I  passed  in  this  manner,  till  12  or  1  o'clock  reading 
to  my  Avife,  while  she  was  hatcheling,  carding  or  spinning.  Time  rolled  on,  the 
payments  for  my  land  became  due,  and  money,  at  that  time,  in  Ohio,  was  a  casli 
article:  however,  1  did  not  despair.  I  bought  a  few  steers;  some  I  bartered  for 
and  others  I  got  on  credit — my  credit  having  somewhat  improved  since  the  calico 
expedition — slung  a  knapsack  on  my  back,  and  started  alone  with  my  cattle  for  Rom- 
ney,  on  the  Potomac,  where  1  sold  them,  then  traveled  on  to  Litchfield,  Connect!, 
cut,  paid  for  my  land,  and  had  just  $1  left  to  bear  my  expenses  home,  600  miles 
distant.  Before  I  returned,  I  worked  and  procured  50  cents  in  cash  ;  with  this  and 
my  dollar  I  commenced  my  journey  homeward.  I  laid  out  my  dollar  for  cheap 
hair  combs,  and  these,  with  a  little  'Yankee  pleasantry,  kept  me  very  comfortably 
at  the  private  houses  where  J  stopped  till  I  got  to  Owego,  on  the  Susquehanna, 
where  I  had  a  power  of  attorney  to  collect  some  money  for  a  neighbor  in  Ohio. 


94  OHIO. 

At  Marietta  are  some  ancient  works,  which,  although  not  more  remarka 
ble  than  others  in  the  state,  and  not  so  extensive  as  some,  are  more  generally 
known,  from  having  been  so  frequently  described  by  travelers.  They  are  on 
an  elevated  plain,  above  the  present  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  on  the  east 
side,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  its  junction  with  the  Ohio.  They  consist 
of  walls  and  mounds  of  earth  in  direct  lines,  and  in  square  and  circular 
forms.  The  largest  square  fort,  or  town,  contained  abzmt  forty  acres,  en 
compassed  by  a  wall  of  earth,  from  six  to  ten  feet  high.  On  each  side  were 
three  openings,  probably  gateways.  On  the  side  next  the  Muskingum  there 
was  a  covert  way,  formed  of  two  parallel  walls  of  earth,  upward  of  200  feet 
apart,  extending  probably,  at  the  time  of  their  construction,  to  the  river. 
There  was  also  a  smaller  fort,  consisting  of  20  acres,  having  walls,  gateways 
and  mounds.  The  mound  in  the  present  graveyard  is  situated  on  the  south 
east  of  the  smaller  fort.  The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monu 
ments  in  this  yard: 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Commodore  ABRAHAM  WHIFFLE,  whose  naval  skill  and  courage 
will  ever  remain  the  pride  and  boast  of  his  country.  In  the  REVOLUTION,  he  was  the  first 
on  the  seas  to  hurl  defiance  at  proud  Britain,  gallantly  leading  the  way  to  wrest  from  the 
mistress  of  the  seas  her  scepter,  and  there  wave  the  star  spangled  banner.  He  also  con 
ducted  to  the  sea  the  first  square  rigged  vessel  ever  built  on  the  Ohio,  opening  to  commerce 
resources  beyond  calculation.  lie  was  born  Sept.  26th,  A.D.  1733,  and  died  May  26th,  1819, 
aged  85  years. 

Gen.  RUFUS  PUTNAM,  died  May  4,  1824,  in  the  S7th  year  of  his  age. 


Here  lies  the  body  of  his  Excellency,  RETURN  JONATHAN  MKTGS,  who  was  born  at  Mid- 
dletown,  Connecticut,  Nov.  — ,  1766,  and  died  at  Marietta,  March  29,  1825.  For  many 
years  his  time  and  talents  were  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country.  He  successively  filled 
the  place  of  Judge  of  the  Territory  North-west  of  the  Ohio,  Senator  of  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  Governor  of  the  State,  and  Post  Master  General  of  the  United  States.  Tc 
the  honoured  and  revered  memory  of  an  ardent  Patriot,  a  practical  Statesman,  an  enlight 
ened  Scholar,  a  dutiful  Son',  an  indulgent  Father,  an  affectionate  Husband,  this  monument 
is  erected  by  his  mourning  widow,  Sophia  Meigs. 


In  memory  of  Doctor  SAMUEL  HILDRETH,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who  died  at  Belpre, 
August  6th, 'A.D.  1823,  aged  73  years. 

Death  is  the  good  man's  friend — the  messenger  who  calls  him  to  his  Father's  house. 


MARTHA  BRAINERD,  daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph  Spencer,  Jr.,  and  grand-daughter  of  Maj. 
Gen.  Joseph  Spencer,  officers  in  the  army  of  the  Revolution  in  1775,  the  latter  a  member 
of  the  Continental  Congress  of  1778,  born  at  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  Jan.  18,  1782,  married 
in  Virginia  to  Stephen  Radcliff  Wilson,  May  20th,  1798,  died  at  Marietta,  Jan.  10th,  1852. 

GrALLiPOLis,  the  county  seat  of  Gallia  county,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in 
Ohio,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  Ohio  River.  102  miles  south-easterly  from 
Columbus,  and  contains  about  2,800  inhabitants.  It  was  settled  in  1791,  by 
a  French  colony,  sent  out  under  the  auspices  of  the  "Scioto  Company," 
which  appears  to  have  been  in  some  way  connected  with  the  Ohio  Company. 
The  agents  of  the  Scioto  Company,  in  Paris,  were  Joel  Barlow,  of  the 
United  States  ;  Playfair,  an  Englishman  ;  and  a  Frenchman,  named  De  Sais- 
son.  A  handsome,  but  deceptive  French  map  was  engraved,  and  glowing 
representations  of  the  country  were  given,  and,  being  about  the  beginning 
of  the  French  Revolution,  the  "flattering  delusion"  took  strong  hold.  The 
terms  to  induce  emigration  were  as  follows:  The  company  proposed  to  tako 
the  emigrant  to  their  lands  and  pay  the  cost,  and  the  latter  bound  himself 
to  work  three  years  for  the  company,  for  which  he  was  to  receive  fifty  acres, 


OHIO. 


95 


a  house,  and  cow.  About  five  hundred  Frenchmen  left  their  native  country, 
debarked  mostly  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  and  made  their  way  to  the  promised 
land. 

The  location  of   Gallipolis  was  effected   just  before  the  arrival  of  the 
French.     Col.  Rufus  Putnam  sent  Maj.  Burnham,  with  about  40  men,  for 


Gallipolis,  i.  e.   Town  of  the  French,  in  1791. 

that  purpose,  who  made  the  clearing,  and  erected  block-houses  and  cabins  on 
the  present  public  square.  Eighty  log  cabins  were  constructed,  20  in  each 
row.  At  each  of  the  corners  were  block-houses,  two  stories  high.  Above 
the  cabins,  on  the  square,  were  two  other  parallel  rows  of  cabins,  which,  with 
n  high  stockade  fence,  formed  a  sufficient  fortification  in  times  of  danger. 
These  upper  cabins  were  a  story  and  a  half  high,  built  of  hewed  logs,  and 
finished  in  better  style  than  those  below,  being  intended  for  the  richer  class. 
The  following  is  from  a  communication  to  the  American  Pioneer,  from  one 
of  the  colonists,  Waldeurard  Meulette : 

At  an  early  meeting  of  the  colonists,  the  town  was  named  Gallipolis  (town  of 
the  French).  I  did  not  arrive  till  nearly  all  the  colonists  were  there.  1  descended 
the  river  in  1791,  in  fiat  boats,  loaded  with  troops,  commanded  by  Gen.  St.  Clair, 
destined  for  an  expedition  against  the  Indians.  Some  of  my  countrymen  joined 
that  expedition;  among  others  was  Count  Malartie,  a  captain  in  the  French  guard 
of  Louis  XVI.  General  St.  Clair  made  him  one  of  his  aids-de-camp  in  the  battle, 
in  which  he  was  severely  wounded.  He  went  back  to  Philadelphia,  from  whence 
he  returned  to  France.  The  Indians  were  encouraged  to  greater  depredations  and 
murders,  by  their  success  in  this  expedition,  but  most  especially  against  the  Amer 
ican  settlements.  From  their  intercourse  with  the  French  in  Canada,  or  some 
other  cause,  they  seemed  less  disposed  to  trouble  us.  Immediately  after  St.  Clair' a 
defeat,  Col.  Sproat,  commandant  at  Marietta,  appointed  four  spies  for  Gallipolis — • 
two  Americans  and  two  French,  of  which  I  was  one,  and  it  was  not  until  after  the 
treaty  at  Greenville,  in  1795,  that  we  were  released. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  difficulties,  the  difference  of  tempers,  education,  and 
professions,  the  inhabitants  lived  in  harmony,  and  having  little  or  nothing  to  do, 
made  themselves  agreeable  and  useful  to  each  other.  The  Americans  and  hunters, 
employed  by  the  company,  performed  the  first  labors  of  clearing  the  township, 
which  was  divided  into  lots. 

Although  the  French  were  willing  to  work,  yet  the  clearing  of  an  American 


96 


OHIO. 


wilderness  and  its  heavy  timber,  was  far  more  than  they  could  perform.  To  mi 
grate  from  the  eastern  states  to  the  "far  west,"  is  painful  enough  now-a-days,  but 
how  much  more  so  it  must  be  for  a  citizen  of  a  large  European  town !  'Even  a 
farmer  of  the  old  countries  would  find  it  very  hard,  if  not  impossible  to  clear  land 
in  the  wilderness.  Those  hunters  were  paid  by  the  colonists  to  prepare  their  gar 
den  ground,  wrhich  was  to  receive  the  seeds  brought  from  France;  few  of  the  col 
onists  knew  how  to  make  a  garden,  but  they  were  guided  by  a  few  books  on  that 
subject,  which  they  had  brought  likewise  from  France.  The  colony  then  began  to 
improve  in  its  appearance  and  comfort.  The  fresh  provisions  were  supplied  by  the 
company's  hunters,  the  others  came  from  their  magazines. 

Breckenridge,  in  his  Recollections,  gives  some  reminiscences  of  Gallipolis, 
related  in  a  style  of  charming  simplicity  and  humor.  He  was  then  a  boy  of 
nine  years  of  age  : 

Behold  me  once  more  in  port,  and  domiciled  at  the  house,  or  inn,  of  Monsieur,  or 
rather,  Dr.  Saugrain,  a  cheerful,  sprightly  little  Frenchman,  four  feet  six,  English 
measure,  and  a  chemist,  natural  philosopher  and  physician,  both  in  the  English  and 
French  signification  of  the  word.  .  .  .  This  singular  village  was  settled  by  people 
from  Paris  and  Lyons,  chiefly  artisans  and  artists,  peculiarly  unfitted  to  sit  down 
in  the  wilderness  and  clear  away  forests.  1  have  seen  half  a  dozen  at  work  in 
taking  down  a  tree,  some  pulling  ropes  fastened  to  the  branches,  while  others  wero 
cutting  around  it  like  beavers.  Sometimes  serious  accidents  occurred  in  conse 
quence  of  their  awkwardness.  Their  former  employment  had  been  only  calculated 
to  administer  to  the  luxury  of  highly  polished  and  wealthy  societies.  'There  were 
carvers  and  gilders  to  the  king,  coach  makers,  freizurs  and  peruke  makers,  and  a 
variety  of  others  who  might  have  found  some  employment  in  our  larger  town's,  but 
who  were  entirely  out  of  their  place  in  the  wilds  of  Ohio.  Their  means  by  this 
time  had  been  exhausted,  and  they  were  beginning  to  suffer  from  the  want  of  the 
comforts  and 'even  the  necessaries  of  life.  The  country  back  from  the  river  was 
still  a  wilderness,  and  the  Gallipotians  did  not  pretend  to  cultivate  anything  moro 
than  small  garden  spots,  depending  for  their  supply  of  provisions  on  the  boats 
which  now  began  to  descend  the  river;  but  they  had  to  pay  in  cash,  and  that  was 
become  scarce.  They  still  assembled  at  the  ball  room  twice  a  week;  it  was  evi 
dent,  however,  that  they  felt  disappointment,  and  were  no  longer  happy.  The  pre 
dilections  of  the  best  among  them,  being  on  the  side  of  the  Bourbons,  the  horrors 
ofthe  French  revolution,  even  in  their  remote  situation,  mingled  with  their  private 
misfortunes,  which  had  at  this  time  nearly  reached  their  acme,  in  consequence  of 
the  discovery  that  they  had  no  title  to  their  lands,  having  been  cruelly  deceived  by 
those  from  whom  they  had  purchased.  It  is  well  known  that  congress  generously 
made  them  a  grant  of  twenty  thousand  acres,  from  which,  however,  but  few  of  them 
ever  derived  any  advantage. 

As  the  Ohio  was  now  more  frequented,  the  house  was  occasionally  resorted  to, 
and  especially  by  persons  looking  out  for  land  to  purchase.  The  doctor  had  a  small 
apartment  which  contained  his  chemical  apparatus,  and  I  used  to  sit  by  him  as 
often  as  I  could  watching  the  curious  operation  of  his  blow-pipe  and  crucible.  I 
loved  the  cheerfal  little  man,  and  he  became  very  fond  of  me  in  return.  Many  of 
my  countrymen  used  to  come  and  stare  at  his  doings,  which  they  were  half  inclined 
to  think  had  a  too  near  resemblance  to  the  black  art. 

The  doctor  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Americans,  as  well  for  his  vivacity  and 
Bweetness  of  temper,  which  nothing  could  sour,  as  on  account  of  a  circumstance 
which  gave  him  high  claim  to  the  esteem  of  the  backwoodsmen.  He  had  shown 
himself,  notwithstanding  his  small  stature  and  great  good  nature,  a  very  hero  in 
combat  with  the  Indians.  Pie  had  descended  the  Ohio  in  company  with  two 
French  philosophers,  who  were  believers  in  the  primitive  innocence  and  goodness 
ofthe  children  ofthe  forest.  They  could  not  be  persuaded  that  any  danger  was  to 
be  apprehended  from  the  Indians;  as  they  had  no  intentions  to  injure  that  people, 
they  supposed  no  harm  could  be  meditated  on  their  part.  Dr.  Saugrain  was  not 
altogether  so  well  convinced  of  their  good  intentions,  and  accordingly  kept  his  pis 
tols  loaded.  Near  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy,  a  canoe  with  a  party  of  warriors  ap 
proached  the  boat;  the  philosophers  invited  them  on  board  by  signs,  when  they 


OHIO.  -97 

:aine  rather  too  willingly.  The  first  thing  they  did  on  coming  on  hoard  of  tho  boat 
was  to  salute  the  two  philosophers  with  the  tomahawk ;  and  they  would  have  treated 
the  doctor  in  the  same  way  but  that  he  used  his  pistols  with  good  effect — killed  two 
of  the  savages,  and  then  leaped  into  the  water,  diving  like  a  dipper  at  the  flash  of 
the  guns  of  the  others,  and  succeeded  in  swimming  to  the  shore  with  several  severe 
wounds  whose  scars  were  conspicuous. 

The  doctor  was  married  to  an  amiable  young  woman,  but  not  possessing  as  much 
vivacity  as  himself.  As  Madam  Haa grain  had  no  maid  to  assist  her,  her  brother,  a 
boy  of  my  age,  and  myself  were  her  principal  helps  in  the  kitchen.  We  brought 
water  and  wood,  and  washed  the  dishes.  1  used  to  go  in  the  morning  about  t\vx> 
two  miles  for  a  little  milk,  sometimes  on  the  frozen  ground,  barefooted.  I  tried  a 
pair  of  savots,  or  wooden  shoes,  but  was  unable  to  make  any  use  of  them,  although 
they  had  been  made  by  the  carver  to  the  king.  Little  perquisites,  too,  sometimes 
fell  to  our  share  from  blacking  boots  and  shoes;  my  companion  generally  saved 
his,  while  mine  would  have  burned  a  hole  in  my  pocket  if  it  had  remained  there. 
In  the  spring  and  summer,  a  good  deal  of  my  time  was  passed  in  the  garden,  weed 
ing  the  beds.  While  thus  engaged,  1  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  young  ]ady, 
of  eighteen  or  twenty,  on  the  other  side  of  the  palings,  Avho  was  often  similarly  oc- 
cupic'd.  Our  friendship,  which  was  purely  Platonic,  commenced  with  the  story  of 
Blue  Beard,  recounted  by  her,  and  with  the  novelty  and  pathos  of  which  1  was 
jiuch  interested.  , 

Soon  after  Breckenridge  left  the  place,  but  in  1807  again  saw  Gallipolis: 

As  we  passed  Point  Pleasant  and  the  Island  below  it,  Gallipolis,  which  I  looked  for  with 
anxious  feelings,  hove  in  sight.  I  thought  of  the  French  inhabitants — I  thought  of  my 
friend  Saugraiu,  and  I  recalled,  in  the  liveliest  colors,  the  incidents  of  that  portion  of  my 
life  which  was  passed  here.  A  year  is  a  long  time  at  that  period — every  day  is  crowded 
with  new  and  great  and  striking  events.  When  the  boat  landed,  I  ran  up  the  bank  and 
looked  around;  but  alas!  how  changed!  The  Americans  had  taken  the  town  in  hand, 
and  no  trace  of  antiquity,  that,  is,  ot'  twelve  years  ago,  remained.  I  hastened  to  the  spot 
where  I  expected  to  find  the  abode,  the  little  log  house,  tavern  and  laboratory  of  the  doc 
tor,  but  they  had  vanished  like  the  palace  of  Aladdin.  After  some  inquiry,  I  found  a  little 
Frenchman,  who,  like  the  old  woman  of  Goldsmith's  village,  was  "the  sad  historian  of  the 
deserted  plain" — that  is,  deserted  by  one  race  to  be  peopled  by  another.  He  led  me  to 
where  a  few  logs  mifjht  be  seen,  as  the  only  remains  of  the  once  happy  tenement  which  had 
sheltered  me — but  all  around  it  was  a  common;  the  town  had  taken  a  different  direction. 
My  heart  sickened;  the  picture  which  my  imagination  had  drawn — the  scenes  which  my 
memory  loved  to  cherish,  were  blotted  out  and  obliterated.  A  volume  of  reminiscences 
seemed  to  be  annihilated  in  an  instant!  I  took  a  hasty  glance  at  the  new  town*  a&- 1  re 
turned  to  the  boat.  I  saw  brick  houses,  painted  frames,  fanciful  inclosures,  ornamental 
trees.  Even  the  pond,  wh'ch  had  carried  off  a  third  of  the  French  population  by  its  mn.lu- 
ria,  had  disappeared,  and  a  pretty  green  had  usurped  its  place,  with  a  neat  briok:  court 
house  in  the  midst  of  it.  This  was  too  much;  I  hastened  my  pace,  and  with  sorrow  once 
more  pushed  into  the  stream. 

CINCINNATI,  the  metropolis  of  Ohio,  and  capital  of  Hamilton  county,  is^  on 
the  right  or  northern  bank  of  the  Ohio,  116  miles  south-west  of  Columbus, 
455,  by  the  course  of  the  river,  from  Pittsburg,  Pa.;  1,447  above  New.  Or 
leans,  by  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers;  518  west  from  Baltimore^  617 
from  Philadelphia,  704  from  New  York,  655  east  from  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  492 
from  Washington  City.  Lat.  39°  6'  30";  Long.  84°  27'  W.  from  Greenwich, 
or  7°  25' W.  from  Washington.  It  is  the  largest  inland  city  in  the  United 
States,  and  is  frequently  called  the  "Queen  City  of  the  West." 

Soon  after  the  first  settlement  of  Ohio  was  commenced  at  Marietta,  several 
parties  were  formed  to  occupy  and  improve  separate  portions  of  Judge 
Symmes'  purchase  between  the  Miami  Rivers.  The  first,  led  by  Maj.  Stites, 
laid  out  the  town  of  Columbia,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami.  The  second 
party,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  in  number,  under  Matthias  Denman  and  Robert 
Patterson,  after  much  difficulty  and  danger,  caused  by  floating  ice  in  the 
Ohio,  landed  on  its  north  bank,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  Dec.  24, 

7 


98 


OHIO. 


1788.  Here  they  proceeded  to  lay  out  a  town,  which  they  called  Losanti- 
ville,  which  was  afterward  changed  to  Cincinnati.  The  original  price  paid 
by  Mr.  Denman  for  the  land  on  which  the  city  now  stands,  was,  in  value, 
about  fifteen  pence  per  acre.  A  third  party  of  adventurers,  under  the  imme 
diate  care  of  Judge  Symmes,  located  themselves  at  North  Bend. 

For  some  time  it  was  a  matter  of  doubt  which  of  the  rivals,  Columbia,  Cin 
cinnati  or  North  Bend  would  eventually  become  the  seat  of  business.  The 
garrison  for  the  defense  of  the  settlements  having  been  established  at  Cincin 
nati,  made  it  the  head-quarters  and  depot  of  the  army.  In  addition  to  this, 


Cincinnati  from  the  Kentucky  side  of  the   Ohio. 

Parts  of  Covington  and  Newport,  Ky.,  appear  on  the  right;  a,  landing,  Cincinnati;  ?>,  the  suburb  of 
Fulton,  up  the  Ohio,  on  the  left  of  which  is  East  Walnut  Hills,  and  through  which  passes  the  Little  Miami 
Railroad,  leading  to  the  eastern  cities  ;  c,  Mount  Adams,  on  which  is  the  Cincinnati  Observatory;  d,  posi 
tion  of  Walnut  Hills,  three  miles  from  the  city  ;  e,  Mount  Auburn,  480  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Ohio;  /, 
Vine-street  Hill,*  four  miles  beyond  which  are  the  elegant  country  seats  at  Clifton  ;  g,  valley  of  Mill-creek, 
on  which  is  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  and  the  railroad  track  to  Dayton. 

as  soon  as  the  county  courts  of  the  territory  were  organized,  it  was  created 
the  seat  of  justice  for  Hamilton  county.  These  advantages  turned  the  scale 
in  favor  of  Cincinnati. 

At  first,  North  Bend  had  a  decided  advantage  over  it,  as  the  troops  de 
tailed  by  Gen.  Harmar  for  the  protection  of  the  Miami  settlers  were  landed 
there,  through  the  influence  of  Judge  Symmes.  It  appears,  however,  that  tho 
detachment  soon  afterward  took  its  departure  for  Cincinnati.  The  tradition 
is,  that  Ensign  Luce,  the  commander  of  the  party,  while  looking  out  very 
leisurely  for  a  suitable  site  on  which  to  erect  a  block-house,  formed  an  ac 
quaintance  with  a  beautiful,  black-eyed  female,  to  whom  he  became  much 
attached.  She  was  the  wife  of  one  of  the  settlers  at  the  Bend.  Her  husband 
saw  the  danger  to  which  he  was  exposed  if  he  remained  where  he  was.  He 
therefore  resolved  at  once  to  remove  to  Cincinnati.  The  ensign  soon  fol 
lowed,  and,  as  it  appears,  being  authorized  to  make  a  selection  for  a  military 
work,  he  chose  Cincinnati  as  the  site,  and  notwithstanding  the  remonstrances 
of  Judge  Symmes,  he  removed  the  troops  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
block-house.  Soon  after  Maj.  Doughty  arrived  at  Cincinnati  with  troops 
from  Fort  Harmar,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  Fort  Washington.  The 


*  The  bulk  of  the  German  population  is  in  that  portion  of  the  city  between  the  base  of 
Mt.  Auburn  and  Vine-street  Hill.  The  line  of  the  canal  to  Toledo  cuts  off  the  German  set 
tlement  from  the  south  part  of  the  city.  "Over  the  Rhine,"  i.  e.,  over  the  canal,  is,  in 
common  parlance,  tho  appellation  given  to  that  quarter.  The  total  German  population  is 
estimated  at  40,000. 


OHIO.  99 

following  details  upon  the  "history  of  the  place  is  extracted  from  Howe's  Hist. 
Collections  of  Ohio. 

Soon  as  the  settlers  of  Cincinnati  landed,  they  commenced  erecting  three  om 
four  cabins,  the  first  of  which  was  built  on  Front,  east  of  and  near  Main- 
street.  The  lower  table  of  land  was  then  covered  with  sycamore  and  maple 
trees,  and  the  upper  with  beech  and  oak.  Through  this  dense  forest  the 
streets  were  laid  out,  their  corners  being  marked  upon  the  trees.  This  survey 
extended  from  Eastern  Row,  now  Broadway,  to  Western  Row,  now  Central- 
avenue,  and  from  the  river  as  far  north  as  Northern  Row,  now  Seventh  street. 

In  January,  1790,  Gen.  Arthur  St.  Clair,  then  governor  of  the  north-west 
territory,  arrived  at  Cincinnati  to  organize  the  county  of  Hamilton.  In  the 
succeeding  fall,  Gen.  Harmar  marched  from  Fort  Washington  on  his  expedi 
tion  against  the  Indians  of  the  north-west.  In  the  following  year  (1791), 
the  unfortunate  army  of  St.  Clair  marched  from  the  same  place.  On  his  re 
turn,  St.  Clair  gave  Major  Zeigler  the  command  of  Fort  Washington  and  re 
paired  to  Philadelphia.  Soon  after,  the  latter  was  succeeded  by  Col.  Wil 
kinson.  This  year,  Cincinnati  had  little  increase  in  its  population.  About 
one  half  of  the  inhabitants  were  attached  to  the  army  of  St.  Clair,  and  many 
killed  in  the  defeat. 

In  1792,  about  fifty  persons  were  added  by  emigration  to  the  population  of 
Cincinnati,  and  a  house  of  worship  erected.  In  the  spring  following,  the 
troops  which  had  been  recruited  for  Wayne's  army  landed  at  Cincinnati  and 
encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  river  between  the  village  of  Cincinnati  and 
Mill-creek.  To  that  encampment  Wayne  gave  the  name  of  "Hobson's  choice," 
it  being  the  only  suitable  place  for  that  object.  Here  he  remained  several 
months,  constantly  drilling  his  troops,  and  then  moved  on  to  a  spot  now  in 
Darke  county,  where  he  erected  Fort  Greenville.  In  the  fall,  after  the  army 
had  left,  the  small-pox  broke  out  in  the  garrison  at  Fort  Washington,  and 
spread  with  so  much  malignity  that  nearly  one  third  of  the  soldiers  and  citi 
zens  fell  victims.  In  July,  1794,  the  army  left  Fort  Greenville,  and  on  the 
20th  of  August  defeated  the  enemy  at  the  battle  of  the  "Fallen  Timbers,"  in 
what  is  now  Lucas  county,  a  few  miles  above  .Toledo.  Judge  Burnet  thus 
describes  Cincinnati  at  about  this  period : 

Prior  to  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  which  established  a  permanent  peace  between 
the  United  States  and  the  Indians,  but  few  improvements  had  been  made  of  any 
description,  and  scarcely  one  of  a  permanent  character.  In  Cincinnati,  Fort  Wash 
ington  was  the  most  remarkable  object.  That  rude,  but  highly  interesting  struc 
ture  stood  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets,  produced  east  of  Eastern  Row,  now 
Broadway,  which  was  then  a  two  pole  alley,  and  was  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
town,  as  originally  laid  out.  It  was  composed  of  a  number  of  strongly  built,  hewed 
log  cabins,  a  story  and  a  half  high,  calculated  for  soldiers'  barracks.  Some  of  them, 
more  conveniently  arranged,  and  better  finished,  were  intended  for  officers'  quar 
ters.  They  were  so  placed  as  to  form  a  hollow  square  of  about  an  acre  of  ground, 
with  a  strong  block-house  at  each  angle.  It  was  built  of  large  logs,  cut  from  the 
ground  on  which  it  stood,  which  was  a  tract  of  fifteen  acres,  reserved  by  congress 
in  the  law  of  1792,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  garrison. 

The  artificers'  yard  was  an  appendage  to  the  fort,  and  stood  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  immediately  in  front.  It  contained  about  two  acres  of  ground,  inclosed  by 
small  contiguous  buildings,  occupied  as  work-shops  and  quarters  for  laborers. 
Within  the  inclosure;  there  was  a  large  two  story  frame  house,  familiarly  called 
the  "yellow  house,"  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  quartermaster  general, 
which  was  the  most  commodious  and  best  finished  edifice  in  Cincinnati. 

On  the  north  side  of  Fourth-street,  immediately  behind  the  fort,  Col.  Sargeant, 
secretary  of  the  territory.,  had  a  convenient  frame  house,  and  a  spacious  garden, 
cultivated  with  care  and  taste.  On  the  east  side  of  the  fort,  Dr.  Allison,  the  sur- 


100 


OHIO. 


geon  general  of  the  army,  had  a  plain  frame  dwelling,  in  the  center  of  a  large  lot 
cultivated  as  a  garden  and  fruitery,  which  was  called  Peach  Grove.  The  Pres 
byterian  Church,  an  interesting  edifice,  stood  on  Main-street,  in  front  of  the  spa 
cious  brick  building  now  occupied  by  the  First  Presbyterian  congregation.  Jt  was 
a  substantial  frame  building,  about  40  feet  by  30,  inclosed  with  clapboards,  but 
neither  lathed,  plastered  nor  ceiled.  The  floor  was  of  boat  plank,  resting  on 
wooden  blocks.  In  that  humble  edifice  the  pioneers  arid  their  families  assembled, 
statedly,  for  public  worship;  and,  during  the  continuance  of  the  war,  they  always 
attended  with  loaded  rifles  by  their  sides.  That  building  was  afterward  neatly 
finished,  and  some  years  subsequently  (1814)  was  bold  and  removed  to  Vine-street. 
On  the  north  side  of  Fourth-street,  opposite  where  St.  Paul's  Church  now  stands, 
there  stood  a  frame  school-house,  inclosed,  but  unfinished,  in  which  the  children 
of  the  village  were  instructed.  On  the  north  side  of  the  public  square,  there  wag 
a  strong  log  building,  erected  and  occupied  as  a  jail.  A  room  in  the  tavern  of 
George  Avery,  near  the  frog-pond,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Fifth-streets,  haa 


The,  First  Church  built  in   Cincinnati* 

been  rented  for  the  accommodation  of  the  courts ;  and  as  the  penitentiary  system 
had  not  been  adopted,  ,and  Cincinnati  was  a  seat  of  justice,  it  was  ornamented  with 
a  pillory,  stocks  and  whipping-post,  and  occasionally  with  a  gallows.  These  were 
all  the  structures  of  a  public  character  then  in  the  place.  Add  to  these  the  cabins 
and  other  temporary  buildings  for  the  shelter  of  the  inhabitants,  and  it  will  com 
plete  the  schedule  of  the  improvements  of  Cincinnati  at  the  time  of  the  treaty  of 
Greenville. 

It  may  assist  the  reader  in  forming  something  like  a  correct  idea  of  the  appear 
ance  of  Cincinnati,  and  of  what  it  actually  was  at  that  time,  to  know  that  at  the 


*The  engraving  represents  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  as  it  appeared  in  February, 
1S-17,  and  is  engraved  from  a  drawing  then  taken  by  Mr.  Howe  for  his  "Historical  Collec 
tions  of  Ohio."  It  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Vine,  just  north  of  Fourth-street,  on  the  spot 
now  occupied  by  the  Summer  Garden.  Its  original  site  was  on  the  spot  now  occupied 
by  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  on  Fourth-street.  In  the  following  spring,  it  was  taken 
down,  and  the  materials  used  for  the  construction  of  several  dwellings  in  the  part  of  Cincin- 
),ati  called  Texas.  The  greater  proportion  of  the  timber  was  found  to  be  perfectly  sound. 
In  1791,  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  formed  themselves  into  a  company,  to  escort  the  Rev. 
.lames  Kernper  from  beyond  the  Kentucky  River  to  Cincinnati;  and  after  his  arrival,  a 
subscription  was  set  on  foot  to  build  this  church,  which  was  erected  in  1792.  This  sub 
scription  paper  is  still  in  existence,  and  bears  date  January  16,  1792.  Among  its  signers 
were  Gen.  Wilkinson,  Captains  Ford,  Peters  and  Shaylor,  of  the  regular  service,  Dr.  Alli 
son,  surgeon  to  St.  Clair  and  Wayne,  Winthrop  Sargcant,  Capt.  Robert  Elliott  and  others 
principally  citizens,  to  the  number  of  106,  not  one  of  whom  survive. 


OHIO. 


101 


intersection  of  Main  and  Fifth-streets  there  was  a  pond  of  water,  full  of  aldei 
bushes,  from  which  the  frogs  serenaded  the  neighborhood  during  the  summer 
and  fall,  and  which  rendered  it,  necessary  to  construct  a  causeway  of  logs,  to  pass 
it.  That  morass  remained  in  its  natural  state,  with  its  alders  and  its  frogs,  several 
years  after  Mr.  15.  became  a  resident  of  the  place,  the  population  of  which,  includ 
ing  the  garrison  and  followers  of  the  army,  was  about  six  hundred.  The  fort  was 
then  commanded  by  William  II.  Harrison,  a  captain  rn  the  army,  but  afterward 
president  of  the  United  States.  In  1797,  Gen.  Wilkinson,  the  commander-in-chief 
of  the  army,  made  it  his  head-quarters  for  a  few  months,  but  did  not,  apparently, 
interfere  with  the  command  of  Capt.  Harrison,  which  continued  till  his  resignation 
in  1798. 

During  the  period  now  spoken  of,  the  settlements  of  the  territory,  including  Cin 
cinnati,  contained  but  few  individuals,  and  still  fewer  families,  who  had  been  ac 
customed  to  mingle  in  the  circles  of  polished  society.  That  fyct  put  it  in  the  power 
of  the  military  to  give  character  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people.  Such 


fS^^S^f^^^.     ^  .>_»    ------     ~^S~_r-r? 


Cincinnati  in  1802.     Population  about  800. 

The  engraving  is  from  a  drawing  made  by  Wm.  Bucknall,  Esq.,  now  of  London,  England.  The  principal 
part  of  the  village  was  upon  the  landing.  Fort  Washington  (shown  by  the  flag)  was  the  most  conspicuous 
object  then  in  Cincinnati.  Its  site  was  on  the  %>uth  side  of  Third-street,  just  west  of  Broadway,  or,  as 
it  was  early  called,  Eastern  How. 

a  school,  it  must  be  admitted,  was  by  no  means  calculated  to  make  the  most  favor 
able  impression  on  the  morals  and  sobriety  of  any  community,  as  was  abundantly 
proven  by  the  result 

Idleness,  drinking  and  gambling  prevailed  in  the  army  to  a  greater  extent  than  it  has 
done  to  any  subsequent  period.  This  may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been 
several  years  in  the  wilderness,  cut  off  from  all  society  but  their  own,  with  but  few 
comforts  or  conveniences  at  hand,  and  no  amusements  but  such  as  their  own  inge 
nuity  could  invent.  Libraries  w^re  not  to  be  found — men  of  literary  minds,  or 
polished  manners,  were  rarely  nret  with;  and  they  had  long  been  deprived  of  the 
advantage  of  modest,  accomplished  female  society,  which  always  produces  a  salu 
tary  influence  on  the  feelings  and  moral  habits  of  men.  Thus  situated,  the  officers 
were  urjxed,  by  an  irresistible  impulse,  to  tax  their  wits  for  expedients  to  fill  up  the 
chasms  "of  leisure  which  were  left  on  their  hands,  after  a  full  discharge  of  their  mil- 
tary  duties;  and,  as  is  too  frequently  the  case,  in  such  circumstances,  the  bottle, 
the  dice-box  and  the  card-table  were  among  the  expedients  resorted  to,  because 
they  were  the  nearest  at  hand,  and  the  most  easily  procured. 

It  is  a  distressing  fact  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  officers  under  General 
Wayne,  and  subsequently  under  Gen.  Wilkinson,  were  hard  drinkers.  Harrison, 
Clark,  Shomberg,  Ford,  Strong,  and  a  few  others,  were  the  only  exceptions.  Such 
were  the  habits  of  the  army  when  they  began  to  associate  with  the  inhabitants  of 
Cincinnati,  and  of  the  western  settlements  generally,  and  to'give  tone  to  public 
sentiment.  As  a  natural  consequence,  the  citizens  indulged  in  the  same  practices 


102 


OHIO. 


and  formed  the  same  habits.  As  a  proof  of  this,  it  may  be  stated  that  when  Mr. 
Burnet  came  to  the  bar,  there  were  nine  resident  lawyers  engaged  in  the  practice, 
of  whom  he  is  and  has  been  for  many  years  the  only  survivor.  They  all  becama 
confirmed  sots,  and  descended  to  premature  graves,  excepting  his  brother,  who  was 


On  the  9th  of  November,  1793,  Win.  Maxwell  established,  at  Cincinnati,  "the 
Ceritinel  of  the  North-Western  Territory,"  with  the  motto,  "open  to  all  parties — 
influenced  by  none."  It  was  on  a  half  sheet,  royal  quarto  size,  and  was  the  first 
newspaper  printed  north  of  the  Ohio  River.  In  1796,  Edward  Freeman  became 
the  owner  of  the  paper,  which  he  changed  to  "  Freeman's  Journal,"  which  he  con 
tinued  until  the  beginning  of  1800,  when  he  removed  to  Chillicothe.  On  the  28th 
of  May,  1799,  Joseph  Carpenter  issued  the  first  number  of  a  weekly  paper,  entitled 
the  "Western  Spy  and  Hamilton  Gazette."  On  the  llth  of  January,  1794,  two 
keel  boats  sailed  from  Cincinnati  to  Pittsburgh,  each  making  a  trip  once  in  four 
weeks.  Each  boat  was  so  covered  as  to  be  protected  against  rifle  and  muskefc  balls, 
and  had  port  holes  to  fire  out  at,  and  was  provided  with  six  pieces,  carrying  pound 
balls,  a  number  of  muskets  and  ammunition,  as  a  protection  against  the  Indians 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  In  1801,  the  first  sea  vessel  equipped  for  sea,  of  100 
tuns,  built  at  Marietta,  passed  down  the  Ohio,  carrying  produce;  and  the  banks  of 
the  river  at  Cincinnati  were  crowded  with  spectators  to  witness  this  novel  event. 
Dec.  19,  1801,  the  territorial  legislature  passed  a  bill  removing  the  seat  of  gov 
eminent  from  Chillicothe  to  Cincinnati. 

January  2,  1802,  the  territorial  legislature  incorporated  the  town  of  Cincinnati, 
and  the  following  officers  were  appointed:  David  Zeigler,  president;  Jacob  Burnet, 
recorder ;  YVm.  Ramsay,  David  E.  Wade,  Chas.  Avery,  John  Reily,  Wm.  Stanley, 
Samuel  Dick,  and  Wm.  Ruffner,  trustees;  Jo.  Prince,  assessor;  Abram  Cary,  col 
lector;  and  James  Smith,  town  marshal.  In  1795,  the  town  contained  94  cabins, 
10  frame  houses,  and  about  500  inhabitants.  , 


Cincinnati  is  situated  in  a  beautiful  valley  of  about  12  miles  in  circumfer 
ence,  surrounded  by  hills,  which  rise  to  the  hight  of  about  500  feet.  This 
valley  is  divided  nearly  in  the  center  by  the  Ohio  River.  On  the  Kentucky 
side  of  the  Ohio,  the  towns  of  Covingtolf  and  Newport  are  situated  in  it,  and 
it  is  there  pierced  by  the  smaller  valley  of  the  Licking  River,  running  south 
erly.  On  the  Ohio  side  the  valley  is  also  pierced,  below  the  settled  part  of 
Cincinnati,  by  the  valley  of  Mill  creek,  running  northerly.  Cincinnati  is 
laid  out  with  considerable  regard  to  regularity ;  the  streets  in  the  center  of 
the  city  being  broad,  and  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles.  Many  of 
the  hills  surrounding  the  city  are  adorned  by  stately  and  elegant  mansions, 
with  ornamental  grounds  attached;  while  some  of  them  are  yet  covered  with 
groves  of  ancient  forest  trees. 

The  greater  part  of  the  city  is  built  on  t\^>  terraces,  or  plains,  sometimes 
called  "bottoms,"  of  which  the  first  is  about  50,  and  the  second  108  feet 
above  low  water  mark.  These  elevations,  in  grading;,  have  been  reduced 
more  nearly  to  a  gradual  ascent  of  from  5  to  10  degrees  from  the  river. 
The  city  extends  more  than  three  miles  along  the  river.  The  central  por 
tions  are  compactly  and  handsomely  built,  with  streets  about  66  feet  wide, 
bordered  with  spacious  warehouses,  stores,  etc.,  many  of,  which  are  magnifi 
cent  structures,  of  beautiful  brown  freestone,  rising  to  the  hight  of  6  stories, 
and  with  fronts  of  elaborate  architecture.  Main -street  extends  from  the 
steamboat  landing,  in  a  northerly  direction,  and  Broadway,  Sycamore,  Wal 
nut,  Vine,  Race,  Elm,  and  Plum-streets,  are  parallel  to  it.  It  is  intersected 
a.t  rijjht  angles  by  14  principal  streets,  named  Water,  First,  Second,  Thirdj 
etc.  An  open  area  upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  with  about  1,000  feet  front,  east 


OHIO. 


103 


from  the  foot  of  Main -street,  embracing  some  10  acres,  is  reserved  for  the  land 
ing,  and  usually  presents  a  scene  of  great  activity.  The  shore  is  paved  with 
stone  from  low  water  mark  to  the  top  of  the  first  bank,  and  furnished  with 


View  on  Fourth  street,  Cincinnati. 

The  first  building  on  the  left  is  the  iron  front  clothing;  storo  of  Spnigue  &  Co.  Tho  Foot  Ofn>«>  and  Cus 
tom  House  are  in  the  structure  with  tho  Gre<  ian  front.  Mitchell  &  Kannuelsburg'H  Furniture  Warerooms, 
Shillito's  Dry  Goods'  establishment,  appear  beyond. 

floating  wharves,  which  accommodate  themselves  to  the  great  variation  in 
the  hiht  of  the  river.     From  GO  to  80   steamboats  are  often  seen   here  at 


once,  presenting  a  scene  of  animation  and  business  life. 
The  Ohio  iliver,  at  Cincinnati,  is  1,800  feet,  or  about 


one 


third  of  a  mile, 


104  OHIO. 

wide,  and  its  mean  annual  range  from  low  to  high  water  is  about  50  feet: 
the  extreme  range  may  be  10  feet  more.  The  water  is  at  its  lowest  point  of 
depression  usually  in  August,  September  and  October,  and  the  greatest  rise, 
in  December,  March,  May  and  June.  Its  current,  at  its  mean  hight,  is  three 
miles  an  hour ;  when  higher,  or  rising,  it  is  more,  and  when  very  low  it  does 
not  exceed  two  miles.  The  navigation  of  the  river  is  rarely  suspended  by 
ice.  The  city  is  supplied  with  water  raised  from  the  Ohio  by  steam  power, 
capable  of  forcing  into  the  reservoir  5,000,000  gallons  of  water  each  twelve 
hours.  The  reservoir  is  elevated  about  200  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  Ohio, 
and  is  estimated  to  contain  5,000,000  gallons. 

In  point  of  commercial  importance,  Cincinnati  occupies  a  front  rank  in 
the  west.  By  means  of  the  numerous  steamers  which  are  constantly  plying 
to  and  fro  on  the  bosom  of  the  majestic  river,  which  rolls  gracefully  on  the 
south  of  the  city,  and  the  several  canals  and  railroads  which  enter  here, 
Cincinnati  is  connected  with  every  available  point  of  importance  in  the 
great  and  highly  productive  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  trade  is  not, 
however,  confined  to  the  interior :  and  a  vast  amount  of  foreign  importation 
and  exportation  is  done.  The  pork  business  is  carried  on  more  extensively 
here  than  at  any  other  place  in  the  world. 

Manufacturing  is  entered  into  here  with  great  energy,  and  employs  a  vast 
amount  of  capital.  Numerous  mills  and  factories  are  in  operation,  besides 
founderies,  planing  mills,  rolling  mills,  saw  mills,  rolling  mills,  flouring  mills. 
type  founderies,  machine  shops,  distilleries,  etc.  Nearly  all  kinds  of  ma 
chinery  is  driven  by  steam,  and  there  are  now  about  300  steam  engines  in 
operation  in  the  city.  Steamboat  building  is  an  extensive  and  important 
business  here.  Among  the  most  important  branches  of  manufacture  is  that 
of  iron  castings,  implements  and  machinery  of  various  kinds,  as  steam  en 
gines,  sugar  mills,  stoves,  etc.,  some  of  the  establishments  employing  hun 
dreds  of  hands.  The  manufacture  of  clothing  is  also  a  great  interest;  and 
in  the  extent  of  the  manufacture  of  furniture,  the  factories  surpass  any  others 
in  the  Union.  Cincinnati  is  also  the  mo^t  extensive  book  publishing  mart 
in  the  west.  The  total  value  of  the  procnict  of  the  manufacturing  and  in 
dustrial  pursuits  of  Cincinnati,  for  1859,  was  ascertained  by  Mr.  Cist  to  sum 
up  more  than  one  hundred  and  twelve  millions  of  dollars.  Among  the 
heaviest  items  were,  ready  made  clothing  15  millions ;  iron  castings,  b'^ 
millions;  total  iron  products,  13  millions;  pork  and  beef  packing,  (jj  mil 
lions;  candles  and  lard  oil,  6  millions;  whisky,  54-  millions;  furniture,  3|j 
millions;  domestic  liquors,  3J  millions;  publications,  newspapers,  books,  etc., 
2J  millions;  and  patent  medicines,  2  millions. 

Cincinnati  was  the  first  city  in  the  world  to  adopt  the  steam  fire  engine. 
The  machine  used  is  of  Cincinnati  invention,  by  Abel  Shawk.  The  fire  de 
partment  is  under  pay  of  the  city.  It  is  admirably  conducted,  and  so  efficient 
that  a  serious  conflagration  is  very  rare.  The  huge  machines,  when  on  their 
way  to  a  fire,  are  drawn  through  the  streets  by  four  powerful  horses  moving 
nt  full  gallop,  and  belching  forth  flames  and  smoke,  form  an  imposing  spec 
tacle. 

Cincinnati  has  the  first  Observatory  built  on  the  globe  by  the  contribu 
tions  of  "the  people."  It  is  a  substantial  stone  building,  on  the  hill  east  of 
the  city,  500  feet  above  the  Ohio,  named  Mt.  Adams,  from  John  Quincy 
Adivins,  who  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  structure,  Nov.  9,  1843.  The  tel 
escope  is  of  German  manufacture;  it  is  an  excellent  instrument,  and  cost 
about  $10,000. 


OHIO. 


105 


The  public  buildings  of  Cincinnati  are  numerous,  and  some  of  them  of 
beautiful  architecture.  The  Mechanics'  Institute  is  a  substantial  buildir.jr, 
erected  by  voluntary  subscription.  The  Ohio  School  Library  and  that  of  the 
Mechanics'  Institute  are  merged  in  one,  which  is  free  to  the  public:  itj  has 


Pike's  Building. 

24,000  volumes.  The  Catholic  Institute,  which  adjoins  it,  is  an  ele 
gant  and  capacious  structure  with  a  front  of  freestone.  The  Cincin 
nati  College  edifice  is  a  large  building  of  compact  gray  limestone. 
In  it  are  the  rooms  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Young 
Hens'  Mercantile  Library  Association.  This  association  has  a  large 
and  excellent  library,  besides  all  the  principal  American  and  foreign 
periodicals.  The  Masonic  Temple,  corner  of  Third  and  Walnut,  cost 
$150.000.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  imposing  buildings  in 
the  Union.  The  material  is  a  light  freestone,  and  the  style  Byzan 
tine.  The  County  Court  House  is  the  largest  building  in  the  city. 
It  cost  more  than  a  million  of  dollars:  its  front  is  of  gray  limestone, 
and  the  whole  structure  is  of  the  most  durable  character.  Among  the 
theaters  of  the  city,  Pike's  Opera  House,  for  its  beauty,  had  a  national 
reputation.  It  cost  with  the  ground,  nearly  half  a  million  of  dollars: 
its  magnificent  opera  hall  was  justly  the  pride  of  the  citizens.  It  was 
burnt  in  1866,  and  is  now  re-built,  but  without  the  opera  hall. 
Among  the  110  churches  of  the  city,  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  on  Eighth 
street,  and  the  Jewish  Synagogue  opposite  it,  are  the  most  imposing. 
Cincinnati  has  its  full  share  of  literary  and  benevolent  institutions  : 
five  medical  and  four  commercial  colleges,  the  Weslyan  Female,  and  St. 


106  OHIO. 

Xavier  Colleges.  The  common  school  system  is  on  the  principle  now  in 
vogue,  of  graded  schools.  The  scholars  are  divided  into  three  classes — the 
common,  intermediate  and  high  schools.  And  these,  in  turn,  are  graded,  one 
year> being  given  to  each  grade.  A  child  is  taken  at  six  years  of  age,  and  at 
eighteen  graduates  at  the  high  school,  with  an  education  based  on  the  com 
mon  branches,  and  completed  with  some  of  the  languages  and  higher 
branches  of  science.* 

Cincinnati  is  the  center  of  many  extensive  railway  lines,  running  north, 
east,  south  and  west,  and  also  the  terminus  of  the  Miami  Canal,  extending 
to  Lake  Erie  and  Toledo,  and  the  Whitewater  Canal,  penetrating  the  heart 
of  Indiana.  Population,  in  1800,  759;  in  1810,  2,540;  in  1820,  9,602; 
1830,24,831;  1840,  46,338;  1850/118,761;  in  1860,  171,293;  the  suburbs, 
Covington  and  Newport,  would  increase  this  to  about  200,000. 

Cincinnati  is  noted  for  the  successful  manufacture  of  wine  from  native 
grapes,  particularly  the  Catawba.  The  establishment  of  this  branch  of  in 
dustry  is  due  to  the  unremitting  exertions  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Longworth,  a 
resident  of  Cincinnati  for  more  than  half  a  century. 

Prior  to  this,  the  manufacture  of  American  wine  had  been  tried  in  an 
experimental  way,  but  it  had  failed  as  a  business  investment.  Learning  that 
wine  could  be  made  from  the  Catawba  grape,  a  variety  originating  in  ]STortli 
Carolina,  Mr.  Longworth  entered  systematically  into  its  cultivation,  and  to 
encourage  the  establishment  of  numerous  vineyards,  he  offered  a  market  on 
his  own  premises  for  all  the  must  (juice),  that  might  be  brought  him,  with 
out  reference  to  the  quantity. 

;'At  the  same  time  he  offered  a  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  to  whoever  should 
discover  a  better  variety.  Jt  proved  a  great  stimulus  to  the  growth  of  the  Catawba 
vine  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cincinnati,  to  know  that  a  man  of  Mr.  Longworth's 
means  stood  ready  to  pay  cash,  at  the  rate  of  from  a  dollar  to  a  dollar  and  a  quar 
ter  a  gallon,  for  all  the  grape  juice  that  might  be  brought  to  him,  without  reference 
to  the  quantity.  It  was  in  this  way,  and  by  urgent  popular  appeals  through  the 
columns  of  the  newspapers,  that  he  succeeded,  after  many  failures,  and  against  the 
depressing  influence  of  much  doubt  and  indifference,  in  bringing  the  enterprise  up 

*The  forcing  system  prevails  in  the  graded  schools  of  our  large  cities  to  an  alarming  ex 
tent.  It  would  seem  as  if,  in  the  opinion  of  those  who  control  these  institutions,  Provi 
dence  had  neglected  to  make  the  days  of  sufficient  length,  for  children  to  obtain  an  educa 
tion.  In  some  of  our  large  cities,  doubtless  many  children  can  he  found,  on  any  winter 
night,  between  the  late  hours  of  8  and  10,  busy  pouring:  over  their  books — a  necessity  re 
quired  for  a  respectable  scholarship.  Many,  if  the  writer  can  believe  alike  teachers  and 
parents,  break  down  under  the  system.  Others,  doubtless,  are  to  reap  bitter  fruits  in  after 
life,  in  long  years  of  suffering,  if,  more  hnppily,  they  fail  to  fill  premature  graves  ! 

H.  H.  Barney,  Esq.,  formerly  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  of  Ohio,  himself  with 
thirty-two  years  of  experience  as  a  teacher,  thus  expresses  his  views  on  this  subject : 

"  This  ill-judged  system  of  education  has  proved,  in  numerous  instances,  fatal  to  the 
health  of  the  inmates  of  our  public  schools,  exhausting  their  physical  energies,  irritating 
their  nerves,  depressing  .and  crushing,  to  a  great  extent,  that  elasticity  of  spirit,  vigor  of 
body,  and  pleasantness  of  pursuit,  which  are  essential  to  the  highest  success  in  educatiorf 
as  well  as  in  every  other  occupation. 

Parents,  guardians,  physicians,  and  sensible  men  and  women  everywhere,  bear  testimony 
against  a  system  of  education  which  ignores  the  health,  the  happiness,  and,  in  some  CASCS, 
even  the  life  of  the  pupil.  Yet  this  absurd,  cruel  system  is  still  persevered  in,  and  will 
continue  to  be,  so  long  as  our  public  schools  are  mainly  filled  with  the  children  of  the 
poorer  and  humbler  classes  of  society,  and  so  long  as  the  course  of  study  and  number  of 
study  hours  are  regulated  and  determined  by  those  who  have  had  little  or  no  experience  in 
the  education  or  bringing  up  of  children,  or  who,  by  educating  their  own  offspring,  at  homo 
or  in  private  schools,  have,  in  a  measure,  shielded  them  from  the  evils  of  this  stern,  rigor 
ous,  unnatural  system  of  educating  the  intellect  at  the  expense  of  the  body,  the  affections, 
the  disposition,  and  the  present  as  well  as  life  long  welfare  of  the  pupil." 


OHIO.  107 

to  its  present  high  and  stable  position.  When  he  took  the  matter  in  hand  there 
was  much  to  discourage  any  one  not  possessed  of  the  traits  of  constancy  of  pur 
pose  and  perseverance  peculiar  to  Mr.  Longworth.  Many  had  tried  the  manufac 
ture  of  wine,  and  had  failed  to  give  it  any  economical  or  commercial  importance. 


Longworth' s  Vineyard. 

Situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  four  miles  above  Cincinnati. 

Jt  was  not  believed,  until  Mr.  Longworth  practically  demonstrated  it,  after  many 
long  and  patient  trials  of  man}7  valued  varieties  from  France  and  Madeira,  none 
of  which  gave  any  promise  of  success,  that  a  native  grape  was  the  only  one  upon 
which  any  hope  could  be  placed,  and  that  of  the  native  grapes,  of  which  he  had 
experimented  upon  every  known  variety,  the  Catawba  offered  the  most  assured 
promise  of  success,  and  was  the  one  upon  which  all  vine-growers  might  with  con 
fidence  depend.  It  took  years  of  unremitted  care,  multiplied  and  wide-spread  in 
vestigations,  and  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money,  to  establish  this  fact, 
and  bring  the  agricultural  community  to  accept  it  and  act  under  its  guidance. 
The  success  attained  by  Mr.  Longworth'*  soon  induced  other  gentlemen  resident 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  and  favorably  situated  for  the  purpose,  to  undertake 
the  culture  of  the  Catawba,  and  several  of  them  are  now  regularly  and  extensively 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wine.  The  impetus  and  encouragement  thus  given 
to  the  business  soon  led  the  German  citizens  of  Hamilton  county  to  perceive  its 
advantages,  and  under  their  thrifty  management  thousands  of  acres,  stretching  up 
from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  are  now  covered  with  luxuriant  and  profitable  vine 
yards,  rivaling  in  profusion  and  beauty  the  vine  clad  hills  of  Italy  and  France. 
The  oldest  vineyard  in  the  county  of  Hamilton  is  of  Mr.  Longworth's  planting. 
The  annual  product  of  these  vineyards  may  be  set  down  at  between  five  and  six 
hundred  thousand  gallons,  worth  at  present  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  a 
gallon ;  but  the  price,  owing  to  the  rapidity  of  the  consumption,  will  probably  ad- 

•:;:-«  ^jri  Longworth  was  always  curious  after  new  and  interesting  things  of  Nature's  pro 
ducing.  It  was  the  remark  of  an  old  citizen  of  Cincinnati,  that,  if  Mr.  Longworth  was  to 
be  suddenly  thrown,  neck  and  heels,  into  the  Ohio  River,  he  would  come  to  the  surface  with 
a  new  variety  of  fish  in  each  hand.  His  chief  interest  in  horticultural  matters,  however, 
has  been  expended, upon  the  strawberry  and  the  grape.  The  perfection  of  variety  and  cul 
ture  to  which  he  has,  by  his  experiments  and  labors,  brought  these  two  important  fruits  of 
the  country,  have  established  their  extensive  and  systematic  cultivation  in  all  parts  of  the 
west." 


108  OHIO. 

vanco  rather  than  decline.  It  is  the  prophecy  of  Mr.  Flagg,  Mr.  Longworth' 9  son- 
in-law,  the  gentleman  who  has  charge  of  the  commercial  department  of  his  wine 
business,  that,  in  the  course  of  comparatively  few  years,  the  annual  product  of 
the  Sparkling  Catawba  will  be  counted  by  millions  of  bottles,  while  that  of  the 
still  sorts  will  be  estimated  by  its  millions  of  gallons.  Mr.  Longworth  alone  bot 
tles  annually  over  150,000  bottles,  and  has  now~?n  his  cellars  a  ripening  stock  of 
300,000  bottles.  These  cellars  are  situated  on  the  declivity  of  East  Sixth-street, 
on  the  road  to  Observatory  Hill.  They  occupy  a  space  ninety  feet  by  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five,  and  consist  of  two  tiers  of  massive  stone  vaults,  the  lower  of  which 
is  twenty-five  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Here  are  carried  on  all  the 
various  processes  of  wine-making,  the  mashing,  pressing,  fining,  racking,  bottling, 
labeling  and  boxing;  and  beneath  the  arches  and  along  the  walls  are  the  wine  butts, 
arranged  and  numbered  in  the  order  of  the  several  vintages;  piles  of  bottles  stand 
about,  ready  for  the  bottlers." 

Within  the  last  few  years,  the  grape  crop  in  the  Ohio  valley  has  been 
much  injured  by  mildew  and  rot,  yet  the  crop,  thus  far,  has  been  as  reliable 
as  any  other  fruit.  The  most  certain  locality  for  the  production  of  the 
grape  in  Ohio,  is  Kelly's  Island,  in  Lake  Erie,  near  Sandusky  City,  where 
the  vines  bear  fruit  when  they  fail  in  all  other  localities.  This  is  ascribed  to 
the  uniformity  of  temperature  at  night,  during  the  summer  months,  by  which 
the  formation  of  dew  is  prevented,  and  consequently  of  mildew.  The  grape 
is  now  cultivated  in  vineyards,  for  making  wine,  in  twenty-one  states  of  the 
Union.  In  the  mountain  regions  of  Tennessee,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  South 
Carolina,  the  increase  has  been  rapid  and  extensive.  That  district  and  Cal 
ifornia  appear  to  be  the  most  favorable  grape  producing  parts  of  the  Union. 
Longworth's  garden  is  among  the  curiosities  of  Cincinnati,  and  was  for 
merly  greatly  visited  by  strangers.  It  is  an  inclosure  of  several  acres,  near 
the  heart  of  the  city,  and  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Adams.  The  mansion,  with  its 
art- treasures,  is  in  the  midst.  On  the  grounds  are  several  fine  conservato 
ries,  filled  with  rare  plants,  a  grape-house  for  foreign  vines,  and  experi 
mental  forcing-house,  for  new  varieties  of  strawberries  and  other  plants. 
Mr.  Longworth  died  February  10,  1863,  at  the  advanged  age  of  eighty-one. 
The  suburbs  of  Cincinnati  are  very  beautiful.  Over  on  the  hills  the  whole 
surface  of  the  country,  for  miles  and  miles  in  every  direction,  is  disposed,  in 
exquisite  undulations,  with  charming  country  seats,  scattered  here  and  there. 
The  prominent  localities  are  Walnut  Hills,  the  seat  of  Lane  Seminary,  Mt. 
Auburn,  Avondale  and  Clifton,  the  last  containing  the  most  elegant  of  rural 
seats.  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  an  inclosure  of  168  acres,  is  four  miles  from 
Cincinnati — a  city  of  the  dead  in  a  beautiful  location,  and  where  nature  and 
art  join  their  attractions. 

North  Bend,  once  the  home  of  General  Harrison,  is  16  miles  below  the 
city,  and  four  from  the  Indiana  line,  at  the  northermost  point  of  a  bend  in  the 
Ohio  Iliver.  This  place  derives  its  chief  interest  from  having  been  long  the 
residence  of  William  Henry  Harrison.  The  family  mansion  stood  on  a  level 
plat  about  300  yards  back  from  the  Ohio,  amid  pleasing  scenery.  It  was  de 
stroyed  by  fire  a  few  years  since.  The  engraving  on  the  following  page  is 
copied  from  a  drawing  made  in  1846  by  Mr.  Howe  for  his  work  on  Ohio. 
The  eastern  half  of  the  mansion,  that,  is,  the  part  on  the  reader's  right,  from 
the  door  in  the  main  building,  was  built  of  logs.  The  whole  structure  was 
clapboarded  and  painted,  and  had  a  neat  appearance. 

This  dwelling  became  noted  in  the  presidential  campaign  of  1840,  which  re 
sulted  in  the  election  of  Gen.  Harrison  to  the  presidency — commonly  called  "the 
Hard  Cider  Campaign."  It  is  said  that  some  opponent  had  declared  in  a  public 
speech  that  he  was  unfit  for  the  office,  because  he  never  had  shown  the  ability  to 


OHIO. 


109 


raise  himself  beyond  the  occupancy  of  a  log  cabin,  in  which  he  lived  very  coarsely, 
with  no  better  beverage  than  hard  cider.  It  was  an  unfortunate  charge  for  the 
wishes  of  the  accuser.  The  taunt  of  his  being  a  poor  man,  and  living  in  a  log 
cabin,  was  seized  upon  by  the  whigs  as  an  evidence  of  his  incorruptibility  in  the 

many  responsible  stations  he  had 
held,  and  the  log  cabin  became  at 
once  the  symbol  of  the  party. 
Thousands  of  these  were  erected 
forthwith  all  over  the  land  as  ral 
lying  points  for  political  meetings. 
Miniature  cabins  were  carried  in 
political  processions,  and  in  some 
cases  barrels  labeled  "hard  cider." 


NOKTH  BEND, 
Residence  of  President  Harrison. 


no"  and  Tyler  too,1'  in  which 


Such  enthusiasm  as  was  excited 
among  the  masses  of  the  western 
pioneers  by  the  nomination  of  their 
favorite  military  leader  had  never 
before  been  exceeded.  Immense 
mass  meetings,  with  processions 
and  song  singing  became  the  order 
of  the  time.  Among  the  songs  sung 
by  assembled  multitudes  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  the  most  popu- 
ular  was  one  entitled  "Tippcca- 
occurred  these  verses: 


What  has  caused  this  great  commotion,  motion,  motion, 
Our  country  through  ?  • 

It  is  the  ball  that's  rolling  on 
For  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too, 
For  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too; 

And  with  them  we'll  heat  little  Van, 

Van,  Van,  Van,  Van  is  a  u.^ed  up  man, 

And  with  them  we'll  beat  little  Van. 

The  latch-string  hangs  outside  the  door,  door,  door, 

And  is  never  pulled  through, 
For  it  never  was  the  custom  of 

Old  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too,  # 

Old  Tippecanoe  and  Tyler  too  ; 
And  -with  them  we'll  beat  little  Van, 
Van,  Van,  Van,  Van  is  a  used  up  man, 
And  with  them  we'll  beat  little  Van. 

The  tomb  of  Harrison  ia  near  by,  on  a  small  oval  inound,  elevated  about  150 
feet  above  the  Ohio,  and  commanding  a  view  of  beauty.  It  is  a  plain  brick  struc 
ture,  without  inscription. 


Near  the  tomb  of  Harrison  is  the  grave  of  Judge  Symmes.  On  a  tablet  there  is 
this  inscription: 

Here  rest  the  remains  of  John  Cleves  Symmes,  who  at  the  foot  of  these  hills  made  the 
drat  settlement  between  the  Miami  Rivers.  Born  at  Long  Island,  state  of  New  York,  July 
21,  A.  D.  1742  j  died  at  Cincinnati,  February  26,  A.  D.  1814. 

Judge  Symmes,  before  his  removal  to  the  west,  was  a  member  of  congress  fiom 
New  Jersey,  and  also  chief  justice  of  that  state.  Gen.  Harrison  married  his 
daughter,  who,  as  late  as  1SGO,  still  survived.  At  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  the  In 
dians  told  Judge  Symmes,  and  others,  that  in  the  war  they  had  frequently  brought 
up  their  rifles  to  shoot  him,  and  then  on  recognizing  him  refused  to  pull  the  trig 
ger.  This  was  in  consequence  of  his  previous  kindness  to  them,  and  spoke  volumes 
in  his  praise,  as  well  as  honor  to  the  native  instinct  of  the  savages. 


110 


OHIO. 


ANCIENT  BLOCK-HOUSE  NEAR  NORTH  BEND. 


Three  miles  below  North  Bend,  on  the  Ohio,  was  Sugar  Cainp  Settlement,  com 
posed  of  about  thirty  houses,  and  a  block-house  erected  as  a  defense  against  the 
_  _   _  Indians.     This  was" about  the 


time  of  the  first  settlement 
of  Cincinnati.  Until  within 
a  few  years,  this  block 
house  was  standing.  The  ad 
joining  cut  is  from  a  draw 
ing  taken  on  the  spot  in  1846 
We  give  it  because  it  shows 
the  ordinary  form  of  these 
structures.  Their  distin 
guishing  feature  is  that  from 
the  hightof  a  man's  shoulder 
the  building  the  rest  of  the 
way  up  projects  a  foot  or  two 
from  the  lower  part,  leaving 
at  the  point  of  junction  be 
tween  the  two  parts  a  cavity 
through  which  to  thrust  rifles 
on  the  approach  of  enemies. 

Hamilton,  the  capital  of  Butler  county,  is  25  miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  on 
the  Miami  Canal,  river  and  railroad  to  Dayton,  and  at  the  terminus  of  a 
railroad  to  Richmond.  A  hydraulic  canal  of  28  feet  fall  gives  excellent 
water  power,  and  there  are  now  in  operation  several  flourishing  manufactur 
ing  establishments — paper,  flouring,  woolen,  planing  mills,  iron  foundries, 
etc.  Population  8000.  The  well  known  Miami  University  is  12  miles  north 
west  of  Hamilton,  in  the  beautiful  town  of  Oxford. 

John  Cleves  Symmes^  the  author  of  the  "Theory  of  Concentric  Spheres,"  demon 
strating  that  the  earth  is  hollow,  inhabited  by  human  beings,  and  widely  open  at 
the  poles,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  a  nephew  of  Judge  Symmes.  He  re 
sided  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  at  Hamilton,  where  he  died  in  1829,  aged  about 
50  years.  In  early  life  he  entered  the  army  as  an  ensign.  He  was  with  Scott  in 
his  Niagara  campaign,  and  acted  with  bravery.  In  a  short  circular,  dated  at  St. 
Louis,  in  1818,  Capt.  Symmes  first  promul 
gated  the  fundamental  principles  of  his 
theory  to  the  world.  From  time  to  time, 
he  published  various  articles  in  the  pub 
lic  prints  upon  the  subject.  He  also  de 
livered  lectures,' first  at  Cincinnati  in  1820, 
and  afterward  in  various  places  in  Ken 
tucky  and  Ohio. 

"  In  the  year  1822,  Capt.  Symmes  petitioned 
the  congress  of  the  United  States,  setting 
forth,  in  the  first  place,  his  belief  of  the  ex 
istence  of  a  habitable  and  accessible  concave 
to  this  globe;  his  desire  to  embark  on  a  voy 
age  of  discovery  to  one  or  other  of  the  polar 
regions;  his  belief  in  the  great  profit  and  honor 
his  country  would  derive  from  such  a  dis 
covery;  and  prayed  that  congress  would  equip 
and  fit  out  for  the  expedition,  two  vessels, 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred 
tuns  burden;  and  grant  such  other  aid  as  gov 
ernment  might  deem  necessary  to  promote  the 
object.  This  petition  was  presented  in  the 


Of 


MONUMENT  OF  J.  C.  SYMMES. 

'Symmes'  Hole"  memory.     It  is  surmounted 
by  a  globe  «'  open  at  tbo  poles." 


senate  by  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  on  the  7th  day  of  March,  1822,  when  (a  mot-ion  to 
refer  it  to  the  committee  of  foreign  relations  having  failed),  after  a  few  remarks  it  was 
laid  OH  the  table — Ayes,  25.  In  December,  1823,  he  forwarded  similar  petitions  to  both 
houses  of  congress,  which  met  with  a  similar  fate.  In  January  1824,  he  petitioned  the 


OHIO. 


Ill 


general  assembly  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  praying  that  body  to  pass  a  resolution  approbatory 
of  his  theory;  and  to  recommend  him  to  congress  for  an  outfic  suitable  to  the  enterprise. 
This  memorial  was  presented  by  Micajah  T.  Williams,  and,  on  motion,  the  further  con 
sideration  thereof  was  indefinitely  postponed." 

His  theory  was  rnefc  with  ridicule,  both  in  this  country  and  Europe,  and  became 
a  fruitful  source  of  jest  and  levity,  to  the  public  prints  of  the  day.  Notwithstand 
ing,  he  advanced  many  plausible  and  ingenious  arguments,  and  won  quite  a  num 
ber  of  converts  among  those  who  attended  his  lectures,  one  of  whom,  a  gentleman 
of  Hamilton,  wrote  a  work  in  its  support,  published  in  Cincinnati  in  18:26,  in  which 
he  stated  his  readiness  to  embark  on  a  voyage  of  discovery  to  the  North  Pole,  for 
the  purpose  of  testing  its  truth.  Capt.  Symmes  met  with  the  usual  fate  of  pro 
jectors,  in  living  and  dying  in  great  pecuniary  embarrassment:  but  he  left  the 
reputation  of  an  honest  man. 


South-eastern  view  of  the  Court  House,  at  Chillicothe. 

This  beautiful  and  commodious  structure  is  in  the  central  part  of  Chillicothe ;  the  left  wing,  on  the  cor 
ner  of  Main  and  Paint-streets,  attached  to  the  main  building,  contains  the  otiices  of  the  Probate  Judge, 
the  Sheriff,  and  the  Clerk  ;  the  other  wing,  those  of  the  Recorder,  Treasurer,  and  Auditor.  The  iirst 
Presbyterian  Church  is  seen  on  the  left. 

CHILLICOTHE  is  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Scioto,  on  the  line  of  the  Ohio 
Canal  and  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  Railroad,  45  miles  S.  of  Columbus,  45 
from  Portsmouth,  and  96  from  Cincinnati.  The  Scioto  curves  around  it  on 
the  north,  and  Paint  creek  flows  on  the  south.  The  site  of  the  place  is  on  a  plain 
about  30  feet  above  the  river.  It  contains  17  churches,  a  young  ladies' 
Academy  of  the  Notre  Dame,  a  nourishing  military  academy,  a*ad  about 
9,000  inhabitants. 

The  new  court  house,  in  this  town,  is  one  of  the  best  designed,  most  beautiful, 
and  convenient  structures  of  the  kind  we  have  seen  in  our  tour  through  the 
United  States.  It  was  erected  at  an  expense  of  about  $100,000,  and  was 
designed  by  Gen.  James  Howe,  one  of  the  county  commissioners.  A  room 
is  set  apart  in  the  court  house  for  the  preservation  of  the  relics  of  antiquity. 
Here  is  preserved  the  table  around  which  the  members  of  the  territorial 
council  sat  when  they  formed  the  laws  of  the  North  West  Territory,  of  which 
Chillicothe  was  the  capital.  Around  it  also  gathered  the  members  who 
formed  the  first  constitution  of  Ohio.  The  old  bell  which  called  them  to- 


112 


OHIO. 


gether  is  preserved,  also  the  copper  eagle,  which,  for  fifty  years,  perched  on 
the  spire  of  the  old  state  house. 

In  1800,  the  old  state  house  was  commenced  and  finished  the  next  year, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  legislature  and  courts.  It  is  believed  that  it 

was  the  first  public  stone  edi 
fice  erected  in  the  territory. 
The  mason  work  was  done  by 
Major  Wm.  llutledge,  a  sol 
dier  of  the  Revolution,  and 
the  carpentering  by  William 
Guthrie.  The  territorial  leg 
islature  held  their  session  in 
it  for  the  first  time  in  1801. 
The  convention  that  framed 
the  first  constitution  of  Ohio 
was  held  in  it,  the  session 
commencing  on  the  first  Mon 
day  in  November,  1802.  In 
April,  1803,  the  first  state  leg 
islature  met  in  the  house,  and 
held  their  sessions  until  1810. 
The  sessions  of  1810-11,  and 
1811-12,  were  held  at  Zanes- 
ville,  and  from  there  removed 
back  to  Chillieothe  and  held 
in  this  house  until  1810,  when 
Columbus  became  the  perma 
nent  capital  of  the  state.  This  ancient  edifice  was  standing  until  within  a 
few  years. 

In  tho  Avar  of  1812,  Chillicothe  was  a  rendezvous  for  United  States  troops.  They 
were  stationed  at  Camp  Bull,  a  stockade  one  mile  N.  of  the  town,  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Scioto.  A  large  number  of  British  prisoners,  amounting  to  several  hundred, 
were  at  one  time  confined  at  the  camp.  On  one  occasion,  a  conspiracy  was  formed 
between  the  soldiers  and  their  officers  who  were  confined  in  jail.  The  plan  was 
for  the  privates  in  camp  to  disarm  their  guard,  proceed  to  the  jail,  release, tho 
officers,  burn  the  town,  and  escape  to  Canada.  The  conspiracy  was  disclosed  by 
two  senior  British  officers,  upon  which,  as  a  measure  of  security,  the  officers  were 
sent  to  the  penitentiary  in  Frankfort,  Ky. 

Four  deserters  were  shot  at  camp  at  one  time.  The  ceremony  was  impressive 
and  horrible.  The  soldie-rs  were  all  marched  out  under  arms,  with  music  playing, 
to  witness  the  death  of  their  comrades,  and  arranged  in  one  long  extended  lino  in 
front  of  the  camp,  facing  the  river.  Close  by  the  river  bank,  at  considerable  dis 
tances  apart,  the  deserters  were  placed,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  with  their  coats 
buttoned  up  and  caps  drawn  over  their  faces.  They  were  confined  to  stakes  in  a 
kneeling  position  behind  their  coffins,  painted  black,  which  came  up  to  their  waists, 
exposing  the  upper  part  of  their  persons  to  the  fire  of  their  fellow-soldiers.  Two 
sections,  of  six  men  each,  were  marched  before  each  of  the  doomed.  Signals  were 
given  by  an  officer,  instead  of  words  of  command,  so  that  the  unhappy  men  should 
not  be  apprised  of  the  moment  of  thoir  death.  At  the  given  signal  the  first  sec 
tions  raised  their  muskets  and  poured  the  fatal  volleys  into  the  breasts  of  their 
comrades.  Three  of  the  four  dropped  dead  in  an  instant;  but  tho  fourth  sprang 
up  with  ^reat  force,  and  gave  a  scream  of  agony.  The  reserve  section  stationed 
before  him  wore  ordered  to  their  places,  and  another  volley  completely  riddled  his 
bosom.  Even  then  the  thread  of  life  seemed  hard  to  sunder. 

On  another  occasion,  an  execution  took  place  at  the  same  spot  under  most  mel 
ancholy  circumstances.  It  was  that  of  a  mere  youth  of  nineteen,  the  son  cf  a 


OLD  STATE  HOUSE,  CHTI.LICOTHE. 
[Drawn  by  Henry  Howe,  in  1840.] 


OHIO.  11^ 

widow.  In  a  frolic  he  had  wandered  several  miles  from  camp,  and  was  on  his  re- 
'  ini  \\hen  he  stopped  at  an  inn  by  the  wayside.  The  landlord,  a.  fiend  in  human 
shape,  apprised  of  the  reward  of  $oO,  offered  for  the  apprehension  of  deserters, 
persuaded  him  to  remain  over  night,  with  the  offer  of  taking  him  into  camp  in  the 
morning,  at  which  he  stated  he  had  business.  The  youth,  unsuspicious  of  any 
thing  wrong,  accepted  the  offer  made  with  such  apparent  kindness,  when  lo!  on 
his  arrival  next  day  with  the  landlord,  he  surrendered  him  as  a  deserter,  swore 
falsely  as  to  the  facts,  claimed  and  obtained  the  reward.  The  court-martial,  igno 
rant  of  the  circumstances,  condemned  him  to  death,  and  it  was  not  until  he  was  no 
more,  that  his  innocence  was  known. 


Portsmouth  from  the  Kentucky  shore  of  the  Ohio. 

The  view  shows  tlv  a^rvfiiMn  •••  of  th?  St-sun'mit  Lrui'!in£,  ns  seen  from  Sprin<jville,  on  the  Kentucky 
siik-  of  til--  Ohio.  Tlxj  lii^s1  II  >ns-,  <Mru<;r  ot  Market  and  Front-streets,  appears  on  the  left,  G;»vlonl  & 
Co.'ii  Rolling  Mill  on  tlu  riy'it.  Tiu  S.;ioto  River  pa^s^s  at  tlie  foot  of  the  mountainous  ran^o  on  tlie  left. 

PORTSMOUTH,  the  capital  of  Soioto  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on  the 
Ohio  River,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto,  90  miles  S.  of  Columbus,  and  110 
by  the  river  above  Cincinnati,  at  the  terminus  of  the  Erie  and  Ohio  Canal, 
nnd  Scioto  and  Hocking  Valley  Railroad.  It  contains  16  churches,  5  foun- 
deries,  3  rolling  mills,  3  machine  shops,  and  about  8,000  inhabitants.  The 
great  iron  region  of  the  state  lies  north  and  east  of  Portsmouth,  and  adds 
much  to  the  business  of  the  town.  Here,  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Ohio. 
is  a  range  of  mountainous  hills,  averaging  500  feet  high.  Opposite  Ports 
mouth  they  rise  precipitously  to  a  hight  of  GOO  feet,  being  the  highest  eleva 
tion  on  the  Ohio  River,  presenting  a  very  striking  and  beautiful  appearance. 
The  Ohio  is  (>00  yards  wide  at  the  landing,  which  is  one  of  the  best  on  the 
river,  there  being  water  sufficient  for  the  largest  boats  at  all  seasons.  A  wire 
suspension  bridge  passes  over  the  Scioto  at  this  place. 

It  is  said  that  1-J-  miles  below  the  old  mouth  of  the  Scioto,  stood,  about 
the  year  1740,  a  French  fort  or  trading  station.  Prior  to  the  settlement  at 
Marietta,  an  attempt  at  settlement  was  made  at  Portsmouth,  the  history  of 
which  is  annexed  from  an  article  in  the  American  Pioneer,  by  George  Cor- 
vvin,  of  Portsmouth: 

in  April,  17S5,  four  families  from  the  Redstone  settlement  in  Pennsylvania,  de 
scended  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto,  and  there  moored  their  boat  under 
the  high  bank  where  Portsmouth  now  stands.  They  commenced  clearing  the 

8 


oino 

ground  to  plant  seeds  for  a  crop  to  support  their  families,  hoping  that  the  red  men 
of  the  forest  would  suffer  them  to  remain  and  improve  the  soil.  They  seemed  to 
hope  that  white  men  would  no  longer  provoke  the  Indians  to  savage  warfare. 

Soon  after  they  landed,  the  four  men,  the  heads  of  the  families,  started  up  tho 
Scioto  to  see  the  paradise  of  the  west,  of  which  they  had  heard  from  the  mouths 
of  white  men  who  had  traversed  it  during  their  captivity  among  the  natives.  Leav 
ing  the  little  colon}7,  now  consisting  of  four  women  and  their  children,  to  the  pro 
tection  of  an  over-ruling  Providence,  they  traversed  the  beautiful  bottoms  of  the 
Scioto  as  far  up  as  the  prairies  above,  and  opposite  to  where  Piketon  now  stands. 
One  of  them,  Peter  Patrick  by  name,  pleased  with  the  country,  cut  the  initials  of 
his  name  on  a  beech,  near  the  river,  which  being  found  in  after  times,  gave  the 
name  of  Pee  Pee  to  the  creek  that  flows  through  the  prairie  of  the  same  name ; 
arid  from  that  creek  was  derived  the  name  of  Pee  Pee  township  in  Pike  county. 

Encamping  near  the  site  of  Piketon,  they  were  surprised  by  a  party  of  Indians, 
who  killed  two  of  them  as  they  lay  by  their  fires.  The  other  two  escaped  over  the 
hills  to  the  Ohio  River,  which  they  struck  at  the, mouth  of  the  Little  Scioto,  jusn 
as  some  white  men  going  down  the  river  in  a  pirogue  were  passing.  They  were 
going  to  Port  Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash.  The  tale  of  woe  which  was  told  by  these 
men,  with  entreaties  to  be  taken  on  board,  was  at  first  insufficient  for  their  relief. 
It  was  not  uncommon  for  Indians  to  compel  white  prisoners  to  act  in  a  similar 
manner  to  entice  boats  to  the  shore  for  murderous  and  marauding  purposes.  After 
keeping  them  some  time  running  down  the  shore,  until  they  believed  that  if  there 
was  an  ambuscade  of  Indians  on  shore,  they  were  out  of  its  reach,  they  took  them 
on  board, >and  brought  them  to  the  little  settlement,  the  lamentations  at  which  can 
not  be  described,  nor  its  feeling  conceived,  when  their  peace  was  broken  and  their 
hopes  blasted  by  the  intelligence  of  the  disaster  reaching  them.  My  informant 
was  one  who  came  down  in  the  pirogue. 

There  was,  hoAvever,  no  time  to  be  lost;  their  safety  depended  on  instant  flight 
-•-and  gathering  up  all  their  movables,  they  put  off  to  Limestone,  no\vMaysville,  as 
a  place  of  greater  safety,  where  the.  men  in  the  pirogue  left  them,  and  my  informant 
said,  never  heard  of  them  more. 

CirdeviUe,  the  county  seat  of  Pickaway  county,  on  the  Scioto  River,  on 
the  line  of  the  Erie  and  Ohio  Canal,  and  on  the  railroad  from  Cincinnati  to 
Wheeling,  is  26  miles  S.  from  Columbus,  and  19  N.  from  Chillicothe.  It 
lias  numerous  mills  and  factories,  and  an  extensive  water  power.  Population 
about  5,000. 

It  was  laid  out  in  1810,  as  the  sent  of  justice,  by  Daniel  Dresbatch,  on 
land  originally  belonging-  to  Zeiger  and  Watt.  The  town  is  on  the  site  of 
ancient  fortifications,  one  of  which  having  been  circular,  originated  the  name 
of  the  place.  The  old  court  house,  built  in  the  form  of  an  octagon,  and  de 
stroyed  in  1841,  stood  in  the  center  of  the  circle.  There  were  two  forts,  one 
being  an  exact  circle  of  69  feet  in  diameter,  the  other  an  exact  square,  55 
rods  on  a  side.  The  former  was  surrounded  by  two  walls,  with  a  deep  ditch 
between  them;  the  latter  by  one  wall,  without  any  ditch.  Opposite  each 
•  gateway  a  small  mound  was  erected  inside,  evidently  for  defense. 

Three  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Circlcville  are  tho  celebrated  Pickaway  Plains, 
said  to  contain  the  richest  body  of  land  in  southern  Ohio.  <%  They  are  divided  into 
two  parts,  the  greater  or  upper  plain,  and  the  lesser  or  lower  one.  They  com 
prise  about  20,000  acres.  When  first  cultivated  the  soil  was  very  black,  the  result 
of  vegetable  decomposition,  and  their  original  fertility  was  such  as  to  produce  one 
hundred  bushels  of  corn,  or  fifty  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  Formerly  the  plains  were 
adorned  with  a  great  variety  of  flowers. 

Of  all  places  in  the  west,  this  pre-eminently  deserves  the  name  of  "classic 
ground,"  for  this  was  the  seat  of  the  powerful  Shawn ee  tribe.  Here,  in  olden  time, 
btffned  the  council  fires  of  the  red  man;  here  the  affairs  of  the  nation  in  general 
council  wore  discussed,  and  the  important  questions  of  peace  and  war  decided. 
On  these  plains  the  allied  tribes  marched  forth  and  met  Gen.  Lewis,  and  fought 


OHIO.  115 

the  sanguinary  battle  at  Point  Pleasant,  on  the  Virginia  bank  of  the  Ohio,  at  the 
eve  of  the  Revolution.  Here  it  was  that  Logan  made  his  memorable  speech,  and 
here,  too,  that  the  noted  campaign  of  Dunmore  was  brought  to  a  close  by  a  treaty, 
or  rather  a  truce,  at  Camp  Charlotte. 

Among  the  circumstances  which  invest  this  region  with  extraordinary  interest, 
is  the  fact,  that  to  those  towns  were  brought  so  many  of  the  truly  unfortunate 
prisoners  who  were  abducted  from  the  neighboring  states.  Here  they  were  immo 
lated  on  the  altar  of  the  red  men's  vengeance,  and  made  to  suffer,  to  the  death,  all 
the  tortures  savage  ingenuity  could  invent,  as  a  sort  of  expiation  for  the  aggres 
sions  of  their  race. 

Old  Chillicothe,  which  was  the  principal  village,  stood  on  the  site  of  Westfall, 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Scioto,  4  miles  below  Circleville.  It  was  here  that  Logan, 
the  Mingo  chief,  delivered  his  famous  speech  to  John  Gibson,  an  Indian  trader. 
On  the  envoy  arriving  at  the  village,  Logan  came  to  him  and  invited  him  into  an 
adjoining  wood,  where  they  sat  down.  After  shedding  abundance  of  tears,  the 
honored  chief  told  his  pathetic  story — called  a  speech,  although  conversationally 
given.  Gibson  repeated  it  to  the  officers,  who  caused  it  to  be  published  in  the 
Virginia  Gazette  of  that  year,  so  that  it  fell  under  the  observation  of  Mr.  Jefferson, 
who  gave  it  to  the  world 'in  his  Notes  on  Virginia:  and  as  follows: 

I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  sa,y,  if  he  ever  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  I  gave 
him  not  meat;  if  ever  he  came  cold  or  naked,  and  I  gave  him  not  clothing? 

During  the  course  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  remained  in  his  tent,  an  advo 
cate  for  peace.  Nay,  such  was  my  love  for  the  whites,  that  those  of  my  own  country  pointed 
at  me  as  they  passed  by,  and  said,  "  Logan  is  the  friend  of  white  men."  I  had  even  thought 
to  live  with  you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last  spring,  in  cool 
blood,  and  unprovoked,  cut  off  all  the  relatives  of  Logan  ;  not  sparing  even  my  women  and 
children.  There  runs  not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  human  creature.  Thig 
called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have  sought  it.  I  have  killed  many.  I  have  fully  glutted  my 
vengeance.  For  my  country,  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  Yet,  do  not  harbor  the 
thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel 
to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan  ?•  Not  one. 

This  brief  effusion  of  mingled  pride,  courage,  and  sorrow,  elevated  the  character 
of  the  native  American  throughout  the  intelligent  world ;  and  the  place  where  it 
was  delivered  can  never  be  forgotten  so  long  as  touching  eloquence  is  admired  by 
men. 

The  last  years  of  Logan  were  truly  melancholy.  He  wandered  about  from  tribe 
to  tribe,  a  solitary  and  lonely  man ;  dejected  and  broken-hearted,  by  the  loss  of 
his  friends  and  the  decay  of  his  tribe,  he  resorted  to  the  stimulus  of  strong  drink 
to  drown  his  sorrow.  He  was  at  last  murdered  in  Michigan,  near  Detroit.  He 
was,  at  the  time,  sitting  with  his  blanket  over  his  head,  before  a  camp-fire,  his 
elbows  resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  head  upon  his. hands,  buried  in  profound  re 
flection,  when  an  Indian,  who  had  taken  some  offense,  stole  behind  him  and  buried 
his  tomahawk  in  his  brains.  Thus  perished  the  immortal  Logan,  the  last  of  his 
race. 

At  the  various  villages,  were  the  burning  grounds  of  the  captives  taken  in  war. 
These  were  on  elevated  sites,  so  that  when  a  victim  was  sacrificed  by  fire,  the 
smoke  could  be  seen  at  the  other  towns. 

The  chief,  Cornstalk,  whose  town  was  on  Scippo  Creek,  two  miles  south 
easterly  from  Old  Chillicothe,  was  a  man  of  true  nobility  of  soul,  and  a 
brave  warrior. 

At  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant  he  commanded  the  Indians  with  consummate  skill,  and 
if  at  any  time  his  warriors  were  believed  to  waver,  his  voice  could  be  heard  above  the  diu 
of  battle,  exclaiming  in  his  native  tongue,  "  Be  strong! — be  strong!  "  When  he  returned 
to  the  Pickaway  towns,  after  the  battle,  he  called  a  council  of  the  nation  to  consult  what 
should  be  done,  and  upbraided  them  in  not  suffering  him  to  make  peace,  as  he  desired,  on 
the  evening  before  the  battle.  "What,"  said  he,  "  will  you  do  now?  The  Big  Knife  is 
coming  on  us,  and  we  shall  all  be  killed.  Now  you  must  fight  or  we  are  undone."  But 
no  one  answering,  he  said,  "  then  let  us  kill  all  our  women  and  children,  and  go  and  fight 
until  we  die."  But  no  answer  was  made,  when,  rising,  he  struck  his  tomahawk  in  a  post 
of  the  council  house  and  exclaimed,  "  I'll  go  and  make  peace,"  to  which  all  the  warriors 
grunted  "  ough!  ough! "  and  runners  were  instantly  dispatched  to  Dunmore  to  solicit 
peace. 


116 


OHIO. 


In  the  summer  of  1777,  he  was  atrociously  murdered  at  Point  Pleasant.  As  his  mur 
derers  were  approaching,  his  son  Elinipsico  trembled  violently.  "  His  father  encouraged 
him  not  to  be  afraid,  for  that  the  Great  Man  above  had  sent  him  there  to  be  killed  and  die 
with  him.  As  the  men  advanced  to  the  door,  Cornstalk  rose  up  and  met  them:  they  fired 
and  seven  or  eight  bullets  went  through  him.  So  fell  the  great  Cornstalk  warrior — whose 
name  was  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  consent  of  the  nation,  as  their  great  strength  and 
support."  Had  he  lived,  it  is  believed  that  he  would  have  been  friendly  with  the  Ameri 
cans,  as  he  had  come  over  to  visit  the  garrison  at  Point  Pleasant  to  communicate  the  de 
sign  of  the  Indians  of  uniting  with  the  British.  His  grave  is  to  be  seen  at  Point  Pleas 
ant  to  the  present  day. 


State  Capitol,  at  Columbus. 

COLUMBUS,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Franklin  county,  and  capital  of  Ohio, 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Scioto,  110  miles  N.E.  from  Cincinnati,  100  N.W. 
from  Marietta,  and  139  S.E.  from  Cleveland,  is  on  the  same  parallel  of  lati 
tude  with  Zanesville  and  Philadelphia,  and  on  the  same  meridian  with  De 
troit,  Mich.,  and  Milledgeville,  Geo. 

The  site  of  Columbus  is  level,  and  it  is  regularly  laid  out,  with  broad, 
^pacious  streets:  Broad-street,  the  principal  one,  is  120  feet  wide.  In  the 
center  of  the  city  is  a  public  square  of  10  acres,  inclosed  by  a  neat  railing  ; 
and  in  the  environs  is  Goodale  Park,  a  tract  of  40  acres,  covered  with  a 
growth  of  native  trees.  The  new  state  house,  or  capitol,  is  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  buildings  in  the  Union.  It  is  304  feet  long  by  184  wide,  and 
from  its  base  to  the  top  of  the  rotunda  is  157  feet.  The  material  is  a  hard, 
whitish  limestone,  resembling  marble. 

Columbus  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  and  populous  country,  and  is  a  place  of 
active  business.  The  National  road7  passes  through  it  from  east  to  west, 
and  the  Columbus  feeder  connects  it  with  the  Ohio  canal.  Several  plank 
roads  and  turnpikes  terminate  here,  and  numerous  railroads,  stretching  out 
their  iron  arms  in  every  direction,  give  it  convenient  communication  with 
all  parts  of  the  state  and  Union. 


OHIO. 


117 


In  the  envircras  of  the  city  are  the  various  state  institutions.  The  State 
Penitentiary  is  a  large  and  substantial  edifice  ;  the  buildings  and  inclosures 
form  a  hollow  square  of  six  acres;  about  1,000  convicts  have  been  confined 
here  at  one  time.  The  Ohio  Lunatic  Asylum,  a  noble  structure,  occupies 
about  an  acre  of  ground,  and  has  thirty  acres  attached  to  it,  covered  with 
trees  arid  shrubbery.  The  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum  is  a  handsome  building, 
surrounded  with  grounds  laid  out  with  taste.  The  Ohio  Institution  for  the 
Education  of  the  Blind  is  surrounded  by  a  plot  of  ground,  of  about  9  acres, 
laid  out  with  graveled  walks,  and  planted  with  trees.  The  Starling  Medi 
cal  College  is  a  handsome  Gothic  edifice.  The  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
German  Lutherans,  is  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  center  of  the 
city.  Columbus,  as  a  commercial  depot,  has  superior  facilities,  and  it  has 
numerous  and  extensive  manufacturing  establishments.  Population,  in  1820, 
1,400;  in  1840,  6,048;  in  1850,  18,138;  and  in  1860,  18,(M7. 

From  the  first  organization  of  the  state  government  until  1816,  there  was  no  per 
manent  state  capital.  The  sessions  of  the  legislature  were  held  at  Chillicothe  until 
1810;  the  sessions  of  1810-11  and  1811-12,  were  held  at  Zanesville;  after  that, 
until  December,  1816,  they  were  again  held  at  Chillicothe,  at  which  time  the  leg 
islature  was  first  convened  at  Columbus. 

Among  the  various  proposals  to  the  legislature,  while  in  session  at  Zanesville, 
for  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  seat  of  government,  were  those  of  Lyne  Star 
ling,  James  Johnston,  Alex.  M'Laughlin  and  John  Kerr,  the  after  proprietors  of 
Columbus,  for  establishing  ifc  on  the  "high  bank  of  the  Sciftto  River,  opposite 
Franklinton,"  which  site  was  then  a  native  forest.  On  the  14th  Feb.,  1812,  the 
legislature  passed  a  law  accepting  their  proposals,  and  in  one  of  its  sections, 
selected  Chillicothe  as  a  temporary  seat  of  government  merely.  By  an  act  amend 
atory  of  the  other,  passed  Feb.  17,  1816,  it  was  enacted,  "  that  from  and  after  the 
second  Tuesday  of  October  next,  the  seat  of  government  of  this  state  shall  be 
established  at  the  town  of  Columbus." 


Ohio    White  Sulphur  Springs. 

On  the  19th  of  Feb.,  ]812,  the  proprietors  signed  and  acknowledged  their  arti 
cles  at  Zanesville,  as  partners,  under  the  law  for  the  laying  out,  etc.,  of  the  town  of 
Columbus.  The  contract  having  been  closed  between  the  proprietors  and  the  state, 
the  town  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1812,  under  the  direction  of  Moses_  Wright. 

For  the  first  few  years  Columbus  improved  rapidly.  Emigrants  flowed  in,  appa 
rently,  from  all  quarters,  and  the  improvements  and  general  business  of  the  place 
kept  pace  with  the  increase  of  population.  Columbus,  however,_was  a  rough  spot 
in  the  woods,  off  from  any  public  road  of  much  consequence. 


The  east  and  west 


118  OHI°- 

travel  passed  through  Zanesville,  Lancaster  and  Chillicothe,  and  the  mails  came  in 
cross-line  on  horseback.  The  first  successful  attempt  to  carry  a  mail  to  or  from 
Columbus,  otherwise  than  on  horseback,  was  by  Philip  Zinn,  about  the  year  1816, 
once  a  week  between  Chillicothe  and  Columbus.  The  years  from  1819  to  1826. 
were  the  dullest  years  of  Columbus  ;  but  soon  after  it  began  to  improve.  The  lo 
cation  of  the  national  road  and  the  Columbus  feeder  to  the  Ohio  canal,  gave  an 
impetus  to  improvements. 

The  Ohio  White  Sulphur  Springs  are  beautifully  situated  on  the  Scioto 
River,  in  Delaware  county,  17  miles  north  of  Columbus,  near  the  line  of  the 
Springfield,  Mt.  Vernon  and  Pittsburg  Railroad.  Upon  the  estate  are  four 
medicinal  springs  of  different  properties:  one  is  white  sulphur,  one  magne- 
sian,  and  two  chalybeate.  The  spring  property  consists  of  320  acres,  part 
of  it  woodland,  handsomely  laid  off  in  walks  and  drives.  The  healthiness 
of  the  location  and  the  natural  attractions  of  the  spot,  joined  to  the  liberal 
and  generous  accommodations  furnished  by  the  proprietors,  have  rendered 
this,  at  the -present  time,  the  most  popular  watering  place  in  the  west. 

Newark,  the  capital  of  Licking  county,  on  the  Central  Ohio  Railroad,  33 
miles  easterly  from  Columbus,  is  a  pleasant  town  of  about  4,000  inhabitants. 
Six  miles  west  of  Newark  is  Granville,  noted  for  its  educational  institutions, 
male  and  female,  and  the  seat  of  Dennison  University,  founded  in  1832,  by 
the  Baptists.  This  was  one  of  the  early  settled  spots  in  Central  Ohio.  The 
annexed  historical  items  are  from  the  sketches  of  Rev.  Jacob  Little : 

In  1804,  a  company  was  formed  at  Granvillc,  Mass.,  with  the  intention  of  making  a 
settlement  in  Ohio.  This,  called  "  the  Scioto  Company,"  was  the  third  of  that  name  which 
effected  settlements  in  this  state.  The  project  met  with  great  favor,  and  much  enthusiasm 
was  elicited;  in  illustration  of  which,  a  song  was  composed  and  sung  to  the  tune  of  "Pleas 
ant  Ohio,'*  by  the  young  people  in  the  house  and  at  labor  in  the  field.  We  annex  two 
stanzas,  which  are  more  curious  than  poetical: 
"When  rambling  o'er  these  mountains  Our  precious  friends  that  stay  behind, 

And  rocks,  where  ivies  grow  We're  sorry  now  to  leave ; 

Thick  as  the  hairs  upon  your  head,  But  if  they'll  stay  and  break  their  shins, 

'Mongst  which  you  can  not  go;  For  them  we'll  never  grieve; 

Great  storms  of  snow,  cold  winds  that  blow,       Adieu,  my  friends !  come  on  my  dears, 

We  scarce  can  undergo;  This  journey  we'll  forego, 

Says  I,  my  boys,  we'll  leave  this  place  And  settle  Licking  creek, 

For  the  plea;sant  Ohio.  In  yonder  Ohio. 

The  Scioto  company  consisted  of  114  proprietors,  who  made  a  purchase  of  28,000  acres. 
In  the  autumn  of  1805,  234  persons,  mostly  from  East  Granville,  Mass.,  came  on  to  the 
purchase.  Although  they  had  been  forty-two  days  on  the  road,  their  first  business,  on  their 
arrival,  having  organized  a"  church  before  they  left  the  east,  was  to  hear  a  sermon.  The 
first  tree  cut  was  that  by  which  public  worship  was  held,  which  stood  just  in  front  of  the  site 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  On  the  first  Sabbath,  November  16th,  although  only  about  a 
dozen  trees  had  be^-n  cut,  they  held  divine  worship,  both  forenoon  and  afternoon,  at  that 
spot.  The  novelty  of  worshiping  in  the  woods,  the  forest  extending  hundreds  of  miles 
every  way,  the  hardships'  of  the  journey,  the  winter  setting  in,  the  fresh  thoughts  of  home, 
with  all  the  friends  and  privileges  left  behind,  and  the  impression  that  such  must  be  f.he 
accommodations  of  a  new  country,  all  rushed  on  their  nerves  and  made  this  a  day  of  varied 
interest.  When  they  began  to  sing,  the  echo  of  their  voices  among  the  trees  was  so  dif 
ferent  from  what  it  was  in  the  beautiful  meeting  house  they  had  left,  that  they  could  no 
longer  restrain  their  tears.  They  wept  when  they  remembered  Zion.  The  voices  of  part  of 
the  choir  were  for  a  season  suppressed  with  emotion. 

An  incident  occurred,  which  some  Mrs.  Sigourney  should  put  into  a  poetical  dress. 
Deacon  Theophilus  Reese,  a  Welsh  Baptist,  had  two  or  three  years  before  built  a  cabin  a 
mile  and  a  half  north,  and  lived  all  this  time  without  public  worship.  He  had  lost  his 
cows,  and  hearing  a  lowing  of  the  oxen  belonging  to  the  company,  set  out  toward  them. 
As  he  ascended  the  hills  overlooking  the  town-plot,  he  heard  the  singing  of  the  choir. 
The  reverberation  of  the  sound  from  hill-tops  and  trees,  threw  the  good  man  into  a  serious 
dilemma.  The  music  at  first  seemed  to  be  behind,  then  in  the  tops  of  the  trees  or  the 
clouds.  He  stopped  till,  by  accurate  listening,  he  caught  the  direction  of  the  sound,  and 
went  on,  till  passing  the  brow  of  the  hill,  when  he  saw  the  audience  sitting  on  the  level 
below.  He  went  home  and  told  his  wife  that  "the  promise  of  God  is  a  bond;"  a  Welsh 


OHIO.  119 

phrase,  signifying  that  we  have  security,  equal  to  a  bond,  that  religion  wi'.l  prevail  every 
where.  He  said,  "these  must  he  good  people.  I  am  not  afraid  to  go  among  them.'' 
1  hough  he  could  not  understand  English,  he  constantly  attended  the  reading  meeting. 
Hearing  the  music  on  that  occasion  made  such  an  impression  upon  his  mind,  that  when  he 
became  old  and  met  the  first  settlers,  he  would  ahvavs  tell  over  this  storv. 


Court  Ilovse^  ZanesviUe. 

ZANESVILLE,  the  capital  of  Muskinguin  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  east  bank  of  the  Muskiugum  River,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Licking 
creek,  54  miles  E.  of  Columbus,  82  from  Wheeling,  and  179  E.N.E.  from 
Cincinnati.  The  Muskingum,  in  passing  the  town,  has  a  natural  descent  of 
nine  feet  in  a  distance  of  about  a  mile,  which  is  increased  by  darns  to  sixteen 
feet,  thus  affording  great  water-power,  which  is  used  by  extensive  manufac 
tories  of  various  kinds.  The  number  of  factories  using  steam  power  is  also 
large,  arising  from  the  abundance  of  bituminous  coal  supplied  from  the  sur 
rounding  hills.  Steamboats  can  ascend  from  the  Ohio  to  this  point,  and 
several  make  regular  passages  between  Zanesville  and  Cincinnati.  The  Cen 
tral  Ohio  Railroad  connects  it  with  Columbus  on  one  hand  and  Wheeling  on 
the  other;  the  Zanesville,  Wilmington  and  Cincinnati  Railroad,  about  130 
miles  long,  terminates  here,  and  connects  with  another  leading  north  to 
Cleveland. 

Five  bridges  cross  the  Muskingum  here,  including  the  railroad  bridge, 
connecting  the  city  with  Putnam,  South  Zanesville  and  West  Zanesville,  all 
of  which  are  intimately  connected  with  the  business  interests  of  Zancfcville 
proper.  There  are  5  flouring  mills,  tilso  iron  founderies  and  machine  shops, 
which  do  an  extensive  business.  The  railroad  bridge  is  of  iron,  538  feet  in 
length,  and  contains  G7  tuns  of  wrought  iron  and  130  tuns  of  cast  iron. 
The  water  of  the  river  is  raised,  by  a  forcing  pump,  into  a  reservoir  on  a  hill 
100  feet  high,  containing  nearly  a  million  of  gallons,  and  from  thence  dis 
tributed  through  the  city  in  iron  pipes.  Zanesville  has  excellent  schools, 
among  which  is  the  Free  School,  supported  by  a  fund  of  from  8300,000  to 
$500,000,  bequeathed  by  J.  Mclntire,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  place. 
Within  a  circuit  of  a  mile  from  the  court  house  are  about  10,000  inhabit 
ants:  within  the  city  proper,  about  10,000. 

In  May,  1796,  congress  passed  a  law  authorizing  Ebenezcr  Z:ine  to  open 


120  OHIO. 

a  road  from  Wheeling,  Va.?  to  Limestone,  now  Maysville,  Ky.  In  the  fol 
lowing  year,  Mr.  Zane,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Jonathan  Zane,  and  his 
son-in-law,  John  Mclntire,  both  experienced  woodsmen,  proceeded  to  mark 
out  the  new  road,  which  was  afterward  cut  out  by  the  latter  two.  As  a  com 
pensation  for  opening  this  road,  congress  granted  to  Ebenezer  Zane  the  priv 
ilege  of  locating  military  warrants  upon  three  sections  of  land,  not  to  exceed 
one  mile  square  each.  One  of  these  sections  was  to  be  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Muskingum,  and  one  of  the  conditions  annexed  to  Mr.  Zane's  grant  was,  that 
he  should  keep  a  ferry  at  that  spot.  This  was  intrusted  to  Wm.  M'Culloch 
and  H.  Crooks.  The  first  mail  ever  carried  in  Ohio  was  brought  from  Ma 
rietta  to  M'Culloch's  cabin,  by  Daniel  Convers,  in  1798. 

Tn  1799,  Messrs.  Zane  and  MTntirc  laid  out  the  town,  which  they  called  West- 
bourn,  a  name  which  it  continued  to  bear  until  a  post-office  was  established  by  the 
postmaster  general,  under  the  name  of  Zanesville,  and  the  village  soon  took  the 
same  name.  A  few  families  from  tho  Kanawha,  settled  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river  soon  after  M'Culloch  arrived,  and  the  settlement  received  pretty  numerous 
accessions  until  it  became  a  point  of  importance.  It  contained  one  store  and  no 
tavern.  The  latter  inconvenience,  however,  was  remedied  by  Mr.  M'Intire,  who, 
for  public  accommodation,  rather  than  for  private  emolument,  opened  a  house  of 
entertainment.  It  is  due  to  Mr.  M'Lntire  and  his  lady  to  say  that  their  accommo 
dations,  though  in  a  log  cabin,  were  such  as  to  render  their  house  the  traveler's 
home.  Prior  to  that  time  there  were  several  grog  shops  where  travelers  might 
stop,  and  after  partaking  of  a  rude  supper,  they  could  spread  their  blankets  and 
bearskins  on  the  floor,  and  sleep  with  their  feet  to  the  fire.  But  the  opening  of 
Mr.  M'Intire's  house  introduced  the  luxury  of  comfortable  beds,  and  although  his 
board  was  covered  with  the  fruits  of  the  soil  and  the  chase,  rather  than  the  luxu 
ries  of  foreign  climes,  the  fare  was  various  and  abundant.  This,  tho  first  hotel  a.t 
Zanesville,  stood  at  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Market  and  Second-streets,  a  few 
rods  from  the  river,  in  an  open  maple  grove,  without  any  underbrush ;  it  was  a 
pleasant  spot,  well  shaded  with  trees,  and  in  full  view  of  the  falls.  Louis  Phillippe, 
late  king  of  France,  was  once  a  guest  of  Mr.  M'Intire. 

At  that  time,  all  the  iron,  nails,  castings,  flour,  fruit,  with  many  other  articles 
now  produced  here  in  abundance,  were  brought  from  Pittsburgh  and  Wheeling, 
cither  upon  pack-horses  across  the  country,  or  by  the  river  in  canoes.  Oats  and 
corn  were  usually  brought  about  fifty  miles  up  the  river,  in  canoes,  and  were  worth 
from  75  cents  to  $1  per  bushel:  flour,  $6  to  $8  per  barrel.  In  1802,  David  Har 
vey  opened  a  tavern  at  the  intersection  of  Third  and  Main-streets,  which  was  about 
the  first  shingle  roofed  house  in  tho  town.  Mr.  M'Intire  having  only  kept  enter 
tainment  for  public  accommodation,  discontinued  after  the  opening  of  Mr.  Har 
vey's  tavern. 

In  1804,  when  the  legislature  passed  an  act  establishing  the  county  of  Mus- 
kingum,  the  commissioners  appointed  to  select  a  site  for  the  county  seat,  reported 
in  favor  of  Zanesville.  The  county  seat  having  been  established,  the  town  im 
proved  more  rapidly,  and  as  the  unappropriated  United  States  military  lands  had 
been  brought  into  market  during  the  preceding  year  (1803),  and  a  land  office 
established  at  Zanesville,  many  purchas.cs  and  settlements  were  made  in  the 
cou  n  ty. 

The  seat  of  government  had  been  fixed  temporarily  at  Chillicothe,  but  for  sev 
eral  reasons,  many  members  of  the  legislature  were  dissatisfied,  and  it  was  known 
that  a  change  of  location  was  desired  by  them. 

In  February,  1810,  the  desired  law  was  passed,  fixing  the  seat  of  government  at 
Zanesviile,  until  otherwise  provided.  The  legislature  sat  here  during  the  sessions 
of  'I0-'ll  and  '11-'1_J,  when  the  present  site  of  Columbus  having  been  fixed  upon 
for  the  permanent  seat,  the  Chillicothe  interest  prevailed,  and  the  temporary  seat 
was  om-o  more  lixed  at  that  place,  until  suitable  buildings  could  be  erected  at 
Columbus, 

The  project  of  removing  the  seat  of  government  had  been  agitated  as  early  as 
1807  or  '8,  and  the  anticipation  entertained  that  Zanesville  would  be  selected,  ^ava 


OHIO.  i  o  j_ 

increased  activity  to  the  progress  of  improvement.  Much  land  was  entered  in  the 
county,  and  many  settlements  made,  although  as  late  as  1813,  land  was  entered 
Avithin  three  miles  of  Zanesville.  In  1809,  parts  of  the  town  plat  were  covered 
with  the  natural  growth  of  timber. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments,  the  first  three  in 
the  ancient  graveyard,  on  the  hill  at  the  head  of  Main-street,  in  Zanesville, 
the  others  in  the  extensive  cemetery  in  Putnam,  the  village  opposite  : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Jonx  MdxTiRR,  who  departed  this  life  July  29,  1815,  aged  56 
years,  lie  was  born  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  laid  out  the  town  of  Zanesville  in  1800,  of 
which  he  was  the  Patron  and  Father.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  which  formed 
the  Constitution  of  Ohio.  A  kind  husband,  an  obliging  neighbor,  punctual  to  his  engage 
ments;  of  liberal  mind,  and  benevolent  disposition,  his  death  was  sincerely  lamented. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  WILLIAM  RAYJIOLDS,  a  native  of  Virginia,  he  emigrated  to  Ohio 
in  1804,  and  settled  in  the  town  at  the  foot  of  this  hill,  where  he  departed  this  life  Nov.  lz. 
1844,  aged  50  years. 

Who,  though  formed  in  an  age  when  corruption  ran  high, 
And  folly  alone  seemed  with  folly  to  vie  ; 
When  genius  with  traffic  too  commonly  strain'd, 
Recounted  her  merits  by  what  she  had  gain'd, 
Yet  spurn'd  at  those  walks  of  debasement  and  pelf, 
And  in  poverty's  spite,  dared  to  think  for  himself. 


Man  goeth  to  his  long  home,  and  mourners  go  about  the  streets.  Within  this  case  lieth 
the  mortal  part  of  DAVID  HARVEY,  who  wa,s  born  in  the  parish  of  Hogeu,  county  of  Corn 
wall,  England,  June  21,  1746;  arrived  in  Fredericktown,  Md.,  June,  1774,  and  voted  for 
the  Independence  of  the  United  States ;  supported  the  war  by  furnishing  a  soldier  during 
the  term  thereof,  according  to  an  act  of  the  Assembly  of  that  State.  Arrived  on  the  bank 
of  the  Muskingum  River,  at  Zanesville,  Ohio,  10th  of  Dec.,  1800.  Died  May,  1845,  aged 
69  years. 

WILLIAM  WELLES,  born  in  Glastenbury,  Conn.,  1754.  Among  the  pioneers  of  the  North 
West  Territory,  ho  shared  largely  in  their  labors,  privations  and  perils.  In  1790,  he  lo 
cated  at  Cincinnati.  As  Commissary  he  was  with  the  army  of  St.  Clair,  and  was  wounded 
in  its  memorable  defeat.  In  1800,  he  settled  in  Zanesville,  subsequently  he  removed  to 
Putnam,  where  he  lived  respected  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  died  universally 
lamented,  on  the  26th  of  Jan.,  1814. 


DR.  INCREASE  MATTHE\VS,  born  in  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  Dec.  22,  1772.  Died  Juno 
6,  185(5.  "  Blessed  is  tho  man  in  whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile."  Psalms  xxxii,  2.  Dr. 
Matthews  emigrated  to  Marietta,  Ohio,  1800.  In  the  spring  of  1801  he  removed  to  Zanes 
ville,  and  the  same  year  bought  the  land  Avhich  forms  the  cemetery,  including  the  town  plat 
of  Putnam.  For  some  time  ho  was  tho  only  physician  in  the  county.  Among  the  early 
pioneers  of  the  valley  of  the  Muskingtiru,  his  many  unostentatious  virtues,  and  the  purity 
and  simplicity  of  his  life  and  character  were  known  and  appreciated. 


Coslwcton,  the  capital  of  Coshocton  county,  is  a  small  village,  30  miles 
above  Zanesville,  at  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum,  and  on  the  line  of  the 
Pittsburg,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati  Railroad.  This  vicinity  was  a  favorite 
residence  of  the  Indians,  especially  the  Shawnees,  and  they  had  numerous 
villages  on  the  Muskingum  and  its  branches. 

Before  the  settlement  of  the  country,  there  were  several  military  expeditions  into 
this  region.  The  first  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1764,  by  Col.  Henry  Boquet,  with  a 
large  body  of  British  regulars  and  borderers  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  Over 
awed  by  his  superiority,  and  unable  by  his  vigilance  to  effect  a  surprise,  the 
combined  tribes  made  a  peace  with  him,  in  which  they  agreed  to  deliver  up  their 
captives.  The  delivery  took  place  on  the  9th  of  November,  at  or  near  the  site  of 
Coshocton.  The  number  brought  in  was  206,  men,  women  and  children,  all  from 


122 


OHIO. 


the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  The  scene  which  then  took  place  was 
very  affecting,  as  related  by  Hutchins. 

Language,  indeed,  can  but  weakly  describe  the  scene,  one  to  which  the  poet  or  painter 
might  have  repaired  to  enrich  the  highest  colorings  of  the  variety  of  the  human  passions, 
the  philosopher,  to  find  ample  subject  for  the  most  serious  reflection,  and  the  man  to  exer 
cise  all  the  tender  and  sympathetic  feelings  of  the  soul.  There  were  to  be  seen  fathers 
and  mothers  recognizing  and  clasping  their  once  lost  babes,  husbands  hanging  around  the 
necks  of  their  newly  recovered  wives,  sisters  and  brothers  unexpectedly  meeting  together, 
after  a  long  separation,  scarcely  able  to  speak  the  same  language,  or  for  some  time  to  be 
swe  that  they  were  the  children  of  the  same  parents.  In  all  these  interviews  joy  and  rap 
ture  inexpressible  were  seen,  while  feelings  of  a  very  different  nature  were  painted  in  the 
looks  of  others,  flying  from  place  to  place,  in  eager  inquiries  after  relatives  not  found; 
trembling  to  receive  an  answer  to  questions;  distracted  with  doubts,  hopes  and  fears  on 
obtaining  no  account  of  those  they  sought  for;  or  stiffened  into  living  monuments  of  hor 
ror  and  woe,  on  learning  their  unhappy  fate. 

The  Indians,  too,  as  if  wholly  forgetting  their  usual  savageness,  bore  a  capital  part  in 
hightemng  this  most  affecting  scene.  They  delivered  up  their  beloved  captives  with  the 
utmost  reluctance — shed  torrents  of  tears  over  them — recommending  them  to  the  care  and 
protection  of  the  commanding  officer.  Their  regard  to  them  continued  all  the  while  they 
remained  in  camp.  They  visited  them  from  day  to  day,  brought  them  what  corn,  skins, 
horses,  and  other  matters  had  been  bestowed  upon  them  while  in  their  families,  accompa 
nied  with  other  presents,  and  all  the  marks  of  the  most  sincere  and  tender  affection.  Nay, 
they  didn't  stop  here,  but  when  the  army  marched,  some  of  the  Indians  solicited  and  ob 
tained  permission  to  accompany  their  former  captives  to  Fort  Pitt,  and  employed  them 
selves  in  hunting  and  bringing  provisions  for  them  on  the  way.  A  young  Mingo  carried 
this  still  farther,  and  gave  an  instance  of  love  which  would  make  a  figure  even  in  romance. 
A  young  woman  of  Virginia  was  among  the  captives,  to  whom  he  had  formed  so  strong 
an  attachment  as  to  call  her  his  wife.  Against  all  the  remonstrances  of  the  imminent 
danger  to  which  he  exposed  himself  by  approaching  the  frontier,  he  persisted  in  following 
her,  at  the  risk  of  being  killed  by  the  surviving  relatives  of  many  unfortunate  persons  who 
had  been  taken  captive  or  scalped  by  those  of  his  nation. 

But  it  must  not  be  deemed  that  there  were  not  some,  even  grown  persons,  who  showed 
an  unwillingness  to  return.  The  Shawnees  were  obliged  to  bind  some  of  their  prisoners, 
and  force  them  along  to  the  camp,  and  some  women  who  had  been  delivered  up,  afterward 
found  means  to  escape,  and  went  back  to  the  Indian  tribes.  Some  who  could  not  make 
their  escape,  clung  to  their  savage  acquaintances  at  parting,  and  continued  many  days  in 
bitter  lamentations,  even  refusing  sustenance. 

In  1774,  in  Dunmore's  war,  a  second  expedition,  of  400  Virginians,  under 
Col.  Angus  M'Donald,  entered  the  country,  and  destroyed  the  Wakatomica 
to\vns,  and  burnt  the  corn  of  the  Indians.  This  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Dres 
den,  a  few  miles  below  the  forks. 

In  the  summer  of  1780,  a  third  expedition,  called  "  Hie  Coskncton  campaign" 
was  made,  under  Col.  Broadhead.  The  troops  rendezvoused  at  Wheeling,  and 
marched  to  the  forks  of  the  Muskingum.  They  took  about  40  prisoners,  whom  they 
tomahawked  and  scalped  in  cold  blood.  A  chief,  who,  under  promise  of  protec 
tion,  came  to  make  peace,  was  conversing  with  Broadhead,  when. a  man,  named 
Wetzel,  came  behind  him,  and  drawing  a  concealed  tomahawk  from  the  bosom  of 
his  hunting  shirt,  lifted  it  on  high  and  then  buried  it  in  his  brains.  The  confiding 
savage  quivered,  fell  and  expired. 

In  Tuscarawas  county,  which  lies  directly  east  and  adjoining  to  Coshoc- 
ton,  as  early  as  1762,  the  Moravian  missionaries,  Rev.  Frederick  Post  and 
John  Heckewelder,  established  a  Mission  among  the  Indians  on  the  Tusca 
rawas,  where,  in  1781,  Mary  Heckewelder,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Ohio, 
first  saw  the  liglit.  Other  missionary  auxiliaries  were  sent  out  by  that 
society,  for  the  propagation  of  the  Christian  religion  among  the  Indians. 
Among  these  was  the  Rev.  David  Zeisberger,  a  man  whose  devotion  to  the 
cause  was  attested  by  the  hardships  he  endured,  and  the  dangers  he  encoun 
tered.  Had  the  same  pacific  policy  which  governed  the  Friends  of  Penn 
sylvania,  in  their  treatment  of  the  Indians,  been  adopted  by  the  white  set- 


OHIO. 


123 


tiers   of  the  west,  the  efforts  of  the   Moravian  missionaries  in  Ohio  would 
have  been  more  successful. 

They  had  threa  stations  on  the  Tuscarawas  River,  or  rather  three  Indian  villages, 
viz  :  Shoenbrun,  Gnadenhutten  and  Salem.  The  site  of  the  first  is  about  two  miles 
south  of  New  Philadelphia;  seven  miles  farther  south  was  Gnadenhutten,  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  present  village  of  that  name ;  and  about  five  miles  below 
that  was  Salem,  a  short  distance  from  the  village  of  Port  Washington.  The  first 
and  last  mentioned  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tuscarawas,  now  near  the  margin 
of  the  Ohio  canal.  Gnadenhutten  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  It  was  here 
that  a  massacre  took  place  on  the  8th  of  March,  1782,  which,  for  cool  barbarity,  is 
perhaps  unequaled  in  the  history  of  the  Indian  wars. 

The  Moravian  villages  on  the  Tuscarawas  were  situated  about  mid-way  between 
the  white  settlements  near  the  Ohio,  and  some  warlike  tribes  of  Wyandots  and 
Delawares  on  the  Sandusky.  These  latter  were  chiefly  in  the  service  of  England,  or  at 
least  opposed  to  the  colonists,  with  whom  she  was  then  at  war.  There  was  a  Brit 
ish  station  at  Detroit,  and  an  American  one  at  Fort  Pitt  (Pittsburg),  which  were 
regarded  as  the  nucleus  of  western  operations  by  each  of  the  contending  parties. 
The  Moravian  villages  of  friendly  Indians  on  the  Tuscarawas  were  situated,  as  the 
saying  is,  between  two  fires.  As  Christian  converts  and  friends  of  peace,  both 
policy  and  inclination  led  them  to  adopt  neutral  grounds. 

Several  depredations  had  been  committed  by  hostile  Indians,  about  this  time,  on 
the  frontier  inhabitants  of  western  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  who  determined 
to  retaliate.  A  company  of  one  hundred  men  was  raised  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Williamson,  as  a  corps  of  volunteer  militia.  They  set  out  for 
the  Moravian  towns  on  the  Tuscarawas,  and  arrived  within  a  mile  of  Gnadenhut 
ten  on  the  night  of  the  5th  of  March.  On  the  morning  of  the  6th,  finding  the  In 
dians  were  employed  in  their  corn-field,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  sixteen  of 
Williamson's  men  crossed,  two  at  a  time,  over  in  a  large  sap-trough,  or  vessel  used 
for  retaining  sugar  water,  taking  their  rifles  with  them.  The  remainder  went  into 
the  village,  where  they  found  a  man  and  a  woman,  both  of  whom  they  killed.  The 
sixteen  on  the  west  side,  on  approaching  the  Indians  in  the  field,  found  them  more 
numerous  than  they  expected.  They  had  their  arms  with  them,  which  was  usual 
on  such  occasions,  both  for  purposes  of  protection  and  for  killing  game.  The 
whites  accosted  them  kindly,  told  them  they  had  come  to  take  them  to  a  place 
where  they  would  be  in  future  protected,  and  advised  them  to  quit  work,  and  re 
turn  with  them  to  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Pitt.  Some  of  the  Indians  had  been 
taken  to  that  place  in  the  preceding  year,  had  been  well  treated  by  the  American 
governor  of  the  fort,  and  been  dismissed  with  tokens  of  warm  friendship.  Under 
these  circumstances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  unsuspecting  Moravian  Indians 
readily  surrendered  their  arms,  and  at  once  consented  to  be  controlled  by  the  ad 
vice  of  Col.  Williamson  and  his  men.  An  Indian  messenger  was  dispatched  to 
Salem,  to  apprise  the  brethren  there  of  the  new  arrangement,  and  both  companies 
returned  to  Gnadenhutten. 

On  reaching  the  village,  a  number  of  mounted  militia  started  for  the  Salem  settlement, 
but  e'er  they  reached  it,  found  that  the  Moravian  Indians  at  that  place  had  already  left 
their  corn-fields,  by  the  advice  of  the  messenger,  and  were  on  the  road  to  join  their  breth 
ren  at  Gnadenhutten.  Measures  had  been  adopted  by  the  militia  to  secure  the  Indians 
whom  they  had  at  first  decoyed  into  their  power.  They  were  bound,  confined  in  two  houses 
and  well  guarded.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Indians  from  Salem  (their  arms  having  been  pre 
viously  secured  without  suspicion  of  any  hostile  intention),  they  were  also  fettered,  and  di 
vided  between  the  two  prison  houses,  the  males  in  one,  and  the  females  in  the  other.  The 
number  thus  confined  in  both,  including  men,  women  and  children,  have  been  estimated 
from  ninety  to  ninety-six. 

A  council  was  then  held  to  determine  how  the  Moravian  Indians  should  be  disposed  of. 
This  self  constituted  military  court  embraced  both  officers  and  privates.  The  late  Dr. 
Dodridge,  in  his  published  notes  on  Indian  Avars,  etc.,  says:  "  Colonel  Williamson  put  the 
question,  whether  the  Moravian  Indians  should  be  taken  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt,  or  put  to 
death?"  requesting  those  who  were  in  favor  of  saving  their  lives  to  step  out  arid  form  a 
second  rank.  Only  eighteen  out  of  the  whole  number  stepped  forth  as  the  advocates  of 
mercy.  In  these  the  feelings  of  huinnnity  were  not  extinct.  In  the  majority,  which  was 
large,  no  sympathy  was  manifested.  They  resolved  to  murder  (for  no  other  word  can  ex- 


OHIO. 

press  the  act),  the  whole  of  the  Christian  Indians  in  their  custody.  Among  these  were 
several  who  had  contributed  to  aid  the  missionaries  in  the  work  of  conversion  and  civili 
zation — two  of  whom  emigrated  from  New  Jersey  after  the  death  of  their  spiritual  pastor, 
Rev.  David  Brainard.  One  Avoman,  who  could  speak  good  English,  knelt  before  the  com 
mander  and  begged  his  protection.  Her  supplication  was  unavailing.  They  were  ordered 
to  prepare  for  death.  But  the  warning  had  been  anticipated.  Their  firm  belief  in  their 
new  creed  Avas  shown  forth  in  the  sad  hour  of  their  tribulation,  by  religious  exercises  of 
preparation.  The  orisons  of  these  devoted  people  were  already  ascending  the  throne  of 
the  Most  High! — the  sound  of  the  Christian's  hymn  and  the  Christian's  prayer  found  an 
echo  in  the  surrounding  woods,  but  no  responsive  feeling  in  the  bosoms  of  their  execution 
ers.  With  gun,  and  spear,  and  tomahaAvk,  and  scalping  knife,  the  work  of  death  pro 
gressed  in  these  slaughter  houses,  till  not  a  sigh  or  moan  was  heard  to  proclaim  the  exist 
ence  of  human  life  within — all,  saAre  two — two  Indian  boys  escaped,  as  if  by  a  miracle,  to 
be  witnesses  in  after  times  of  the  savage  cruelty  of  the  white  man  toward  their  unfortu 
nate  race. 

Thus  were  upA\rard  of  ninety  human  beings  hurried  to  an  untimely  graAre  by  those  who 
should  haAre  been  their  legitimate  protectors.  After  committing  the  barbarous  act,  Wil 
liamson  and  his  men  set  fire  to  the  houses  containing  the  dead,  and  then  marched  off  for 
Shoenbrun,  the  upper  Indian  town.  But  here  the  news  of  their  atrocious  deeds  had  pre 
ceded  them.  The  inhabitants  had  all  fled,  and  with  them  fled  for  a  time  the  hopes  of  tho 
missionaries  to  establish  a  settlement  of  Christian  Indians  on  the  Tuscarawas.  The  fruitg 
of  ten  years'  labor  in  the  cause  of  civilization  were  apparently  lost. 

Those  engaged  in  the  campaign,  were  generally  men  of  standing  at  home.  When  the 
expedition  was  formed,  it  was  given  out  to  the  public  that  its  sole  object  Avas  to  remove 
the  Moravians  to  Pittsburg,  and  by  destroying  the  villages,  deprive  the  hostile  savages  of 
a  shelter.  In  their  towns,  various  articles  plundered  from  the  whites,  were  discovered. 
One  man  is  said  to  have  found  the  bloody  clothes  of  his  Avife  and  children,  who  had  re 
cently  been  murdered.  These  articles,  doubtless,  had  been  purchased  of  the  hostile  Indi 
ans.  The  sight  of  these,  it  is  said,  bringing  to  mind  the  forms  of  murdered  relations, 
wrought  them  up  to  an  uncontrollable  pitch  of  frenzy,  Avhich  nothing  but  blood  could 
satisfy. 

In  the  year  1799,  when  the  remnant  of  the  Moravian  Indians  Avere  recalled  by  the  United 
States  to  reside  on  the  same  spot,  an  old  Indian,  in  company  with  a  young  man  by  the 
name  of  Carr,  Avalked  over  the  desolate  scene,  and  showed  to  the  white  man  an  excava 
tion,  Avhich  had  formerly  been  a  cellar,  and  in  which  were  still  some  moldering  bones  of 
the  victims,  though  seventeen  years  had  passed  since  their  tragic  death — the  tears,  in  the 
meantime,  falling  down  the  wrinkled  face  of  this  aged  child  of  the  TuscaraAvas. 

The  Mission,  having  been  resumed,  was  continued  in  operation  until  the 
year  1823,  when  the  Indians  sold  out  their  lands  to  the  United  States,  and 
removed  to  a  Moravian  station  on  the  Thames,  in  Canada.  The  faithful 
Zeisberger  died  and  was  buried  at  Groshen,  the  last  abiding  place  of  his  flock. 
In  a  small  graveyard  there,  a  little  marble  slab  bears  the  following  inscrip 
tion : 

DAVID  ZEISBERGER,  who  was  born  llth  April,  1721,  in  Moravia,  and  departed  this  life  7th 
Nov.,  1808,  aged  87  years,  7  months  and  6  days.  This  faithful  servant  of  the  Lord  labored 
among  the  Moravian  Indians,  as  a  missionary,  during  the  last  sixty  years  of  his  life. 

STEUBENVILLE,  the  capital  of  Jefferson  county,  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Ohio,  on  an  elevated  plain,  150  miles  from  Columbus,  36,  in  a 
direct  line,  from  Pittsburgh,  and  75  by  the  river,  and  22  above  Wheeling, 
Va.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  country,  and  is  the  center  of  an  exten 
sive  trade,  and  flourishing  manufactories  of  various  kinds,  which  are  supplied 
with  fuel  from  the  inexhaustible  mines  of  stone  coal  in  the  vicinity.  The 
Female  Seminary  at  this  place,  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  is  a  flour 
ishing  institution,  and  has  a  widely  extended  reputation.  It  contains  about 
9,000  inhabitants. 

Steubenville  Avas  laid  out  in  1798,  by  Bezabel  Wells  and  James  Ross.  It  derives 
its  name  from  Fort  Steuben,  Avhich  was  erected  in  1789,  on  High-street,  near  the 
site  of  the  Female  Seminary.  It  Avas  built  of  block-houses  connected  by  palisade 
fences,  and  Avas  dismantled  at  the  t>me  of  Wayne's  victory,  previous  to  which  it 


OHIO. 


125 


had  been  garrisoned  by  the  United  States  infantry,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Beatty. 

The  old  Mingo  town,  three  miles  below  Steubenville,  was  a  place  of  note  prior 
to  the  settlement  of  the  country.  It  was  the  point  where  the  troops  of  Col.  Wil 
liamson  rendezvoused  in  the  infamous  Moravian  campaign,  and  those  of  Colonel 
Crawford,  in  his  unfortunate  expedition  against  the  Sandusky  Indians.  It  was 


The  fii^raviiiL'  slim 
;  i>;«>!ivs  on  th.'  ri^hr  ; 
I-  arket  -street  in  the 


View  in  Steubenville. 

I'VUK-I*  of  .M-irk-t-stn^t,  looking  westward,  near  tlio  Court.  Hoiw,  \vhicli 
-f  th  •  Market  on  th"  left  ;  Mi»  Steubenville  and  Iiuliaua  Railroad  crossed 
ar  which  are  Woolen  Factories. 


also,  at  one  time,  the  residence  of  Logan,  the  celebrated  Mingo  chief,  whose  form 
was  striking  and  manly,  and  whose  magnanimity  and  eloquence  have  seldom  been 
equaled.  ^  He  was  a  son  of  the  Cay  uga  chief  Skikellimus,  who  dwelt  at  Shamokin, 
Pa.,  in  1  742,  and  was  converted  to'  Christianity  under  the  preaching  of  the  Mora 
vian  missionaries.  Skikellinms  highly  esteemed  James  Loy;an,  the  secretary  of  the 
province,  named  his  son  from  him,  and  probably  had  him  baptized  by  the  mission 
aries. 

Logan  took  no  part  in  the  old  French  war,  which  ended  in  1760,  except  that  of 
a  peace  maker,  and  was  always  the  friend  of  the  white  people  until  the  base  mur 
der  of  his  family  to  which  has  been  attributed  the  origin  of  Dunmore's  war.  This 
event  took  place  near  the  mouth  of  Yellow  creek,  in  this  county,  about  17  miles 
above  Steubenville.  During  the  war  which  followed,  Logan  frequently  showed  his 
magnanimity  to  prisoners  who  fell  into  his  hands. 

Chnneattt,  in  Ashtabula  county,  the  north-eastern  corner  township  of  Ohio, 
is  on  Lake  Erie,  and  on  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  67  miles  east  of  Cleve 
land  ;  it  is  distinguished  as  the  landing  place  of  the  party  who  made  the  first 
settlement  of  northern  Ohio,  in  1796;  hence  it  is  sometimes  called  the  Ply 
mouth  of  the  Western  Reserve.  There  is  a  good  harbor  at  the  mouth  of 
Conneaut  creek,  and  a  light  house. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1796,  the  first  surveying  party  of  the  Western  Re 
serve  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Conneaut  creek.  Of  this  event,  John  Barr, 
Esq.,  in  his  sketch  of  the  Western  Reserve,  in  the  National  Magazine  for 
December,  1845,  has  given  the  following  sketch  : 

The  sons  of  revolutionary  sires,  some  of  them  sharers  of  themselves  in  the  great 
baptism  of  the  republic,  they  made  the  anniversary  of  their  country's  freedom  a 


126  OHIO. 

day  of  ceremonial  and  rejoicing.  They  felt  that  they  had  arrived  at  the  place  of 
their  labors,  the — to  many  of  them — sites  of  home,  as  little  alluring,  almost  as 
crowded  with  dangers,  as  were  the  levels  of  Jamestown,  or  the  rocks  of  Plymouth 
to  the  ancestors  who  had  preceded  them  in  the  conquest  of  the  sea-coast  wilderness 
of  this  continent.  From  old  homes  and  friendly  and  social  associations,  they  were 
almost  as  completely  exiled  as  were  the  cavaliers  who  debarked  upon  the  shores  of 
Virginia,  or  the  Puritans  who  sought  the  strand  of  Massachusetts.  Far  away  as 
they  were  from  the  villages  of  their  birth  and  boyhood;  before  them  the  trackless 
forest,  or  the  un traversed  lake,  yet  did  they  resolve  to  cast  fatigue,  and  privation 
and  peril  from  their  thoughts  for  the  time  being,  and  give  to  the  day  its  due,  to  pa 
triotism  its  awards.  Mustering  their  numbers,  they  sat  them  down  on  the  east 
ward  shore  of  the  stream  now  known  as  Conneaut,  and,  dipping  from  the  lake  the 
liquor  in  which  they  pledged  their  country — their  goblets,  some  tin  cups  of  no  rare 
workmanship,  yet  every  way  answerable,  with  the  ordnance  accompaniment  of  two 
or  three  fowling  pieces  discharging  the  required  national  salute — the  first  settlers 
of  the  Reserve  spent  their  landing-day  as  became  the  sons  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
— as  the  advance  pioneers  of  a  population  that  has  since  made  the  then  wilderness 
of  northern  Ohio  to  "  blossom  as  the  rose,"  and  prove  the  homes  of  a  people  as  re 
markable  for  integrity,  industry,  love  of  country,  moral  truth  and  enlightened  leg 
islation,  as  any  to  be  found  within  the  territorial  limits  of  their  ancestral  New 
England. 

The  whole  party  numbered  on.  this  occasion,  fifty-two  persons,  of  whom  two  were  fe 
males  (Mrs.  Stiles  and  Mrs.  Gunn,  and  a  child).  As  these  individuals  were  the  advance 
of  after  millions  of  population,  their  names  become  worthy  of  record,  and  are  therefore 
given,  viz:  Moses  Cleveland,  agent  of  the  company;  Augustus  Porter,  principal  surveyor; 
4Scth  Pease,  Moses  Warren,  Amos  Spaffbrd,  Milton  Hawley,  Richard  M.  Stoddard,  sur 
veyors;  Joshua  Stowe,  commissary;  Theodore  Shepard,  physician;  Joseph  Tinker,  princi 
pal  boatman;  Joseph  Mclntyre,  George  Proudfoot,  Francis  Gay,  Samuel  Forbes,  Elijah 
Gunn,  wife  and  child,  Amos  Sawten,  Stephen  Benton,  Amos  Barber,  Samuel  Hungerford, 
William  B.  Hall,  Samuel  Davenport,  Asa  Mason,  Amzi  Atwater,  Michael  Coffin,  Elisha 
Ayres,  Thomas  Harris,  Norman  Wilcox,  Timothy  Dunham,  George  Goodwin,  Shadrach 
Benham,  Samuel  Agnew,  Warham  Shepard,  David  Beard,  John  Briant,  Titus  V.  Munson, 
Joseph  Laudon,  Job  V.  Stiles  and  wife,  Charles  Parker,  Ezekiel  Hawley,  Nathaniel  Doan, 
Luke  Hanchet,  James  Hasket,  James  Hamilton,  Olney  F.  Rice,  John  Lock,  and  four 
others  whose  names  are  not  mentioned. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  the  workmen  of  the  expedition  were  employed  in  the  erection  of  a 
large,  awkwardly  constructed  log  building;  locating  it  on  the  sandy  beach  on  the  east 
shore  of  the  stream,  and  naming  it  "  Stowe  Castle,"  after  one  of  the  party.  This  became 
the  storehouse  of  the  provisions,  etc.,  and  the  dwelling  place  of  the  families.  No  perma 
nent  settlement  was  made  at  Conneaut  until  1799,  three  years  later. 

Judge  James  Kingsbury,  who  arrived  at  Conneaut  shortly  after  the  sur 
veying  party,  wintered  with  his  family  at  this  place,  in  a  cabin  which  stood 
on  a  spot  now  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  lake.  This  was  about  the  first 
family  that  wintered  on  the  Reserve. 

The  story  of  the  sufferings  of  this  family  have  often  been  told,  but  in  the  midst  of  plenty, 
where  want  is  unknown,  can  with  difficulty  be  appreciated.  The  surveyors,  in  the  prose 
cution  of  their  labors  westwardly,  had  principally  removed  their  stores  to  Cleveland,  while 
the  family  of  Judge  Kingsbury  remained  at  Conneaut.  Being  compelled  by  business  to 
leave  in  the  fall  for  the  state  of  New  York,  with  the  hope  of  a  speedy  return  to  his  family, 
the  judge  was  attacked  by  a  severe  fit  of  sickness  confining  him  to  his  bed  until  the  setting 
in  of  winter.  As  soon  as  able  he  proceeded  on  his  return  as  far  as  Buffalo,  where  he  hired 
an  Indian  to  guide  him  through  the  wilderness.  At  Presque  Isle,  anticipating  the. wants 
of  his  family,  he  purchased  twenty  pounds  of  flour.  In  crossing  Elk  creek,  on  the  ice, 
he  disabled  his  horse,  left  him  in  the  snow,  and  mounting  his  flour  on  his  own  back,  pur 
sued  his  way,  filled  with  gloomy  forebodings  in  relation  to  the  fate  of  his  family.  On  his 
arrival  late  one  evening,  his  worst  apprehensions  were  more  than  realized  in  a  scene  ago 
nizing  to  the  husband  and  father.  Stretched  on  her  cot  lay  the  partner  of  his  cares,  who 
had  followed  him  through  all  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the  wilderness  without  repin 
ing,  pale  and  emaciated,  reduced  by  meager  famine  to  the  last  stages  in  which  life  can  be 
supported,  and  near  the  mother,  on  a  little  pallet,  were  the  remains  of  his  youngest  child, 
born  in  his  absence,  who  had  just  expired  for  the  want  of  that  nourishment  which  the 
mother,  deprived  of  sustenance,  was  unable  to  give.  Shut  up  by  a  gloomy  wilderness,  she 


OHIO.  127 

was  far  distant  alike  from  the  aid  or  sympathy  of  friends,  filled  with  anxiety  for  an  absent 
husband,  suffering  with  want,  and  destitute  of  necessary  assistance,  and  her  children  ex 
piring  around  her  with  hunger. 

Such  is  the  picture  presented, by  which  the  wives  and  daughters  of  the  present  day  may 
form  some  estimate  of  the  hardships  endured  by  the  pioneers  of  this  beautiful  country,  ft 
appears  that  Judge  Kingsbury,  in  order  to  supply  the  wants  of  his  family,  was  under  the 
necessity  of  transporting  his  provisions  from  Cleveland  on  a  hand  sled,  and  that  himself 
and  hired  man  drew  a  barrel  of  beef  the  whole  distance  at  a  single  load. 

Mr.  Kingsbury  subsequently  held  several  important  judicial  and  legislative  trusts,  and 
until  within  a  few  years  since,  was  living  at  Newburg,  about  four  miles  distant  from  Cleve 
land.  He  was  the  first  who  thrust  a  sickle  into  the  iirst  wheat  field  planted  on  the  soil  of 
the  Reserve.  His  wife  was  interred  at  Cleveland,  about  the  year  1843.  The  fate  of  her 
child — theirs*  white  child  born  on  the  Reserve,  starved  in  death  for  want  of  nourishment — 
will  not  soon  be  forgotten. 


View  in  Superior-street,  Cleveland. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Superior-street  looking  westward.  The  Weddel  House  is  seen  on  the 
ripht.  The  llailroad,  Canal,  ami  Cuyahoga  River,  till  pass  within  a  fow  rods  westward  of  the  four  story 
building  seen  at  the  head  of  the  street. 

CLEVELAND,  the  capital  of  Cuyahoga  county,  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake 
Erie,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  is,  next  to  Cincinnati,  the  most 
commercial  city  in  the  state,  and  with  the  exception  of  Chicago,  Detroit  and 
Buffalo,  of  all  the  lake  cities.  It  has  great  natural  facilities  for  trade,  and 
is  connected  with  the  interior  and  Ohio  River  by  the  Ohio  Canal  and  several 
railroads.  The  various  railroads  terminating  here  are,  the  Cleveland  and 
Toledo,  Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati,  Cleveland  and  Mahoning,  Cleve 
land  and  Pittsburg,  Cleveland  and  Erie,  and  Cleveland,  Zanesville  and  Cin 
cinnati.  It  has  a  good  harbor,  which  has  been  improved  by  piers  extending 
into  the  lake.  It  is  situated  135  miles  E.N.E.  from  Columbus,  255  from 
Cincinnati,  130  from  Pittsburg,  130  from  Detroit,  183  from  Buffalo,  and  455 
from  New  York.  The  location  of  the  city  is  beautiful,  being  on  a  gravelly 


128 


OHIO. 


plain  elevated  nearly  100  feet  above  tlie  lake.  The  streets  cross  each  other 
at  right  angles,  and  vary  from  80  to  120  feet  in  width.  Near  the  center  is  a 
handsome  public  square  of  10  acres.  The  private  residences  are  mostly  of 
a  superior  order,  and  in  almost  every  street  are  indications  of  wealth  and 
taste.  Euclid-street  is  an  avenue  of  extraordinary  width,  running  easterly 
from  the  city,  and  extending  for  two  miles  into  the  country.  There  is  no 
single  street  in  any  city  in  the  Union,  which  equals  it  in  the  combination  of 
elegant  private  residences,  with  beautiful  shrubbery  and  park  like  grounds. 
The  unusual  amount  of  trees  and  shrubbery  in  Cleveland  has  given  it  the 
appellation  of  "the  Forest  City:"  it  is  a  spot  where  "town  and  country  ap 
pear  to  have  met  and  shaken  hands."  The  city  is  lighted  with  gas,  and  also 
supplied  with  the  very  best  of  water  from  the  lake.  The  manufactures  of 
the  city  are  extensive  and  important,  consisting  of  steam  engines  and  various 
kinds  of  machinery,  mill  irons,  stoves,  plows,  carriages,  cabinet  ware,  edge 
tools,  copper  smelting  works,  woolen  goods,  tanning  and  the  manufacture  of 
oils.  The  agricultural  products  of  the  interior  of  the  state  are  forwarded 
here  in  large  quantities,  which  are  reshipped  for  eastern  or  European  mar 
kets.  Ship  and  steamboat  building  is  also  carried  on  to  a  considerable  ex 
tent.  The  lumber  trade  is  one  of  great  prominence.  The  packing  of  beef 
and  pork  is  largely  carried  on.  The  wholesale  arid  jobbing  business  in  the 
various  mercantile  departments  is  increasing  daily. 

Cleveland  has  2  medical  colleges,  one  of  which  is  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  College,  the  other  is  of  the  Homoeopathic  school,  a  fine  female  sem 
inary  on  Kinsman's-street,  2  Roman  Catholic  convents,  and  a  variety  of  be 
nevolent  institutions.  Ohio  City,  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  formerly  a 
separate  corporation,  is  now  comprised  in  Cleveland.  Population,  in  179G, 
3;  1798,  16;  1825,  500;  1810,  6,071;  1850,17,034;  and  in  I860,  it  was 
43,550. 

As  early  as  1755,  there  was  a  French  station  within  the  present  limits  of  Cuya- 
Iioga  county,  that  in  which  Cleveland  is  situated.  On  Lewis  Evans'  map  of  the 

middle  British  colonies,  published 
that  year,  there  is  marked  upon  the 
west  bank  of  the  Cuyahoga,  the 
words,  "French  house"  which  was 
doubtless  the  station  of  u  French 
trader.  The  ruins  of  a  house  sup 
posed  to  be  those  of  the  one  alluded 
to,  have  been  discovered  on  Foot's 
farm,  in  Brooklyn  township,  about 
five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Cuyahoga.  The  small  engraving  an 
nexed,  is  from  the  map  of  Evans,  and 
delineates  the  geography  as  in  the 
original. 

In  1786,  the  Moravian  missionary 
Zeisberger,  with  his  Indian  converts, 
left  Detroit,  and  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Cuyahoga,  in  a  vessel  called 
the  Mackinaw.  From  thence,  they 

proceeded  up  the  river  about  ten  miles  from  the  site  of  Cleveland,  and  settled  in 
an  abandoned  village  of  the  Ottawas,  within  the  present  limits  of  Independence, 
which  they  called  Pilgerruh,  i.  e.  Pilgrim  s  rest.  -Their  stay  was  brief,  for  in  the 
April  following,  they  left  for  Huron  River,  a7id  settled  near  the  site  of  Milan,  Erie 
count}r,  at  a  locality  they  named  New  Salem. 

The  British,  who,  after  the  revolutionary  war,  refused  to  yield  possession  of  the 
lake  country  west  of  the  Cuyahoga,  occupied  to  its  shores  until  1790.  Their  tra- 


OHIO.  129 

riers  had  a  house  in  Ohio  City,  north  of  the  Detroit  road,  on  the  point  of  the  hill, 
near  the  river,  when  the  surveyors  first  arrived  here  in  1796.  From  an  early  day, 
Washington,  Jefferson  and  other  leading  Virginia  statesmen  regarded  the  mouth 
of  the  Cuyahoga  as  an  important  commercial  position. 

The  city  was  originally  comprised  in  lands  purchased  by  the  Connecticut  Land 
Company,"  and  formed  a  portion  of  what  is  termed  the  Western  Reserve.  This 
company  was  organized  in  1795,  and  in  the  month  of  May  following,  it  commis 
sioned  Gen.  Moses  Cleveland  to  superintend  the  survey  of  their  lands,  with  a  staff 
of  forty -eight  assistants.  On  July  22, 1796,  Gen.  Cleveland,  accompanied  by  Agus- 
tus  Porter,  the  principal  of  the  surveying  department,  and  several  others,  entered 
the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  from  the  lake,  but  as  they  were  engaged  in  making  a 
traverse,  they  continued  their  progress  to  Sandusky  Bay.  In  the  interim,  Job  P. 
Stiles  and  his  wife  and  Joseph  Tinker  arrived  in  a  boat  with  provisions,  and  were 
employed  in  constructing  a  house  about  half  way  from  the  top  of  the  bank  to  the 
shore  of  the  river,  a  short  distance  north  of  Main  (Superior)  street.  On  the  re 
turn  of  the  party  from  Sandusky,  they  surveyed  and  made  a  plat  of  the  present 
city  of  Cleveland. 

The  first  building  erected  in  Cleveland,  is  supposed  to  have  been  in  1786,  by  Col. 
James  Hillman,  of  Youngstown,  Mahoning  county,  who  was  engaged  in  conveying 
flour  and  bacon  from  Pittsburg  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga,  for  the  use  of  the 
Kritish  army  in  the  upper  lakes.  He  visited  the  site  of  Cleveland  six  times,  and 
on  one  occasion  caused  a  small  cabin  to  be  erected  "  near  a  spring  in  the  hill  side, 
within  a  short  distance  of  what  is  now  the  western  termination  of  Superior-street." 
It  is  probable  that  Stiles  and  Tinker  availed  themselves  of  this  site,  and  possibly 
it  furnished  a  part  of  the  materials  to  erect  their  hut. 

In  the  winter  of  1796-7,  the  population  consisted  of  three  inhabitants.  Early 
in  the  spring  of  1797,  James  Kingsbury  and  family,  from  New  England,  and  Elijah 
Gufin  removed  to  Cleveland.  The  next  families  who  came  here  were  those  of  Maj. 
Carter  and  lilzekiel  Hawley,  from  Kirtland,  the  family  of  the  major  being  accom 
panied  by  Miss  Cloe  Inches.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  (1798),  Maj.  Car 
ter  sowed  two  acres  of  corn  on  the  west  side  of  Water-street.  He  was  the  first 
person  who  erected  a  frame  building  in  the  city,  which  he  completed  in  1802.  On 
the  1st  of  July,  1797,  William  Clement  was  married  to  Cloe  Inches.  The  ceremony 
of  this  first  marriage  was  performed  by  Seth  Hart,  who  was  regarded  by  the  sur 
veying  party  as  their  chaplain.  In  1799,  Rodolphus  Edwards  and  Nathaniel  Doane 
with  their  families,  emigrated  from  Chatham,  Conn.,  to  Cleveland,  being  ninety-two 
days  on  their  journey.  In  the  autumn  of  this  year,  the  whole  colony,  without  ex 
ception,  were  afflicted  with  the  fever  and  ague. 

The  following  historical  items  were  taken  from  the  Traveler,  and  pub 
lished  in  the  Cleveland  Weekly  Herald,  Jan.  5,  1859: 

The  first  city  school  was  held  in  Maj.  Carter's  house  in  1802,  and  the  children 
were  taught  by  Anna  Spafibrd.  The  first  postofiice  was  established  here  in  1804, 
when  letters  were  received  and  transmitted  every  seven  days.  In  the  same  year 
the  first  militia  training  occurred.  The  place  of  rendezvous  was  Doane's  corner, 
and  the  muster  amounted  to  about  fifty  men.  In  1805,  the  harbor  was  made  a 
port  of  entry,  and  classed  within  the  Erie  district.  In  the  same  year  the  territory 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Cuyahoga  was  ceded  to  the  states  by  treaty.  In  1809,  Joel 
Thorpe  and  Amos  Simpson  each  built  a  boat  at  Newberg,  of  six  or  seven  tuns,  and 
conveyed  them  in  wagons  to  the  harbor,  where  they  were  launched.  The  first 
judicial  trial  took  place  in  1812.  It  was  held  in  the  open  air,  beneath  the  shade 
of  a  cherry  tree,  which  then  stood  at  the  corner  of  Water  and  Superior-streets:  it 
being  a  charge  of  murder  against  an  Indian,  called  John  O'Mic,  who  was  convicted 
and  executed.  A  court  house  was  erected  this  year  on  the  public  square,  opposite 
the  place  where  the  stone  church  now  stands.  It  was  an  unique  structure ;  dun 
geons  were  excavated  underneath  for  a  city  jail.  In  1815,  Cleveland  was  incor 
porated  with  a  village  charter,  and  Alfred  Kelley  was  the  first  president.  Mr. 
Kelley  was  the  first  attorney  in  Cleveland.  The  first  brick  house  in  the  city  was 
that  of  J.  R.  and  J.  Kelley,  in  1814,  in  Superior-street.  This  edifice  was  soon  suc 
ceeded  bv  another,  built  by  Alfred  Kelley,  still  standing  in  Water-street.  In  1816 

9 


130 


OHIO. 


the  first  bank  was  established  in  the  city,  under  the  title  of  the  "  Commercial  Bank 
of  Lake  Erie."  The  number  of  vessels  enrolled  as  hailing  this  year  from  Cleve 
land  was  but  seven,  and  their  aggregate  burden  430  tuns.  In  1317,  the  first  church 
was  organized,  which  was  the  Episcopal  church  of  Trinity.  On  July  31,  1818,  the 
first  newspaper,  "The  Cleveland  Gazette  and  Commercial  Register"  was  issued. 
On  the  1st  of  Sept.,  the  same  year,  steamed  in  the  "  Walk-in-the- Water,"  the  first 
steamboat  which  entered  the  harbor.  It  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Fish,  hailed 
from  Buffalo,  and  was  on  its  way  to  Detroit. 

In  1819.  Mr.  Barber  built  a  log  hut  on  the  west  side  of  the  harbor,  and  may  be 
considered  as  the  first  permanent  settler  in  Ohio  City.  The  first  Presbyterian 
church  was  organized  in  1820,  and  the  stone  church  was  erected  on  the  public 
square  in  1834.  In  1821,  the  first  Sunday  school  was  established  in  Cleveland, 
which  was  attended  by  twenty  scholars.  In  1825,  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  Avas 
made  by  the  government  for  the  improvement  of  the  harbor,  and  during  this  year 
the  first  steamboat  was  built  here,  and  the  Ohio  Canal  commenced.  In  1827,  the 
Cuyahoga  Furnace  Company  commenced  their  manufactory,  being  the  first  iron 
works  erected  in  the  city.  In  1830,  the  light  house  was  built  at  the  termination  of 
Water-street,  the  lantern  of  which  is  135  feet  above  the  water  level.  In  1832,  the 
Ohio  Canal  was  completed.  It  had  occupied  seven  years  in  its  construction,  is  307 
miles  in  length,  and  cost  $5.000,000.  In  1836,  Cleveland  was  incorporated  a  city: 
the  first  mayor  was  John  Willey.  In  1840,  the  population  had  increased  to  6,071  ; 
in  1845,  to '12,206.  In  1851,  Feb.  23d,  the  Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati 
Railroad  was  opened  for  travel,  and  on  the  same  day,  forty  miles  of  the  Cleveland 
and  Pittsburg  Railroad  were  likewise  completed.  Population,  this  year,  21.140. 
The  United  States  Marine  Hospital,  on  the  banks  of  the  lake,  was  completed  in 
1852;  it  was  commenced  in  1844. 


Eastern  vietc  of  Toledo. 


The  vfp'v  showy  the  appearance  of  »™ 
of  tli-  Ferry  bindings.  The  Island  H( 
on  the  Ifft." 


of  Toledo,  as  seen  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Maurnee.  at  ona 
se,  the  Union  Passenger  Depot,  and  the  Telegraph  Station  appear 


TOLEDO,  is  a  city  and  port  of  entry,  in   Lucas   county,  on  the  western 
foink  of  the  Maumee,  4  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  10  miles  from  Lake  Erie, 
134  miles  N.W.  of  Columbus,  66  S.3.W.  of  Detroit,  and  100  W.  of  Cleve 
land,  and  24G,  by  canal,  N.  of  Cincinnati.     It  is  the  terminus  of  the  Wabasli  ^ 
and  Erie  Canal,  the  longest  in  the  Union;  also  of  the  Miami  and  Erie  Canal. 


OHIO. 


131 


It  is  the  port  of  north-eastern  Indiana,  and  of  a  large  region  in  north-weatern 
Ohio.  It  is  eminently  a  commerciiil  town,  has  not  only  great  natural  fa 
cilities,  but  has  also  communication  by  canals  and  railroads  in  all  direc 
tions. 

The  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  and  the  air-line  railroad  passing  through 
northern  Indiana,  the  Toledo,  Wabash  and  Western  Road,  the  Toledo  and 
Detroit  Road,  the  northern  and  southern  divisions  of  the  Cleveland  and  To 
ledo  Road,  and  the  Dayton  and  Michigan  Road,  all  terminate  here  in  a  com 
mon  center  at  the  Union  Depot.  The  river  is  about  half  a  mile  wide  here, 
and  forms  a  harbor  admitting  the  largest  lake  vessels.  Population  in  1860, 
13,784. 

Toledo  covers  the  site  of  a  stockade  fort,  called  Fort  Industry,  erected 
about  the  year  1800,  near  what  is  now  Summit-street.  The  site  of  the  town 
originally  was  two  distinct  settlements — the  upper,  Port  Lawrence,  the  lower, 
Vistula. 

In  the  summer  of  1832,  Vistula,  under  the  impetus  given  it  by  Captain 
Samuel  Allen,  from  Lockport,  N.  Y.,  and  Major  Stickney,  made  quite  a 
noise  as  a  promising  place  for  a  town.  At  the  same  time  arrangements  were 
being  made  by  Major  Oliver  and  Micajah  T.  Williams,  of  Cincinnati,  with 
Daniel  0.  Comstock  and  Stephen'B.  Comstock,  brothers,  from  Lockport,  for 
the  resuscitation  of  Port  Lawrence,  at  the  mouth  of  Swan  creek.  The  Corn- 
stocks  took  an  interest,  and  became  the  agents  of  the  Port  Lawrence  prop 
erty. 

No  sales  of  any  importance  were  made  before  1833.  In  Vistula,  the  first 
store  was  started  by  Mr.  E.  Briggs ;  W.  J.  Daniels  was  his  clerk.  Soon  after 
Flagg  &  Bissell  opened  a  more  extensive  store  of  goods — probably  the  first 
good  assortment  for  the  use  of  white  people.  In  1833,  not  much  progress 
was  made  toward  building  a  town  in  Vistula  or  Port  Lawrence.  In  1834, 
speculation  in  lots  began,  and  with  slight  intermission  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1837.  Mr.  Edward  Bissell,  from  Lockport,  a  man  of  enterprise 
and  activity,  became  a  part  owner,  and  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  growth 
of  Vistula.  Through  him  and  the  Port  Lawrence  owners,  many  men  of  in 
fluence  became  interested  in  the  new  towns.  Among  these,  Judge  Mason, 
from  Livingston  county,  N.  Y.,  deserves  mention,  as  he  became  agent  of 
]Mr.  Bissell  and  the  other  chief  owners,  and  made  Vistula  his  place  of  resi 
dence. 

In  Port  Lawrence  the  first  Toledo  steamer  was  built,  and  called  the  De 
troit.  She  was  of  one  hundred  nncl  twenty  tuns,  and  commanded  by  Capt. 
Baldwin,  son  of  a  sea  captain  of  that  name,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest  set 
tlers  in  that  place. 

In  1836,  Toledo  was  incorporated  as  a  city.  The  same  year  the  Wabash 
and  Erie  Canal  was  located,  but  was  not  so  far  finished  as  to  make  its  busi 
ness  felt  until  1845,  when  the  Miami  and  Erie  Canal  was  opened  through 
from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Ohio,  at  Cincinnati. 

In  1835,  Toledo  was  the  center  of  the  military  operations  in  the  "  Ohio  and 
Michigan  war" — originating  in  the  boundary  dispute  between  the  two  states.  The 
militia  of  both. states  were  called  out  and  marched  to  the  disputed  territory,  under 
their  respective  governors — Lucas,  of  Ohio,  and  Mason,  of  Michigan.  No  blood 
was  shed,  although,  at  one  time,  serious  results  were  threatened.  Michigan  claimed 
a  narrow  strip  on  her  southern  border  of  eight  miles  wide,  which  brought  Toledo 
into  that  state.  The  matter  was  referred  to  congress,  who  ceded  to  Michigan  the 
large  peninsula  between  Lakes  Huron,  Superior  and  Michigan,  now  known  as  the 
copper  region  in  lieu  of  the  territory  in  dispute. 


132 


OHIO. 


PLAN   ILLUSTRATING    THE   BATTLES   OF   THE   MAUMEE. 

[Explanations. — The  map  shews 
about  eight  miles  of  the  country  along 
each  side  of  the  Maumee,  including 
the  towns  of  Perrysburg,  Maumee 
City  and  Waterville. 

Just  previous  to  the  battle  of  the 
Fallen  Timbers,  in  August,  1794, 
Wayne's  army  was  encamped  at  a  lo 
cality  called  Roche  de  Boeuf,  a  short 
distance  above  the  present  site  of 
Waterville.  The  battle  commenced  at 
the  Pre&qiie  Isle  hill.  The  routed  In 
dians  were  pursued  to  even  under  the 
guns  of  the  British  Fort  Miami. 

Fort  Meigs,  memorable  from  having 
sustained  two  sieges  in  the  year  1813, 
is  shown  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mau- 
mee,vwith  the  British  batteries  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  near  the  Brit 
ish  fort,  is  the  site  of  Proctor 's  en- 


The  Maumee  Valley  in  which  Tole 
do  is  situated,  is  noted  in  the  early  his 
tory  of  the  country.  It  was  a  favorite 
point  with  the  Indians,  particularly 
that  part  in  the  vicinity  of  the  vil 
lages  of  Maumee  City  and  Perrysburg, 
about  nine  miles  south  of  Toledo.  As 
early  as  1680,  the  French  had  a  trading 
station  just  below  the  site  of  Maumee 
City;  and  in  1794,  the  British  built 
Fort  Miami  on  the  same  spot.  This 
was  within  American  territory,  and 
from  this  point  the  British  traders  in 
stigated  the  Indians  to  outrages  upon 
the  American  settlements.  Two  im 
portant  events  occurred  in  this  vicinity 
— the  victory  of  Wayne,  August  20, 
1794,  and  the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs, 
in  the  war  of  1812. 

Wayne's  battle  ground  is  about  three 
miles  south  of  Maumee  City,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  He  approached 
from  the  south,  having  with  him  about 
three  thousand  men,  of  whom  sixteen 
hundred  were  Kentuckians  under  Gren. 

Scott.     From  Wayne's  official  report  we  make  the  annexed  extract,  which 

contains  the  principal  points  of  this  important  victory: 

The  legion  was  on  the  right,  its  flanks  covered  by  the  Maumee  :  one  brigade  of 


f  AA 

I  AAA-W 
AAA/ 


OHIO.  133 

mounted  volunteers  on  the  left,  under  Brig.  Gen.  Todd,  and  the  other  in  the  rear, 
under  Brig.  Gen.  Barbee.  A  select  battalion  of  mounted  volunteers  moved  in  front 
of  the  legion,  commanded  by  Major  Price,  who  was  directed  to  keep  sufficiently 
advanced,  so  as  to  give  timely  notice  for  the  troops  to  form  in  case  of  action,  it  be 
ing  yet  undetermined  whether  the  Indians  would  decide  for  peace  or  war. 

After  advancing  about  five  miles, 
Major  Price's  corps  received  so 
severe  a  fire  from  the  enemy,  who 
were  secreted  in  the  woods  and 
high  grass,  as  to  compel  them  to 
retreat.  The  legion  was  immedi 
ately  formed  in  two  lines,  princi 
pally  in  a  close  thick  wood,  which 
extended  for  miles  on  our  left,  and 
for  a  very  considerable  distance 
in  front;  the  ground  being  cov 
ered  with  old  fallen  timber,  prob 
ably  occasioned  by  a  tornado, 

which  rendered  it  impracticable 
WAVNE'S  B.ITTLK  Guouxn.  for  ^  cavajry  to  ^  ^   effe(}|. 

The  view  is  from  the  north,  showing  on  the  left  the  Man-       and  afforded    the  enemy  the  most 

Kttta^ffiKt*1  theri^ht^tl— N     favorable  covert  for  their  mode  of 

warfare.  Ihe  savages  were  form 
ed  in  three  lines,  within  supporting  distance  of  each  other,  and  extending  for  near 
two  miles  at  right  angles  with  the"  river.  I  soon  discovered,  from  the  weight  of 
the  fire  and  extent  of  their  lines,  that  the  enemy  were  in  full  force  in  front,  in 
possession  of  their  favorite  ground,  and  endeavoring  to  turn  our  left  flank.  I  there 
fore  gave  orders  for  the  second  line  to  advance  and  support  the  first;  and  directed 
Major  General  Scott  to  gain  and  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  savages,  with  the  whole 
force  of  the  mounted  volunteers,  by  a  circuitous  route ;  at  the  same  time  1  ordered 
the  front  line  to  advance  and  charge  with  trailed  arms,  and  rouse  the  Indians 
from  their  coverts  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  when  up,  to  deliver  a  close  and 
well-directed  fire  on  their  backs,  followed  by  a  brisk  charge,  so  as  not  to  give  them 
time  to  load  again. 

I  also  ordered  Captain  Mis  Campbell,  who  commanded  the  legionary  cavalry,  to 
turn  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy  next  the  river,  and  which  afforded  a  favorable 
field  for  that  corps  to  act  in.  All  these  orders  were  obeyed  with  spirit  and  prompt 
itude;  but  such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge  by  the  first  line  of  infantry,  that 
the  Indians  and  Canadian  militia  and  volunteers  were  driven  from  all  their  coverts 
in  so  short  a  time,  that  although  etery  possible  exertion  was  used  by  the  officers 
of  the  second  line  of  the  legion,  and  by  Generals  Scott,  Todd  and  Barbee,  of  the 
mounted  volunteers,  to  gain  their  proper  positions,  but  part  of  each  could  get  up  in 
season  to  participate  in  the  action  ;  the  enemy  being  driven,  in  the  course  of  one 
hour,  more  than  two  miles  through  the  thick  woods  already  mentioned,  by  less  than 
one  half  their  numbers.  From  every  account  the  enemy  amounted  to  two  thousand 
combatants.  The  troops  actually  engaged  against  them  were  short  of  nine  hun 
dred.  This  horde  of  savages,  with  their  allies,  abandoned  themselves  to  flight,  and 
dispersed  with  terror  and  dismay,  leaving  our  victorious  army  in  full  and  quiet  pos 
session  of  the  field  of  battle,  which  terminated  under  the  influence  of  the  guns  of 
the  British  garrison. 

The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  more  than  that  of  the  federal  army.     The  woods  were 

#At  this  spot  says  tradition,  an  Indian  chief  named  Turkey  Foot,  rallied  a  few  of  his 
men  and  stood  upon  it  fighting  until  his  strength  becoming  exhausted  from  loss  of  blood,  he 
fell  and  breathed  his  last.  Upon  it  have  been  carved  by  the  Indians,  representations  of  tur 
key's  feet,  now  plainly  to  be  seen,  and  it  is  said  "the  early  settlers  of  and  travelers  through  the 
Maumee  valley,  usually  found  many  small  pieces  of  tobacco  deposited  on  this  rock,  which 
had  been  placed  there  by  the  Indians  as  devotional  acts,  by  way  of  sacrifices,  to  appease 
the  indignant  spirit  of  the  departed  hero." 


134  OHIO. 

strewed  for  a  considerable  distance  with  the  dead,  bodies  of  Indians  and  their  white 
auxiliaries,  the  latter  armed  with  British  muskets  and  bayonets. 

We  remained  three  days  and  nights  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee,  in  front  of  the 
field  of  battle,  during  which  time  all  the  houses  and  corn-fields  were  consumed 
and  destroyed  for  a  considerable  distance,  both  above  and  below  Fort  Miami,  as 
well  as  within  pistol-shot  of  the  garrison,  who  were  compelled  to  remain  tacit  spec 
tators  to  this  general  devastation  and  conflagration,  among  which  were  the  houses, 
stores  and  property  of  Colonel  M'Kee,  the  British  Indian'agent  and  principal  stim 
ulator  of  the  war  now  existing  between  the  United  States  and  the  savages. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  battle,  was  33  killed  and  100  wounded,  inclu 
ding  5  officers  among  the  killed,  and  19  wounded.  One  of  the  Canadians  taken  in 
the  action,  estimated  the  force  of  ths  Indians  at  about  1400.  He  also  stated  that 
about  70  Canadians  were  with  them,  and  that  Col.  M'Kee,  Capt.  Elliott  and  Simon 
Girty  were  in  the  field,  but  at  a  respectable  distance,  and  near  the  river. 

When  the  broken  remains  of  the  Indian  army  were  pursued  under  the  British 
fort,  the  soldiers  could  scarcely  be  restrained  from  storming  it.  This,  independent 
of  its  results  in  bringing  on  a  war  with  Great  Britain,  would  have  been  a  desper 
ate  measure,  as  the  fort  mounted  10  pieces  of  artillery,  and  was  garrison  by  450 
men,  while  Wayne  had  no  armament  proper  to  attack  such  a  strongly  fortified  place. 
While  the  troops  remained  in  the  vicinity,  there  did  not  appear  to  be  any  commu 
nication  between  the  garrison  and  the  savages.  The  gates  were  shut  against  them, 
and  their  rout  and  slaughter  witnessed  with  apparent  unconcern  by'the  British. 
That  the  Indians  were  astonished  at  the  lukewanuness  of  their  real  allies,  and  re 
garded  the  fort,  in  case  of  defeat,  as  a  place  of  refuge,  is  evident  from  various  cir 
cumstances,  not  the  least  of  which  was  the  well  known  reproach  of  Tecumseh,  in 
his  celebrated  speech  to  Proctor,  after  Perry's  victory.  The  near  approach  of  the 
troops  drew  forth  a  remonstrance  from  Major  Campbell,  the  British  commandant, 
to  General  Wayne.*  A  sharp  correspondence  ensued,  but  without  any  special  re 
sults.  The  morning  before  the  army  left,  General  Wayne,  after  arranging  his  force 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that  they  were  all  on  the  alert,  advanced  with  his  nu 
merous  staff  and  a  small  body  of  cavalry,  to  the  glacis  of  the  British  fort,  recon- 
noitering  it  with  great  deliberation,  while  the  garrison  were  seen  with  lighted 
matches,  prepared  for  any  emergency.  Jt  is  said  that  Wayne's  party  overheard 
one  of  the  British  subordinate  officers  appeal  to  Major  Campbell,  for  permission  to 
fire  upon  the  cavalcade,  and  avenge  such  an  insulting  parade  under  his  majesty's 
guns;  but  that  officer  chided  him  with  the  abrupt  exclamation,  "be  a  gentleman  ! 
be  a  gentleman  /"f 

After  the  defeat  and  massacre  of  the  Kentuckians  under  Winchester  at  the 
River  Raisin,  near  the  site  of  Monroe,  Michigan,  in  February,  1813,  Gen. 
Harrison  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of  the  north-west,  established  his 
advance  post  at  the  foot  of  'the  Maumee  Rapids  and  erected  a  fort,  subse 
quently  named  Meigs,  in  honor  of  Governor  Meigs. 

"On  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice  in  Lake  Erie,  General  Proctor,  with  all  his  dispo 
sable  force,  consisting  of  regulars  and  Canadian  militia  from  Maiden,  and  a  large 
body  of  Indians  under  their  celebrated  chief,  Tecumseh,  amounting  in  the  whole 
to  two  thousand  men,  laid  siege  to  Fort  Meigs.  To  encourage  the  Indians,  he  had 

#Gen.  Wayne  was  a  man  of  most  ardent  impulses,  and  in  the  heat  of  action  apt  to  forget 
that  he  was  the  general — not  the  soldier.  When  the  attack  on  the  Indians  who  were  con 
cealed  behind  the  fallen  timbers,  was  commencing  b}T  ordering  the  regulars  up,  the  late  Gen. 
Harrison,  then  aid  to  Wayne,  being  lieutenant  with  the  title  of  major,  addressed  his  superi 
or — "Gen.  Wayne,  I  am  afraid  you  will  get  into  the  fight  yourself,  and  forget  to  give  mo 
the  necessarj'  field  orders."  "Perhaps  I  may,  replied  Wayne,  "and  if  I  do,  recollect  the 
standing  order  for  the  day  is,  charge  the  rascals  with  the  bayonet." 

f  That  the  Indian  war  was  in  a  great  measure  sustained  by  British  influences,  admits  of 
ample  proof.  Gen.  Harrison,  in  his  letter  to  Hon.  Thomas  Chilton,  shows  this  from  his  own 
personal  observation,  and  concludes  it  with  this  sentence.  "If  then  the  relation  I  have  giv 
en  is  correct,  the  war  of  the  revolution  continued  in  the  western  country,  until  the  peace  of  Green 
ville,  in  1795." 


OHIO.  135 

promised  them  an  easy  conquest,  and  assured  them  that  General  Harrison  should 
be  delivered  up  to  Tecumseh.  On  the  26th  of  April,  the  British  columns  appeared 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  and  established  their  principal  batteries  on  a 
commanding  eminence  opposite  the  fort.  On  the  27th,  the  Indians  crossed  the 
river,  and  established  themselves  in  the  rear  of  the  American  lines.  The  garrison, 
not  having  completed  their  wells,  had  no  water  except  what  they  obtained  from  the 
river,  under  a  constant  firing  of  the  enemy.  On  the  first,  second,  and  third  of  May, 
their  batteries  kept  up  an  incessant  shower  of  balls  and  shells  upon  the  fort.  On 
the  night  of  the  third,  the  British  erected  a  gun  and  rnorter  battery  on  the  left  hank 
of  the  river,  within  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  American  lines.  The  Indi 
ans  climbed  the  trees  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  and  poured  in  a  galling  fire 
upon  the  garrison.  In  this  situation  General  Harrison  received  a  summons  from 
Proctor  for  a  surrender  of  the  garrison,  greatly  magnifying  his  means  of  annoy 
ance;  this  was  answered  by  a  prompt  refusal,  assuring  the  British  general  that  if 
he  obtained  possession  of  the  fort,  it  would  not  be  by  capitulation.  Apprehensive 
of  such  an  attack,  General  Harrrison  had  made  the  governors  of  Kentucky  and 
Ohio  minutely  acquainted  with  his  situation,  and  stated  to-  them  the  necessity  of 
reinforcements  for  the  relief  of  Fort  Meigs.  His  requisitions  had  been  zealously 
anticipated,  and  General  Clay  was  at  this  moment  descending  the  Miami  with  twelve 
hundred  Kentuckiatis  for  his  relief. 

"At  twelve  o'clock  in  the  night  of  the  fourth,  an  officer*  arrived  from  General 
Clay,  with  the  welcome  intelligence  of  his  approach,  stating  that  he  was  just  above 
the  rapids,  and  could  roach  them  in  t\vo  hour-*,  and  requesting  his  o-rders.  Harri 
son  determined  on  a  general  sally,  and  directed  Clay  to  land  eight  hundred  men  on 
the  right  bank,  take  possession  of  the  British  batteries,  spike  their  cannon,  imme 
diately  return  to  their  boats,  and  cross  over  to  the  American  fort.  The  remainder 
of  Clay's  force  were  ordered  to  land  on  the  left  bank,  and  fight  their  way  to  the 
fort,  while  sorties  were  to  be  made  from  the  garrison  in  aid  of  these  operations. 
Captain  Hamilton  was  directed  to  proceed  up  the  river  in  a  pirogue,  land  a  sub 
altern  on  the  left  bank,  who  should  be  a  pilot  to  conduct  Gen.  Clay  to  the  fort:  and 
then  cross  over  and  station  his  pirogue  at  the  place  designated  for  the  other  di 
vision  to  land.  General  Clay,  having  received  these  orders,  descended  the  river  in 
order  of  battle  in  solid  columns,  each  officer  taking  position  according  to  his  rank. 
Col.  Dudley,  being  the  eldest  in  command,  led  the  van,  and  was  ordered  to  take  the 
men  in  the  twelve  front  boats,  and  execute  General  Harrison's  orders  on  the  right 
bank.  He  effected  his  landing  at  the  place  designated,  without  difficulty.  General 
Clay  kept  close  along  the  left  bank  until  he  carne  opposite  the  place  of  Col.  Dudley's 
landing,  but  not  finding  the  subaltern  there,  he  attempted  to  cross  over  and  join 
Col.  Dudley;  this  was  prevent  by  the  violence  of  the  current  on  the  rapids,  and  he 
again  attempted  to  Land  on  the  left  bank,  and  effected  it,  with  only  fifty  men  amid 
a  brisk  fire  from  the  enemy  on  shore,  and  made  their  way  to  the  fort,  receiving  their 
fire  until  within  the  protection  of  its  guns.  The  other  boats  under,  the  command 
of  Col.  Boswell,  were  driven  further  down  the  current,  and  landed  on  the  right 
to  join  Col.  Dudley.  Here  they  were  ordered  to  re-embark,  land  on  the  left  bank, 
and  proceed  to  the  fort.  In  the  mean  time  two  sorties  were  made  from  the  garri- 
Bon,  one  on  the  left,  in  aid  of  Col.  Boswell,  by  which  the  Canadian  militia  and  In 
dians  were  defeated,  and  he  was  enabled  to  reach  the  fort  in  safety,  and  one  on  the 
right  against  the  British  batteries,  which  was  also  successful." 

"Col.  Dudley,  with  his  detachment  of  eight  hundred  Kentucky  militia,  complete- 

*  This  messenger  was  Capt.  William  Oliver,  post  master  at  Cincinnati  in  Taylor's  admin 
istration,  then  a  young  man,  noted  for  his  heroic  bravery.  He  had  previously  been  sent 
from  the  fort  at  a  time  when  it  was  surrounded  by  Indians,  through  the  wilderness,  with 
instructions  to  General  Clay.  Ilia  return  to  the  fort  was  extremely  dangerous.  Capt.  Les 
lie  Coombs,  now  of  Lexington.  Ky.,  had  been  sent  by  Col.  Dudley  to  communicate  with  Har 
rison.  He  approached  the  fort,  and  when  within  about  a  mile,  was  attacked  by  the  Indians 
and  after  a  gallant  resistance  was  foiled  in  his  object  and  obliged  to  retreat  with  the  loss  of 
nearly  all  of  his  companions.  Oliver  managed  to  get  into  the  fort  through  the  cover  of  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  by  which  he  eluded  the  vigilance  of  Tecumseh  and  his  Indians,  who 
were  very  watchful  and  had  closely  invested  it. 


136  OHI°- 

Iy  succeeded  in  driving  the  British  from  their  batteries,  and  spiking  the  cannon 
Having  accomplished  this  object,  his  orders  were  peremptory  to  return  immedi 
ately  to  his  boats  and  cross  over  to  the  fort :  but  the  blind  confidence  which  gener 
ally  attends  militia  when  successful,  proved  their  ruin.  Although  repeatedly  or 
dered  by  Col.  Dudley,  and  warned  of  their  danger,  and  called  upon  from  the  fort  to 
leave  the  ground;  and  although  there  was  abundant  time  for  that  purpose,  before 
the  British  reinforcements  arrived;  yet  they  commenced  a  pursuit  of  the  Indians, 
and  suffered  themselves  to  be  drawn  into  an  ambuscade  by  some  feint  skirmishing, 
while  the  British  troops  and  large  bodies  of  Indians  were  brought  up,  and  inter 
cepted  their  return  to  the  river.  Elated  with  their  first  success,  they  considered 
the  victory  already  gained  and  pursued  the  enemy  nearly  two  miles  into  the  woods 
and  swamps,  where  they  were  suddenly  caught  in  a  defile  and  surrounded  by 
double  their  numbers.  Finding  themselves  in  this  situation,  consternation  pre 
vailed  ;  their  line  became  broken  and  disordered,  and  huddled  together  in  unre 
sisting  crowds,  they  were  obliged  to  surrender  to  the  mercy  of  the  savages.  For 
tunately  for  these  unhappy  victims  of  their  own  rashness,  General  Tecumseh  com 
manded  at  this  ambuscade,  and  had  imbibed  since  his  appointment  more  humane 
feelings  than  his  brother  Proctor.  After  the  surrender,  and  all  resistance  had 
ceased,  the  Indians,  finding  five  hundred  prisoners  at  their  mercy,  began  the  work 
of  massacre  with  the  most  savage  delight.  Tecumseh  sternly  forbade  it,  and  buried 
his  tomahawk  in  the  head  of  one  of  his  chiefs  who  refused  obedience.  This  order 
accompanied  with  this  decisive  manner  of  enforcing  it,  put  an  end  to  the  massacre. 
Of  eight  hundred  men  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  escaped.  The  residue  were  slain 
or  made  prisoners.  Col.  Dudley  was  severely  wounded  in  the  action,  and  after 
ward  tomahawked  and  scalped.* 


--This  defeat  was  occasioned  by  the  impetuous  valor  of  his  men.  In  one  of  the  general 
orders  after  the  5th  of  May,  Harrison  takes  occasion  to  warn  his  men  against  that  rash 
bravery  which  he  says  "  is  characteristic  of  the  Kentucky  troops,  and  if  persisted  in  is  as  fatal 
in  its  results  as  cowardice." 

After  Dudley  had  spiked  the  batteries,  which  had  but  few  defenders,  some  of  his  men 
loitered  about  the  banks  and  filled  the  air  with  cheers.  Harrison,  and  a  group  of  officers, 
who  were  anxiously  watching  them  from  the  grand  battery,  with  a  presentiment  of  the  hor 
rible  fate  that  awaited  them,  earnestly  beckoned  them  to  return.  Supposing  they  were  re 
turning  their  cheers,  they  reiterated  their  shouts  of  triumph.  Harrison  seeing  this,  ex 
claimed  in  tones  of  anguish,  "  they  are  lost  !  they  are  lout ! — can  I  never  get  men  to  obey  my 
orders?  "  He  then  offered  a  reward  of  a  thousand  dollars  to  any  man  who  would  cross  the 
river  and  apprise  Col.  Dudley  of  his  danger.  This  was  undertaken  by  an  officer,  but  he 
was  too  late. 

Hon.  Joseph  R.  Underwood,  then  a  lieutenant,  has  given  some  extremely  interesting  de 
tails  of  the  horrible  scenes  which  ensued  ;  says  he: 

"On  our  approach  to  the  uid  garrison,  the  Indians  formed  a  line  to  the  left  of  the  road, 
there  being  a  perpendicular  bank  to  the  right,  on  the  margin  of  which  the  road  passed.  I 
perceived  that  the  prisoners  were  running  the  gauntlet,  and  that  the  Indians  were  whipping, 
shooting  and  tomahawking  the  men  as  they  ran  by  their  line.  When  I  reached  the  start 
ing  place,  I  dashed  off  as  fast  as  I  was  able,  and  ran  near  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  know 
ing  that  they  would  have  to  shoot  me  while  I  was  immediately  in  front,  or  let  me  pass,  for 
to  have  turned  their  guns  up  or  down  their  lines  to  shoot  me,  would  have  endangered  them 
selves,  as  there  was  a  curve  in  their  line.  In  this  way  I  passed  without  injury,  except  somo 
strokes  over  the  shoulders  with  their  gun-sticks.  As  I  entered  the  ditch  around  the  garri 
son,  the  man  before  me  was  shot  and  fell,  and  I  fell  over  him.  The  passage  for  a  while 
was  "stopped  by  those  who  fell  over  the  dead  man  and  myself.  How  many  lives  were  lost 
at  this  place  I  can  not  tell— probably  between  20  and  40.  The  brave  Captain  Lewis  was 
among  the  number.  When  we  got  within  the  walls,  we  were  ordered  to  sit  down.  I  lay 
in  the  lap  of  Mr.  Gilpin,  a  soldier  of  Captain  Henry's  company,  from  Woodford.  A  new 
scene  commenced.  An  Indian,  painted  black,  mounted  the  dilapidated  wall,  and  shot  one 
of  the  prisoners  next  to  him.  He  reloaded  and  shot  a  second,  the  ball  passing  through  him 
into  the  hip  of  another,  who  afterward  died,  I  was  informed,  at  Cleveland,  of  the  wound. 
The  savage  then  laid  down  his  gun  and  drew  his  tomahawk,  with  which  he  killed  two 
others.  When  he  drew  his  tomahawk  and  jumped  down  among  the  men,  they  endeavored 
to  escape  from  him  by  leaping  over  the  heads  of  each  other,  and  thereby  to  place  others 
between  themselves  and  danger.  Thus  they  were  heaped  upon  one  another,  and  as  I  did 
not  rise,  they  trampled  upon  me  so  that  I  could  see  nothing  that  was  going  on.  The  con 
fusion  and  uproar  of  this  moment  can  not  be  adequately  described.  There  was  an  excite- 


OHIO.  137 

Proctor  seeing  no  prospect  of  taking  the  fort,  and  finding  his  Indians  fast  leav 
ing  him,  raised  the  siege  on  the  9th  of  May,  and  returned  with  precipitation  to 
Maiden.  Tecumseh  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Indians  remained  in  ser 
vice ;  but  large  numbers  left  in  disgust,  and  were  ready  to  join  the  Americans. 
On  the  left  bank,  in  the  several  sorties  of  the  5th  of  May,  and  during  the  sieire, 
the  American  loss  was  eighty-one  killed  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine  wounded.. 

The  British  force  under  Proctor,  during  the  siege,  amounted,  as  nearly  as  could 
be  ascertained,  to  3,200  men,  of  whom  600  were  British  regulars,  800  Canadian 
militia,  and  1,800  Indians.  Those  under  Harrison,  including  the  troops  who  arrived 
on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  under  Gen.  Clay,  were  about  1,200.  The  number  of 
his  men  fit  for  duty,  was,  perhaps,  less  than  1,100."* 

On  the  20th  of  July,  the  enemy,  to  the  number  of  5,000,  again  appeared 
before  Fort  Meigs,  and  commenced  a  second  siege.  The  garrison  was,  at 
the  time,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Green  Clay,  of  Kentucky.  Finding 
the  fort  too  strong,  they  remained  but  a  few  days. 


SANDUSKY  CITY,  port  of  entry,  arid  capital  of  Erie  county,  is  situated  on 
the  southern  shore  of  Sandusky  Bay,  3  miles  from  Lake  Erie,  105  miles  N. 
from  Columbus,  47  E.  from  Toledo,  210  N.N.E.  from  Cincinnati,  and  60 
from  Cleveland  and  Detroit.  It  is  also  on  the  northern  division  of  the  Cleve 
land  and  Toledo  Railroad,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the  Sandusky,  Mansfield 
and  Newark,  and  Sandusky,  Dayton  and  Cincinnati  Railroads.  The  bay 
is  about  20  miles  long  and  5  or  6  wide,  forming  an  excellent  harbor,  into 
which  vessels  of  all  sizes  can  enter  with  safety  in  storms.  The  ground  on 
which  the  city  stands,  rises  gently  from  the  shore,  commanding  a  fine  view 
of  the  bay  with  its  shipping.  The  town  is  based  upon  an  inexhaustible 
quarry  of  fine  limestone,  whl-ch  is  not  only  used  in  building  elegant  and  sub- 

ment  among  tho  Indians,  and  a  fierceness  in  their  conversation,  which  betokened  on  the 
part  of  some- a  strong  disposition  to  massacre  the  whole  of  us.  The  British  officers  and 
soldiers  seemed  to  interpose  to  prevent  the  further  effusion  of  blood.  Their  expression  was 
"  Oh,  tiifliff,  wahl"  meaning,  "  oh  !  brother,  quit ! "  After  the  Indian  who  had  occasioned 
this  horrible  scene,  had  scalped  and  stripped  his  victims,  he  left  us,  and  a  comparative  calm 
ensued.  The  prisoners  resumed  th'eir  seats  on  Ihe  ground.  While  thus  situated,  a  tall, 
stout  Indian  walked  into  the  midst  of  us,  drew  a  long  butcher  knife  from  his  belt  and  com 
menced  whetting  it.  As  he  did  so,  he  looked  around  among  the  prisoners,  apparently  se 
lecting  one  for  the  gratification  of  his  vengeance.  I  viewed  his  conduct,  and/  thought  it 
probable  that  he  was  to  give  the  signal  for  a  general  massacre.  But  after  exciting  our  fears 
sufficiently  for  his  satisfaction,  he  gave  a  contemptuous  grunt  and  went  out  from  among  us. 

When  it  was  near  night, -we  were  taken  in  open  boat?  about  nine  miles  down  the  river, 
to  the  British  shipping.  On  the  day  after,  we  were  visited  by  the  Indians,  in  their  bark 
canoes,  in  order  to  make  a  display  of  their  scalps.  These  they  strung  on  a  pole,  perhaps 
two  inches  in  diameter,  and  about  eight  feet  high.  The  pole  was  set  up  perpendicularly  in 
the  bow  of  their  canoes,  and  near  the  top  the  scalps  were  fastened.  On  some  poles  I  saw 
four  or  five.  Each  scalp  was  drawn  closely  over  a  hoop  about  four  inches  in  diameter;  and 
the  flesh  sides,  I  thought,  were  painted  red.  Thus  their  canoes  were  decorated  with  a  flag 
staff"  of  a  most  appropriate  character,  bearing  human  scalps,  the  horrid  ensigns  of  savage 
warfare." 

"*"  During  the  siege,"  says  an  eye  witness,  "one  of  our  militia  men  took  his  station  on 
the  embankment,  and  gratuitously  forewarned  us  of  every  shot.  In  this  he  became  so 
skillful  that  he  could,  in  almost  every  case,  predict  the  destination  of  the  ball.  As  soon  as 
the  smoke  issued  from  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  he  would  cry  out,  "shot,"  or  "  bomb,"  as  the 
case  might  be.  Sometimes  he  would  exclaim,  "  block-house  No.  1,"  or  "  look-out  main  bat 
tery  ;  "  "now  for  the  meat-house;  "  "  good  -by,  if  yon  will  pass."  In  spite  of  all  the  expostu 
lations  of  his'friends,  he  maintained  his  post.  One  day  there  came  a  shot  that  seemed  to 
defy  all  his  calculations.  He  stood  silent — motionless — perplexed.  In  the  same  instant  he 
wan  swept  into  eternity.  Poor  man  !  ho  should  have  considered,  that  when  there  is  no  ob 
liquity  in  the  issue  of  the  smoke,  either  to  the  right  or  left,  above  or  below,  the  fatal  mes 
senger  would  travel  in  the  direct  line  of  his  vision.  He  reminded  me  of  tho  peasant,  in 
the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  who  cried  out,  "  woe  to  the  city  I  woe  to  the  temple  I  woe  to  myself  1  " 


138  OHIO. 

stantial  edifices  in  the  place,  but  is  an  extensive  article  of  export.  It  has  a 
large  trade,  and  its  manufactures,  chiefly  of  heavy  machinery,  are  important 
Population,  about  12,000. 


North-eastern  view  of  Public  Square,  Sandusky. 

The  view  shows,  first,  beginning  at  the  left,  the  Episcopal  Church,  then  successively  the  Dutch  Reformed 
ChOTch,  the  Court  Hou.se,  Catholic  Church,  the  High  School,  Congregational  Church,  Methodist,  Baptist, 
and  the  Presbyterian  Churches. 

The  French  established  a  small  trading  post  at  the  month  of  Huron  River,  and 
another  on  the  shore  of  the  bay  on  or  near  the  site  of  Sandusky  City,  which  were 
abandoned  before  the  war  of  the  revolution.  The  small  map  annexed  is  copied 
from  part  of  Evans'  map  of  the  Middle  British  Colonies,  published  in  1755.  The 

reader  will  perceive  upon  the  east  bank 
of  ISandusky  River,  near  the  bay,  a  French 
fort  there  described  as  "  Fort  Junandat, 
built  -in  1754."  The  words  Wandots  are, 
doubtless,  meant  for  Wyandot  towns. 

Erie,  Huron,  and  a  small  part  of  Otta- 
vra  counties  comprise  that  portion  of  the 
Western  Reserve*  known  as  "  the  fire 
lands"  being  a  tract  of  about  500,000 
acres,  granted  by  the  state  of  Connecticut 
to  the  sufferers  by  fire  from  the  British  in 
their  incursions  into  that  state. 

It  is  quite  difficult  to  ascertain  who  the  first 
settlers  were  upon  the  fire  lands.  As  early, 
if  not  prior  to  the  organization  of  the  state, 
several  persons  had  squatted  upon  the  lands, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  streams  and  near  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  led  a  hunter's  life  and 
trafficked  with  the  Indians.  But  they  were  » 
race  of  wanderers  and  gradually  disappeared 
before  the  regular  progress  of  the  settlements. 
Those  devoted  missionaries,  the  Moravians,  made  a  settlement,  which  they  called  New 


*•  The  Western,  or  Connecticut  Reserve,  comprises  the  following  counties  in  northern  Ohio, 
viz :  Ashtabula,  Lake,  Cuyahoga,  Lorain,  Erie,  Huron,  Medina,  Summit,  Portage,  Trum- 
bull,  and  the  northern  part  of  Mahoning. 


OHIO. 


139 


Salem,  as  early  as  1790,  on  Huron  River,  about  two  miles  below  Milan,  on  the  Hathaway 
farm.  They  afterward  settled  at  Milan. 

The  first  regular  settlers  upon  the  fire  lands  were  Col.  Jerard  Ward,  who  came  in  the 
spring  of  1808,  and  Almon  Ruggles  and  Jabez  Wright,  in  the  autumn  succeeding.  Ei  e  the 
close  of  the  next  year,  quite.a  number  of  families  had  settled  in  the  townships  of  Huron, 
Florence,  Berlin,  Oxford,  Margaretta,  Portland  and  Vermillion.  These  early  settlers  gen 
erally  erected  the  ordinary  log  cabin,  but  others  of  a  wandering  character  built  bark  huts, 
which  were  made  by  driving  a  post  at  each  of  the  four  corners,  and  one  higher  between 
each  of  the  two  end  corners,  in  the  middle  to  support  the  roof,  which  were  connected  to 
gether  by  a  ridge  pole.  Layers  of  bark  were  wound  around  the  side  of  the  posts,  each  up 
per  layer  lapping  the  one  beneath  to  shed  rain.  The  roof  was  barked  over,  strips  being 
bent  across  from  one  eave  over  the  ridge  pole  to  the  other,  and  secured  by  poles  on  them. 
The  occupants  of  these  bark  huts  Avere  squatters,  and  lived  principally  by  hunting.  They 
were  the  semi-oivilized  race  that  usually  precedes  the  more  substantial  pioneer  in  the  west 
ern  wilderness. 

Fremont,  formerly  Lower  Sandusky,  on  the  -west  bank  of  Sandusky  River, 
is  the  county  seat  of  Sandusky  county,  30  miles  easterly  from  Toledo,  by  the 
Cleveland  and  Toledo  Railroad.  Population  about  4,000. 

The  defense  of  Fort  Stephenson,  at  this  point,  Aug.  2,  1813,  just  after 
the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  was  a  memorable  event  in  the  war  of  1812. 

This  post  had  been  established  by  Gen.  Harrison,  on  Sandusky  River,  eighteen 
miles  from  its  mouth,  and  forty  east  of  Fort  Meigs.  It  was  garrisoned  by  one 

hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  Major 
George  Croghari,  a  young  Kentuckmn, 
just  past  twenty-one  years  of  age.  This 
fort  being  indefensible  against  heavy 
cannon,  which  it  was  supposed  would 
be  brought  against  it  by  Proctor,  it  was 
judged  best  by  Harrison  and  his  officers 
in  council,  that  it  should  be  abandoned. 
But  the  enemy  appeared  before  the  gar 
rison  on  the  31st  of  July,  before  the  or 
der  could  be  executed;  they  numbered 
thirty-three  hundred  strong,  including 
the  Indians,  and  brought  with  them  six 

FORT  SANDUSKY.*  pieces  of  artillery,  which,  luckily,  were 

of  light  caliber.     To  Proctor's  summary 

demand  for  its  surrender,  he  was  informed  that  he  could  only  gain  access  over  the 
corpses  of  its  defenders.  The  enemy  soon  opening  their  fire  upon  them,  gave 
Croghan  reason  to  judge  that  they  intended  to  storm  the  north-west  angle  of  the 
fort.  In  the  darkness  of  night,  he  placed  his  only  piece  of  artillery,  a  six  pounder, 
at  that  point,  and  loaded  it  to  the  muzzle  with  slugs.  On  the  evening  of  the  2d, 
three  hundred  British  veterans  marched  up  to  carry  the  works  by  storm,  and 
when  within  thirty  feet  of  the  masked  battery  it  opened  upon  them.f  The  effect 
was  decisive,  twenty-seven  of  their  number  was  slain,  the  assailants  recoiled,  and 
having  the  fear  of  Harrison  before  them,  who  was  at  Fort  Seneca,  some  ten  miles 
south,  with  a  considerable  force,  they  hastily  retreated  the  same  night,  leaving  be 
hind  them  their  artillery  and  stores. 

Upper  SandusJf-y,  the  county  seat  of  Wyandot  county,  is  a  village  of  about 


*  References  to  the  Fort. — Line  1 — Pickets.  Line  2 — Embankment  from  the  ditch  to  and 
against  the  picket.  Line  3 — Dry  ditch,  nine  feet  wide  by  six  deep.  Line  4 — Outward  em 
bankment  or  glacis.  A — Block-house  first  attacked  by  cannon,  b.  B — Bastion  from  which 
the  ditch  was  raked  by  Croghan's  artillery.  C — Guard  block-house,  in  the  lower  left  cor 
ner.  D — Hospital  during  the  attack.  E  E  E — Military  store-houses.  F — Commissary's 
store-house.  G — Magazine.  H — Fort  gate.  K  K  K — Wicker  gates.  L — Partition  gate. 

|Col.  Short,  who  commanded  this  party,  was  ordering  his  men  to  leap  the  ditch,  cut  down 
the  pickets,  and  give  the  Americans  no  quarters,  when  he  fell  mortally  wounded  into  the 
ditch,  hoisted  his  white  handkerchief  on  the  end  of  his  sword,  and  begged  for  that  mercy 
which  he  had  a  moment  before  ordered  to  be  denied  to  his  enemy. 


140  OHIO. 

1,500  inhabitants,  63  miles  N.  of  Columbus,  on  the  W.  bank  of  the  Sandus- 
ky,  and  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago  Railroad.  It  was  for 
merly  the  chief  town  of  the  Wyandot  Indians,  who  ceded  their  land  to  the 
United  States  in  1843. 

About  three  miles  north  of  the  town  is  the  battle  ground,  where  Col.  Crawford 
was  defeated  by  the  Indians,  in  1782.  After  the  massacre  of  the  Moravian  Indi 
ans  on  the  Tuscarawas,  the  remainder  settled  in  this  vicinity  among  the  hostile  In 
dians.  A  second  expedition  was  projected  on  the  upper  Ohio,  to  invade  the  Wy- 
andot  country,  finish  the  destruction  of  the  Christian  Indians,  and  then  destroy 
the  Wyandot  towns  in  the  vicinity.  Four  hundred  and  eighty  men  assembled  at 
the  old  Mingo  towns,  near  the  site  of  Steubenville,  and  elected  Col.  Wm.  Craw 
ford,  a  resident  of  Brownsville,  as  their  commander.  This  officer  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  Washington.  At  this  time  he  was  about  50 
years  of  age. 

It  was  determined  to  carry  on  a  war  of  extermination — "no  quarter  was  to 
be  given  to  any  man,  woman  or  child.1'  On  the  7th  of  June,  while  marching 
through  the  Sandusky  plains,  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  concealed  in  the 
high  grass.  The  action  continued  until  night  closed  in  upon  them.  It  was  then 
determined  to  retreat.  Unfortunately,  instead  of  doing  so  all  in  a  body,  one  part 
broke  up  into  small  parties,  and  these  being  pursued  by  detachments  of  Indians, 
mostly  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Some  were  killed  and  scalped  at  the 
time,  while  others  were  reserved  for  torture.  Among  the  latter  was  Col.  Crawford, 
who  perished  at  the  stake.* 


*  The  account  of  the  burning  of  Crawford  is  thus  given  by  Dr.  Knight,  his  companion, 
who  subsequently  escaped.  When  we  went  to  the  fire,  the  colonel  was  stripped  naked,  or 
dered  to  sit  down  by  the  fire,  and  then  they  beat  him  with  sticks  an,d  their  fists.  Presently 
after,  I  was  treated  in  the  same  manner.  They  then  tied  a  rope  to  the  foot  of  a  post  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  bound  the  colonel's  hands  behind  his  back  and  fastened  the  rope  to  the 
ligature  between  his  wrists.  The  rope  was  long  enough  for  him  to  sit  down  or  walk  round 
the  post  once  or  twice,  and  return  the  same  way.  The  colonel  then  called  to  Girty,  and 
asked  him  if  they  intended  to  burn  him  ?  Girty  answered,  yes.  The  colonel  said  he  would 
take  it  all  patiently.  Upon  this,  Captain  Pipe,  a  Delaware  chief,  made  a  speech  to  the  In 
dians,  viz:  about  thirty  or  forty  men,  and  sixty  or  seventy  squaws  and  boys.  When  the 
speech  was  finished,  they  all  yelled  a  hideous  and  hearty  assent  to  what  had  been  said.  The 
Indian  men  took  up  their  guns  and  shot  powder  into  the  colonel's  body,  from  his  feet  as  far 
up  as  his  neck.  I  think  that  not  less  than  seventy  loads  were  discharged  upon  his  naked 
body.  They  then  crowded  about  him,  and  to  the  best  of  my  observation,  cut  off  his  ears ; 
when  the  throng  had  dispersed  a  little,  I  saw  the  blood  running  from  both  sides  of  his  head 
in  consequence  thereof. 

The  fire  was  about  six  or  seven  yards  from  the  post  to  which  the  colonel  was  tied ;  it  was 
made  of  small  hickory  poles,  burnt  quite  through  in  the  middle,  each  end  of  the  poles  re 
maining  about  six  feet  in  length.  Three  or  four  Indians,  by  turns,  would  take  up,  indi 
vidually,  one  of  these  burning  pieces  of  wood,  and  apply  it  to  his  naked  body,  already 
burnt  black  with  powder.  These  tormentors  presented  themselves  on  every  side  of  him 
with  the  burning  fagots  and  poles.  Some  of  the  squaws  took  broad  boards,  upon  which 
they  would  carry  a  quantity 'of  burning  coals  and  hot  embers,  and  throw  on  him,  so  that  in 
a  short  time,  he  had  nothing  but  coals  of  fire  and  hot  ashes  to  walk  upon.  In  the  midst  of 
these  extreme  tortures,  he  called  to  Simon  Girty,  and  begged  of  him  to  shoot  him ;  but 
Girty  making  no  answer,  ho  called  to  him  again.  Girty  then,  by  way  of  derision,  told  the 
colonel  that  he  had  no  gun,  at  the  same  time  turning  about  to  an  Indian  who  was  behind 
him,  laughed  heartily,  and  by  all  his  gestures,  seemed  delighted  with  the  horrid  scene. 
Girty  then  came  up  to  me  and  bade  me  prepare  for  death.  He  said,  however,  I  was  not  to 
die  at  that  place,  but  to  be  burnt  at  the  Shawnese  towns.  He  swore  by  G — d  I  need  not 
expect  to  escape  death,  but  should  suffer  it  in  all  its  extremities. 

Col.  Crawford,  at  this  period  of  his  sufferings,  besought  the  Almighty  to  have  mercy  on 
his  soul,  spoke  very  low,  and  bore  his  torments  with  the  most  manly  fortitude.  He  con 
tinued  in  all  the  extremities  of  pain  for  an  hour  and  three  quarters  or  two  hours  longer,  as 
near  a"s  I  can  judge,  when  at  last,  being  almost  exhausted,  he  lay  down  on  his  belly  ;  they 
then  scalped  him,  and  repeatedly  threw  the  scalp  in  my  face,  telling  me,  "  that  was  my  great 
captain."  An  old  squaw  (whose  appearance  every  way  answered  the  ideas  people  entertain 
of  the  devil)  got  a  board,  took  a  parcel  of  coals  and  ashes  and  laid  them  on  his  back  and 
head,  after  he  had  been  scalped;  he  then  raised  himself  upon  his  feet  and  began  to  walk 


OHIO.  141 

Near  the  town  of  Upper  Sandusky  stands  the  old  Wyandot  Mission  Church, 
built  about  the  year  1824,  from  government  funds,  by  Rev.  James  B.  Fin- 
ley.  The  Methodists  here  sustained  the  mission  among  the  Indians  for  many 
years.  In  1816,  John  Stewart,  a  mulatto,  a  Methodist,  came  here,  and  gain 
ing  much  influence  over  the  na 
tives,  paved  the  way  for  a  regular 
mission,  which  was  soon  after 
formed  by  Mr.  Finley,  who  es 
tablished  both  a  church  and  a 
school.  This  was  the  first  Indian 
mission  formed  by  the  Methodists 
in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  Mr. 
Finley  was  very  happy  in  his 
efforts,  and  in  his  interesting  his 
tory  of  the  mission,  gives  the  fol 
lowing  touching  anecdote  of  the 
chief  Summundewat,  one  of  his 
converts,  who  was  subsequently 
murdered  by  some  vagabond 
whites  in  Hancock  county,  while 
extending  to  them  hospitalities  : 

\VV\NDOT  MISSION  CHURCH. 

11  oum-mun-de-wat  amused  me  alter 

he  came  home  by  relating  a  circumstance  that  transpired  one  cold  evening,  just  before 
sun-down.  '  I  met,'  said  he,  •  on  a  small  path,  not  far  from  my  camp,  a  man  who  ask  me 
if  I  could  talk  English.'  I  said,  '  Little.'  He  ask  me,  '  flow  far  is  it  to  a  house?  '  I  an 
swer,  '  I  don't  know — may  be  10  miles — may  be  8  miles.'  '  Is  there  a  path  leading  to  it?' 
'  No — by  and  by  dis  go  out  (pointing  to  the  path  they  were  on),  den  all  M'oods.  You  go 
home  me — sleep — me  go  show  you  to-morrow.'  Then  he  come  my  camp — so  take  horse 
— tie — give  him  some  corn  and  brush — then  my  wife  give  him  supper.  He  ask  where  I 
come.  I  say,  'Sandusky.'  He  say,'  You  know  Finley?  '  '  Yes,'l  say, 'he  is  my  brother 
— my  father.'  Then  he  say, '  He  is  my  brother.'  Then  I  feel  something  in  my  heart  burn. 
I  say, '  You  preacher? '  He  say, '  Yes; '  and  I  shook  hands  and  say,  '  My  brother  I '  Then 
we  try  talk.  Then  I  say,  '  You  sing  and  pray.'  So  he  did.  Then  he  say  to  me,  '  Sing 
and  pray.'  So  I  did;  and  I  so  much  cry  I  can't  pray.  No  go  to  sleep — I  can't — I  wake — 
my  heart  full.  All  night  I  pray  and  praise  God,  for  his  send  me  preacher  to  sleep  my 
camp.  Next  morning  soon  come,  and  he  want  to  go.  Then  I  go  show  him  through  the 
woods,  until  come  to  big  road.  Then  he  took  my  hand  and  say,  'Farewell,  brother;  by 
and  by  we  meet  up  in  heaven.'  Then  me  cry,  and  my  brother  cry.  We  part — I  go  hunt. 
All  day  I  cry,  and  no  see  deor  jump  up  and  run  away.  Then  I  go  and  pray  by  some  log. 
My  heart  so  full  of  joy,  that  I  can  not  walk  much.  I  say,  '  I  can  not  hunt.'  Sometimes 
I  sing — then  I  stop  and  clap  my  hands,  and  look  up  to  God,  my  heavenly  Father.  Then 
the  love  come  so  fast  in  my  heart,  I  can  hardly  stand.  So  I  went  home,  and  said, '  This 
is  my  happiest  day.'  " 

DAYTON,  a  city,  and  capital  of  Montgomery  county,  is  situated  on  the  E. 
bank  of  the  Great  Miami,  at  the  mouth  of  Mad  River,  60  miles  from 
Cincinnati,  67  from  Columbus,  and  110  from  Indianapolis.  This  is  the 

round  the  post ;  they  next  put  a  burning  stick  to  him,  as  usual,  but  he  seemed  more  insen 
sible  of  pain  than  before. 

The  Indian  fellow  who  had  me  in  charge,  now  took  me  away  to  Captain  Pipe's  house, 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  place  of  the  colonel's  execution.  I  was  bound  all 
night,  and  thus  prevented  from  seeing  the  last  of  the  horrid  spectacle.  Next  morning, 
being  June  12th,  the  Indian  untied  me ;  painted  me  black,  and  we  set  oiF  for  the  Shawnce 
town,  which  he  told  me  was  somewhat  less  than  forty  miles  distant  from  that  place.  We 
soon  came  to  the  spot  where  the  colonel  had  been  burnt,  as  it  was  partly  in  our  way  ;  I  saw 
hi8  bones  lying  among  the  remains  of  the  fire,  almost  burnt  to  ashes  ;  I  suppose,  after  he 
was  dead,  they  laid  his  body  on  the  fire.  The  Indian  told  me  that  was  my  big  captain,  and 
gave  the  scalp  halloo. 


142 


OHIO. 


third  city  in  Ohio,  in  population  and  wealth,  and  has  extensive  manufac 
tures  and  respectable  commerce.  Its  manufactures  consist  principally  of 
railroml  equipments,  iron  ware,  paper,  cotton,  and  woolen  fabrics,  etc. 
The  city  is  laid  out  with  streets  100  feet  wide,  crossing  each  other  at  right 


North-eastern  vieic  of  Hie  Court  House,  Dayton. 

Erected  at  «an  expense  of  about  §100,000,  and  127  feet  in  length  by  G2  in  breadth.    The  style  of  architec 
ture  is  that  of  the  Parthenon,  with  some  slight  variations. 

angles.  The  public  buildings  are  excellent,  and  much  taste  is  displayed  in 
the  construction  of  private  residences,  many  of  which  are  ornamented  by 
fine  gardens  and  shrubbery.  The  abundant  water  power  which  Dayton  pos 
sesses  is  one  of  the  elements  of  its  prosperity.  In  1845,  a  hydraulic  canal 
was  made,  by  which  the  water  of  Mad  lliver  is  brought  through  the  city. 
Numerous  macadamized  roads  diverge  from  the  town,  and  radiate  in  all  di 
rections  ;  several  railroads  terminate  at  Dayton,  and  by  this  means  communi 
cation  is  had  with  every  point  in  the  Union.  The  Southern  Ohio  Lunatic 
Asylum  is  established  here.  There  are  27  churches,  in  7  of  which  the  Ger 
man  language  is  used.  Population  in  ISfiO,  20,132. 

The  first  families  who  made  a  permanent  residence  in  the  place,  arrived  en 
the  1st,  day  of  April,  1796.  The  first  19  settlers  of  Dayton,  were  Win.  G fi 
ll  agan,  Samuel  Thompson,  Benj.  Van  Cleve,  Wm.  Van  Cleve,  Solomon  Goss, 
Thomas  Davis,  John  Davis,  James  M'Clure,  John  M'Clure,  Daniel  Ferrell, 
William  Hamer,  Solomon  Hamer,  Thomas  Hamer,  Abraham  Glassmire,  John 
Dorough,  Wm.  Chenoweth,  Jas.  Morris,  Wm.  Newcom  and  George  Newcom. 

In  1803,  on  the  organization  of  the  state  government,  Montgomery  county 
was  established.  Dayton  was  made  the  seat  of  justice,  at  which  time  only 
five  families  resided  in  the  town,  the  other  settlers  having  gone  on  to  farms 
in  the  vicinity,  or  removed  to  other  parts  of  the  country.  The  increase  of 
the  town  was  gradual,  until  the  war  of  1812,  which  made  a  thoroughfare  for 
the  troops  and  stores  on  their  way  to  the  frontier. 

Springfield,  a  beautiful  city  and  capital  of  Clarke  county,  is  situated  on 
the  National  Road,  on  Mad  lliver,  43  miles  W.  from  Columbus,  and  84  N. 
from  Cincinnati.     It  has  great  water  power,  well  improved  by  a  variety  of 
mills  and  manufacturing  establishments.     It  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  ar 
populous  country.     Several  macadamized  roads  terminate  here,  and  railroads 


OHIO. 


143 


connect  it  with  the  principal  towns  in  the  state.  Wittemberg  College,  un 
der  the  patronage  of  the  Lutheran  Church,  chartered  in  1845,  is  a  short  dis 
tance  without  the  town,  and  is  surrounded  with  spacious  grounds.  Popula 
tion,  8,000. 

Springfield  was  laid  out  in  1803,  by  James  Demint.  The  old  Indian  town, 
Piqua,  the  ancient  Piqua  of  the  Shawnees,  and  the  birth-place  of  TECUMSEH, 
the  celebrated  Indian  warrior,  was  situated  on  the  N.  side  of  Mad  River, 
about  five  miles  W.  from  Springfield. 

Xenia,  the  county  seat  of  Green,  is  a  well  built  town  on  the  Little  Miami 
Railroad,  64  miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  in  a  rich  country.  The  town  was 
laid  off  in  1803,  by  Joseph  C.  Vance.  The  name,  Xenia,  is  said  to  be  an 
old  French  word,  signifying  a  New  Year's  gift.  Wilberforce  University  is 
three  and  a  half  miles  north-east  of  Xenia,  an  institution  under  the  care  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  North,  for  the  special  purpose  of  educating 
colored  youth  of  both  sexes.  Population  about  5,000. 

About  three  miles  north,  on  the  Little  Miami,  is  the  site  of  the  Shawnee 
town,  Old  Chillicothe.  It  was  a  place  of  note  in  the  early  history  of  the 
country,  and  a  point  to  which  Daniel  Boone,  with  27  other  Kentuckians, 
were  brought  prisoners  in  1778. 

Antioch  College  is  at  Yellow  Springs,  9  miles  north  of  Xenia.  It  is  an 
institution  of  considerable  celebrity,  the  one  over  which  the  late  Horace 
Mann  presided,  with  so  much  reputation  to  himself  and  benefit  to  his  pupils. 


First   Court  House  in   Greene  county. 

The  engraving  is  a  correct  representation  of  the  first  court  house  in  Greene.  It 
was  erected  five  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  site  of  Xenia,  near  the  Dayton  road. 
It  was  built  by  Gen.  Benj.  Whiteman,  as  a  residence  for  Peter  Borders. 

The  first  court  for  the  trial  of  causes  was  held  in  it,  in  August,  1803,  Francis 
Dunlavy,  presiding  judge.  A  grand  jury  of  inquest  were  sworn  u  for  the  body  of 
Greeno  county."  After  receiving  the  charge,  "they  retired  out  of  court" — a  cir 
cumstance  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as  there  was  but  one  room  in  the  house.  Their 
place  of  retirement,  or  jury  room,  was  a  little  squat  shaped  pole  hut,  shown  on  the 
right  of  the  vievr.  But  it  appears  there  was  nothing  for  them  to  do. 

"But  they  were  not  permitted  to  remain  idle  long:  the  spectators  in  attendance 
promptly  took  the  matter  into  consideration.  They,  doubtless,  thought  it  a  great 


144  OHIO. 

pity  to  have  a  learned  court  and  nothing  for  it  to  do;  so  they  set  to  and  cut  out 
employment  for  their  honors  by  engaging  in  divers  hard  fights  at  fisticuffs,  right 
on  the  ground.  So  it  seems  our  pioneers  fought  for  the  benefit  of  the  court.  At 
all  events,  while  their  honors  were  waiting  to  settle  differences  according  to  law, 
they  were  making  up  issues  and  settling  them  by  trial  "  by  combat" — a  process  by 
which  they  avoided  the  much  complained  of  "laws'  delay,"  and  incurred  no  other 
damages  than  black  eyes  and  bloody  noses,  which  were  regarded  as  mere  trifles, 
of  course.  Among  the  incidents  of  the  day,  characteristic  of  the  times,  was  this : 

A  Mr. ,  of  Warren  county,  was  in  attendance.     Owen  Davis,  the  owner  of  a 

mill  near  by,  and  a  brave  Indian  fighter,  as  well  as* a  kind-hearted,  obliging  man, 
charged  this  Warren  county  man  with  speculatiny  in  pork,  alias  stealing  his 
neighbor's  hogs.  The  insult  was  resented — a  combat  took  place  forthwith,  in  which 
Davis  proved  victorious.  He  then  went  into  court,  and  planting  himself  in  front 
of  the  judges,  he  observed,  addressing  himself  particularly  to  one  of  them,  '  Well, 

Ben,  I've  whipped  that hog  thief- — what's  the  damage — what's  to  pay?  and, 

thereupon,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  drew  out  his  buckskin  purse,  contain 
ing  8  or  10  dollars,  and  slammed  it  down  on  the  table — then  shaking  his  fist  at  the 

judge  whom  he  addressed,  he  continued,  'Yes,  Ben,  and  if  you'd  steal  a  hog, 

you,  Td  whip  you  too.'  He  had,  doubtless,  come  to  the  conclusion,  that,  as  there 
was  a  court,  the  luxury  of  fighting  could  not  be  indulged  in  gratis,  and  he  was  for 
paying  up  as  he  went.  Seventeen  witnesses  were  sworn  and  sent  before  the  grand 
jury,  and  nine  bills  of  indictment  were  found  the  same  day— all  for  affrays  and 
assaults  and  batteries  committed  after  the  court  was  organized.  To  these  indict 
ments  the  parties* all  pleaded, guilty,  and  were  fined — Davis  among  the  rest,  who 
was  fined  eight  dollars  for  his  share  in  the  transactions  of  the  day." 

Greenville,  the  capital  of  Darke  county,  on  the  Greenville  and  Miami 
Railroad,  is  about  121  miles  W.  from  Columbus.  It  contains  some  1,500 
inhabitants.  In  1793,  Gen.  Wayne  built  Fort  Greenville  on  the  site  of  the 
present  town,  and  here  the  treaty  of  Greenville  was  concluded,  between  Gen. 
Wayne  and  the  Indians.  Gen.  St.  Clair,  at  the  head  of  1,400  men,  was  de 
feated  by  the  Indians  in  the  north-west  corner  of  Darke  county,  upward  of 
20  miles  from  Greenville,  Nov.  4,  1791.  The  great  object  of  St.  Glair's 
campaign  was  to  establish  a  line  of  military  posts  between  Fort  Washington 
(Cincinnati),  and  the  junction  of  St.  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  Rivers,  now  Fort 
Wayne.  The  description  of  the  battle  is  from  Monette's  history: 

On  the  3d  of  November,  the  army  encamped  in  a  wooded  plain,  among  the 
sources  of  a  Wabash  tributary,  upon  the  banks  of  several  small  creeks,  about  fifty 
miles  south  of  the  Miami  towns.  The  winter  had  already  commenced,  and  the 
ground  was  covered  with  snow  three  inches  deep. 

Next  morning,  Nov.  4th,  just  before  sunrise,  and  immediately  after  the  troops 
had  been  dismissed  from  parade,  the  Indians  made  a  furious  attack  upon  the  mili 
tia,  whose  camp  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  main  camp  of 
the  regular  troops.  The  militia  immediately  gave  way,  and  fled  with  great  pre 
cipitation  and  disorder,  with  the  Indians  in  close  pursuit;  and,  rushing  through  the 
camp,  they  threw  the  battalions  of  Majors  Butler  and  Clark  into  confusion.  The 
utmost  exertions  of  those  officers  failed  to  restore  complete  order.  The  Indians, 
pressing  close  upon  the  militia,  immediately  engaged  Butler's  command  with  great 
intrepidity  and  fury.  The  attack  soon  became  general  both  in  the  front  and  second 
lines,  but  the  weight  of  the  enemy's  fire  was  directed  against  the  center  of  each 
line,  where  the  artillery  was  stationed.  Such  was  the  intensity  of  the  enemy's  fire, 
that  the  men  were  repeatedly  driven  from  their  guns  with  great  loss.  Confusion 
was  spreading  among  the  troops,  from  the  great  numbers  who  were  constantly  fall 
ing,  while  no  impression  was  made  by  their  fire  upon  the  enemy.  "  At  length  re 
sort  was  had  to  the  bayonet. — Col.  Darke  was  ordered  to  charge  with  part  of  the 
second  line,  and  endeavor  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy.  This  order  was  ex 
ecuted  with  great  spirit.  The  Indians  instantly  gave  way,  and  were  driven  back 
three  or  four  hundred  yards ;  but,  for  want  of  a  sufficient  number  of  riflemen  to 
pursue  this  advantage,  they  soon  rallied,  and  the  troops  were  obliged  in  turn  to 


OHIO. 


145 


A 


fall  back.  At  this  moment,  the  Indians  had  entered  our  camp  by  the  left  flank, 
having  driven  back  the  troops  that  were  posted  there.  Another  charge  was  made 
here  by  the  second  regiment,  Butler's  and  Clark's  battalions,  with  equal  effect,  and 
it  was  repeated  several  times,  and  always  with  success ;  but  in  each  charge  several 
men  were  lost,  and  particularly  the  officers ;  which,  with  raw  troops,  was  a  loss 

altogether  irremedia 
ble."  In  the  last  charge 
Major  Butler  was  dan 
gerously  wounded,  and 
every  officer  of  the 
second  regiment  fell 
except  three.  The  ar 
tillery  being  now  si 
lenced,  and  all  the  of 
ficers  killed  except 
Capt.  Ford,  who  was 
severely  wounded,  and 
more  than  half  the 
army  having  fallen,  it 
became  necessary  to 
make  a  retreat,  if  pos 
sible.  This  was  im 
mediately  done,  while 
Major  Clark  protected 
the  rear  with  his  bat 
talion.  The  retreat 
was  precipitous :  it  was 
a  perfect  flight.  The 
camp  and  artillery  was 
abandoned;  not  a  horse 
was  alive  to  draw  the 
cannon.  The  men,  in 
their  flight  and  conster 
nation,  threw  away  their  arms  and  accouterments  after  pursuit  had  ceased,  and 
the  road  was  strewed  with  them  for  more  than  four  miles.  The  rout  continued  to 
Fort  Jefferson,  twenty-nine  miles.  The  action  began  half  an  hour  before  sunrise, 
the  retreat  commenced  at  half  past  nine  o'clock,  and  the  remnant  of  the  army 
reached  Fort  .Jefferson  just  after  sunset.  The  savages  continued  the  pursuit  for 
four  miles,  when,  fortunately,  they  returned  to  the  scene  of  action  for  scalps  and 
plunder. 

In  this  most  disastrous  battle,  thirty-eight  commissioned  officers  were  killed  on 
the  field.  Six  hundred  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  were  either  killed 
or  missing.  Among  the  wounded  were  twenty-one  commissioned  officers,  and  two 
hundred  and  forty-two  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates.  Many  of  the 
wounded  died  subsequently  of  their  wounds.  The  Indian  loss  did  not  exceed  sixty 
warriors  killed. 

The  grand  error  in  this  campaign  was  the  impolicy  of  urging  forward  on  a  dan 
gerous  service,  far  into  the  Indian  country,  an  army  of  raw  troops,  who  were  un 
willing  to  enter  upon  the  campaign,  as  was  fully  evinced  by  frequent  desertions  as 
they  approached  the  hostile  towns.  The  army  was  fatally  reduced  by  the  detach 
ment  sent  to  overtake  the  deserters  from  the  Kentucky  militia;  and  Gen.  St.  Clair 


PLAN  or  ST.  GLAIR'S   BATTLE  FIKLD.* 


*  References. — A — High  ground,  on  which  the  militia  were  encamped  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  action.  B  C — Encampment  of  the  main  army.  D — Retreat  of  the  militia,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  battle.  E — St.  Clair'a  trace,  on  which  the  defeated  army  retreated. 
F — Place  where  Gen.  Butler  and  other  officers  were  buried.  G — Trail  to  Girty's  Town,  on 
the  River  St.  Marys,  at  what  is  now  the  village  of  St.  Marys.  H — Site  of  Fort  Recovery, 
built  by  Wayne;  the  line  of  Darke  and  Mercer  runs  within  a  few  rods  of  the  site  of  the 
fort.  I — Place  where  a  brass  cannon  was  found  buried,  in  1830;  it  is  on  the  bottom  where 
the  Indians  were  three  times  driven  to  the  high  land  with  the  bayonet. 

10 


146  OHIO. 

himself  was  quite  infirm,  and  often  unable  to  attend  to  his  duties  as  commander- 
in-chief.  On  the  fatal  day  of  his  defeat,  he  was  scarcely  able  to  be  mounted  upon 
his  horse,  either  from  physical  infirmity  or  culpable  intemperance.* 

The  Indians  engaged  in  this  terrible  battle  comprised  about  nine  hundred  war 
riors.  Among  them  were  about  four  hundred  Shawnese,  commanded  by  Blue 
Jacket,  and  chiefly  from  the  waters  of  the  Wabash.  The  remainder  were  com 
manded  by  Little  Turtle,  Buckongahelas,  consisting  of  Delawares,  Wyandots,  Pota- 
watamies,  and  Mingoes.  The  Delawares  alone  numbered  nearly  four  hundred  war 
riors,  who  fought  with  great  fury.  On  the  ground,  during  the  battle,  were  seen 
several  British  officers  in  full  uniform  from  Detroit,  who  had  come  to  witness  the 
strife  which  they  had  instigated.  Simon  Girty  commanded  a  party  of  Wyandots. 

Among  the  camp-followers  in  this  campaign  were  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty 
women,  of  whom  fifty-six  were  killed  during  the  carnage;  the  remainder  were 
chiefly  captured'the  Indians. 

Wayne's  troops  subsequently  built  a  fort,  called  Fort  Recovery,  on  the  sito 
of  the  battle  ground.  In  the  sumnxer  of  1794,  a  second  battle  was  fought 
under  the  walls  of  the  fort,  between  140  Americans,  under  Major  McMahon, 
and  a  party  of  Indians,  led  on  by  British  officers.  McMahon  and  22  others 
'were  killed,  but  the  survivors  gained  the  fort,  which  the  enemy  also  attacked 
but  were  driven  off  with  severe  loss. 

Within  Ohio,  beside  those  already  noticed  are  a  large  number  of  city- 
like  towns,  most  of  which  are  on  the  lines  of  railroads,  are  capitals  of  their 
respective  counties,  have  numerous  churches,  literary  institutions,  manufac 
tories,  and  varied  branches  of  industry — some  are  lighted  with  gas,  have 

#St.  Clair  was  an  unfortunate  officer  in  the  Revolution,  but  still  retained  the  confidence 
and  friendship  of  Washington.  In  Rush's  "  Washington  in  Domestic  Life,"  is  an  account 
of  the  interview  between  Mr.  Tobias  Lear,  his  private  secretary,  and  Washington,  imme 
diately  after  the  reception  by  the  latter  of  the  news  of  St.  Glair's  defeat: 

"  The  general  now  walked  backward  and  forward  slowly  for  some  minutes  without  speak 
ing.  Then  he  sat  down  on  a  sofa  by  the  fire,  telling  Mr.  Lear  to  sit  down.  To  this  moment 
there  had  been  no  change  in  his  manner  since  his  interruption  at  table.  Mr.  Lear  now  per- 
ceive'd  emotion.  This  rising  in  him,  he  broke  out  suddenly,  '  It's  all  over — St.  Clair's  de 
feated — routed ;  the  officers  nearly  all  killed,  the  men  by  wholesale  j  the  rout  complete — 
too  shocking  to  think  of — and  a  surprise  in  the  bargain  ! ' 

He  uttered  all  this  with  great  vehemence.  Then  he  paused,  got  up  from  the  sofa  and 
walked  about  the  room  several  times,  agitated  but  saying  nothing.  Near  the  door  he  stopped 
Bhort,  and  stood  still  a  few  seconds,  when  his  wrath  became  terrible. 

'  Yes,'  he  burst  forth,  '  here  on  this  very  spot,  I  took  leave  of  him ;  I  wished  him  success 
and  honor;  you  have  your  instructions,  I  said,  from  the  secretary  of  war,  I  had  a  strict  eye 
to  them,  and  will  add  but  one  word — beware  of  a  surprise.  I  repeat  it,  BEWARE  OF  A  SUR- 
PEISE — you  know  how  the  Indians  fight  us.  He  went  off  with  that  as  my  last  solemn  warn 
ing  thrown  into  his  ears.  And  yet !  to  suffer  that  army  to  be  cut  to  pieces,  hack'd,  butch 
ered,  tomahaw'd  by  a  surprise — the  very  thing  I  guarded  him  against  1  !  Oh,  God,  oh,  God, 
he's  worse  than  a  murderer  !  how  can  he  answer  it  to  his  country  : — the  blood  of  the  slain  is 
upon  him — the  curso  of  widows  and  orphans — the  curse  of  Heaven?' 

This  torrent  came  out  in  tones  appalling.  His  very  frame  shook.  It  was  awful,  said 
Mr.  Lear.  More  than  once  he  threw  his  hands  up  as  he  hurled  imprecations  upon  St.  Clair. 
Mr.  Lear  remained  speechless,  awed  into  breathless  silence. 

Washington  sat  down  on  the  sofa  once  more.  He  seemed  conscious  of  his  passion,  and 
uncomfortable.  He  was  silent.  His  warmth  beginning  to  subside,  he  at  length  said  in  an 
altered  voice :  (  This  must  not  go  beyond  this  room.'  Another  pause  followed — a  longer 
one — when  he  said,  in  a  tone  quite  low,  '  General  St.  Clair  shall  have  justice ;  I  looked 
hastily  through  the  dispatches,  saw  the  whole  disaster,  but  not  all  the  particulars ;  I  will 
receive  him  without  displeasure  ;  I  will  hear  him  without  prejudice  ;  he  shall  have  full  jus 
tice.' 

He  was  now,  said  Mr.  Lear,  perfectly  calm.  Half  an  hour  had  gone  by.  The  storm  was 
over;  and  no  sign  of  it  was  afterward  seen  in  his  conduct,  or  heard  in  his  conversation. 
The  result  is  known.  The  whole  case  was  investigated  by  congress.  St.  Clair  was  excul 
pated  and  regained  the  confidence  Washington  had  in  him  when  appointing  him  to  that 
command.  He  had  put  himself  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight  und  escaped  unhurt,  though 
so  ill  as  to  be  carried  on  a  litter,  and  unable  to  mount  hia  horse  without  help." 


ONTO. 


147 


fire  companies,  and  are,  indeed,  small  cities.  We  mention  the  more  promi 
nent,  giving  their  populations,  according;  to  the  census  of  1860. 

Mount  Vernon  City,  Knox  county.  Population  4,147.  Five  miles  east  of 
it,  is  Grambier,  the  seat  of  Kenyon  College,  founded  in  1827,  and  named 
after  Lord  Kenyon,  one  of  its  principal  benefactors. 

Mansfield  City,  Richland  county,  a  manufacturing  town,  a  great  railroad 
center,  with  11  churches,  70  stores,  six  manufactories,  and  a  population  of 
4,540.  Wooster,  Wayne  county,  has  60  stores,  10  churches,  and  in  1858, 
4,837  inhabitants.  Canton,  Stark  county,  has  4,042  people.  Massillon,  in 
the  same  county,  has  a  population  of  3,680.  Youngstown,  in  Mahoning 
county  has  2,758  inhabitants.  All  of  the  above  are  in  the  northern  section 
*of  the  state,  in  the  richest  WHEAT  counties  of  Ohio. 

Akron,  Summit  county, had  lOOstores  of  various  kinds,  and  7,000  inhab 
itants.  It  is  on  the  summit  level  of  the  Ohio  canal,  and  has  abundance  of 
water  power  from  the  canal  and  Cuyahoga  River,  which  is  employed  in  a 
variety  of  manufactures.  The  manufacturing  village  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  is 
six  miles  north -east  of  Akron  :  the  river  falls  there,  in  the  space  of  two  and 
a  half  miles,  more  than  200  feet.  Western  Reserve  College  is  at  Hudson, 
eight  and  a  half  miles  northerly  from  the  last.  Norwalk,  Huron  county, 
has  2,867  inhabitants.  Elyria,  Lorain  county,  has  1,615  inhabitants,  Oberlin 
in  the  same  county,  2,012  inhabitants :  the  collegiate  institute  at  Oberlin  is 
a  nourishing  institution,  numbering  several  hundred  pupils  of  both  sexes.* 
Warren,  Trumbull  county,  has  2,402  inhabitants.  Ravenna,  Portage  county, 
has  36  stores,  and  a  population  of  1,797.  '  Painesville,  Lake  county,  has 
2,615  inhabitants.  Asktubula,  in  Ashtabula  county,  1,427  inhabitants.  The 
above  are  on  the  WESTERN  RESERVE. 

Tiffin,  Seneca  county,  is  the  seat  of  Heidelberg  College,  and  a  theological 
seminary  of  the  German  Reformed  Church.  It  has  12  churches  and  4,010 
inhabitants.  Bucyrus,  Crawford  county,  has  40  stores  and  2,210  inhabitants. 
Delaware,  Delaware  county,  has  14  churches  and  3,895  inhabitants.  .  It  is 
the  seat  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Universi-ty  and  two  female  colleges.  Belle- 
fontaine,  Logan  county,  has  2,600  inhabitants.  Sidney,  Shelby  county,  has 
2,055  inhabitants.  Urbana,  Champaign  county,  the  seat  of  Urbana  Univer 
sity  and  a  female  seminary,  has  a  population  of  3,429.  Piqua,  Miami 
county,  has  40  stores,  numerous  manufactories,  mechanic  shops,  and  4,620 
inhabitants.  Troy,  in  the  same  county,  has  2,640  inhabitants.  Lima,  in  Allen 

*  Many  of  the  pupils  at  Oberlin,  male  and  female,  are  of  African  origin,  and  mingle  oil 
terms  of  social  equality  with  the  others.  This  singularity  is  in  accordance  with  the  an 
nexed  pub^shed  synopsis  of  the  institution: 

1.  To  educate  youths  of  both  sexes,  so  as  to  secure  the  development  of  a  strong  mind  in 
a  sound  body,  connected  with  a  permanent,  vigorous,  progressive  piety — all  to  be  aided  by  a 
judicious  system  of  manual  labor. 

2.  To  beget  and  to  confirm  in  the  process  of  education  the  habit  of  self-denial,  patient 
endurance,  a  chastened  moral  courage,  and  a  devout  consecration  of  the  whole  being   to 
God,  in  seeking  the  best  good  of  man. 

3.  To  establish  universal  liberty  by  the  abolition  of  every  form  of  sin. 

4.  To  avoid  the  debasing  association  of  the  heathen  classics,  and  make  the  bible  a  text 
book  in  all  the  departments  of  education. 

5.  To  raise  up  a  church  and  ministers  who  shall  be  known  and  read  of  all  men  in  deep 
sympathy  with  Christ,  in  holy  living,  and  in  efficient  action  against  all  which  God  forbids. 

6.  To  furnish  a  seminary,  affording  thorough  instruction  in  all  the  branches  of  an  edu 
cation  for  both  sexes,  and  in  which  colored  persons,  of  both  sexes,  shall  be  freely  admitted, 
and  on  the  terms  of  equality  and  brotherhood. 


148  OHI°- 

county,  has  2079  inhabitants.     All  of  the  above  are  in  the  north-western 
quarter  of  the  state,  north  of  the  national  road  and  west  of  Cojumbus. 

Lebanon,  Warren  county,  has  2,498  inhabitants.  Eaton,  Preble  county, 
and  Germantown,  Montgomery  county,  have  each  about  1,500  inhabitants, 
as  also  have  Wilmington,  Hillsboro*  and  Greenfield.  Ripley,  on  the  Ohio 
River  in  Brown  county,  has  2,715  inhabitants.  The  above  are  all  in  the 
south-western  quarter  of  Ohio. 

Lancaster,  Fairfield  county,  has  4,320  inhabitants.  Logan,  Hocking 
county,  M'  Connellsville,  in  Morgan,  Wellsville,  in  Columbiana,  New  Lisbon, 
in  Columbiana,  and  Cambridge,  in  Guernsey  county,  have  each  about  1500 
inhabitants.  Pomeroy,  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  Meigs  county,  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  great  coal  producing  region  of  the  state,  to  which  it  owes  its  impor 
tance  ;  its  population  is  6,480.  Ironton,  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  Lawrence 
county  has  3,700  inhabitants.  This  town  was  laid  out  in  1849,  by  the  Ohio 
Iron  and  Coal  Company,  and  derives  its  importance  from  the  iron  business, 
the  principal  furnaces  of  the  Ohio  iron  district  being  in  its  vicinity.  All  of 
the  above,  excepting  Wellsville  and  New  Lisbon,  are  in  the  south-eastern 
quarter  of  Ohio. 

Beside  the  above,  Ohio  contains  many  villages  ranging  from  1,000  to 
2,000  inhabitants. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 

TecumseTi,  the  renowned  warrior  and  chieftain  of  the  Shawnees,  was  born 
about  the  year  1768,  at  the  Indian  town  of  Piqua,  situated  on  the  north  side 
_-  —  —  —  _  ____________  .  .     '.j^r-.        of  Mad  River,  some   five  miles 

west  of  the  site  of  Springfield, 
Clarke  county.  He  early  showed 
a  passion  for  war,  and  at  17 
years  evinced  signal  prowess  in 
the  capture  of  some  boats  on  the 
Ohio  ;  but  when  his  party  burned 
a  prisoner,  he  was  struck  with 
horror,  and  by  his  eloquence 
SITE  OF  PIQUA.  persuaded  them  never  to  be 

An  Indian  village  and  the  birth-place  of  Tecumseh.  .         Qf  ft 


1795,  he  became  a  chief,  and  soon  rose  to  distinction  among  his  people. 

In  1805,  Tecumseh  and  his  brother  Laulewasikaw,  the  prophet,  established 
themselves  at  Greenville  and  gained  a  great  influence  over  the  Indians,  through 
the  pretended  sorcery  of  the  latter.  Shortly  after  the  great  project  of  Tecumseh 
was  formed  of  a  confederacy  of  all  the  western  tribes  against  the  whites.  In  this 
he  was  backed,  it  is  supposed,  by  the  insiduous  influence  of  British  agents,  who 
presented  the  Indians  with  ammunition,  in  anticipation,  perhaps,  of  hostilities  be 
tween  the  two  countries,  in  which  event  the  union  of  all  the  tribes  against  the 
Americans  was  desirable. 

The  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  fought  Nov.  7,  1811,  with  the  brother  of  Tecumseh,  in 
which  the  prophet  was  defeated,  for  a  time  annihilated  the  hopes  of  the  brothers. 
Tecumseh  was  not  in  this  battle.  In  the  war  which  soon  after  ensued  with  Eng 
land,  Tecumseh  was  the  ally  of  King  George,  and  held  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general,  having,  under  his  command,  about  2,000  Indians.  He  was  present  at 
several  engagements,  and  was  eventually  killed  in  the  battle  of  Moravian  towns, 
in  Canada,  near  Detroit,  Oct.  5,  1813. 

"  Thus  fell  the  Indian  warrior  Tecumseh,  in  the  44th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  five  feet 
ten  inches  high,  and  with  more  than  usual  stoutness,  possessed  all  the  agility  and  perse- 


OHIO. 


149 


verance  of  tlio  Indian  character.  His  carriage  was  dignified,  his  eye  penetrating,  his 
countenance,  which  even  in  death,  betrayed  the  indications  of  a  lofty  spirit,  rather  of  the 
sterner  cast.  Had  he  not  possessed  a  certain  austerity  of  manners,  he  could  never  have 
controlled  the  wayward  passions  of  those  who  followed  him  to  battle.  He  was  of  a  silent 
habit;  but  when  his  eloquence  became  roused  into  action  by  the  reiterated  encroachment, 
of  the  Americans,  his  strong  intellect  could  supply  him  with  a  flow  of  oratory  that  enabled 
him,  as  he  governed  in  the  field,  so  to  prescribe  in  the  council." 

"  William  Henry  Harrison  was  born  in  Charles  county,  Virginia,  Feb.  9,  1773 ; 
was  educated  at  Harnpden  Sidney  College,  and  afterward  studied  medicine.     He 

received,  from.  Washington,  a  military  com- 

S  ^,    #/    j/j,  mission  in  1791,  and  fought  under  Wayne  in 

/££/.  //T ' /7&/l4^>£4(rZ<_^'    1792.     After  the  battle  of  Maumee  Rapids,  he 

/y  was  made  captain,  and  placed  in  command  of 

Fort  Washington.     In  1797,  he  was  appointed 

secretary  of  the  North-west  Territory;  and  in  1799  and  1800,  he  was  a  delegate  to 
congress.  Being  appointed  governor  of  Indiana,  he  was  also  superintendent  of 
Indian  affairs,  and  negotiated  thirteen  treaties.  He  gained  a  great  victory  in  the 
battle  of  Tippecanoe,  Nov.  7, 1811.  In  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  he  was  com 
mander  of  the  North-west  army,  and  was  distinguished  in  the  defense  of  Fort 
Meigs,  and  the  victory  of  the  Thames.  From  1816  to  1819,  he  was  a  representa 
tive  in  congress,  from  Ohio;  and  from  1825  to  1828,  United  States  Senator.  In 
1828,  he  was  minister  to  the  Republic  of  Colombia;  and  on  his  return  he  resided 
upon  his  farm,  at  North  Bend,  Ohio.  In  1840,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
United  States,  by  234  votes  out  of  294,  and  inaugurated  March  4,  1841.  Ho  died 
in  the  presidential  mansion,  April  4,  1841." 


In  traveling  throu 
him  of  another  land. 


Oh  the  west,  one  often  meets  with  scenes  that  remind 
The  foreigner  who  makes  his  home  upon  American 
soil,  does  not  at  once  assimilate 
in  language,  modes  of  life,  and 
current  of  thought  with  those 
congenial  to  his  adopted  coun 
try.  The  German  emigrant  is 
peculiar  in  this  respect,  and  so 
much  attached  is  he  to  his 
fatherland,  that  years  often 
ehipse  ere  there  is  any  percepti 
ble  change.  The  annexed  en 
graving,  from  Howe's  Ohio,  il 
lustrates  these  remarks:  "It 
shows  the  mud  cottage  of  a 
German.  Swiss  emigrant,  now 
standing  in  the  neighborhood 
of  others  of  like  character,  in 
the  north-western  part  of  Co- 
lumbiana  county,  Ohio.  The 
frame  work  is  of  wood,  with  the  interstices  filled  with  light  colored  clay,  and 
the  whole  surmounted  by  a  ponderous  shingled  roof,  of  a  picturesque  form. 
Beside  the  tenement,  hop  vines  are  clustering  around  their  slender  support 
ers,  while  hard  by  stands  the  abandoned  log  dwelling  of  the  emigrant — de 
serted  for  one  more  congenial  with  his  early  predilections." 

Return  Jonathan  Meigs*wa8  born  in  Middle  town,  Connecticut,  in  1740.     He 


Swiss  EMIGRANT'S  COTTAGE. 


*  Lossing  gives  this  pleasant  anecdote  of  the  origin  of  his  name,  RETURN.  "A  bright-eyed 
Connecticut  girl  was  disposed  to  coquette  with  her  lover,  Jonathan  Meigs ;  and  on  one  oc- 


150  OHI°- 

was  a  colonel  in  the  army  of  the  revolution,  and  saw  much  service.  He  was  with 
Arnold  at  Quebec,  was  one  of  the  first  to  mount  the  parapet  at  the  storming  of 
Stony  Point,  and  received  an  elegant  sword  and  a  vote  of  thanks  for  a  gallant  ex 
ploit  at  Sagg  Harbor,  where,  with  70  of  his  "Leather  Cap  Battalion,"  composed  of 
Connecticut  men,  he  stormed  a  British  post,  and  carried  off  nearly  a  hundred  pris 
oners.  After  the  war  he  became  a  surveyor  for  the  Ohio  Land  Company,  and  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Marietta.  He  drew  up  a  system  of  laws  for  the  first  emi 
grants,  which  were  posted  on  a  large  oak  near  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum.  He 
was  appointed  a  judge  by  Gen.  St.  Glair,  and  in  1801  Indian  agent  by  Jefferson 
among  the  Cherokees,  among  whom  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  in  1823, 
at  the^age  of  83  years.  The  Indians  loved  and  revered  him  as  a  father.  His  son, 
Return  Jonathan  Meigs,  represented  Ohio  in  the  United  States  Senate,  from  1808  to 
1810;  was  governor  of  the  state  from  1810  to  1814,  and  post-master-general  of  the 
United  States  from  1814  to  1823.  He  died  at  Marietta  in  1825. 

Rufus  Putnam,  who  has  been  styled  "the  FATHER  OF  OHIO,"  was  born  at  Sutton, 
Massachusetts,  in  1738.  He  was  distinguished  in  the  war  of  the  revolution,  hold 
ing  the  office  of  brigadier-general.  From  1783  to  1787,  he  was  busy  organizing  a 
company  for  emigrating  to,  and  settling,  the  Ohio  country.  On  the  7th  of  April, 
1788,  he  landed  with  the  first  pioneer  party  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  and 
there  founded  Marietta,  the  first  settlement  in  Ohio.  He  was  appointed  surveyor- 
general  of  the  United  States  by  Washington,  in  1796,  was  a  member  of  the  con 
vention  which  formed  the  first  Constitution  of  Ohio,  and  died  in  1824. 

Gen.  Duncan  Me  Arthur,  was  born  of  Scotch  parentage,  in  Butch  ess  county,  N. 
Y.,  in  1782,  and  at  the  age  of  18  entered  the  army,  and  was  in  several  Indian  cam 
paigns.  By  force  of  talent  he  rose,  in  1808,  to  the  post  of  major  general  of  the 
state  militia.  At  Hull's  surrender  he  was  second  in  command,  but  on  his  release 
as  a  prisoner  of  war,  the  democratic  party,  by  an  overwhelming  majority,  elected 
him  to  congress.  On  the  resignation  of  Gen.  Harrison,  in  1814,  he  was  in  supreme 
command  of  the  north-west  army,  and  projected  an  expedition  into  Canada,  where, 
at  or  near  Malcolm's  Mill,  he  defeated  a  body  of  Canadians.  He  was  a  represent 
ative  in  congress  again  from  .1823  to  1825;  in  1830,  was  chosen  governor  of  the 
state,  and  died  a  few  years  later.  He  was  a  strong-minded,  energetic  man,  and 
possessed  a  will  of  iron. 

Gen.  Nathaniel  Massie  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1763,  and  was  bred  a  surveyor. 
In  1791,  he  made  the  first  settlement  within  the  Virginia  Military  District,  the 
fourth  in  Ohio,  and  the  only  one  between  the  Scioto  and  Little  Miami,  until  after 
the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795.  This  was  at  Manchester,  on  the  Ohio,  opposite 
Maysville,  Ky.  His  business,  foryears,  was  the  surveying  of  lands  in  the  military 
district  His  payments  were  liberal,  as  he  received  in  many  cases  one  half  of  the 
land  for  making  the  locations;  yet  the  risk  was  immense,  for,  during  the  Indian 
hostilities,  every  creek  that  was  explored  and  every  line  that  was  run,  was  done 
by  stealth  and  at  the  risk  of  life  from  the  lurking  Indians,  from  whom  he  had  sev 
eral  narrow  escapes. 

After  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  by  Wayne,  the  surveyors  were  not  interrupted 


storm,  without  hut,  tent,  or  covering,  and  what  was  still  more  appalling,  without 
provision,  and  without  any  road  or  even  track  to  retreat  on,  and  were  nearly  100 
miles  from  any  place  of  shelter.  On  the  third  day  of  the  storm,  they  luckily  killed 

casion,  when  he  had  pressed  his  suit  with  great  earnestness,  and  asked  for  a  positive  an 
swer,  she  feigned  coolness,  and  would  give  him  no  satisfaction.  The  lover  resolved  to  be 
trifled  with  no  longer,  and  bade  her  farewell,  forever.  She  perceived  her  error,  but  he  was 
allowed  to  go  far  down  the  lane  before  her  pride  would  yield  to  the  more  tender  emotions 
of  her  heart.  Then  she  ran  to  the  gate  and  cried,  "Return,  Jonathan!  Return,  Jonathan!" 
He  did  return,  they  were  joined  in  wedlock,  and  in  commemoration  of  these  happy  words 
of  the  sorrowing  girl,  they  named  their  first  child,  Return  Jonathan — afterward  a  hero  in 
our  war  for  independence,  a  noble  western  pioneer,  and  a  devotM  friend  of  the  Chercieoa  " 


OHIO. 


151 


GRAY 


KEN  TON. 


two  wild  turkeys,  which  were  boiled  and  divided  into  28  parts,  and  devoured  with 
great  avidity,  heads,  feet,  entrails  and  all. 

In  1796,  Massie  laid  the  foundation  of  the  settlement  of  the  Scioto  valley,  by  lay 
ing  out  on  his  own  land  the  now  large  and  beautiful  town  of  Chillicothe.  The 
progress  of  the  settlements  brought  large  quantities  of  his  land  into  market. 

Gen.  Massie  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which  formed  the  first  state  consti 
tution.  Jn  1807,  he  was  a  competitor  with  Return  Jonathan  Meigs  for  governor, 
they  being  the  two  most  popular  men  in  Ohio.  Meigs  was  elected  by  a  slight 
majority.  Massie  contested  the  election,  Moigs  having  lost  his  residence  by  absence. 
The  legislature  decided  in  Massie's  favor,  whereupon  he  magnanimously  resigned. 
In  1813,  this  noble  pioneer  was  gathered  to  his  fathers. 

Simon  Kenton,  a  native  of  Culpepper  county,  Virginia,  and  one  of  the 

__ L_  bravest   and  noblest    of 

western  pioneers,  and  the 
friend  of  Daniel  Boone, 
resided  in  the  latter  part 
of  his  life,  on  the  head 
waters  of  Mad  River, 
about  five  miles  north  of 
Bellefontaine,  in  Logan 
county.  His  dwelling 
was  the  small  log  house 
shown  on  the  extreme 
right  of  the  annexed  view. 
There  he  died,  in  1836, 
at  the  advanced  age  of 
81  years.  When  16  years 
of  age,  he  had  an  affray 
with  a  young  man  who  had  married  his  lady  love.  Supposing,  erroneously, 
that  he  had  killed  his  rival,  he  fled  to  the  wilderness  of  Kentucky.  This 
was  in  the  year  1771.  From  that  time,  during  the  whole  of  the  revolution 
ary  war,  down  to  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  in  1795,  he  was  probably  in  more 
expeditions  against  the  Indians,  encountered  greater  peril,  performed  more 
heroic  feats,  and  had  more  narrow  escapes  from  death,  than  any  man  of  his 
time. 

In  1778,  he  was  captured  by  the  Indians,  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet,  and  then 
condemned  to  be  burnt  at  the  stake.  He  was  saved  by  the  interposition  of  Simon 
Girty,  a  renegade  white,  who  had  known  Kenton  in  Dunmore's  campaign.  Shortly 
after  he  was  again  sentenced  to  death,  and  a  second  time  was  saved  by  a  Canadian 
Frenchman,  who  prevailed  upon  the  Indians  to  send  him  to  the  British  at  Detroit 
From  thence  he  finally  escaped,  and  again  engaged  in  Indian  warfare. 

In  1782,  hearing  he  had  not  killed  his  rival  in  love,  he  returned  to  Virginia,  in 
order  to  remove  his  father's  family  to  his  new  home  in  Kcntuck}''.  Notwithstand 
ing  the  great  services  he  had  rendered  his  country,  on  account  of  some  defect  in 
his  land  titles,  he  lost  his  property,  and  was  imprisoned  twelve  months  for  debt,  on 
the  very  spot  where  he  had  built  his  cabin  in  1775.  In  1802,  he  settled  in  Urbana, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  some  years,  and  was  elected  brigadier  general  of  militia. 
He  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  under  Harrison,  at  the  battle  of  Moravian  town,  where 
he  displayed  his  usual  intrepidity.  About  the  year  1820,  he  removed  to  the  head 
of  Mad  River.  At  the  time  of  his  death  the  frosts  of  more  than  80  winters  had 
fallen  on  his  head  without  entirely  whitening  his  locks.  His  biographer  thus  de 
scribes  his  personal  appearance  and  character : 

"General  Kenton  was  of  fair  complexion,  six  feet  one  inch  in  hight.  He  stood 
and  walked  very  erect;  and,  in  the  prime  of  life,  weighed  about  one  hundred  and 
ninety  pounds.  He  never  was  inclined  to  be  corpulent,  although  of  sufficient  full 
ness  to  form  a  graceful  person.  He  had  a  soft,  tremulous  voice,  very  pleasing  to 


152  OHIO. 

the  hearer.  He  had  laughing  gray  eyes,  which  seemed  to  fascinate  the  beholder. 
He  was  a  pleasant,  good-humored  and  obliging  companion.  When  excited,  or  pro 
voked  to  anger  (which  was  seldom  the  case),  the  fiery  glance  of  his  eye  would  al 
most  curdle  the  blood  of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His  rage,  when 
roused,  was  a  tornado.  In  his  dealing,  he  was  perfectly  honest;  his  confidence  in 
man,  and  his  credulity,  were  such,  that  the  same  man  might  cheat  him  twenty 
times;  and  if  he  professed  friendship,  he  might  cheat  him  still." 

Jacob  Burnet  was  born  in  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1770,  educated  at  Princeton,  and 
in  1796  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  then  emigrated  to  Cincinnati,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession.  Until  the  formation  of  the  constitution  of  Ohio,  in 
1802,  he  attended  court  regularly  at  Cincinnati,  Marietta  and  Detroit,  the  last  of 
which  was  then  the  seat  of  justice  for  Wayne  county.  The  jaunts  between  these 
remote  places  were  attended  with  exposure,  fatigue,  and  hazard,  and  were  usually 
performed  on  horseback,  in  parties  of  two  or  more,  through  a  Avilderness  country. 
At  that  period  the  whole  white  population  between  Pennsylvania  and  the  Missis 
sippi,  the  Ohio  and  the  lakes,  was  only  about  5,000  souls.  Mr.  Burnet  at  once  rose 
to  the  front  rank  in  his  profession.  He  was  appointed,  in  1799,  a  member  of  the 
first  territorial  legislature  of  the  North- West  Territory ;  and  the  first  code  of  laws 
were  almost  wholly  framed  by  him.  In  1821,  he  became  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
supreme  court  of  Ohio;  and  in  1828,  was  elected  to  the  national  senate,  as  suc 
cessor  of  Gen.  Harrison.  Nearly  his  entire  life  was  passed  in  positions  of  honor 
arid  responsibility.  On  the  recommendation  of  Lafayette,  he  was  electe'd  a  mem 
ber  of  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences.  II is  Notes  upon  the  North- West  Terri 
tory  are  among  the  most  valuable  contributions  to  the  history  of  the  west  extant 
Judge  Burnet  died  in  1853,  aged  83  years. 

BRADY'S  LEAP. 

It  was  across  the  Cuyahoga  River,  in  northern  Ohio,  near  the  site  of  Franklin  Mills, 
and  a  few  miles  east  ot  the  village  of  Cuyahoga  Falls,  that  the  noted  Capt.  Sam'l  Brady 

made  liis  famous  leap  for  life,  about 
the  year  1780,  when  pin-sued  by  a 
party  of  Indians.  Brady  was  the 
Daniel  Boone  of  the  north-east  part 
of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  which  is 
full  of  traditions  of  his  hardv  adven 
tures  and  hairbreadth  escapes.  Bra 
dy's  Pond  is  the  spot  where  Bnidy 
concealed  himself  after  his  leap,  the 
circumstances  of  which  we  quote  be 
low.  It  is  a  small,  beautiful  sheet  of 
w;iter,  two  jind  a  half  miles  from  the 
village,  a  little  north  of  the  Ravenna 
road : 

"  Having  in  peaceable  times  often 
J. um ted  over  this  ground  with  the  In- 
BUADY'S  POND.  dians,  and  knowing  every  turn  of  the 

Cuyahoga  as  familiarly  as  the  villager 

knows  the  streets  of  his  ownharhlet,  Brady  directed  his'course  to  the  river,  at  a  spot  where 
the  whole  stream  is  compressed,  by  the  rocky  cliffs,  into  a  narrow  channel  of  only  22  feet 
across  the  top  of  the  chasm,  although  it  is  considerably  wider  beneath,  near  the  water,  and 
in  highth  more  than  twice  that  number  of  feet  above  the  current.  Through  this  pass  the 
water  rushes  like  a  race  horse,  chafing  and  roaring  at  the  confinement  of  its  current  by  the 
rocky  channel,  while,  a  short  distance  above,  the  steam  is  at  least  fifty  yards  Avide.  As  he 
approached  the  chasm,  Brady,  knowing  that  life  or  death  was  in  the  effort,  concentrated 
his  mighty  powers,  and  leaped  the  stream  at  a  single  bound.  It  so  happened,  that  on  the 
opposite  cliff,  the  leap  was  favored  by  a  low  place,  into  which  he  dropped,  and  grasping  the 
bushes,  he  thus  helped  himself  to  ascend  to  the  top  of  the  cliff.  The  Indians,  for  a  few 
moments,  were  lost  in  wonder  and  admiration,  and  before  they  had  recovered  their  recol 
lection,  he  was  half  way  up  the  side  of  the  opposite  hill,  but  still  within  reach  of  their 
rifles.  They  could  easily  have  shot  him  at  any  moment  before,  but  being  bent  on  taking 
him  alive  for  torture,  and  to  glut  their  long  delayed  revenge,  they  forbore  to  use  the  rifle; 
but  now  seeing  him  likely  to  escape,  thev  all  fired  upon  him:  one  bullet  severely  wounded 


OHIO. 


153 


him  in  the  hip,  but  not  so  badly  as  to  prevent  his  progress.  The  Indians  having  to  make 
a  considerable  circuit  before  they  could  cross  the  stream,  Brady  advanced  a  good  distance 
ahead.  His  limb  was  growing  stiff  from  the  wound,  and  as  the  Indians  gained  on  him,  he 
made  for  the  pond  which  now  bears  his  name,  and  plunging  in,  swam  under  water  a  con 
siderable  distance,  and  came  up  under  the  trunk  of  a  large  oak,  which  had  fallen  into  the 
pond.  This,  although  leaving  only  a  small  breathing  place  to  support  life,  still  completely 
sheltered  him  from  their  sight.  The  Indians,  tracing  him  by  the  blood  to  the  water,  made 
diligent  search  all  round  the  pond,  but  finding  no  signs  of  his  exit,  finally  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  had  sunk  and  was  drowned.  As  they  were  at  one  time  standing  on  the 
very  tree,  beneath  which  he  was  concealed,  Brady,  understanding  their  language,  was  very 
glad  to  hear  the  result  of  their  deliberations,  and  after  they  had  gone,  weary,  lame,  and 
hungry,  he  made  good  his  retreat  to  his  own  home.  His  followers  also  returned  in  safety. 
The  chasm  across  which  he  leaped  is  in  sight  of  the  bridge  where  we  crossed  the  Cuvu- 
hoga,  and  is  known  in  all  that  region  by  the  name  of  '  Brady's  Leap.'  " 


In  the  center  of  the  beautiful  public  square  in  Cleveland  stands  the  statue 
of  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  the  "  Hero  of  Lake  Erie."     It  was  inaugurated  with 

great  ceremony  on  the  10th 
of  September,  1860,  the  an 
niversary  of  his  signal  vic 
tory.  Among  .those  pres 
ent  were  the  governor  and 
legislature  of  Rhode  Island, 
Perry's  native  state,  soldiers 
of  the  last  war,  survivors 
of  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie, 
military  from  Rhode  Island, 
New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  about  70,000  visitors 
from  the  surrounding  coun 
try.  Among  the  ceremo 
nies  of  the  occasion  was  a 
mock  battle  on  the  lake  in 
imitation  of  that  which  ter 
minated  in  the  victory  of 
Perry.  Hon.  Gco.  Bancroft 
was  the  orator  of  the  day. 
The  statue  is  of  Carrara 
marble,  standing  upon  a 
high  pedestal  of  llhodo 
Island  granite.  The  figure 
can  not  be  better  described 
thaji  in  the  words  of  Mr. 

Ti«  PEHBY  STATUE,  AT  CLEVELAND  Walcutt,  the  artist,  after  he 

had  unvailed  the  statue:  "It  is  the  Commander — bold  and  confident — giving 
directions  to  his  men,  while  watching  through  the  smoke  of  battle  the  effect 
of  his  broadsides  on  the  enemy.  Figuratively,  it  is  the  impersonation  of 
the  triumphant  hero,  gazing  with  pride  and  enthusiasm  over  the  beautiful 
land  he  saved  by  his  valor,  and  pointing  to  the  lake  as  if  reminding  us  of 
the  scene  of  his  victory."  The  drapery  represents  the  official  dress  of  a 
commodore  in  the  United  States  navy.  On  the  front  of  the  pedestal  is  an 
alto-relievo,  representing  the  incident  of  Perry's  passage  from  the  Lawrence 
to  the  Niagara,  with  an  inscription  recording  the  date  of  the  engagement. 
On  either  side  of  the  pedestal  is  a  figure,  representing  a  sailor-boy  and  mid 
shipman. 


154  OHIO. 

Arthur  St.  Clair,  the  first  governor  of  the  North-west  Territory,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland.  He  was  a  lieutenant  under  Wolfe,  and  a  major  general  in  the  Revo 
lution;  subsequently  was  a  delegate  to  congress  from  Pennsylvania,  and,  in  1787, 
was  chosen  its  president.  While  governor  of  the  North-west  Territory,  from  1788 
to  1802,  he  was  much  esteemed  by  the  people,  being  easy  and  frank  in  his  address, 
of  great  integrity  and  uprightness  of  purpose,  and  of  extensive  information.  He 
had  the  respect  and  friendship  of  Washington.  The  great  misfortune  of  his  life 
was  his  sore  defeat  by  the  Indians,  Nov.  4,  1791.  He  died  in  abject  poverty,  in 
1818,  in  a  cabin  among  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania. 

Col.  Jared  Mansfield  was  born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1759.  He  was  edu 
cated  at  Yale  College,  and  was  subsequently  professor  of  natural  philosophy  at 
West  Point.  He  was  appointed,  by  President  Jefferson,  surveyor  general  of  the 
United  States,  upon  which  he  introduced  and  perfected  the  present  admirable  sys 
tem  of  dividing  the  public  land,  by  north  and  south  and  east  and  west  lines,  into 
ranges,  townships  and  sections.  This  simple  plan  has  been  of  an  untold  benefit  to 
the  rapid  and  easy  settlement  of  the  west.  He  died  in  1830.  Ed.  D.  Mansfield, 
Esq.,  the  commissioner  of  statistics  for  the  state  of  Ohio,  is  his  son. 

Charles  Hammond  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1779,  and  died  in  Cincinnati  in 
1840,  where  most  of  his  life  was  passed.  He  was  one  of  the  most  able  of  lawyers 
and  as  a  journalist  acquired  a  greater  reputation  than  any  man  who  ever  resided 
in  the  west.  For  many  years  he  edited  the  Cincinnati  Gazette. 

Nathan  Guilford,  lawyer  and  journalist  of  Cincinnati,  was  born  in  Spencer, 
Mass.,  in  1786,  and  died  in  1854.  His  memory  is  especially  revered  for  his  long 
and  eminent  services  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  common  schools  of  Ohio — 
"  a  state  which  has  one  third  of  a  million  of  men  capable  of  bearing  arms,  but 
keeps  no  standing  army  but  her  school  teachers,  of  whom  she  pays  more  than 
20,000,  which  provides  a  library  for  every  school  district,  and  registers  as  students 
more  than  600,000  children.  These  growing  in  beauty  and  strength  in  this  land 
of  the  wheat,  the  corn  and  the  vine,  where  the  purity  of  domestic  morals  is  main 
tained  by  the  virtue  and  dignity  of  woman,  constitutes  its  present  glory  and  its 
future  hope." 


INDIANA. 


INDIANA  was  originally  included  in  the  limits  of  "New  France,"  and 
afterward  in  the  "  North-west  Territory."  Its  territory  was  traversed  by  the 

French  traders  and  Catholic  mission 
aries  at  an  early  period.  According 
to  some  historians,  Vincennes  was 
occupied  as  a  French  military  post  in 
1716,  and  as  a  missionary  station  as 
early  as  1700.  The  first  original 
settlers  were,  probably,  mostly,  or  en 
tirely,  French  soldiers  from  Canada, 
belonging  to  the  army  of  Louis  XIV. 
Their  descendants  remained  an  almost 
isolated  community,  increasing  very 
slowly  for  nearly  one  hundred  years, 
and  in  the  mean  time  they  imbibed  a 
taste  for  savage  life,  from  habits  of 
intercourse  with  their  Indian  neigh 
bors  exclusively,  with  whom  they 
often  intermarried.  In  consequence 
of  this  fraternization  with  the  In 
dians,  they  became  somewhat  degenerated  as  a  civilized  community. 

By  the  treaty  of  peace  between  France  and  Great  Britain  in  1763,  all  the 
French  possessions  in  this  region  were  transferred  to  Great  Britain,  but  the 
settlers  still  retained  their  original  rights.  During  the  revolutionary  war, 
the  French  settlers  displayed  their  hereditary  animosity  against  the  English. 
In  1778,  a  Spanish  resident  gave  such  information  respecting  the  strength 
and  position  of  the  British  force  at  Vincennes,  that  by  his  directions,  Gen. 
Clark,  of  Virginia,  easily  obtained  possession.  By  the  treaty  of  1783,  the 
territory  comprised  in  the  limits  of  Indiana  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
United  States. 

In  the  Indian  war  which  succeeded  the  first  settlement  of  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Ohio,  several  military  expeditions  were  sent  into  the  present  limits 
of  Indiana.  The  first,  in  order  of  time,  was  that  of  Gen.  Harmar,  who 
marched,  in  the  autumn  of  1790,  with  a  large  body  of  troops  from  Fort 
Washington,  at  Cincinnati,  against  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Maumee,  on  or 
near  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne.  The  towns  were  destroyed,  but  detached  par 
ties  of  the  army  were  defeated  in  two  separate  engagements. 
155 


ARMS  OF  INDIANA. 


15(3  INDIANA. 

In  May,  of  the  next  year,  750  Kentuckians,  under  Gen.  Charles  Scott, 
rendezvoused  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  River,  and,  crossing  the  Ohio 
on  the  23d,  marched  northward  with  great  rapidity.  In  about  three  weeks 
the  expedition  returned  to  Kentucky,  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  after  hav 
ing  surprised  and  destroyed  several  towns  on  the  Wabash  and  Eel  Rivers, 
killed  32  of  the  enemy  in  skirmishes,  and  taken  58  prisoners. 

In  the  succeeding  August,  Col.  James  Wilkinson  left  Fort  Washington 
with  550  mounted  Kentucky  volunteers,  to  complete  the  work  which  had 
been  so  successfully  begun  by  G-en.  Scott,  against  the  Indians  on  the  Wabash 
and  its  tributaries.  The  expedition  was  successful.  Several  towns  were  de 
stroyed,  the  corn  was  cut  up  and  34  prisoners  taken. 

By  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  in  1795,  the  United  States  obtained  valuable 
tracts  of  land,  for  which  they  paid  the  Indians  money  and  goods.  Other 
tracts  were  obtained,  afterward,  in  the  same  manner.  But,  notwithstanding 
this,  a  part  of  the  Indians  still  remained  hostile,  and  being  excited  by  the 
eloquence  of  Tecumseh,  the  celebrated  Shawnee  warrior,  several  of  the  Indian 
tribes  united  in  resistance  to  the  progress  of  the  whites  at  the  west. 

Although  by  the  ordinance  of  1787,  slavery  was  forever  prohibited  in  the 
territory  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  strong  and  repeated  efforts  were  made  to  es 
tablish  the  institution  temporarily  within  the  Indiana  Territory.  The  first 
of  these  was  made  in  1802—3,  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  convention 
presided  over  by  the  territorial  governor,  William  Henry  Harrison,  which 
petitioned  congress  to  temporarily  suspend  the  operation  of  the*  anti-slavery 
clause  of  the  ordinance.  These  attempts  were  repeated  through  a  succession 
of  years,  until  the  winter  of  1806-7,  when  a  final  effort  was  made  by  the  ter 
ritorial  legislature  to  this  end.  All  were  without  avail,  although  some  of  the 
committees  of  congress,  to  whom  the  subject  was  referred,  reported  in  favor  of 
the  measure.  ^ 

Just  previous  to  the  war  of  1812,  with  Great  Britain,  Indiana  was  ha 
rassed  by  the  hostile  movements  of  the  Shawnees,  led  on  by  Tecumseh  and 
his  brother  the  Prophet.  To  oppose  these  proceedings,  bodies  of  regular 
troops  and  militia  were  concentrated  at  Vincennes,  and  placed  under  the 
command  of  William  Henry  Harrison,  then  governor.  On  Nov.  7,  181-1,  the 
governor  appeared  before  Prophet's  town,  or  Ttppccanoe,  on  the  Wabash, 
and  demanded  restitution  of  the  property  which  the  Indians  had  carried  off! 
After  a  conference  it  was  agreed  that  hostilities  should  not  commence  until 

#The  arguments  by  which  this  policy  was  advocated,  are  thus  set  forth  in  the  following 
extract  of  a  report  of  a  congressional  committee,  made  in  favor  of  the  prayer  of  the  peti 
tioners  on  the  14th  of  February,  1806.  "  That,  having  attentively  considered  the  facts 
elated  in  the  said  petitions  and  memorials,  they  are  of  opinion  that  a  qualified  suspension, 
for  a  limited  time,  of  the  sixth  article  of  compact  between  the  original  states,  and  the  peo 
ple  and  states  west  of  the  River  Ohio,  would  be  beneficial  to  the  people  of  the  Indiana  Ter 
ritory."  The  suspension  of  this  article  is  an  object  almost  universally  desired  in  that  terri 
tory. 

It  appears  to  your  committee  to  be  a  question  entirely  different  from  that  between  slavery 
and  freedom ;  inasmuch  as  it  would  merely  occasion  the  removal  of  persons,  already  slaves, 
from  one  part  of  the  country  to  another.  The  good  effects  of  this  suspension,  in  the  pres 
ent  instance,  would  be  to  accelerate  the  population  of  that  territory,  hitherto  retarded  by 
the  operation  of  that  article  of  compact,  as  slave-holders  emigrating  into  the  western  coun 
try  might  then  indulge  any  preference  which  they  might  feel  for  a  settlement  in  the  Indiana 
Territory,  instead  of  seeking,  as  they  are  now  compelled  to  do,  settlements  in  other  states 
or  countries  permitting  the  introduction  of  slaves.  The  condition  of  the  slaves  themselves 
would  be  much  ameliorated  by  it,  as  it  is  evident,  from  experience,  that  the  more  they  are 
separated  and  diffused,  the  more  care  and  attention  are  bestowed  on  them  by  their  masters, 
each  proprietor  having  it  in  his  power  to  increase  their  comforts  and  conveniences,  in  pro-, 
portion  to  the  smallncss  of  their  numbers." 


INDIANA.  157 

MC;XL  morning.  The  enemy,  however,  attempted  to  take  Harrison  by  sur 
prise  the  night  after  the  conference.  The  governor  knowing  the  character  of 
his  wily  foe,  arranged  his  troops  in  battle  order  as  they  encamped.  Just  be 
fore  day  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  but  the  Americans  being  pre 
pared  for  the  onset,  they  successfully  repelled  the  savages.  The  conflict, 
though  short,  was  unusually  severe;  the  Indians  fought  with  desperate  cour 
age,  but  the  fate  of  the  battle  was  soon  decided,  and  the  Indians  fled  in  every 
direction,  having  lost,  it  is  supposed,  about  150  of  their  number.  Harrison 
now  laid  waste  their  country,  and  soon  afteward  the  tribes  sued  for  peace. 

The  war  of  1812,  with  Great  Britain,  gave  a  fresh  impetus  to  Indian  hos 
tilities.  Seduced  into  the^British  service,  the  Indians,  after  committing 
great  cruelties,  received  full  retribution  from  the  Americans;  their  villages 
were  destroyed  and  their  country  laid  waste. 

The  outline  of  the  military  events  which  occurred  within  the  present  boun 
daries  of  the  state,  are  as  follows : 

Fort  Harrison,  situated  on  the  Wabash,  60  miles  above  Vincennes,  was  attacked 
on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  [September,  1812,  by  several  hundred  Indians  from  the 
Prophet's  town.  In  the  evening  previous,  30  or  40  Indians  appeared  before  the 
fort  with  a  flap;,  under  the  pretense  of  obtaining  provisions.  The  commander, 
Capt.  Zachary  Taylor  (since  president),  made  preparations  for  the  expected  at 
tack.  In  the  night,  about  11  o'clock,  the  Indians  commenced  the  attack  by  firing 
on  the  sentinel.  Almost  immediately,  the  lower  block-house  was  discovered  to 
have  been  set  on  fire.  As  this  building  joined  the  barracks  which  made  part  of 
the  fortifications,  most  of  the  men.  panic  stricken,  gave  themselves  up  for  lost.  In 
the  mean  time,  the  yells  of  several  hundred  savages,  the  cries  of  the  women  and 
children,  and  the  despondency  of  the  soldiers,  rendered  it  a  scene  of  confusion. 
But  the  presence  of  mind  of  the  capt^n,  did  not  forsake  him.  By  the  most  stren 
uous  exertions  on  his  part,  the  fire  was  prevented  from  spreading,  and  before  day 
the  men  had  erected  a  temporary  breast-work  seven  feet  high,  within  the  spot 
where  the  building  was  consumed.  The  Indians  kept  up  the  attack  until  morning, 
when,  finding  their  efforts  ineffectual,  they  retired.  At  this  "time,  there  were  not 
more  than  20  men  in  the  garrison  fit  for  duty. 

Shortly  after,  Gen.  Hopkins,  with  a  large  force,  engaged  in  two  different  expe 
ditions  against  the  Indians  on  the  head  Waters  of  the  Wabash  and  the  Illinois. 
iThe  first  was  in  October.  With  4,000  mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky,  Illi 
nois  and  Indiana,  he  left  Vincennes  early  in  the  month,  relieved  Fort  Harrison  on 
the  10th,  and  from  thence,  inarched  for  the  Kickapoo  villages,  and  the  Peoria 
towns — the  first  100,  and  the  last  160  miles  distant.  But  his  men  mutinizing,  he 
was  obliged  to  return  before  reaching  the  hostile  towns.  On  the  llth  of  Novem 
ber,  he  marched  from  Fort  Harrison,  on  his  second  expedition,  with  a  detachment 
of  regular  troops  and  volunteers.  On  the  20th,  he  arrived  at  the  Prophet's  to«m, 
at  which  place  and  vicinity,  he  destroyed  300  wigwams,  and  large  quantities  of 
Indian  corn.  Several  other  expeditions  were  successfully  accomplished,  against 
the  Indians  on  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  and.  their  tributaries,  by  which  the  se 
curity  of  that  frontier  was  effected. 

Immediately  after  the  massacre  at  Chicago,  Fort  Wayne  was  closely  besieged 
by  several  hundred  Miami  and  Pottawatomie  Indians.  The  garrison  numbered 
only  some  60  or  70  effective  men.  The  siege  continued  until  near  the  middle  of 
September,  when  Gen.  Harrison  marched  to  its  relief  with  2,500  men,  upon  which 
the  Indians  fled. 

From  Franklinton,  in  Central  Ohio,  Harrison,  in  November,  sent  Col.  Camp 
bell,  with  600  men,  against  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Missininneway,  a  branch  of 
the  Wabash.  They  destroyed  several  of  their  towns,  and  defeated  the  Indians  in 
a  hard  fought  battle,  but  the  severity  of  the  weather  compelled  them  to  return. 

Until  1800,  the  territory  now  included  in  Indiana,  remained  a  portion  of 
the-  North-west  Territory.  In  this  year  it  was,  including  the  present  state 


158  INDIANA. 

of  Illinois,  organized  under  the  name  of  Indiana  Territory.  In  1809,  the 
western  part  of  the  territory  was  set  off  as  "  Illinois  Territory."  In  1816, 
Indiana  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  sovereign  state.  In  1851,  a  new 
constitution  was  adopted  by  the  people. 

Until  1818,  the  central  part  of  Indiana  was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  in 
habited  by  the  Miami,  Delaware,  and  Shawnee  Indians.  By  a  treaty  at  St. 
Mary's,  Ohio,  October  2,  1818,  between  Lewis  Cass,  Jonathan  Jennings, 
arid  Benjamin  Park,  commissioners,  and  the  Delaware  Indians,  the  latter 
ceded  all  their  territory  in  Indiana  to  the  United  States,  covenanting  to  de 
liver  the  possession  in  1821.  This  region  was  afterward  called  "the  New 
Purchase."  Its  reported  fertility  and  beauty  Utracted  settlers,  who  imme 
diately  entered  the  country  and  made  settlements  at  various  points. 

Indiana  is  bounded  N.  by  Michigan  and  Lake  Michigan,  W.  by  Illinois, 
E.  by  Ohio,  and  S.  by  the  Ohio  River.  It  lies  between  37°  45'  and  41°  52' 
N.  Liit.,  and  85°  49'  30"  and  88°  2'  30"  W.  Long.  Its  extreme  length  from 
north  to  south  is  270  miles,  and  its  greatest  width  176,  containing  33,809 
square  miles,  or  21,  637,760  acres.  The  soil  of  the  state  is  generally  good, 
and  much  of  it  highly  fertile.  The  richest  lands  are  found  in  the  river  bot 
toms,  where  the  soil  is  very  deep.  This  is  especially  the  case  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Wabash  and  its  tributaries,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  Ohio  valley. 

There  are  no  mountains  in  Indiana,  but  the  country  bordering  on  the  Ohio, 
and  in  some  other  parts  is  hilly  and  broken.  It  is  estimated  that  about  two 
thirds  of  the  state  is  level,  or  at  most  slightly  undulating.  Bordering  on  all 
the  principal  streams,  except  the  Ohio,  are  strips  of  bottom  and  prairie  land 
from  three  to  five  miles  in  width,  Remote  from  the  rivers,  the  country  is 
broken  and  the  soil  light.  Between  the  vVabash  and  Lake  Michigan,  the 
surface  is  generally  level,  interspersed  with  woodlands,  prairies  and  swamps. 
On  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  are  sand  hills  210  feet  high,  back  of  which 
are  sandy  hillocks  with  a  growth  of  pine.  The  prairies  bordering  on  the 
Wabash  have  a  soil  from  two  to  five  feet  in  depth. 

The  principal  agricultural  production  of  Indiana  is  Indian  corn :  great 
quantities  of  pork  and  flour  are  annually  exported.  It  is  stated  that  Indiana 
has  beds  of  coal  within  her  limits  covering  7,700  square  miles,  capable  of 
yielding  50,000,000  bushels  to  the  square  mile.  The  population  of  Indiana 
in  1800  was  4,875;  in  1820,  147,178;  in  1840,  685,886;  in  1850,  988,393  ; 
and  in  1860,  1,359,802. 

VINCENNES,  the  county  seat  of  Knox  county,  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
left  bank  of  Wabash  River,  120  miles  S.W.  of  Indianapolis,  192  from  Cin 
cinnati,  147  from  St.  Louis,  and  56  N.  of  Evansville,  on  the  Ohio.  It  is  on 
the  line  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad,  and  is  connected  with  Evans 
ville  at  the  south,  and  with  Terra  Haute  and  other  places  at  the  north,  by 
railroad.  The  town  is  regularly  laid  out  on  a  fertile  level  prairie.  The 
Wabash  is  navigable  for  steamboats  to  this  point.  Viricennes  contains  eight 
churches.  It  is  the  seat  of  a  Catholic  bishopric,  and  a  large,  spacious  Cathe 
dral  is  erected  here.  Considerable  attention  is  paid  to  education,  and  of  the 
principal  institutions,  several  are  Catholic,  viz:  an  ecclesiastical  seminary, 
female  academy,  and  two  orphan  asylums.  The  Vincennes  University  has 
125  students.  Population  about  6,000. 

Vincennes  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  state :  it  was  settled  by  a  colony  of 
French  emigrants  from  Canada,  in  1735.  Some  historians  claim  that  it  was 
occupied  as  a  French  post  as  early  as  1720.  It  received  its  present  name  in 


INDIANA. 


159 


1735,  from  M.  de  Vincennes,  a  French  officer  who  was  killed  that-  year  among 
the  Chickasaws.  For  a  long  period  nothing  of  much  moment  seems  to  have 
occurred  in  the  history  of  St.  Vincent,  as  Vincennes  was  sometimes  called. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  American  Revolution,  most  of  the  old  French 


South  view  of  the  Harrison  House,  Viticeniies. 

The  house  here  represented  was  erected  by  G-m.  Harrison,  when  governor  of  the  territory.  Tt  stands 
on  the  banks  of  the  Wabasli,  a  few  rods  easterly  from  the  railroad  (>ri  l^e.  The  grove  in  which  Tecumseh 
met  the  council  is  immediately  in  front  of  the  house,  two  trees  of  which,  seen  on  the  left,  are  the  only  ones 
remaining.  The  track  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad  appears  in  the  foreground. 

posts  were  garrisoned  with  British  troops,  who  incited  the  Indian  tribes  in 
their  vicinity  to  take  up  arms  against  the  Americans.  In  1778,  Col.  George 
Rogers  Clark  was  sent  by  the  legislature  of  Virginia,  with  a  small  force,  to 
take  possession  of  the  British  posts  on  the  western  frontiers.  By  his  address 
he  succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  and  Vincennes, 
without  bloodshed. 

In  Dec.,  1778,  Hamilton,  the  British  governor  at  Detroit,  came  down  upon 
St.  Vincent,  or  Vincennes,  with  a  large  body  of  troops  in  an  unexpected 
manner.  At  this  time,  Post  Vincennes  was  garrisoned  by  two  men  only, 
Capt.  Helm,  of  Virginia,  and  one  Henry.  "  Helm,  however,  was  not  dis 
posed  to  yield,  absolutely,  to  any  odds;  so,  loading  his  single  cannon,  he 
stood  by  it  with  a  lighted  match.  When  the  British  came  nigh  he  bade 
them  stand,  and  demanded  to  know  what  terms  would  be  granted  the  garri 
son,  as  otherwise  he  should  not  surrender.  The  governor,  unwilling  to  lose 
time  and  men,  offered  the  usual  honors  of  war,  and  could  scarcely  believe 
his  eyes  when  he  saw  the  threatening  garrison  to  be  only  one  officer  and  one 
private."  On  the  24th  of  Feb.,  1779,  Col.  Clark,  with  a  force  of  one  hun 
dred  and  seventy  men,  including  pack-horsemen,  etc.,  re-appeared  before 
Vincennes,  and  demanded  its  surrender.  It  was  garrisoned  at  this  time  by 
seventy-nine  men,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Gov.  Hamilton,  who  was 
called  the  "hair  buyer"  for  his  offering  the  Indians  a  certain  sum  for  each 
scalp  they  brought  in.  He  was  compelled  to  give  up  "Fort  Sackville,"  and 
with  some  others,  was  sent  prisoner  to  Virginia. 

With  the  capture  of  Vincennes  and  the  other  British  posts,  of  Kaskaskia, 


160  INDIANA. 

Caliokia,  etc.,  in  the  Illinois  country,  by  Clark,  Virginia  acquired  tlic  coun 
try  then  known  as  the  North-west  Territory,  which  she  ceded  to  the  gen 
eral  government,  in  1789.  When  the  Indiana  Territory  was  organized  in 
1800,  Vincennes  was  made  the  capital,  and  so  remained  until  1313,  w^en 
Corydon  became  the  capital  of  the  Territory  and  in  1816  of  the  state.  In 
1825,  Indianapolis,  within  the  "  New  Purchase,"  became  the  state  capital. 


The  following  account  of  the  celebrated  interview  between  Tecumseh  and 
Gen.  Harrison,  in  front  of  the  Harrison  House,  now  standing  in  Vincemies, 
is  from  Judge  Law's  "  Colonial  History  of  Posil Vincennes,  etc.:" 

In  the  spring  of  1810,  Gen.  Harrison,  being  governor  of  the  North-western  Ter 
ritory,  and  residing  at  Vincennes — the  seat  of  government — had  learned  from  va 
rious  quarters  that  Tecumseh  had  been  visiting  the  different  Indian  tribes,  scat 
tered  along  the  valleys  of  the  Wabash  and  Illinois,  with  a  view  of  forming  an  alli 
ance  and  making  common  cause  against  the  whites,  and  that  there  was  great  prob 
ability  that  his  mission  had  been  successful.  Aware,  as  he  was,  that  if  this  was 
the  case,  and  that  if  the  combination  had  been  formed,  such  as  was  represented, 
the  settlements  in  the  southern  portion  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  were  in  great  dan 
ger;  that  Vincennes  itself  would  be  the  first  object  of  attack,  and  that,  with  a 
handful  of  troops  in  the  territory,  a  successful  resistance  might  not  be  made ;  and 
not  probably  fully  aware  of  the  extent  of  the  organization  attempted  by  Tecunaseh, 
and  desirous  of  avoiding,  if  he  could,  the  necessity  of  a  call  to  arm's,  he  sent  a 
message  to  him,  then  residing  at  the  "Prophet's  Town,"  inviting  him  to  a  council. 
to  be  held  at  as  early  a  period  as  possible,  for  the  purpose  of  talking  over  and 
amicably  settling  all  difficulties  which  might  exist  between  the  whites  and  the 
Shawnees.  It  was  not  until  the  month  of  August  of  the  same  year,  that  Tecum 
seh,  accompanied  by  about  seventy  of  his  warriors  made  his  appearance.  They 
encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Wabash,  just  above  the  town,  and  Tecumseh  gave 
notice  to  the  governor  that,  in  pursuance  of  his  invitation,  he  had  come  to  hold  a 
talk  "with  him  and  his  braves."-  The  succeeding  day  was  appointed  for  the  meet 
ing.  The  governor  made  all  suitable  preparations  for  it.  The  officers  of  the  ter 
ritory  and  the  leading  citizens  of  the  town  were  invited  to  be  present,  while  a  por 
tion  of  a  company  of  militia  was  detailed  as  a  guard — fully  armed  and  equipped 
for  any  emergency.  Notice  had  been  sent  to  Tecumseh,  previous  to  the  meeting, 
that  it" was  expected  that  himself  and  a  portion  of  his  principal  warriors  would  be 
present  at  the  council.  The  council  was  held  in  the  open  lawn  before  the  gov 
ernor's  house,  in  a  grove  of  trees  which  then  surrounded  it.  But  two  of,  these,  I 
regret  to  say,  are  now  remaining.  At  the  time  appointed,  Tecumseh  and  some 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  his  warriors  made  their  appearance.  With  a  firm  and  elastic 
step,  and  with  a  proud  and  somewhat  defiant  look,  he  advanced  to  the  place  where 
the  governor  and  those  who  had  been  invited  to  attend  the  conference  were  sitting. 
This  place  had  been  fenced  in,  with  a  view  of  preventing  the  crowd  from  encroach 
ing  upon  the  council  during  its  deliberations.  As  he  stepped  forward  he  seemed 
to  scan  the  preparations  which  had  been  made  for  his  reception,  particularly  the 
military  part  of  it,  with  an  eye  of  suspicion — by  no  means,  however,  of  fear.  As  he 
came  in  front  of  the  <fcm,an  elevated  portion  of  the  place  upon  which  the  governor 
and  the  officers  of  the  territory  were  seated,  the  governor  invited  him,  through  his 
interpreter,  to  come  forward  and  take  a  seat  with  him  and  his  counsellors,  premis 
ing  the  invitation  by  saying:  "That  it  was  the  wish  of  their  'Great  Father,'  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  that  he  should  do  so."  The  chief  paused  for  a 
moment,  as  the  words  were  uttered  and  the  sentence  finished,  and  raising  his  tall 
form  to  its  greatest  hight,  surveyed  the  troops  and  the  crowd  around  him.  Then 
with  his  keen  eyes  fixed  upon  the  governor  for  a  single  moment,  and  turning  them 
to  the  sky  above,  with  his  sinewy  arm  pointing  toward  the  heavens,  and  with  a  tone 
and  manner  indicative  of  supreme  contempt  for  the  paternity  assigned  him,  said, 
in  a  voice  whose  clarion  tone  was  heard  throughout  the  whole  assembly : 

"My  Father1? — The  sun  is  my  father — the  earth  is  my  mother — and  on  her  bosom 


INDIANA. 

I  will  recline."  Having  finished,  he  stretched  himself  with  his  warriors  on  the 
green  sward.  The  Effect,  it  is  said,  was  electrical,  and  for  some  moments  there  was 
perfect  silence. 

The  governor,  through  the  interpreter,  then  informed  him,  "  that  he  had  under 
stood  he  had  complaints  to  make  and  redress  to  ask  for  certain  wrongs  which  he, 
Tecumseh,  supposed  had  been  done  his  tribe,  as  well  as  the  others;  that  he  felt 
disposed  to  listen  to  the  one  and  make  satisfaction  for  the  other,  if  it  was  proper 
he  should  do  so.  That  in  all  his  intercourse  and  negotiations  Avith  the  Indians,  ho 
had  endeavored  to  act  justly  and  honorably  with  them,  and  believed  he  had  done 
so,  and  had  learned  of  no  complaint  of  his  conduct  until  he  learned  that  Tecumseh 
was  endeavoring  to  create  dissatisfaction  toward  the  government,  not  only  among 
the  IShawnees,  but  among  the  other  tribes  dwelling  on  the  Wabash  and  Illinois; 
and  had,  in  so  doing,  produced  a  great  deal  of  trouble  between  them  and  the 
whites,  by  averring  that  the  tribes  whose  land  the  government  had  lately  purchased, 
had  no  right  to  sell,  nor  their  chiefs  any  authority  to  convey.  That  he,  the  gov 
ernor,  had  invited  him  to  attend  the  council,  with  a  view  of  learning  from  his  own 
lips,  whether  there  was  any  truth  in  the  reports  which  he  had  heard,  and  to  learn 
whether  he,  or  his  tribe,  had  any  just  cause  of  complaint  against  the  whites,  and, 
if  so,  as  a  man  and  a  warrior,  openly  to  avow  it.  That  as  between  himself  and  as 
great  a  warrior  as  Tecumseh,  there  should  be  no  concealment — all  should  be  done 
by  them  under  a  clear  sky,  and  in  an  open  path,  and  with  these  feelings  on  his  own 
part,  he  was  glad  to  meet  him  in  council."  Tecumseh  arose  as  soon  as  the  gov 
ernor  had  finished.  Those  who  knew  him  speak  of  him  as  one  of  the  most  splen 
did  specimens  of  his  tribe — celebrated  for  their  physical  proportions  and  fine  forms, 
oven  among  the  nations  who  surrounded  them.  Tall,  athletic  and  manly,  digni 
fied,  but  graceful,  he  seemed  the  beau  ideal  of  an  Indian  chieftain,  in  a  voice 
first  low,  but  with  all  its  indistinctness,  musical,  he  commenced  his  reply.  As  he 
warmed  with  his  subject,  his  clear  tones  might  be  heard,  as  if  "  trumpet-tongued/' 
to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  assembled  crowd  who  surrounded  him.  The  most  per 
fect  silence  prevailed,  except  when  the  warriors  who  surrounded  him  gave  their 
gutteral  assent  to  some  eloquent  recital  .of  the  red__man's  wrong  and  the  white 
man's  injustice.  Well  instructed  in  the  traditions  of  his  tribe,  fully  acquainted 
with  their  history,  the  councils,  treaties,  and  battles  of  the  two  races  for  half  a 
century,  he  recapitulated  the  wrongs  of  the  red  man  from  the  massacre  of  the  Mo 
ravian  Indians,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  down  to  the  period  he  had  met  the 
governor  in  council.  He  told  him  "  he  did  not  know  how  he  could  ever  again  be 
the  friend  of  the  white  man."  In  reference  to  the  public  domain,  he  asserted 
''that  the  Great  Spirit  had  given  all  the  country  from  the  Miami  to  the  Mississippi, 
from  the  lakes  to  the  Ohio,  as  a  common  property  to  all  the  tribes  that  dwelt  within 
those  borders,  and  that  the  land  could  not,  and  should  not  be  sold  without  the  con 
sent  of  all.  That  all  the  tribes  on  the  continent  formed  but  one  nation.  That  if 
the  United  States  would  not  give  up  the  lands  they  had  bought  of  the  Miamis,  the 
Delawares,  the  Pottowatornies,  and  other  tribes,  that  those  united  with  him  were 
determined  to  fall  on  those  tribes  and  annihilate  them.  That  they  were  deter 
mined  to  have  no  more  chiefs,  but  in  future  to  be  governed  by  their  warriors. 
That  their  tribes  had  been  driven  toward  the  setting  sun,  like  a  galloping  horse 
(Ne-kat-a  cush-e  Ka-top-o-lin-to.)  That  for  himself  and  his  warriors,  he  had  de 
termined  to  resist  all  further  aggressions  of  the  whites,  and  that  with  his  consent, 
or  that  of  the  Shawnees,  they  should  never  acquire  another  foot  of  land.  To  those 
who  have  never  heard  of  the  Shawnee  language,  I  may  here  remark  it  is  the 
most  musical  and  euphonious  of  all  the  Indian  languages  of  the  west.  When 
spoken  rapidly  by  a  fluent  speaker,  it  sounds  more  like  the  scanning  of  Greek  and 
Latin  verse,  than  anything  [  can  compare  it  to.  The  effect  of  this  address,  of 
which  I  have  simply  given  the  outline,  and  which  occupied  an  hour  in  the  delivery, 
may  be  readily  imagined. 

William  Henry  Harrison  was  as  brave  a  man  as  ever  lived.  All  who  knew  him 
will  acknowledge  his  courage,  moral  and  physical,  but  he  was  wholly  unprepared 
for  such  a  speech  as  this.  There  was  a  coolness,  an  independence,  a  defiance  in 
the  whole  manner  and  matter  of  the  chieftain's  speech  which  astonished  even  him. 
He  knew  Tecumseh  ^vell.  He  had  learned  to  appreciate  his  high  qualities  as  a 
11 


162  INDIANA. 

man  and  warrior.  He  knew  his  power,  his  skill,  his  influence,  not  only  over  his 
own  tribe,  but  over  those  who  dwelt  on  the  waters  of  the  Wabash  and  Illinois.  He 
knew  he  was  no  braggart — that  what  he  said  he  meant — what  he  promised  he  in 
tended  to  perform.  He  was  fully  aware  that  he  was  a  foe  not  to  be  treated  light — 
an  enemy  to  be  conciliated  not  scorned — one  to  be  met  with  kindness  not  contempt. 
There  was  a  stillness  throughout  the  assembly  when  Tecumseh  had  done  speaking 
which  was  painful.  Not  a  whisper  was  to  be  heard — all  eyes  were  turned  from 
the  speaker  to  the  governor.  The  unwarranted  and  unwarrantable  pretensions  of 
the  chief,  and  the  bold  and  defiant  tone  in  which  he  had  announced  them,  stag 
gered  even  him.  It  was  some  moments  before  he  arose.  Addressing  Tecumseh, 
who  had  taken  his  seat  with  his  warriors,  he  said :  '*  That  the  charges  of  bad  faith 
made  against  the  government,  and  the  assertion  that  injustice  had"  been  done  the 
Indians  in  any  treaty  ever  made,  or  any  council  ever  held  with  them  by  the  United 
States,  had  no  foundation  in  fact.  That  in  all  their  dealings  with  the  red  man, 
they  had  ever  been  governed  by  the  strictest  rules  of  right  and  justice.  That 
while  other  civilized  nations  had  treated  them  with  contumely  and  contempt,  ours 
had  always  acted  in  good  faith  with  them.  That  so  far  as  he  individually  was  con 
cerned,  he  could  say  in  the  presence  of  the  'Great  Spirit,'  who  was  watching  over 
their  deliberations,  that  his  conduct,  even  with  the  most  insignificant  tribe,  had 
been  marked  with  kindness,  and  all  his  acts  governed  by  honor^  integrity  and  fair 
dealing.  That  he  had  uniformly  been  the  friend  of  the  red  man,  and  that  it  was 
the  first  time  in  his  life  that  his  motives  had  been  questioned  or  his  actions  im 
peached.  It  was  the  first  time  in  his-life  that  he  had  ever  heard  such  unfounded 
claims  put  forth,  as  Tecumseh  had  set  up,  by  any  chief,  or  any  Indian,  having  the 
least  regard  for  truth,  or  the  slightest  knowledge  of  the  intercourse  between  the 
Indian  and  the  white  man,  from  the  time  this  continent  was  first  discovered." 
What  the  governor  had  said  thus  far  had  been  interpreted  by  Barron,  the  inter 
preter  to  the  Shawnees,  and  he  was  about  interpreting  it  to  the  Mi  amis  and  Potta- 
watomies,  who  formed  part  of  the  cavalcade,  when  Tecumseh,  addressing  the  in 
terpreter  in  Shawnee,  said,  "  lie  lies!"  Barron,  who  had,  as  all  subordinates  (es 
pecially  in  the  Indian  department)  have,  a  great  reverence  and  respect  for  the 
"powers  that  be,"  commenced  interpreting  the  language  of  Tecumseh  to  the 
governor,  but  not  exactly  in  the  terms  made  use  of,  when  Tecumseh,  who  under 
stood  but  little  English,  perceived  from  his  embarrassment  and  awkwardness,  that 
he  was  not  giving  his  words,  interrupted  him  and  again  addressing  him  in  Shaw- 
nee,  said:  "No,  no;  tell  him  he  lies."  The  gutteral  assent  of  his  party  showed 
they  coincided  with  their  chief's  opinion.  Gen.  Gibson,  secretary  of  the  territory, 
who  understood  Shawnee,  had  not  been  an  inattentive  spectator  of  the  scene,  and 
understanding  the  import  of  the  language  made  use  of,  and  from  the  excited  state 
of  Tecumseh  and  his  party,  was  apprehensive  of  violence,  made  a  signal  to  the 
troops  in  attendance  to  shoulder  their  arms  and  advance.  They  did  so.  The 
speech  of  Tecumseh  was  literally  translated  to  the  governor.  He  directed  Barron 
to  say  to  him,  uhe  would  hold  no  further  council  with  him"  and  the  meeting  broke 
up. 

One  can  hardly  imagine  a  more  exciting  scene — one  which  would  be  a  finer  sub 
ject  for  an  "  historical  painting,"  to  adorn  the  rotunda  of  the  capitol,  around  which 
not  a  single  picture  commemorative  of  western  history  is  to  be  found.  On  the 
succeeding  day,  Tecumseh  requested  another  interview  with  the  governor,  which 
was  granted  on  condition  that  he  should  make  an  apology  to  the  governor  for  his 
language  the  day  before.  This  he  made  through  the  interpreter.  Measures  for 
defense  and  protection  were  however  taken,  lest  there  should  be  another  outbreak. 
Two  companies  of  militia  were  ordered  from  the  country,  and  the  one  in  town 
added  to  them,  while  the  governor  and  his  friends  went  into  council  fully  armed 
and  prepared  for  any  contingency.  The  conduct  of  Tecumseh  upon  this  occasion 
was  entirely  different  from  that  of  the  day  before.  Firm  and  intrepid,  showing 
not  the  slightest  fear  or  alarm,  surrounded  as  he  was  with  the  military  force  quad 
rupling  his  own,  he  preserved  the  utmost  composure  and  equanimity.  No  one 
could  have  discerned  from  his  looks,  although  he  must  have  fully  understood  the 
object  of  calling  in  the  troops,  that  he  was  in  the  slightest  degree  disconcerted. 
He  was  cautious  in  his  bearing,  dignified  in  his  manner,  a»d  no  one  from  observ- 


INDIANA. 

ing  nim  would  for  a  moment  have  supposed  he  was  the  principal  actor  in  the 
thrilling  scene  of  the  previous  day. 

In  the  interval  between  the  sessions  of  the  first  and  second  council,  Tecumseh 
had  told  Barron,  the  interpreter,  "  that  he  had  been  informed  by  the  whites,  that 
the  people  of  the  territory  were  almost  equally  divided,  half  in  favor  of  Tecumseh, 
and  the  other  adhering  to  the  governor."  The  same  statement  he  made  in  council. 
He  said  "  that  fwo  Americans  had  made  him  a  visit,  one  in  the  course  of  the  pre 
ceding  winter,  the  other  lately,  and  informed  him  that  Governor  Harrison  had  pur 
chased  land  from  the  Indians  without  any  authority  from  the  government,  and  that 
one  half  of  the  people  were  opposed  to  the  purchase.  He  also  told  the  governor 
that  he,  Harrison,  had  but  two  years  more  to  remain  in  office,  and  if  he,  Tecumseh, 
could  prevail  upon  the  Indians  who  sold  the  lands  not  to  receive  their  annuities 
for  that  time,  that  when  the  governor  was  displaced,  as  he  would  be,  and  a  good 
man  appointed  as  his  successor,  he  would  restore  to  the  Indians  all  the  lands  pur 
chased  from  them."  After  Tecumseh  had  concluded  his  speech,  a  Wyandot,  a 
Kickapoo,  a  Pottawatomie,  an  Ottowa,  and  a  Winnebago  chief,  severally  spoke,  and 
declared  that  their  tribes  had  entered  into  the  "  Shawnee  Confederacy,"  and  would 
support  the  principles  laid  down  by  Tecumseh,  whom  they  had  appointed  their 
leader. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  council,  the  governor  informed  Tecumseh  "  that  he 
would  immediately  transmit  his  speech  to  the  president,  and  as  soon  as  his  answer 
was  received  would  send  it  to  him;  but  as  a  person  had  been  appointed  to  run  the 
boundary  line  of  the  new  purchase,  he  wished  to  know  whether  there  would  be 
danger  in  his  proceeding  to  run  the  line."  Tecumseh  replied,  "  that  he  and  his 
allies  were  determined  that  the  old  boundary  line  should  continue,  and  that  if  the 
whites  crossed  it,  it  would  be  at  their  peril."  The  governor  replied,  "that  since 
Tecumseh  had  been  thus  candid  in  stating  his  determination,  he  would  be  equally 
so  with  him.  The  president,  he  was  convinced,  would  never  allow  that  the  lands 
on  the  Wabash  were  the  property  of  any  other  tribes  than  those  who  had  occupied 
them,  and  lived  on  them  since  the  white  people  came  to  America.  And  as  the  title 
to  the  lands  lately  purchased  was  derived  from  those  tribes  by  fair  purchase,  he 
might  rest  assured  that  the  right  of  the  United  States  would  be  supported  by  the 
sword." 

"So  be  it,"  was  the  stern  and  haughty  reply  of  the  "Shawnee  chieftain,"  as  he 
and  his  braves  took  leave  of  the  governor  and  wended  their  way  in  Indian  file  to 
their  camping  ground.  And  thus  ended  the  last  conference  on  earth  between  the 
chivalrous  and  gallant  Tecumseh,  the  Shawnee  chief,  and  he  who  since  the  period 
alluded  to  has  ruled  the  destinies  of  the  nation  as  its  chief  magistrate.  The  bones 
of  the  first  lie  bleaching  on  the  battle-field  of  the  Thames—those  of  the  last  are 
deposited  in  the  mausoleum  that  covers  them  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 


INDIANAPOLIS,  the  capital  of  Indiana,  and  seat  of  justice  for  Marion 
county,  is  on  the  west  fork  of  White  River,  at  the  crossing  of  the  National 
Road,  109  miles  N.W.  from  Cincinnati,  86  N.N.W.  from  Madison,  on  the 
Ohio,  and  573  W.  by  N.  from  Washington.  The  city  is  located  on  a  fertile 
and  extensive  plain,  two  miles  N.W.  of  the  geographical  center  of  the  state, 
which  was  formerly  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber.  The  original  town 
plat  was  a  mile  square,  but  it  has  extended  itself  on  all  sides.  Washington- 
street  through  which  the  National  Road  passes,  the  principal  street  in  the  city,  is 
120  feet  wide,  Circle-street  80  feet,  the  others  90  feet.  On  the  1st  of  Jan., 
1825,  the  public  offices  of  the  state  were  removed  from  Corydon,  the  former 
capital,  to  Indianapolis,  and  the  seat  of  government  established  here ;  but 
the  legislature  held  its  sessions  in  the  county  court  house,  until  Dec.,  1834, 
when  the  state  house  was  completed.  This  showy  structure,  180  feet  long 
by  80  wide,  is  on  the  model  of  the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  and  was  built  at  • 
cost  of  about  $60,000. 


164  INDIANA. 

Indianapolis  is  one  of  the  greatest  railroad  centers  in  the  world,  nearly 
one  hundred  different  trains  pass  in  and  out  of  the  city  daily,  and  from  3,000 
to  5,000  persons  visit  the  place  in  twenty-four  hours.  It  is  stated  that  the 
citizens  of  80  of  the  91  counties  in  the  state,  can  come  to  Indianapolis,  attend 


View  of  the  State  House,  from   Washing  ton-street,  Indianapolis. 

to  business,  and  return  the  same  day.  The  completion  of  the  Madison  and 
Indianapolis  Railroad  gave  a  great,  impetus  to  the  growth  of  the  place  :  then 
the  population  was  about  4,000,  in  1860,  18,612." 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  broad,  laid  out  at  right  angles,  well  shaded  and 
adorned  with  a  number  of  very  superior  buildings.  The  benevolent  institu 
tions  of  the  state,  for  the  insane,  deaf  and  dumb,  and  the  blind,  are  located 
at  this  place,  and  are  an  ornament  to  the  city  and  state.  The  city  has  16 
churches,  a  system  of  free  graded  schools, and  is  the  seat  of  the  North-west 
ern  Christian  University,  a  flourishing  institution  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Christian  Church.  The  university  building  is  an  elegant  edifice  in  the 
Gothic  style. 

The  following  historical  items  are  extracted  from  Howard's  Historical 
Sketch  of  Indianapolis,  in  the  city  directory  for  1857: 

In  1318,  Dr.  Douglass  ascended  White  River  from  the  lower  counties,  tarrying 
at  the  bluffs  for  a  short  time,  and  Col.  James  Paxton  descended  it  from  its  head 
waters,  reaching  this  place  in  January  or  February,  1819.  lie  again  returned  in 
1820,  and  made«onie  preparations  for  settlement,  but  never  completed  them.  The 
honor  due  to  the  'first  settler,'  belongs  to  John  Pogue,  who  came  from  White 
water  and  settled  here  on  the  2d  day  of  March,  1819.'  His  cabin  stood  by  a  large 
spfing,  close  to  the  east  bank  of  'Pogue's  Run,'  near  the  present^residence  of  W. 
P.  Noble.  Its  ruins  were  visible  until  within  a  few  years,  and  perhaps  exist  at 
this  time.  Pogue  was  killed  by  the  Indians  in  April,  182.1.  His  horses  were 
missing  one  morning  in  that  month,  and  as  some  disturbance  had  been  heard 
among  them  during  the  night,  he  concluded  the  Indians  had  stolen  them,  and 
armed  himself  for  pursuit.  When  last  seen  he  was  near  the  Indian  camp,  and  as 
his  horses  and  clothes  were  afterward  seen  in  their  possession,  little  doubt  re- 


INDIANA. 


165 


mained  as  to  his  fate.  His  death  greatly  excited  the  settlers,  but  their  numerical 
weakness  prevented  an  effort  to  avenge  it.  The  little  stream  which  once  pursued 
a  very  torturous  course  through  the  south-east  part  of  the  city,  alarming  the  few 
inhabitants  of  that  section  by  its  high  Hoods,  but  which  is  now  so  changed  that  ita 
old  character  is  utterly  lost,  was  named  after  Pogue,  and  will  be  a  memorial  of 
him  as  'the  first  settler'  of  Indianapolis. 


Main  Passenger  Railroad  Station,  Union  Depot,  Indianapolis. 

Showing  the  appearance  of  the  Station  as  it  is  entered  from  the  west. 

In  February,  1820,  John  and  James  McConniek  built  a  cabin  near  the  present 
river  bridge.  In  the  early  part  of  March,  John  Maxwell  and  John  Cowen  built 
cabins  in  the  north-west  corner  of  the  donation,  near  the  Michigan  road,  Fall 
creek  bridge.  In  April,  1X21,  Mr.  Maxwell  was  appointed  a  justice  of  thev  peace 
by  Gov.  Jennings,  and  was  the' first  judicial  officer  in  'the  New  Purchase.'  He 
retained  the  ollice  until  June,  and  then  resigned.  The  citi/ens  held  an  informal 
election,  and  selected  James  Mcllvaine,  who  was  thereupon  appointed  a  justice  by 
Gov.  Jennings,  in  Oct.,  1821. 

In  the  latter  part  of  March,  and  in  April  and  May  of  1X20.  a,  number  of  emi 
grants  arrived,  and  at  the  end  of  the  latter  month  there  were  15  families  on  the 
donation.  Among  them  were  Messrs.  Davis,  Bainhill,  Corbley,  Wilson,  Van  Blari- 
cum  and  Harding.  Immigrants  now  began  to  turn  their  faces  toward  the  infant 
settlement,  and  it  slowly  and  steadily  increased  for  a  year  afterward. 

The  eagerness  of  the  settlers  to  appropriate  lands  in  the  New  Purchase,  found 
its  counterpart  in  the  action  of  the  state,  concerning  the  location  of  the  new  seat 
of  government.  The  act  of  Congress,  of  April  19,  1816,  authorizing  the  formation 
of  "a  state  government,  donated  "four  sections  of  the  unsold  public  lands  to  the 
state,  for  a  permanent  seat  of  government,  giving  the  privilege  of  selection.  The 
subject  was  considered  immediately  after  the  treaty  at  8t.  Marys,  and  on  the  llth 
of  'January,  1820,  the  legislature,  by  law,  appointed  George  Hunt,  John  Conner, 
John  Gilliland,  Stephen  Ludlow,  Joseph  Bartholomew,  John  Tipton,  Jesse  B.  Dun 
ham,  Frederick  Rapp,  Wm.  Prince,  and  Thomas  Emerson,  commissioners  to  select 
a  location  for  a  permanent  seat  of  government.  *  *  *  The  present  site  was  selected, 
which  gave  the  place  instant  reputation,  and  in  the  spring,  and  summer,  and  fall 
of  1819,  it  rapidly  increased  in  population.  Morris  Morris,  Dr.  S.  G.  Mitchell,  J. 
and  J.  Given,'  Wm.  Reagan,  M.  Nowland,  J.  M.  Ray,  James  Blake,  Nathaniel  Cox, 
Thomas  Anderson,  John  Hawkins,  Dr.  Dunlap,  David  Wood,  D.  Yandes,  Col.  Rus 
sell,  N.  M.  Clearty,  Dr.  Coe,  D.  Maguire,  and  many  others  arrived,  and  the  cabins 

16 


166 


INDIANA. 


rapidly  increased  alone;  the  river  bank.  On  January  6,  1821,  the  legislature  con 
firmed  the  selection  of  the  site  and  named  it  Indianapolis. 

The  settlement  afterward  moved  east,  the  unparalleled  sickness  of  1821  con 
vincing  the  settlers  that  a  residence  away  from  the  river  was  the  best  for  them.  A 
fine  grove  of  tall  straight  sugar  trees  stood  on  the  'Governor's  Circle.'  On  Sun 
days  the  early  settlers  assembled  there  to  hear  preaching  by  Rev.  John  McClung. 
They  sat  on  the  logs  and  grass  about  him  in  Indian  style.  This  gentleman  was 
probably  Sie  first  preacher  in  the  place,  and  preached  the  first  sermon  on  this  spot 
in  the  summer  or  fall  of  1821.  Other  authorities  say  that  the  first  sermon  was 
preached  this  year  where  the  state  house  now  stands,  by  Rev.  Risen  Hammond. 

Calvin  Fletcher,  Esq.,  who  now  lives  just  north  of  the  city,  was  then  the  only 
attorn ey-at-law  in  the  new  settlement,  and  the  ultimate  judge  in  all  knotty  cases. 
There  was  no  jail  nearer  than  Connersville,  and  the  culprit  sentenced  to  imprison 
ment,  had  to  be  conveyed  by  the  constable  and  his  posse,  on  horseback  through 
the  wooda  to  that  place.  This  involved  much  time,  trouble  and  expense,  and  the 
shorter  plan  was  afterward  adopted  to  scare  them  away.  An  instance  occurred  on 
Christmas  day,  1821.  Four  Kentucky  boatmen,  who  had  'whipped  their  weight 
in  wild-cats,'  came  from  '  the  bluffs'  to  'Naples'  (as  they  called  the  town),. to  have 
a  jolly  Christmas  spree.  The  'spree'  began  early,  and  the  settlers  were  aroused 
before  the  dawn,  by  a  terrible  racket  at  Daniel  Larken's  grocery.  A  hasty  recon- 
noissance  revealed  the  four  heroes  busily  engaged  in  the  laudable  work  of  'taking 
it  down.'  A  request  to  desist  provoked  strong'expletives,  attended  by  a  display  of 
large  knives,  which  demonstration  caused  the  citizens  to  'retire'  to  consult.  They 
were  interested  in  the  grocery,  and  besides  that,  such  lawless  proceedings  could 
not  be  tolerated.  They  therefore  determined  to  conquer  at  all  hazards.  Jamos 
Blake  volunteered  to  grapple  the  ring  leader,  a  man  of  herculean  size  and  strength, 
if  the  rest  would  take  the  three  other.*.  The  attack  was  made  at  once,  the  party 
conquered,  and  marched  under  guard  through  the  woods  to  Justice  Mcllvaine's 
cabin.  They  were  tried  and  heavily  fined,  and  in  default  of  payment  ordered  to 
jail.  They  could  not  pay,  and  it  was  deemed  impossible  to  take  them  through  the 
woods  to  Connersville  at  that  season  of  the  year.  A  guard  was,  therefore,  placed 
over  them,  with  the  requisite  instructions,  and  during  the  night  the  doughty  he 
roes  escaped  to  more  congenial  climes. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  summer  [1821],  and  daring  the  fall,  epidemic,  remittent, 
and  intermittent  fevers  and  agues  assailed  the  people,  and  scarcely  a  person  was 
left  untouched.  Although  several  hundred  cases  occurred,  not  more  than  five  ter 
minated  fatally. 

After  escaping  death  by  disease,  the  people  were  threatened  with  starvation. 
In  consequence  of  sickness^  the  influx  of  people  and  the  small  amount  of  grain 
raised,  the  supply  of  provisions  in  the  settlement  became  very  meager  in  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1821.  No  r«fads  had  been  opened  to  the  town,  and  all  goods  and 
provisions  had  to  be  packet  on  horseback,  50  or  60  miles  through  the"  woods,  or 
brought  up  the  river  in  ke£l  boats.  The  latter  method  was  adopted  in  1822,  and 
the  arrival  of  each  boat  was  greeted  by  a  concourse  of  'the  whole  people,'  and  duly 
announced  in  the  'Indianapolis  Gazette.'  Coffee  was  worth  50  cents  a  pound, 
tea,  $2  00 ;  corn,  $1  00  per  bushel ;  flour,  $4  00  to  $5  00  per  hundred ;  coarse 
muslin,  45  cents  per  yard,  and  other  goods  in  proportion.  To  relieve  the  people 
and  prevent  starvation,  flour  and  other  articles  were  brought  from  the  White 
water  Valley,  and  corn  was  purchased  at  the  Indian  villages  up  the  river  and 
boated  down  to  the  town.  The  nearest  mill  was  Goodlandin  on  Whitewater  River, 
and  the  arrival  of  a  cargo  of  meal  and  flour,  or  of  other  articles  from  that  quarter, 
produced  general  joy  in  the  settlement.  The  settlers  generously  relieved  each 
other's  distress  in  this  case,  as  in  the  preceding  sickness,  and  many  pecks  of  meal, 
sacks  of  flour,  parcels  offish,  meat,  and  other  articles  of  food,  were  distributed  to 
some  more  destitute  neighbor. 

After  the  October  sale  of  lots,  the  weather,  which,  during  the  summer,  had  been 
very  wet  and  changeable,  and  in  the  fall  cold  and  gloomy,  changed,  and  a  long  and 
beautiful  Indian  summer  began.  The  sick  quickly  recovered  their  health,  strength 
and  spirits.  The  settlement  rapidly  tended  to  the  east,  for  the  sickness  had  been 
worse  near  the  river,  and  the  new  comers  and  older  settlers  built  their  cabins 


INDIANA. 

along  Washington-street  much  farther  from  it  than  before.  The  dreary  appear 
ance  of  the  settlement  during  the  fall,  no  longer  clung  to  it,  and  notwithstanding 
the  threatened  famine,  the  hopes  of  the  settlers  rose  higher  than  ever.  Washing 
ton-street  was  the  first  street  cleared,  and  during  the  fall  of  18*21,  was  completely 
blocked  up  by  felled  trees  and  prickly  ash  bushes.  John  Hawkins  built  a  large 
log  tavern  where  the  Capitol  House  now  stands,  using  logs  cut  from  the  site  and 
adjoining  street  in  its  erection.  The  main  settlement  was  still  west  of  the  canal, 
near  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  Carlisle  House-.  A  group  of  cabins  in  this  vi 
cinity,  was  dignified  by  '  Wilmot's  Row,'  from  a  man  of  that  name  who  kept  a  store 
in  the  vicinity,  and  who  was  one  of  the  first  merchants  of  the  place.  The  first 
merchant  was  a  man  named  Nicholas  Shaffer.  Ho  had  a  little  store  on  the  high 
ground,  south  of  Pogue's  Run,  commencing  in  the  spring  of  1821.  He  was  the 
first  person  who  died  on  the  donation.  He  died  in  May  or  Juno,  1821,  and  was 
buried  in  Pogue's  Run  Valley,  near  the  present  site  of  the  sixth  ward  school 
house. 

The  first  marriage,  the  first  birth,  and  the  first  death,  occurred  in  1821.  The 
first  wedding  was  between  Miss  Reagan  and  Jeremiah  Johnson.  He  walked  to 
Connersville  and  back,  120  miles,  for  his  marriage  license;  and  others  did  the1 

same  until  the  county  was  organized The  first  Presbyterian  minister  was 

0.  P.  Gaines,  who  came  in  Aug.  1821  :  the  first  Baptist  minister  was  John  Water, 
who  came  in  the  fall  of  1821  :  the  first  Methodist  minister  was  James  Scott,  who 
came  in  Oct.  1822.  The  first  physician  was  Isaac  Coe,  who  came  in  1821.  The 
first  attorney  was  Calvin  Fletcher,  who  came  in  Sept.,  1821.  Joseph  C.  Reed,  who 
came  in  1821,  was  the  first  school  teacher:  the  first  school  house  stood  just  north 
of  the  State  Bank,  near  a  large  pond.  The  first  market  house  was  built  in  1822, 
in  the  maple  grove  on  the  Governor's  Circle.  The  first  brick  house  was  bjijjt  in 
1822,  by  John  Johnson,  on  the  lot  east  of  Robert's  Chapel:  the  first  frame  house 
vas  built  by  James  Blake,  in  1821-2,  on  the  lot  east  of  the  Masonic  Hall,  it  was 

also  the  first  plastered  house On  Jan.  28,  ,1822,  the  first  number  of  the 

'Indiana Gazette'  was  published  in  a  cabin  south-east  of  the  Carlisle  House,  and  west 
of  the  canal.  This  paper,  the  first  in  the  town  or  in  the  'New  Purchase,'  was  edited 
and  printed  by  George  Smith  and  Nathaniel  Botton.  In  1823,  the  Presbyterians 
erected  the  first  church  on  the  lot  just  north  of  Maj.  A.  F.  Morrison's  residence. 
It  cost,  with  the  lot,  about  $1,200,  and  was  regarded  as  a  very  fine  and  expensive 
one  for  the  town.  It  now  forms  part  of  a  carriage  manufactory. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  grave-yard 
in  this  place: 

NOAH  NOBLE,  born  in  Virginia,  Jan.  15,  A.  D.,  1794.  Governor  of  Indiana  from  1831  to 
1837.  Died  at  Indianapolis  Feb.  A.  D.  1844. 

ANDREW  KENNEDY,  late  a  Representative  to  Congress  from  Indiana,  born  July  24,  1810. 
Died  Dec.  31,  1847.  This  stone  is  erected  to  his  memory  by  his  friends,  in  token  of  their 
love  of  the  man,  and  their  respect  for  his  ability  and  integrity  as  a  Statesman. 


JAMES  WHITCOMB,  a  native  of  Vermont,  Born  Dec.  1705,  brought  to  Ohio  when  11  years 
old.  SELF-TAUGHT,  commenced  practice  of  Law  1822,  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  was  State 
and  Circuit  Attorney  ;  State  Senator  ;  Commissioner  of  general  Laud  Office ;  twice  Governor 
of  Indiana.  Died  Oct.  1852,  at  the  City  of  New  York,, while  Senator  of  the  United  States. 
Eminent  in  learning,  Devoted  to  Country  and  God. 

ISAAC  COE,  M.D.,  born  July  25,  1782.  died  July  30, 1855,  the  founder  of  Sabbath  Schools 
in  Indianapolis. 


TERRE  HAUTE,  city,  and  the  county  seat  for  Vigo  county,  is  situated  on 
the  left  or  eastern  bank  of  the  Wabash  River,  73  miles  west  of  Indianapolis; 
109  N.  from  Evansville;  69  N.  from  Vincennes,  and  187  E.  from  St.  Louis 


168 


INDIANA. 


The  town  site  is  elevated  about  60  feet  above  low  water,  and  somewhat  above 
the  contiguous  prairie  which  is  about  10  miles  long  and  two  wide.  It  is  on 
the  line  of  the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal.  The  National  Road  here  crosses 
the  river  on  a  fine  bridge.  Being  situated  in  a  fertile  district,  having  steam 
boat  and  railroad  communication  in  various  directions.  Terre  Haute  is  the 


Court  House  and  o/Jier  baihlinys,  Terre  Haute. 

As  KOCH  from  the  north-west  corner  of  tli"  Public  Square.  The  State  V>,v^  and  the  spire  of  the  Metho 
dist  Church  appear  on  the  right;  the  Mayor's  office,  or  Town  Hull,  and  the  tower  of  the  Universalist 
Church  on  the  left.  A  grove  of  Locust  trees  formerly  surrounded  the  Court  House. 

center  of  large  business  operations,  among  which  pork  packing  is  extensively 
carried  on.  Several  fine  educational  establishments  are  also  in  operation, 
among  which  are  two  female  colleges.  In  the  vicinity,  some  three  or  four 
miles  distant,  is  the  nunnery  and  highly  popular  Catholic  Female  College, 
named  "  St.  Mary  of  the  Woods."  Great  taste  is  displayed  here  in  the 
grounds,  shrubbery  and  lawns  surrounding  the  private  dwellings.  Its  early 
settlers  made  their  homes  attractive  by  a  generous  attention  to  the  planting 
of  shade  trees  on  the  streets,  and  throughout  the  public  grounds. 

Terre  Haute  offers  great  inducements  for  all  kinds  of  manufacturing  busi 
ness;  fuel  and  labor  are  cheap  and  abundant.  It  is  surrounded  by  extensive 
coal  fields;  good  quarries  of  building  stone  lie  near;  iron  ores  of  superior 
quality  are  in  close  proximity,  and  with  every  facility  for  transportation  by 
canal,  river  and  railroad.  The  city  contains  10  churches,  and  about  10,000 
inhabitants. 

Terre  Haute  (French  words  for  liigli  land),  was  founded  in  1816;  in  1830 
it  contained  600  inhabitants:  in  1840,  about  2,000.  The  first  settlement 
was  made  on  the  river  bank.  Fort  Harrison  was  situated  about  three  miles 
to  the  north  :  and  in  the  war  of  1812,  was  successfully  defended  by  Capt. 
Zachary  Taylor,  from  an  attack  by  ths  Indians  as  related  on  page  10l7. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  grave  yard 
at  this  place  : 

WILIJA.M  C.  LINTON,  born  in  1795,  died  Jan.  31,  1835.     He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 


INDIANA.  jgg 

of  Terra  Haute,  one  of  the  most  successful  merchants.  The  Friend  and  Patron  of  the  yc  ung. 
Hundreds  yet  survive  to  revere  his  memory,  and  their  children  rise  up  to  call  it  blessed. 
The  impress  of  his  genius  and  his  enterprise,  will  long  survive  all  that  is  m 


right  citizen,  the  kind  friend  and  the  public  benefactor. 


mortal  of  the  up- 


Here  lie  the  remains  of  THOMAS  H.  BLAKE,  born  in  Calvert  Co.,  Md.,  July  25,  1792,  died 
in  Cincinnati  Nov.  28,  1849.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  place;  had 'boon 
Presiding  Judge  of  a  circuit;  a  Representative  in  Congress;  Commissioner  of  the  General 
Land  Office  ;  filled  other  offices  of  responsibility  under  the  State  and  General  Governments, 
and  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  the  President  Trustee  of  the  AVabash  and  Erie  Csinal! 
For  honor,  frankness,  and  integrity,  as  a  firm  and  generous  friend,  he  was  extensively 
known,  and  died  without  reproach  upon  his  name,  leaving  a  memory  for  noble  manly  vir 
tues  that  will  long  be  cherished. 


RICHMOND,  in  Wayne  county,  is  situated  4  miles  from  the  eastern  bound 
ary  of  the  state,  on  the  east  fork  of  Whitewater  River,  where  it  is  crossed 

by  the  National  Road  and  Cen 
tral  Railroad,  68  miles  from  In 
dianapolis,  40  from  Dayton,  0., 
and  64  N.N.W.  from  Cincin 
nati.  It  is  the  center  of  an  ac 
tive  trade,  possesses  railroad 
communications  in  various  di 
rections,  and  has  flourishing 
manufactories  of  cotton,  wool, 
flour,  iron,  paper,  etc.,  for  which 
the  river  affords  abundant  mo 
tive  power.  In  the  vicinity  are 
22  flouring  mills  and  24  saw 
mills.  A  large  number  of  agri 
cultural  implements  are  manu 
factured  here.  The  principal 
street  is  the  old  National  Road, 
running  east  and  west,  which  is 
thickly  built  upon  for  about  a 
mile.  There  is  a  fine  bridge 
erected  here,  with  stone  abut 
ments,  over  which  the  National  Road  passes,  containing  tablets  or  monu 
ments  erected  by  the  citizens,  on  which  are  engraved  the  names  of  the  con 
tractors  and  builders  of  the  bridge.  The  Friends  Boarding  School,  about  a 
mile  from  the  post-office,  is  the  principal  literary  institution,  and  has  about 
100  students  of  both  sexes.  Population  about  7,000. 

The  first  emigrants  to  the  neighborhood  were  principally  from  Kentucky,  North 
Carolina,  and  Ohio.  Richmond  was  laid  out  in  1816,  and  the  lands  patented  to 
John  Smith  and  Jeremiah  Cox.  In  1818,  Ezra  Boswcll,  Thomas  Swain,  Robert 
Morrison,  and  John  McLane  were  elected  trustees,  the  number  of  voters  at  the 
time  being  twenty-four.  The  town  was  first  called  Smithfield}  from  the  n>ame  of 
the  proprietor. 

Until  1817,  the  early  emigrants  procured  their  flour  at  German  town,  or  some 
other  distant  settlement  in  the  Miami  valley.  In  the  year  named  a  "  tub  mill"  was 
erected  by  Jeremiah  Cox,  where  the  present  oil  mill  stands.  The  first  opening  in 
the  forest  was  made  by  Woodkirk,  on  the  land  now  owned  by  C.  W.  Starr,  near 
where  J.  Cox  built  his  brick  house.  The  making  of  the, National  Road  through 
Richmond,  in  1828,  gave  an  impulse  to  the  place.  Dr.  J.  T.  Pluinmer,  in  his  His 
torical  Sketch  of  Richmond,  states,  "  1  hold  in  distinct  remembrance  the  old  log 
meeting  house  of  1823,  standing  near  the  site  of  the  present  large  brick  one.  I  re- 


FKIENDS'  BOARDING  SCHOOL. 


170 


INDIANA. 


member  its  leaky  roof,  letting  the  rain  through  upon  the  slab  benches  with  three 
pair  of  legs  and  no  backs ;  its  charcoal  fires,  kept  in  sugar  kettles  (for  as  yet  no 
stoves  were  procured),  and  the  toes  pinched  with  cold  of  the  young  who  sat  re 
mote  from  the  kettles,"  etc. 

The  first  post  office  was  established  in  1818,  Robert  Morrison  being  the  first  post 
master.  The  first  tavern  stood  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Main  and  Pearl-street?, 
with  the  sign  of  a  green  tree :  it  was  kept  by  Jonathan  Bayles.  The  first  lawyer, 
says  Dr.  Plummer,  '*  was  one  Hardy,  who  boarded  at  Ephraim  Lacey's  tavern,  and 
walked  the  pavement  (such  as  it  was)  with  his  thumbs  stuck  in  the  arm-holes  of 
his  vest,  and  his  head  pompously  thrown  back  spouting  the  phrase  '  Qui  facit  per 
al turn,  facit per  se:'  but  still  no  business  came,  and  he  concluded  to  go  further 
south  where  merit  was  better  rewarded."  A  Dr.  Cushman  came  here  in  1820,  who 
afterward  returned  to  Fort  Wayne,  where  he  was  an  associate  judge.  He  opened 
a  distillery  at  the  south  part  of  the  town,  on  the  side  of  the  h'ill  on  Front-street, 
near  a  spring.  A  large  portion  of  the  inhabitants  at  that  time  being  Friends  (com 
monly  called  Quakers),  this  enterprize  did  not  succeed,  and  the  establishment 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Dr.  Ithamer  Warner,  who  also  soon  abandoned  it,  and  it 
went  down  to  rise  no  more.  Dr.  Warner  was  the  principal  physician  for  many 
years.  He  came  into  the  county  about  1815,  and  died  in  March,  1835.  Dr.  Thos. 
Carroll,  now  of  Cincinnati,  settled  in  Richmond  in  1819,  and  left  in  1823;  he  was 
probably  the  first  regular  physician  in  Richmond. 

The  first  newspaper  published  in  Richmond  was  the  Richmond  Weekly  Intelli 
gencer.  This  was  in  1821.  The  printing  office  was  on  Front-street;  the  editor 
was  Elijah  Lacy.  The  second  was  the  Public  Ledger,  first  issued  in  1824;  the 
Richmond  Palladium  was  first  issued  in  1831.  The  Jejf'ersonian  was  established 
in  1836,  by  a  democratic  association,  under  the  title  of  u  Hickory  Club,"  and  was 
principally  edited  by  S.  E.  Perkins,  now  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court.  The  In-- 
diana  Farmer  was  commenced  in  1851 :  the  Broad  Axe  of  Freedom  was  first 
issued  by  Jamison  &  Johnson,  in  1855.  The  Richmond  Library  was  incorporated 
and  established  in  1826.  In  1853  a  railroad  communication  was  opened  to  Cin 
cinnati,  by  way  of  Dayton.  « 

Most  of  the  earliest  residents  of  Wayne  county,  were  members  of  the  Society 
of  Friends.  The  first  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  in  1807,  in  a  log  building 
vacated  by  Jeremiah  Cox.  Jesse  Bond,  John  Morrow  and  Wm.  Williams  were 
among  their  earliest  ministers.  The  next  religious  society  was  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal,  who  held  their  first  meeting  in  1819,  in  a  small  log  house  on  Front-street. 
Daniel  Fraley  was,  perhaps,  the  first  Methodist  preacher  in  this  section.  John  W. 
Sullivan  was  the  first  stationed  minister  in  Richmond.  The  first  Presbyterian 
church  was  established  in  1837,  by  T.  E.  Hughes  and  P.  H.  Golliday,  with  28 
members;  their  first  preacher  was  Charles  Sturdevant.  The  English  Evangelical 
Lutheran  congregation  was  organized  in  1853.  The  Catholic  church  was  organized 
in  1846.  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1838.  George  Fiske  was 
their  first*  minister.  The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  was  organized  in  1845. 
The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1836.  The  gas  works 
were  built  in  1855. 

EVANSVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Vanderburgh  county,  is  situated  on  the 
high  northern  bank  of  the  Ohio  River,  200  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the 
Mississippi,  200  miles  below  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  144  S.S.W.  of  Indianapo 
lis.  The  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal,  462  miles  in  extent,  the  longest  on  the 
continent,  terminates  here.  It  is  a  place  of  much  trade,  being  the  chief 
mart  of  the  rich  valley  of  Green  River,  in  Kentucky.  The  annual  exports 
of  the  city  exceed  seven  millions  of  dollars  in  value,  of  which  pork,  lard 
and  tobacco  are  the  principal  articles.  It  has  four  extensive  iron  founderies, 
several  large  flour  mills,  a  brass  foundery,  and  upward  of  sixty  steam  engines 
are  employed  in  the  various  manufactories.  The  Bodian  coal  mine,  about  a 
mile  from  the  court  house,  supplies  the  work-shops  with  fuel.  It  contains 
14  churches,  in  about  half  of  which  the  German  language  is  used.  The 


INDIANA. 

Marine  Hospital  here  is  a  fine  building,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $75,000. 
lation  about  13000. 


Popu 


Evansville  received  its  name  from  Robert  Morgan  Evans,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
who,  with  James  W.  Jones,  of  Kentucky,  and  Hugh  McGary,  were  the  three  orig 
inal  proprietors  of  the  place.  The  plat  of  the  city  was  laid  out  in  1836,  by  these 
proprietors,  and  was  originally  covered  by  a  dense  forest.  The  first  house  in 


South-western  view  of  Evansville. 

As  it  appears  from  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  Ohio  Ttiver.  The  side-walk  in  front  of  the  line  of  houses, 
seen  in  the  view,  is  21  inches  above  the  higrhest  rise  of  water  ever  known. 

Evansville  was  built  by  Hugh  McGary,  the  patentee  of  the  land.  It  was  a  log 
structure,  occupying  the  site  of  the  Pavilion  House,  shown  in  the  view;  the  second 
house  was  built  by  Jonathan  Robinson,  on  the  river  bank,  between  Mulberry  and 
Green-streets.  David  Hart,  of  Fayette  county,  Ky.,  Isaac  Blackford,  now  judge 
of  the  court  of  claims,  in  Washington,  and  Elisha  Harrison,  from  Ohio,  were  among 
the  first  settlers  of  the  place. 

The  first  school  house  was  erected,  in  1831.  by  joint  stock,  and  stood  directly  in 
the  rear  of  the  Washington  House,  opposite  the  court  house.  The  New  School 
Presbyterian  church,  now  standing,  was  erected  in  1832,  and  was  the  first  house 
of  worship  built  in*  the  place.  It  was  used  at  first  as  a  kind  of  union  house,  where 
ministers  of  various  denominations  preached.  Rev.  Calvin  Butler,  a  Congrega 
tional  clergyman  from  the  east,  was  the  first  regular  preacher  who  occupied  the 
pulpit.  The  Freewill  Baptists,  in  or  about  1837,  erected  the  next  church  build 
ing;  Rev.  Benoni  Stinson  was  their  first  minister.  The  German  Lutheran  and 
Catholic  churches  were  established  at  or  about  the  same  period.  The  court  house 

was  erected  in  1856.     The  first  tavern  was  kept  by Wood,  on  Main,  between 

Second  and  Third-streets. 

The  city  limits  extend  to  Pigeon  creek,  the  village  of  Lamasco  being  included. 
The  name  La-mas-co  is  compounded  of  the  names  of  Law,  Me  Call  and  Scott,  the 
original  proprietors  of  the  tract  on  both  sides  of  Pigeon  creek.  The  village  was 
laid  out  in  1856,  and  the  Bodian  coal  mine  opened  the  same  year.  This  mine  re 
ceived  its  appellation  from  the  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Kersteman,  the  wife  of  the 
superintendent.  It  is  opened  280  feet  below  the  surface,  about  200  feet  lower 
than  the  bed  of  the  river.  The  vein  is  5  feet  thick.  The  coal  is  delivered  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  city  at  ten  cents  per  bushel,  fixed  by  law  at  75  pounds  to  the 
bushel. 


172 


INDIANA. 


HA  IT'S  Ciiuiicu. 

From  a  jionril  sketch,  made 
about  tin'  your  IM-O.  by  I'rof. 
Jlirhanl  Own.  Tin-  church  is 
crnciturm  i'i  *hai>t>,  about  110  by 
100  foot,  and  its  y<*t  standing, 
thongh  divested  of  the  cupola. 


NEW  HARMONY  is  a  village  of  about  800  inhabitants,  in  Poscy  county,  in 
that  part  of  Indiana  called  "  the  Pocket."  It  stands  on  the  Wabash,  about 
100  miles  from  its  mouth,  following  its  meanders,  but  only  15  from  the  Ohio 
at  Mount  Vernon,  its  nearest  point,  arid  the  south-westernmost  town  )f  the 
state.  The  place  has  acquired  a  wide  reputation 
from  two  socialistic  experiment's — the  first  by  George 
Rapp,  of  Germany,  and  the  last  by  Robert  Owen, 
of  Scotland. 

The  Rappites,  or,  as  they  are  sometimes  called, 
Harmonites,  first  emigrated  from  Wirtemburg,  in 
Germany,  about  the  year  1803,  having  left  their 
country,  as  they  asserted,  on  account  of  persecution 
for  their  religious  opinions,  and  first  built  a  town 
in  western  Pennsylvania,  which  they  called  Har 
mony.  But  having  the  cultivation  of  the  grape 
very  much  at  heart,  which  did  not  appear  to  thrive 
as  well  as  they  wished,  they  sold  out  their  estab 
lishment  at  Harmony,  and  in  1814,  under  the 
guidance  of  their  pastor,  Rev.  George  Rapp,  moved 
to  the  Wabash,  where  the  climate  was  supposed  to 
be  more  congenial  to  their  wishes.  There  they 
cleared  the  land,  built  a  beautiful  village,  which 
they  called  New  Harmony,  containing  about  150 
houses,  planted  orchards  and  vineyards,  erected 
mills  and  factories  of  various  kinds,  and  made'1  the 
wilderness  blossom  like  the  rose."  According  to  their  system,  all  property 
was  held  in  common,  there  being  no  such  thing  known  to  them  ns  an  indi 
vidual  owning  any.  After  remaining  some  eight  or  ten  years,  the  Rappites 
discovered  that  the  unhcalthiricss  of  this  then  new  country,  called  for  a 
change  of  climate,  so  they  beat  a  speedy  retreat.  The  society,  therefore,  re 
lumed  to  Pennsylvania  in  1825,  and  selecting  a  site  on  the  Ohio,  18  miles 
below  Pittsburg,  cleared  the  land,  and  built  the  present  handsome  town  of 
Economy,  which  contains  some  500  inhabitants.  It  is  yet  a  thriving  com 
munity,  and  since  the  death  of  its  founder,  is  governed  by  nine  trustees. 
The  Duke  of  Saxe  Weimer,  who  visited  Economy  about  the  year  1826,  haf 
left  some  interesting  facts,  upon  the  peculiarities  of  the  Rappites  : 

At  the  inn,  a  line  large  frame  house,  we  were  received  by  Mr.  Rapp,  the  princi 
pal,  at  the  head  of  the  community.  He  is  a,  gray-headed  and  venerable  old  man 
most  of  the  members  emigrated  21  years  ago  from  Wirtemburg  along  with  him. 

The  elder  Rapp  is  a  large  man  of  70  years  old,  whose  powers  age  seems  not  tc 
have  diminished ;  his  hair  is  gray,  but  his  blue  eyes,  overshadowed  by  strong 
brows,  are  full  of  life  and  fire.  Rapp's  system  is  nearly  the  same  as  Owen's  com 
munity  of  goods,  and  all  members  of  tfte 'society  work  together  for  the  common  in 
terest,  by  which  the  welfare  of  each  individual  is  secured.  Rapp  docs  not  hold 
his  society  together  by  these  hopes  alone,  but  also  by  the  tie  of  religion,  which  is 
entirely  wanting  in  Owen's  community;  and  results  declare  that  Rapp's  system  is 
the  better.  No  great  results  can  be  expected  from  Owen's  plan;  and  a  sight  of  it 
is  very  little  in  its  favor.  What  is  most  striking  and  wonderful  of  all  is,  that  so 
plain  a  man  as  Rapp  can  so  successfully  bring  and  keep  together  a  society  of 
nearly  700  persons,  who,  in  a  manner,  honor  him  as  a  prophet.  Equally  so  for 
example  is  his  power  of  government,  which  can  suspend  the,  intercourse  of  the 
sexes.  lie  found  that  the  society  was  becoming  too  numerous,  wherefore  the  mem 
bers  ngveed  to  live  with  their  wives  as  sisters.  All  nearer  intercourse  is  forbidden, 
us  well  as  marriage;  both  are  discouraged.  However,  Some  marriages  constantly 
occur,  and  children  are  born  every  year,  for  whom  there  is  provided  a  school  and 


INDIANA. 


173 


a  teacher.  The  members  of  the  community  manifest  the  very  highest  degree  of 
veneration  for  the  elder  Rapp,  whom  they  address  and  treat  as  a  father.  Mr. 
Frederick  Rapp  is  a  large,  good-looking  personage,  of  40  years  of  age.  He  pos 
sesses  profound  mercantile  knowledge,  and  is  the  temporal,  as  his  father  is  the 
spiritual  chief  of  the  community.  All  business  passes  through  his  hands;  he  re 
presents  the  society,  which,  notwithstanding  the  change  in  the  name  of  residence, 
is  called  the  Harmony  Society,  in  all  their  dealings  with  the  world.  They  found 
that  the  farming  and  cattle  raising,  to  which  the  society  exclusively  attended  in 
both  their  former  places  of  residence,  were  not  sufficiently  productive  for  their  in 
dustry,  they  therefore  have  established  factories. 

The  warehouse  was  shown  to  us,  where  the  articles  made  here  for  sale  or  use 
are  preserved,  and  I  admired  the  excellence  of  all.  The  articles  for  the  use  of  the 
society  are  kept  by  themselves,  as  the  members  have  no  private  possessions,  and 
everything  is  in  common  ;  so  must  they  in  relation  to  all  their  personal  wants  be 
supplied  from  the  common  stock.  The  clothing  and  food  they  make  use  of  is  of 
the  best  quality.  Of  the  latter,  flour,  salt  meat,  and  all  long  keeping  articles,  are 
served  out  monthly;  fresh  meat,  on  the  contrary,  and  whatever  spoils  readily,  is 
distributed  whenever  it  is  killed,  according  to  the  size  of  the  family,  etc.  As  every 
house  has  a  garden,  each  family  raises  its  own  vegetables,  and  some  poultry,  and 
each  family  has  its  own  bake  oven.  For  such  things  as  are  not  raised  in  Economy, 
there  is  a  store  provided,  from  which  the  members,  with  the  knowledge  of  the  di 
rectors,  may  purchase  what  is  necessary,  and  the  people  of  the  vicinity  may  also 
do  the  same. 

Mr.  Rapp  finally  conducted  us  into  the  factory  again,  and  said  that  the  girls  had 
especially  requested  this  visit,  that  I  might  hear  them  sing.  When  their  work  is 
done,  they  collect  in  one  of  the  factory  rooms,  to  the  number  of  60  or  70,  to  sing 
spiritual  and  other  songs.  They  have  a  peculiar  hymn  book,  containing  hymns 
from  the  Wirtemburg  psalm  book,  and  others  written  by  the  elder  Rapp.  A  chair 
was  placed  for  the  old  patriarch,  who  sat  amidst  the  girls,  and  they  commenced  a 
hymn  in  a  very  delightful  manner.  It  was  naturally  symphoniousand  exceedingly 
well  arranged.  The  girls  sang  four  pieces,  at  first  sacred,  but  afterward,  by  Mr. 
Rapp' s  desire,  of  a  gay  character.  With  real  emotion  did  I  witness  this  interest 
ing  scene.  The  factories  and  workshops  are  warmed  during  winter  by  means  of 
pipes  connected  with  the  steam-engine.  All  the  workmen,  and  especially  the  fe 
males,  had  very  healthy  complexions,  and  moved  me  deeply  by  the  warm-hearted 
friendliness  with  which  they  saluted  the  elder  Rapp.  I  was  also  much  gratified  to 
see  vessels  containing  fresh  sweet-smelling  flowers  standing  on  all  the  machines. 
The  neatness  which  universally  reigns  here  is  in  every  respect  worthy  of  praise. 

The  second  socialistic  experiment  here,  proved  less  successful  than  the 
first.  We  give  its  history  in  the  annexed  communication  from  a  corres 
pondent  familiar  with  the  details : 

In  1824,  the  village  of  the  Rappites,  including  20,000  acres  of  land,  was  pur 
chased  by  Mr.  Robert  Owen,  of  New  Lanark,  Scotland,  who,  after  a  most  success 
ful  experiment  in  ameliorating  the  physical  and  moral  condition  of  the  laboring 
classes  in  that  manufacturing  village,  believed  that  New  Harmony  would  be  a 
highly  suitable  place  for  testing  his  "social  system,"  as  explained  in  his  "New 
Views  of  Society."  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  Harmonites  had  removed,  to  estab 
lish  themselves  at  Economy,  Pennsylvania,  he  gave  a  general  invitation  for  those 
favorable  to  the  community,  in  opposition  to  the  competitive  system,  to  give  its 
practicability  a  fair  trial  at  New  Harmony.  The  call  was  responded  to  by  about 
seven  or  eight  hundred  persons,  and  Mr.  Owen  was  also  joined  by  another  wealthy 
gentleman  from  Scotland,  Mr.  AVilliam  Maclure,  who  purchased  from  Mr.  Owen 
part  of  the  property;  and  for  one  year  the  community  progressed,  in  some  respects, 
rather  favorably,  but  chiefly  at  their  expense,  under  the  name  of  "The  Prelimina 
ry  Society."  As  all  institutions,  however,  to  be  permanent,  must  be  self-sustain 
ing,  unless  largely  endowed,  the  above  society,  hoping  better  to  effect  the  desired 
object  by  a  division  into  departments  having  more  immediately  similar  views  and 
interests,  formed  agricultural,  educational,  and  other  similar  subdivisions,  or  com 
munities,  which  sustained  themselves,  at  the  furthest,  two  years  more;  being 


174  INDIANA. 

broken  up  partly  by  designing  individuals,  who  joined  the  society  only  from  selfish 
motives;  partly  also  from  inexperience  in  so  novel  an  experiment;  and  partly, 
doubtless,  from  the  difficulty  of  any  large  number  of  persons  ever  having  views 
sufficiently  similar  to  enable  them  to  co-operate  successfully  for  the  common  good. 

Since  that  social  experiment,  a  period  to  which  (although  a  failure  as  regards  its 
pecuniary  sustaining  power)  many  of  the  older  inhabitants  still  look  back  with 
pleasure,  as  a  promotive  of  benevolent,  unselfish  feeling,  the  houses,  lots  and  ad 
joining  lands  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  individuals;  and  New  Harmony  pro 
gresses  gradually,  on  the  old  system,  being  a  quiet,  orderly  country  town,  geograph 
ically  out  of  the  great  commercial  thoroughfare. 

The  entire  surviving  family  of  the  late  Robert  Owen,  comprising  three  sons,  one 
daughter,  and  numerous  grandchildren,  still  resides  there.  The  eldest  son,  Robert 
Dale  Owen,  represented  the  first  district  in  congress,  and  has  since  been  minister 
to  Naples;  the  second  son,  William,  died  there  some  years  since.  The  third  son, 
Dr.  I).  D.  Owen,  has  conducted  two  geological  surveys  for  the  United  States,  and 
is  state  geologist  for  three  western  states;  he  possesses,  in  New  Harmony,  one  of 
the  best  scientific  collections  in  the  west,  and  a  well-appointed  laboratory.  The 
fourth  son,  Dr.  Richard  Owen,  was  fornearlj-  ten  years  professor  of  geology  in  the 
Western  Military  Institute  (latterly  the  literary  department  of  the  University  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee),  and  later  connected  with  the  geological  survey  of  Indiana. 
The  daughter,  Mrs.  Faun  tie  roy,  is  widow  of  the  late  R.  II.  Fauntleroy,  who  lost 
his  life  in  the  service  of  the  U.  S.  coast  survey. 

.  New  Harmony  was,  at  one  period,  the  home  of  various  distinguished  individu 
als,  who  united  in  the  social  experiment,  such  as  :  Dr.  G.  T  roost,  the  celebrated 
mineralogist,  afterward  state  geologist  of  Tennessee,  and  professor  in  the  Univer 
sity  of  Nashville;  of  Win.  P.  D'Arusmont,  who  married  Miss  Frances  Wright;  of 
Thomas  Say,  the  naturalist,  to  whose  memory  a  fine  monument  was  erected  in 
New  Harmony ;  of  Joseph  Neef,  formerly  an  associate  with  Pestalozzi ;  of  C.  A. 
Lesneur,  the  ichthyologist,  who  was  naturalist  in  the  voyage  of  La  Pcrouse  to  New 
Holland,  afterward  curator  of  the  Havre  museum;  and  the  town  is  still  the  resi 
dence  of  several  scientific  persons,  and  the  seat  of  the  Indiana  School  of  Practical 
Sciences. 

As  noted  above,  the  celebrated  Fanny  Wright  was  connected  with  the 
social  scheme  of  Mr.  Owen,  at  New  Harmony.  Thirty  years  ago  her  name 
was  in  the  public  papers  of  the  day,  as  the  most  prominent  of  "  the  strong 
minded"  of  her  sex  in  all  the  land.  She  was  gifted  with  mental  powers 
which  impressed  every  one  who  approached  her.  The  annexed  sketch  of 
this  extraordinary  woman  is  from  a  published  source : 

She  was  born  at  Dundee,  in  Scotland,  it  is  believed,  in  1 796,  and  was  better 
known  by  her  maiden  name,  Fanny  Wright,  than  by  that  of  her  husband,  Darus- 
mont.  Her  father,  Mr.  Wright,  was  intimate  with  Dr.  Adam  Smith,  Dr.  Cullen, 
and  other  men  of  literary  and  scientific  eminence  in  his  day.  Hence,  probably, 
his  daughter,  Fanny,  became  tinctured  with  an  ambition  to  distinguish  herself  as 
a  propagandist  of  social  and  political  novelties.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  she  wrote 
a  little  book,  called  "  A  Few  Days  in  Athens,"  in  which  she  defended  the  opinions 
and  character  of  Epicurus. 

In  1818  she  visited  America,  where  she  remained  three  years,  and  soon  after  pub 
lished  her  observations  under  the  title  of  "  Views  on  Society  and  Manners  in  Amer 
ica."  She  afterward  visited  Paris  in  compliance  with  an  invitation  from  La  Fayette. 
After  her  return  to  America,  about  the  year  1825,  she  purchased  2,000  acres  of 
land  in  Tennessee,  subsequently  the  site  of  Memphis,  and  peopled  it  with  a  num 
ber  of  slave  families  whom  she  had  redeemed. 

In  1833,  she  appeared  as  a  public  lecturer.  Her  deep  soprano  voice,  her  com 
manding  figure,  and  marvelous  eloquence,  combined  with  her  zealous  attacks  on 
negro  slavery,  and  some  other  prominent  features  in  American  institutions,  soon 
made  her  famous  throughout  our  country.  Her  powers  of  oratory  drew  crowds  of 
listeners,  especially  in  New  York :  Fanny  Wright  Societies  were  formed,  resemb 
ling  those  of  the  French  Communists. 

Elated  by  her  powers  of  oratory,  she  visited  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  Amer- 


INDIANA. 


175 


ican  Union ;  but  as  she  too  frequently  made  the  philosophy  of  her  "  Few  Days  in 
Athens"  the  groundwork  of  her  discourses,  she  aroused  the  hostility  of  the  press 
and  the  clergy.  During  two  years  she  battled,  as  it  were  single-handed,  by  means 
of  her  pen  and  verbally,  with  her  powerful  foes,  and  kept  her  name  ringing  through 
out  the  country.  Meanwhile  she  had  her  redeemed  slaves  taught  agricultural  pur 
suits,  and  educated  in  general  knowledge;  but  although  for  a  time  promising  well, 
from  some  cause  not  generally  known,  the  experiment  failed,  and  the  slaves  Avere 
sent  to  Hayti. 

She  then  joined  Robert  Owen  in  his  Communist  scheme  at  New  Harmony,  edit 
ing  the  Gazette,  and  lecturing  in  behalf  of  the  enterprise,  in  some  of  the  large 
cities  and  towns  of  the  western  states,  but  with  a  success  which  did  not  equal  her 
expectations.  Subsequently,  Miss  Wright  married  M.  A'Drusmont,  aman  who  pro 
fessed  her  own  system  of  philosophy;  but  they  soon  separated,  and  she  resided 
during  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  America,  with  an  only  daughter,  the  fruit  of 
her  marriage.  Her  husband's  suit  at  law,  to  obtain  possession  of  her  property, 
added  still  further  to  her  notoriety. 

This  circumstance,  and  her  ill  health,  tended  to  cool  her  political  enthusiasm,  if 
not  to  modify  her  opinions.  Her  experience  did  not,  on  the  whole,  afford  much 
cause  for  self-gratulation,  or  furnish  encouragement  to  others  to  embark  in  any  sim 
ilar  enterprises  for  the  reformation  of  society.  She  died  at  Cincinnati,  January 
13,  1853,  aged  57  years. 


South-eastern  mew  in  Calhoun-street,  Fort  Wayne. 

FORT  WAYNE,  the  county  seat  of  Allen  county,  is  situated  on  the  line  of 
the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal,  at  the  confluence  of  the  St.  Joseph's  and  St. 
Mary's  Rivers,  which  here  unite  and  form  the  Maumee,  112  miles  N.E.  from 
Indianapolis,  110  E.N.E.  from  Lafayette,  and  96  W.  from  Toledo.  It  is  a 
flourishing  place,  and  by  means  of  its  railroad,  canal  and  plank  road  com 
munications,  is  quite  a  center  of  business.  It  is  regularly  laid  out  on  level 
arid  fertile  prairie  land.  About  half  the  population  are  of  recent  foreign  de 
scent.  Four  newspapers  are  published  in  this  place,  one  of  which  is  in  the 
German  language.  Population  in  1800,  10,388. 

The  Twightees,  a  branch  of  the  Miami  tribe,  had  a  village  at  Fort  Wayne, 
in  their  language  called  Kc-ld-o-que.  At  one  time  it  was  called  "  French 
Store,"  as  it  was  for  a  long  time  a  trading  post  of  that  nation,  and  the  site 
of  a  military  post.  About  the  year  1764  the  English  built  a  fort  here. 
Old  Fort  Wayne  was  erected  here  in  1794,  and  was  continued  a  military  post 
until  1819,  until  the  removal  of  the  Miamis  and  Pottawatomies,  in  1841:  it 
was  resorted  to  by  them  for  the  disposal  of  their  furs,  and  to  spend  their 


176 


INDIANA. 


annuities.  It  was  against  the  Indian  villages  in  this  vicinity,  that  Harmar's 
expedition  was  directed,  the  particulars  of  which  we  annex: 

u  In  the  autumn  of  1790,  about  1,300  troops,  of  whom  less  than  one  fourth  were 
regulars,  marched  from  Cincinnati,  under  General  Harmcr,  against  the  Indian 
towns  on  the  Maumee,  near  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne.  When  within  a  short  dis 
tance  of  their  point  of  destination,  Col.  Hardin  was  detached  with  six  hundred  and 
fifty  men.  This  advance,  on  reaching  the  Indian  villages  found  them  deserted. 
The  next  day,  the  main  body  having  arrived,  their  towns,  containing  three  hun 
dred  wigwams,  were  burnt,  the  fruit  trees  girdled,  and  20,000  bushels  of  corn  de 
stroyed.  While  the  troops  were  at  the  villages,  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Kentucky  militia  and  thirty  regulars,  under  Col.  Hardin,  were  sent  on  an  In 
dian  trail,  when  they  fell  into  an  ambush  of  seven  hundred  warriors  under  Little 
Turtle.  At  the  first  fire  the  militia  fled  without  firing  a  shot,  but  the  thirty  regu 
lars  resisted  with  the  greatest  obstinacy  until  all  were  killed,  except  two  officers 
and  two  or  three  privates.  Ensign  Armstrong  was  saved  by  falling  behind  a  log 
while  on  the  retreat,  which  screened  him  from  his  pursuers;  while  Captain  Arm 
strong  was  preserved  by  plunging  up  to  his  neck  in  a  swamp.  There  he  remained 
all  night  a  spectator  of  the  war  dance  over  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  wounded 
soldiers,  and  the  shrieks  of  the  latter,  as  they  were  tortured,  mingling  with  the 
yells  of  the  savages. 

When  the  army  had  proceeded  one  day  on  the  return  march,  Col.  Hardin  and 
Maj.  Willis  were  sent  back  with  four  hundred  men,  of  whom  sixty  were  regulars, 
to  surprise  the  Indians,  Avhom  it  was  supposed  would  return.  On  entering  the 
town  a  few  of  the  enemy  were  seen,  who  immediately  fled,  and  decoyed  the  militia 
into  an  irregular  pursuit  in  different  directions.  This  being  accomplished,  Little 
Turtle  fell,  with  his  main  body,  upon  the  regulars  with  great  fury.  They  threw 
down  their  guns,  and  with  their  tomahawks,  rushed  upon  the  bayonets  of  the  sol 
diers.  While  a  soldier  was  engaged  in  the  use  of  his  bayonet  upon  one  Indian, 
two  others  would  sink  their  tomahawks  in  his  head.  The  result  was  that  everv 
regular  fell,  together  with  their  gallant  major.  Ere  the  conflict  was  over,  a  part 
of  the  militia  who  had  returned  from  the  pursuit,  joined  in  the-  contest,  but  were 
compelled  to  retreat,  leaving  the  dead  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  expedition,  in  destroying  the  Indian  villages,  had  accomplished  the  great 
object  of  its  mission,  although  under  circumstances  of  misfortune.  It  was  suc 
ceeded  by  such  vigorous  exertions,  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  that  they  must  have 
succeeded  in  breaking  up  the  American  settlements,  were  it  not  for  the  total  de 
struction  of  their  property  and  provisions  just  at  the  approach  of  winter." 

The  siege  of  Fort  Wayne,  in  the  war  of  1812,  was  a  memorable  event  in 
the  history  of  this  region,  the  particulars  of  which  we  derive  from  Howe's 
"Great  West:" 

In  August,  1812,  immediately  after  the  disgraceful  surrender  of  Hull,  about  five 
hundred  Indian  warriors  laid  siege  to  Fort  Wayne,  a  dilapidated  structure  of  wood 
which  had  been  built  in  Wayne's  campaign,  near  the  north-eastern  corner  of  In 
diana,  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Joseph  s  and  St.  Mary's  Rivers,  main  branches  of 
the  Maumee.  The  garrison,  amounting  to  less  than  one  seventh  of  their  number, 
was  commanded  by  Capt.  Rhea,  an  old  officer  broken  down  by  intemperance,  and 
of  a  timid  disposition.  As  at  that  period  the  whole  surrounding  region  was  a  wil 
derness,  and  they  were  far  from  succor,  their  danger  was  imminent. 

They  were  finally  saved  from  the  horrors  of  an  Indian  massacre,  by  the  daring 
bravery  and  address  of  a  young  Virginian,  named  William  Oliver.  This  young 
man,  scarce  twenty-one  years  of  a^e,  to  a  slender  and  delicate,  though  active  figure, 
united  in  a  high  degree  the  qualities  of  undaunted  courage,  enthusiasm,  firmness, 
and  sagacity.  A  resident  of  Fort  Wayne,  he  was  at  this  time,  temporarily  absent 
at  Cincinnati,  and  learning  on  his  return  route  that  the  Indians  had  appeared  be 
fore  the  fort,  he  voluntarily  hurried  back  to  the  city  to  urge  the  troops  stationed 
at  that  point  to  hasten  to  its  relief.  This  bein^  accomplished,  he  set  out  again  with 
all  speed  toward  the  fort,  intending  to  reach  it,  and  penetrate  through  its  swarm 
of  surrounding  savages  in  advance  of  the  relief,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging 
the  garrison  to  persevere  in  its  defense  until  their  arrival. 


ft  INDIANA.  177 

At  St.  Mary's  River  he  came  to  an  encampment  of  Ohio  militia,  with  whom  waa 
Thomas  Worthington,  of  Chillioothe  (afterward  governor  of  Ohio),  then  on  t  e 
froatier  as  Indian  commissioner,  to  whom  Oliver  communicated  his  intention  of 
entering  the  fort,  or  of  perishing  in  the  attempt.  Worthington  had  been  originally 
opposed  to  the  policy  of  declaring  war ;  but  now  that  it  had  been  commenced,  was 
zealous  for  its  vigorous  prosecution  ;  yet  this  did  not  save  him  from  the  taunt  of  an 
ill-bred  brother  officer,  who  accused  him  of  a  want  of  patriotism.  Being  a  high 


View  of  old  Fort  Wayne. 

[Copied  from  E.  P.  Abbott's  Map  of  the  city  of  Fort  Wayne,  published  in  1855.] 

spirited  man  of  the  keenest  sense  of  honor,  this  accusation  stung  Worthington  to 
the  quick,  and  he  felt  ea-j^er  to  embark  in  any  enterprise,  howsoever  desperate,  to 
show  the  unjustness  of  the  charge,  and  his  willingness  to  peril  his  all  for  his  coun 
try.  In  him  Oliver  found  a  zealous  confederate,  notwithstanding  old  experienced 
frontiersmen  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  the  dangerous  undertaking.  United 
ly,  they  induced  sixty-eight  of  the  militia,  arid  sixteen  Shawnee  Indians,  to  accom 
pany  them. 

On  the  second  day's  march,  thirty-six  of  the  party; consulting  their  fears,  secret 
ly  deserted  their  companions,  and  returned  to  the  main  body.  The  remainder  con 
tinued  their  route,  and  at  sunset  in  their  camp,  heard  the  evening  gun  from  the 
fort,  through  an  intervening  forest  of  twenty-four  miles.  As  the.  reduced  party  was 
not  strong  enough  to  encounter  the  enemy,  Worthington  was  very  reluctantly  in 
duced  to  remain  at  this  point  with  his  men,  while  Oliver,  with  three  friendly  In 
dians,  pushed  on.  Being  well  armed  and  mounted,  they  started  at  day-break  the 
xiext  morning,  proceeding  Avith  great  caution.  When  within  five  miles  of  the  fort, 
tfiey  perceived  holes  which  the  Indians  had  dug  on  each  side  of  the  road  for  con 
cealment,  and  to  cut  off  all  who  should  approach  toward  the  place.  Upon  observ 
ing  these,  they  abandoned  the  main  road,  struck  off  across  the  country,  and  reached 
the  Maumee  one  and  a  half  miles  below  the  fort.  Tying  their  horses  in  a  thicket, 
they  stole  cautiously  along  through  the  forest  to  ascertain  if  the  Indians  had  ob-  * 
tained  possession.  Oliver  at  length  discovered,  with  feelings  of  joy,  the  American 
flag  waving  above  the  fort;  but  not  deeming  even  this  as  conclusive,  he  approached 
on  the  east  side  so  near  as  not  only  to  discern  the  blue  uniform  of  a  sentinel,  but 
to  recognize  in  his  countenance  that  of  an  acquaintance. 

Having  satisfied  himself  on  this  point,  they  returned,  remounted  their  horses, 
and  taking  the  main  road,  moved  rapidly  onward.  Upon  reaching  the  gate  of  the 
esplanade,  they  found  it  locked,  and  were  thus  compelled  to  pass  down  the  river 
bank,  and  then  ascend  it  at  the  northern  gate.  They  were  favored  in  doing  so,  By 
the  withdrawal  of  the  savages  from  this  point,  in  carrying  out  a  plan,  then  on  the 
point  of  consummation,  for  taking  the  fort  by  an  ingenious  stratagem. 

For  several  days  previous  to  this  time,  the  hostile  chiefs,  under  a  flag  of  trufce, 
had  b3en  holding  intercourse  with  the  garrison.  In  their  interviews  with  Captain 
llhea,  that  officer  had  shown  such  a  spirit  of  timidity,  that  they  felt  persuaded*  fchat 

12 


178  INDIANA.  « 

it  could  be  made  available  at  the  proper  moment,  to  put  him  and  his  men  in  their 
power.  They  had,  according!}',  arranged  their  warriors  in  a  semicircle  on  the  west 
and  south  sides  of  the  fort,  and  at  a  short  distance  from  it.  Five  of  the  chiefls,  un 
der  pretense  of  treating  with  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  were  to  pass  into  the 
fort,  and  gain  admittance  into  the  council-room  with  scalping-knives  and  pistols  se 
creted  under  their  blankets.  Then,  at  a  certain  signal,  they  were  to  assassinate 
the  two  subaltern  officers,  seize  Captain  Khea,  and  with  threats  of  instant  death, 
if  he  did  not  comply,  and  promises  of  safety,  if  he  did,  compel  him  to  order  the 
gates  to  be  thrown  open  for  the  admission  of  their  warriors. 

The  plan,  thus  arranged,  was  in  the  act  of  being  carried  into  execution,  at  the 
moment  when  Oliver  and  his  companions  reached  the  gate.  Their  safe  arrival  at 
that  particular  moment,  may  be  justly  considered  as  miraculous.  One  hour  sooner 
or  one  hour  later  would  have,  no  doubt,  been  inevitable  destruction  both  to  himself 
and  escort;  the  parties  of  Indians  who  had  kept  close  guard,  for  eight  days  previ 
ous,  upon  the  roads  and  passes  in  different  directions,  having  all,  at  that  moment, 
been  called  in  to  aid  in  carrying  the  fort. 

Winnemac,  Five  Medals,  and  three  other  hostile  chiefs,  bearing  the  flag  of  truce, 
under  which  they  were  to  gain  admittance  to  carry  out  their  treacherous  intentions, 
were  surprised  by  suddenly  meeting  at  the  gate  Oliver  and  his  companions.  Com 
ing  from  different  directions,  and  screened  by  the  angles  of  the  fort,  they  were  not 
visible  to  each  other  until  that  moment.  Winnemac  showed  great  chagrin,  uttered 
an  ejaculation  of  disappointment,  and  hastily  returning  to  the  Indian  camp,  in 
formed  the  chiefs  and  warriors  that  the  stratagem  was  defeated. 

Oliver  immediately  upon  his  arrival,  wrote  a  hasty  letter  to  Worthington,  de 
scribing  the  situation  of  the  fort,  which  he  sent  by  the  Indians.  Luckily  their 
movements  were  not  observed,  until  they  had  actually  started  from  the  garrison 
gate.  They  now  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  dashed  off  at  full  speed.  The  hos-> 
tile  Indians  were  instantly  in  motion  to  intercept  them  ;  the  race  was  a  severe  and 
perilous  one,  but  they  cleared  the  enemy's  line  in  safety,  and  then  their  loud  shout 
of  triumph  rose  high  in  the-air,  and  fell  like  music  upon  the  ears  of  the  beleaguered 
garrison.  They  safely  delivered  the  letter,  and  a  few  days  after  Gen.  Harrison  ar 
rived  with  reinforcements,  the  enemy  having  continued  the  siege  until  within  a 
few  hours  of  his  arrival,  and  that,  too,  with  such  perseverance,  that  the  vigilance 
of  the  garrison  alone  saved  them  from  a  general  conflagration  from  the  burning 
arrows  of  the  savages.* 

In  the  year  1830,  Fort  Wayne  contained  about  100  inhabitants.  The  old 
fort  was  situated  in  the  north-eastern  section  of  the  city ;  the  Wabash  and 
Erie  Canal  passes  through  a  part  of  its  site.  The  first  church  erected  was 
built  by  the  Old  School  Presbyterians;  this  house  is  still  standing,  and  is 
now  occupied  by  the  English  Lutherans.  The  Methodists  erected  the  second 
church,  the  Baptists  the  third.  The  Catholics  erected  their  first  house  of 
worship  on  Culhoun-street,  and  it  is  now  standing.  The  first  regular  Pro 
testant  clergyman  was  Rev.  James  Chute,  from  Columbus,  Ohio.  The  Rev. 
Stephen  R.  Ball  and  N.  B.  Griffiths  were  the  first  Methodist  preachers ;  they 
preached  at  first  in  the  north-west  part  of  the  place,  in  a  brick  school-house, 
long  since  taken  down.  This  school-house  was  the  first  built.  Benjamin 
Cushman  and  Lewis  G.  Thompson  were  among  the  early  physicians.  David 
H.  Colerick  and  Henry  P.  Cooper  were  among  the  early  lawyers.  The  "  Fort 
Wayne  Sentinel"  was  established  about  1833,  by  Noel  &  Tigar;  their  office 
stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  canal  basin,  near  or  on  the  spot  wh'ere  the  ware 
house  of  Messrs.  Hill  &  Orbison  now  stands.  The  "  Fort  Wayne  Weekly 
Times"  was  established  as  a  whig  journal,  in  1840. 

Little  Turtle,  the  celebrated  Indian  chieftain,  died  at  this  place  in  1812; 
his  grave,  near  Fort  Wayne,  used  to  be  shown  to  visitors,  and  was  formerly 

*0liver  was  postmaster  at  Cincinnati,  in  Taylor's  administration.  He  died  there  a  few 
years  since. 


INDIANA. 


179 


much  visited  by  the  Indians,  who  cherished  his  memory  with  great  respect 
and  veneration.  He  commanded  the  Indians  at  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair.  The 
following  notice  appeared  in  the  public  prints  at  the  time  of  his  death: 
"Fort  Wayne,  July  21,  1812. — On  the  14th  inst.,  the  celebrated  Miami 
chief,  the  Little  Turtle,  died  at  this  place,  at  the  age  of  65  years.  Perhaps 
there  is  not  left  on  this  continent  one  of  his  color  so  distinguished  in  coun 
cil  and  in  war.  His  disorder  was  the  gout.  He  died  in  a  camp,  because  he 
chose  to  be  in  the  open  air.  He  met  death  with  great  firmness.  The  agent 
for  Indian  affairs  had  him  buried  with  the  honors  of  war,  and  other  marks 
of  distinction  suited  to  his  character." 


The  following  inscriptions  are  from  monuments  in  the  graveyard  at  Fort 
Wayne : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  COL.  ALEXANDER  EWING,  one  of  the  bravest  soldiers  of  the  Rev 
olution:  from  the  year  1780  to  the  peace  of  1783,  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  Ranger 
service  on  the  frontiers  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  volunteer  at  the  battle 
of  the  Thames,  in  1813,  and  among  the  first  who  broke  the  British  lines  on  that  occasion, 
BO  glorious  to  the  arms  of  his  country.  Died  at  Fort  Wayne,  Jan.  1,  1827,  aged  60  years. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of  CHARLES  W.  EWING,  eldest  son  of  Col.  A.  and  Mrs.  C.  Ewing, 
Attorney  and  Counsellor  at  Law  and  President  Judge  of  the  9th  Judicial  Circuit  of  the 
State  of  Indiana.  Died  at  Fort  Wayne,  Jan.  9,  1843,  aged  45  years. 

SAMUEL  BIGGER,  late  Governor  of  this  State,  died  Sept.  9,  1846.  A  patriot  and  a  Christ 
ian,  he  died  in  the  full  hope  of  a  glorious  immortality. 

I  would  not  live  always,  no,  welcome  the  tomb : 
Since  Jesus  has  been  there,  I  dread  not  its  gloom. 

Optatum,  meum  suavium,  quod.     Te  in  terrain  retnuevit,  condonato. 

REV.  SAMUEL  BRENTON,  A.M.,  died  March  29,  1857,  aged  46  yrs.  4  mo.  7  da.  He  was  a 
devoted  minister  of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  4  years  a  member  of  Congress.  He  was  faithful 
to  his  Country,  the  Church,  and  his  God.  Mark  the  perfect  man,  and  behold  the  upright, 
for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace.  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always. 

SAMUEL  LEWIS,  born  June  13,  1796,  died  Jan.  2,  1843.  He  filled  with  distinction  import 
ant  civil  offices,  and  was  eminent  as  a  Christian. 

In  memory  of  MARY,  wife  of  REV.  A.  T.  RANKIN,  Pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  Fort  Wayne,  la.,  who  departed  this  life  July  19,  1841,  aged  31  years.  Here  rests 
all  that  can  die  of  a  Home  Missionary.  Her  work  is  done.  She  sleeps  in  Jesus. 

REV.  JESSE  HOOVER,  died  May  24,  1838,  aged  28  years.  Organizer  of  the  first  German 
Evangelical  Church  at  Fort  Wayne,  in  the  year  1836,  and  was  its  faithful  pastor  till  God 
called  him  home. 

Mir  nach  spricht  Christus  unser  Held. 

Hier  ruhe  in  Gott  ADAM  H.  WEFEL,  geb,  am  7  Jum  1802,  gett  am  Mai,  1852.  Sammt 
feinen  6  vereits  vor  ihm  entfchlenen  kindern  harret  er  nun  der  seligen  und  froehlichen  Nu- 
ferstedung  der  Todten.  Wenn  Gottes  Mort  nicht  ware  inein  Troft  gewesen  so  ware  ich 
vergangen  meinen  elende. 

LAFAYETTE,  the  capital  of  Tippecanoe  county,  is  next  to  Indianapolis, 
the  most  important  city  of  Central  Indiana.  It  is  on  the  Wabash  River,  and 
on  the  Wabash  and  Erie  Canal,  with  three  or  four  important  railroad  lines 
passing  through  it,  and  distant  64  miles  north-west  of  Indianapolis.  By 
river,  canal,  and  railroad,  it  is  united  with  78  counties  of  the  state.  Im 
mediately  around  the  city  for  miles,  lie  some  of  the  richest,  portions  of  In- 


180 


INDIANA. 


diana.  It  also  possesses  all  the  elements  necessary  to  a  flourishing  manu 
facturing  city.  By  river,  canal  and  creeks,  sites  for  machinery  propelled  by 
water  can  be  obtained  of  any  amount  of  power,  while  by  railroad  and  canal 
it  is  brought  into  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  inexhaustible  mines  of 


Southern   View  of  Lafayette  from  'near  the    Valley  Railroad. 

The  Wabash  River,  canal,  etc.,  pass  by  the  distant  buildings  whi<  h  are  on  the  extreme  left.  Ohio-street, 
passing  the  two  principal  Hotels  and  the  Court  House,  appears  in  t  hut-tiara  I  part.  Ihe  Presbyterian  and 
other  churches  on  the  right. 

coal,  iron  and  clay,  and  other  materials  necessary  to  carry  on  successfully  all 
kinds  of  manufactures.  Lafayette  was  laid  out,  on  government  land,  May 
17,  1825,  by  William  Digby  :  it  has  14  churches  and  in  I860,  9,426  inhab 
itants. 

In  the  heart  of  the  city  on  the  public  square,  a  few  years  since,  while  bor 
ing  for  pure  water  at  the  depth  of  230  feet,  a  stream  of  medicinal  water  was 
struck.  A  careful  analysis  proves  it  of  immense  value,  and  to  compare  fa 
vorably  with  the  most  celebrated  mineral  waters  of  Europe.  It  is  similar  to 
the  Blue  Lick  Springs  of  Kentucky,  and  is  a  salt  sulphur  water.  It  is  ap 
plicable  to  numerous  diseases,  viz  :  bronchitis,  rheumatism,  dyspepsia,  dis 
eases  of  the  liver,  kidneys,  sexual  organs,  and  in  general  for  disturbances  of 
the  secretive  organs  or  surfaces.  The  stream  is  constant  and  ample  for  all 
bathing  and  drinking  purposes. 

Seven  miles  north  of  Lafayette,  on  the  line  of  the  railroad  to  Chicago,  is 
the  Battle  Field  of  Tippecanoe,  where,  just  before  the  gray  of  morning,  Nov. 
7,  1811,  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison,  then  governor  of  the  territory  of 
Indiana,  at  the  head  of  900  men,  principally  militia  and  volunteers,  defeated 
an  equal  body  of  Indians  under  the  Prophet,  Tenskwautawa,  the  brother  of 
Tecumseh.  The  town  of  the  Prophet.  Keth-tip-e-ca-nunk,  corrupted  in  mod 
ern  orthography,  to  Tippecanoe,  stood  over  a  mile  distant,  on  the  Wabash:  it 
extended  along  the  stream  from  the  site  of  Davis'  Ferry  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Tippecanoe.  Tecumseh  was  not  present  in  the  action,  being  absent  at 
the  south  among  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles,  to  unite  them  with  the  northern 


INDIANA. 


181 
The  subjoined  narra- 


tribes  in  his  grand  confederacy  against  the  whites, 
tive  of  the  battle  is  from  Drake's  Tecumseh : 

On  the  5th  of  November,  1811,  Gov.  Harrison,  with  about  900  effective  troops, 
composed  of  250  of  the  4th  regiment  United  States  infantry,  130  volunteers,  and  a 
body  of  militia,  encamped  within  10  miles  of  the  Prophet's  town.  On  the  next 


Eastern    View  of  Uie  Battle  Field  of   Tippecanoe. 

The  jilaoe  of  Harrison's  encampment  is  shown  l>y  the  inclosed  fence,  wiihin  which  is  six  or  eight  acres  of 
ground.  The  main  body  of  the  savages  were  ii  tin-  wheat  field  in  Irt  nt.  this  hide  of  the  railroad.  It  waa 
then  a  marsh,  covered  with  tall  grass,  in  which  they  were  concealed. 

day,  when  the  army  was  within  five  miles  of  the  village,  reconnoitering  parties  of 
the  Indians  were  seen,  but  they  refused  to  hold  any  conversation  with  the  inter 
preters  sent  forward  by  the  governor  to  open  a  communication  with  them.  When 
within  A  mile  and  a  half  of  the  town,  a  halt  was  made,  for  the  purpose  of  encamp 
ing  for  the  night.  Several  of  the  field  officers  urged  the  governor  to  make  an  im 
mediate  assault  on  the  village;  but  this  he  declined,  as  his  instructions  from  the 
president  were  positive,  not  to  attack  the  Indians,  as  long  as  there  was  a  proba 
bility  of  their  complying  with  the  demands  of  government.  Upon  ascertaining, 
however,  that  the  ground  continued  favorable  for  the  disposition  of  his  troops,  quite 
up  to  the  town,  he  determined  to  approach  still  nearer  to  it.  In  the  meantime, 
Capt.  Dubois,  with  an  interpreter,  was  sent  forward  to  ascertain  whether  the 
Prophet  would  comply  with  the  terms  proposed  by  the  governor.  The  Indians, 
however,  would  make  no  reply  to  these  inquiries,  but  endeavored  to  cut  off  the 
messengers  from  the  army.  When  this  fact  was  reported  to  the  governor,  he  de 
termined  to  consider  the  "Indians  as  enemies,  and  at  once  march  upon  their  town. 
He  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance,  however,  before  he  was  met  by  three  In 
dians,  one  of  them  a  principal  counselor  to  the  Prophet,  who  stated  that  they  were 
sent  to  know  why  the  army  was  marching  upon  their  town — that  the  Prophet  was 
desirous  of  avoiding  hostilities — that  he  had  sent  a  pacific  message  to  Gov.  Harri 
son  by  the  Miami  and  Potawatomie  chiefs,  but  that  those  chiefs  had  unfortunately 
gone  down  on  the  south  side  of  the  Wabash,  and  had  thus  failed  to  meet  him. 
Accordingly,  a  suspension  of  hostilities  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  terms  of  peace 


182  INDIANA. 

were  to  be  settled  on  the  following  morning  by  the  governor  and  the  chiefs.  In 
moving  the  army  toward  the  Wabash,  to  encamp  for  the  night,  the  Indians  became 
again  alarmed,  supposing  that  an  attack  was  about  to  be  made  on  the  town,  not 
withstanding  the  armistice  which  had  just  been  concluded.  They  accordingly  be 
gan  to  prepare  for  defense,  and  some  of  them  sallied  out,  calling  upon  the  advanced 
corps,  to  halt.  The  governor  immediately  rode  forward,  and  assured  the  Indians 
that  it  was  not  his  intention  to  attack  them,  but  that  he  was  only  in  search  of  a 
suitable  piece  of  ground  on  which  to  encamp  his  troops.  He  inquired  if  there 
was  any  other  water  convenient,  beside  that  which  the  river  afforded;  and  an  In 
dian,  with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted,  answered,  that  the  creek  which  had  been 
crossed  two  miles  back,  ran  through  the  prairie  to  the  north  of  the  village.  A 
halt  was  then  ordered,  and  Majors  Piatt,  Clark  and  Taylor,  were  sent  to  examine 
this  creek,  as  well  as  the  river  above  the  town,  to  ascertain  the  correctness  of  the 
information,  and  decide  on  the  best  ground  for  an  encampment.  In  the  course  of 
half  an  hour,  the  two  latter  reported  that  they  had  found,  on  the  creek,  everything 
that  could  be  desirable  in  an  encampment — an  elevated  spot,  nearly  surrounded 
by  an  open  prairie,  with  water  convenient,  and  a  sufficiency  of  wood  for  fuel.  * 
The  army  was  now  marched  to  this  spot,  and  encamped  "  on  a  dry  piece  of  ground, 
which  rose  about  10  feet  above  the  level  of  a  marshy  prairie  in  front  toward  the 
town;  and,  about  twice  as  high  above  a  similar  prairie  in  the  rear;  through  which, 
near  the  foot  of  the  hill,  ran  a  small  stream  clothed  with  willows  and  brushwood. 
On  the  left  of  the  encampment,  this  bench  of  land  became  wider;  on  the  right, 
it  gradually  narrowed,  and  terminated  in  an  abrupt  point,  about  150  yards  from 
the  right  bank."  f 

The  encampment  was  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  Prophet's  town; 
and  orders  were  given,  in  the  event  of  a  night  attack,  for  each  corps  to  maintain  its 
position,  at  all  hazards,  until  relieved  or  further  orders  were  given  to  it.  The 
whole  army  was  kept,  during  the  night,  in  the  military  position,  which  is  called, 
lying  on  their  arms.  The  regular  troops  lay  in  their  tents,  with  their  accoutre 
ments  on,  and  their  arms  by  their  sides.  The  militia  had  no  tents,  but  slept  with 
their  clothes  and  pouches  on,  and  their  guns  under  them,  to  keep  them  dry.  The 
order  of  the  encampment  was  the  order  of  battle,  for  a  night  attack;  and  as  every 
man  slept  opposite  to  his  post  in  the  line,  there  was  nothing  for  the  troops  to  do, 
in  case  of  an  assault,  but  to  rise  and  take  their  positions  a  few  steps  in  the  rear  of 
the  tires  around  which  they  had  reposed.  The  guard  of  the  night  consisted  of  two 
captain's  commands  of  42  men,  and  four  non-commissioned  officers  each;  and  two 
subaltern's  guards  of  120  men  and  non-commissioned  officers  each — the  whole 
amounting  to  about  130  men,  under  the  command  of  a  field  officer  of  the  day. 
The  night  was  dark  and  cloudy,  and  after  midnight  there  was  a  drizzling  rain.  It 
was  not  anticipated  by  the  governor  or  his  officers,  that  an  attack  would  be  made 
during  the  night:  it  was  supposed  that  if  the  Indians  had  intended  to  act  offen 
sively,  it  would  have  been  done  on  the  march  of  the  army,  whore  situations  pre 
sented  themselves  that  would  have  given  the  Indians  a  great  advantage.  Indeed, 
within  three  miles  of  the  town,  the  army  had  passed  over  ground  so  broken  and 
unfavorable  to  its  march,  that  the  position  of  the  troops  was  necessarily  changed 
several  times,  in  the  course  of  a  mile.  The  enemy,  moreover,  had  fortified  their 
town  with  care  and  great  laborj  as  if  they  intended  to  act  alone  on  the  defensive. 
It  was  a  favorite  spot  with  the  Indians,  having  long  been  the  scene  of  those  myste 
rious  rites,  performed  by  their  Prophet,  and  by  which  they  had  been  taught  to  be 
lieve  that  it  was  impregnable  to  the  assaults  of  the  white  man. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Gov.  Harrison,  according  to  his  prac 
tice,  had  risen,  preparatory  to  the  calling  up  the  troops;  and  was  engaged,  while 
drawing  on  his  boots  by  the  fire,  in  conversation  with  Gen.  Wells,  Col.  Owen,  and 
Majors  Taylor  and  Hurst.  The  orderly-drum  had  been  roused  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  the  signal  for  the  troops  to  turn  out,  when  the  attack  of  the  Indians  sud 
denly  commenced  upon  the  left  flank  of  the  camp.  The  whole  army  was  instantly 
on  its  feet;  the  camp-fires  were  extinguished;  the  governor  mounted  his  horse  and 

*  M'Afee's  History  of  the  Late  War.  f  Ibid. 


INDIANA.  183 

proceeded  to  the  point  of  attack.  Several  of  the  companies  had  taken  their  places 
in  the  line  within  forty  seconds  from  the  report  of  the  first  gun;  and  the  whole  of 
the  troops  were  prepared  for  action  in  the  course  of  two  minutes;  a  fact  as  credit 
able  to  their  own  activity  and  bravery,  as  to  the  skill  and  energy  of  their  officers. 
The  battle  soon  became  general,  and  was  maintained  on  both  sides  with  signal  and 
even  desperate  valor.  The  Indians  advanced  and  retreated  by  the  aid  of  a  rattling 
noise,  made  with  deer  hoofs,  and  persevered  in  their  treacherous  attack  with  an  ap 
parent  determination  to  conquer  or  die  upon  the  spot.  The  battle  raged  with  un 
abated  fury  and  mutual  slaughter,  until  daylight,  when  a  gallant  .and  successful 
charge  by  our  troops,  drove  the  enemy  into  the  swamp,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
conflict. 

Prior  to  the  assault,  the  Prophet  had  given  assurances  to  his  followers,  that  in 
the  coming  contest,  the  Great  Spirit  would  render  the  arms  of  the  Americans  una 
vailing;  that  their  bullets  would  fall  harmless  at  the  feet  of  the  Indians;  that  the 
latter  should  have  light  in  abundance,  while  the  former  would  be  involved  in  thick 
darkness.  Availing  himself  of  the  privilege  conferred  by  his  peculiar  office,  and, 
perhaps,  unwilling  in  his  own  person  to  attest  at  once  the  rival  powers  of  a  sham 
prophecy  and  a  real  American  bullet,  he  prudently  took  a  position  on  an  adjacent 
eminence;  and,  Avhen  the  action  began,  he  entered  upon  the  performance  of 
certain  mystic  rites,  at  the  same  time  singing  a  war-song.  In  the  course  of 
the  engagement,  he  was  informed  that  his  men  were  falling:  he  told  them  to 
light  on,  it  would  soon  be  as  he  had  predicted ;  and  then,  in  louder  and  wilder  strains, 
his  inspiring  battle-song  was  heard  commingling  with  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle 
and  the  shrill  war-hoop  of  his  brave  but  deluded  followers. 

Throughout  the  action,  the  Indians  manifested  more  boldness  and  perseverance 
than  had,  perhaps,  ever  been  exhibited  by  them  on  any  former  occasion.  This 
was  owing,  it  is  supposed,  to  the  influence  of  the  Prophet,  who,  by  the  aid  of  his 
incantations,  had  inspired  them  with  a  belief  that  they  would  certainly  overcome 
their  enemy :  the  supposition,  likewise,  that  they  had  taken  the  governor's  army 
by  surprise,  doubtless  contributed  to  the  desperate  character  of  their  assaults.  They 
were  commanded  by  some  daring  chiefs,  and  although  their  spiritual  leader  was 
not  actually  in  the  battle,  he  did  much  to  encourage  his  followers  in  their  gallant 
attack.  Of  the  force  of  the  Indians  engaged,  there  is  no  certain  account.  The 
ordinary  number  at  the  Prophet's  town  during  the  preceding  summer,  was  450; 
but  a  few  days  before  the  action,  they  had  been  joined  by  all  the  Kickapoos  of  the 
prairie,  and  by  several  bands  of  the  Pottawatomies,  from  the  Illinois  River,  and 
the  St.  Joseph's,  of  Lake  Michigan.  Their  number  on  the  night  of  the  engage 
ment  was  probably  between  800  and  1,000.  Some  of  the  Indians  who  were  in  the 
action,  subsequently  informed  the  agent  at  Fort  Wayne,  that  there  were  more  than 
1,000  warriors  in  the  battle,  and  that  the  number  of  wounded  was  unusually  great. 
In  the  precipitation  of  their  retreat,  they  left  38  on  the  Held;  some  were  buried 
during  the  engagement  in  their  town,  others,  no  doubt,  died  subsequently  of  their 
wounds.  The  whole  number  of  their  killed,  was  probably  not  less  than  50. 

Of  the  army  under  Gov.  Harrison,  35  were  killed  in  the  action,  and  25  died  sub 
sequently  of  their  wounds:  the  total  number  of  killed  and  wounded  was  one  hun 
dred  and  eighty-eight. 

Both  officers  and  men  behaved  with  much  coolness  and  bravery — qualities 
which,  in  an  eminent  degree,  marked  the  conduct  of  Gov.  Harrison  throughout  the 
engagement.  The  peril  to  which  he  was  subjected  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact 
that  a  ball  passed  through  his  stock,  slightly  bruising  his  neck;  another  struck 
his  saddle,  and  glancing  hit  his  thigh;  and  a  third  wounded  the  horse  on  which 
he  was  riding. 

Peace  on  the  frontiers  was  one  of  the  happy  results  of  this  severe  and  brilliant 
action.  The  tribes  which  had  already  joined  in  the  confederacy  were  dismayed; 
and  those  which  had  remained  neutral,  now  decided  against  it 

During  the  two  succeeding  days,  the  victorious  army  remained  in  camp,  for  the 
purpose  of  burying  the  dead  and  taking  care  of  the  wounded.  In  the  meantime, 
Col.  Wells,  with  the  mounted  riflemen,  visited  the  Prophet's  town,  and  found  it 
deserted  by  all  the  Indians  except  one,  whose  leg  had  been  broken  in  the  action. 


184  INDIANA. 

The  houses  were  mostly  burnt,  and  the  corn  around  the  village  destroyed.*  On 
the  9th,  the  army  commenced  its  return  to  Vincennes,  having  broken  up  or  com 
mitted  to  the  flames  all  their  unnecessary  baggage,  in  order  that  the  wagons  might 
be  used  for  the  transportation  of  the  wounded. 

The  defeated  Indians  were  greatly  exasperated  with  the  Prophet:  they  re 
proached  him  in  bitter  terms  for  the  calamity  he  had  brought  upon  them,  and  ac 
cused  him  of  the  murder  of  their  friends  who  had  fallen  in  the  action.  It  seems, 
that  after  pronouncing  some  incantations  over  a  certain  composition,  which  he 
had  prepared  on  the  night  preceding  the  action,  he  assured  his  followers,  that  by 
the  power  of  his  art,  half  of  the  invading  army  was  already  dead,  and  the  other 
half  in  a  state  of  distraction ;  and  that  the  Indians  would  have  little  to  do  but 
rush  into  their  camp,  and  complete  the  work  of  destruction  with  their  toma 
hawks.  "You  are  a  liar'"  said  one  of  the  surviving  Winnebagoes  to  him,  after 
the  action,  "  for  you  told  us  that  the  white  people  were  dead  or  crazy,  when  they 
were  all  in  their  senses  and  fought  like  the  devil."  The  Prophet  appeared  de 
jected,  and  sought  to  excuse  himself  on  the  plea  that  the  virtue  of  his  composition 
had  been  lost  by  a  circumstance  of  which  he  had  no  knowledge,  until  after  the  bat 
tle  was  over.  His  sacred  character,  however,  was  so  far  forfeited,  that  the  In 
dians  actually  bound  him  with  cords,  and  threatened  to  put  him  to  death.  After 
leaving  the  Prophet's  town,  they  marched  about  20  miles  and  encamped  on  the 
bank  of  Wild  Cat  creek. 

With  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  the  Prophet  lost  his  popularity  and  power  among 
the  Indians.  His  magic  wand  was  broken,  and  the  mysterious  charm,  by  means 
of  which  he  had  for  years,  played  upon  the  superstitious  minds  of  this  wild  people, 
scattered  through  avast  extent  of  country,  was  dissipated  forever.  It  was  not  alone 
to  the  character  of  his  prophetic  office  that  he  was  indebted  for  his  influence  over 
his  followers.  The  position  which  he  maintained  in  regard  to  the  Indian  lands, 
and  the  encroachments  of  the  white  people  upon  their  hunting  grounds,  increased 
his  popularity,  which  was  likewise  greatly  strengthened  by  the  respect  and  defer 
ence  with  which  the  politic  Tecumseh — the  master  spirit  of  his  day — uniformly 
treated  him.  He  had,  moreover,  nimble  wit,  quickness  of  apprehension,  much 
cunning  and  a  captivating  eloquence  of  speech.  These  qualities  fitted  him  for 
playing  his  part  with  great  success;  and  sustaining  for  a  series  of  years,  the  char 
acter  of  one  inspired  by  the  Great  Spirit.  He  was,  however,  rash,  presumptuous 
and  deficient  in  judgment.  And  no  sooner  was  he  left  without  the  sagacious 
counsel  and  positive  control  of  Tecumseh,  than  he  foolishly  annihilated  his  own 
power,  and  suddenly  crushed  the  grand  confederacy  upon  which  he  and  his  broth 
er  had  expended  years  of  labor,  and  in  the  organization  of  which  they  had  incurred 
much  personal  peril  and  endured  great  privation. 

Tecumseh  returned  from  the  south  through  Missouri,  visited  the  tribes  on  the 
Des  Moines,  and  crossing  the  head-waters  of  the  Illinois,  reached  the  Wabash  a  few 
days  after  the  disastrous  battle  of  Tippecanoe.  It  is  believed  that  he  made  a  strong 
impression  upon  all  the  tribes  visited  by  him  in  his  extended  mission;  and  that 
he  had  laid  the  foundation  of  numerous  accessions  to  his  confederacy.  He  reached 
the  banks  of  the  Tippecanoe,  just  in  time  to  witness  the  dispersion  of  his  followers, 
the  disgrace  of  his  brother,  and  the  final  overthrow  of  the  great  object  of  his  am 
bition,  a  union  of  all  the  Indian  tribes  against  the  United  States:  and  all  this,  the 
result  of  a  disregard  to  his  positive  commands.  His  mortification  was  extreme; 
and  it  is  related  on  good  authority,  that  when  he  first  met  the  Prophet,  he  re 
proached  him  in  bitter  terms  for  having  departed  from  his  instructions  to  preserve 
peace  with  the  United  States  at  all  hazards.  The  attempt  of  the  Prophet  to  pal 
liate  his  own  conduct,  excited  the  haughty  chieftain  still  more,  and  seizing  him 
by  the  hair  and  shaking  him  violently,  he  threatened  to  take  his  life. 

*  The  village  had  been  destroyed  in  1791,  by  Gen.  Charles  Scott,  of  Kentucky.  In  his 
report  of  the  expedition,  he  says  that  "many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  French, 
and  lived  in  a  state  of  civilization.  By  the  books,  letters,  and  other  documents  found  there, 
it  is  evident  that  the  place  was  in  close  connection  with,  and  dependent  on,  Detroit:  "  the 
village  "consisted  of  about  70  houses,  many  of  them  well  finished."  In  November,  1812, 
the  village  was  destroyed  the  third  time  in  the  second  expedition  of  Gen.  Hopkins. 


INDIANA. 


18-3 


BATTLE  FIELD  OF  TIPPECANOE. 


[Explanations. — a,  point  from  whence  the  engraved  view  was?  drawn  ;  I  I, 
line  of  railroad  to  Chicago;  c,  position  of  Battle  Ground  Institute;  d,  place 
where  the  Indians  first  began  the  attack  ;  e  e,  front  line  where  occurred  the 

main  conflict;  /,  Gen.  Harri 
son's  marquee;  h,  point  where 
Maj.  Daviess  is  said  to  have 
been  slain  ;  g,  grave  of  Daviess. 
The  black  lines  indicate  the 
fence  now  inclosing  the  battle 
ground.] 

The  highest  officers  among 
the  Americans  slain  at  Tippe- 
canoe,  were  two  Kentucky 
majors — Abraham  Owen  and 
Joseph  Hamilton  Daviess. 
The  particulars  of  the  death 
of  Abraham  Owen  we  give 
below,  from  Smith's  Indiana 
Sketches :  - 

Gen.  Harrison  rode  a  beautiful  fleet  gray  mare,  that  he  had  tied  with  the  saddle 
on,  to  a  stake  near  his  marquee,  to  be  ready  at  a  moment  in  case  of  alarm. 
Maj.  Owen,  of  Kentucky,  rode  a  bay  horse.  After  the  gray  mare  was  hitched,  it 
became  necessary,  in  order  to  pass  a  l>a«;gage  wagon,  to  remove  her  and  tie  her  at 
another  place;  without  the  knowledge  of  Gen.  Harrison,  the  bay  horse  of  Maj. 
Owen  was  afterward  tied  to  the  pest  where  the  gray  mare  had  been. 

The  moment  the  alarm  was  given,  every  soldier  was  upon  his  feet,  and  the 
mounted  officers  in  their  saddles.  Gen.  Harrison  ran  to  the  post  where  he  left  his 
gray  mare;  finding  Maj.  Owen's  bay  horse  he  mounted,  leaving  the  gray  for  the 
major  if  he  could  find  her.  The  general  dashed  down  to  where  he  heard  the  fir- 
ing,  rode  up  to  Capt.  Spencer's  position,  at  the  point  of  the  high  ground  around 
which  the  prairies  meet;  there  the  enemy  had  made  the  first  main  attack — deadly 
In  effect.  There  stood  the  brave  ensign  John  Tipton,  and  a  few  of  the  surviving 
men  of  the  company.  Gen.  Harrison.  "  Where  is  the  captain  of  this  company  ?" 
Ensign  Tipton.  "Dead."  "  Wh  ere  are  the  lieutenants^?"  "Dead."  "Where  is  the 
ensign  ?"  "I  am  here."  "Stand  fast,  my  brave  fellow,  and  I  will  relieve  you  in  a 
minute."  Gen.  Tipton  told  me,  in  after  }rears,  that  a  cooler  and  braver  man,  on 
the  field  of  battle,  than  Gen.  Harrison,  never  lived.  It  was  a  deadly  night,  the  In 
dians  with  rifles  in  their  hands,  concealed  from,  view,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
fighting  to  desperation,  under  the  inspiration  of  their  superstition — being  the  at 
tacking  party,  and  knowing  where  their  enemy  lay,  had  great  advantages,  which 
nothing  but  the  indomitable  courage  of  our  brave  men  could  have  met  and  finally 
repelled.  The  moment  the  alarm  was  given,  the  brave  Maj.  Owen  ran  to  his  stake, 
but  his  horse  was  gone;  near  by  he  found  and  mounted  the  gray  mare  of  the  Gen 
eral.  He  was  scarcely  in  the  saddle,  before  lie  fell  mortally  \vounded,  pierced 
with  rifle  balls,  which  were  intended,  no  doubt,  for  Gen.  Harrison,  as  the  Indians 
knew  he  rode  a  gray,  and  must  have  been  in  ambush  near.  The  men  and  officers 
that  fell  that  dreadful  night  were  the  bravest  of  the  brave. 

I  visited  the  common  grave  of  these  brave  dead,  who  fell  in  that  terrible  battle  only 
a  few  years  since.  You  will  find  it  in  a  grove  of  white  oak  trees  perforated  by 
balls,  standing  near  the  center  of  the  inclosed  grounds. 

Maj.  Daviess  was  a  colleague  of  Henry  Clay  at  the  Kentucky  bar,  where 
h,e  stood  very  high  as  an  advocate.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  37 
years  of  age.  It  is  the  tradition  that  he  was  killed  in  the  marsh  at  the  point 
indicated  on  the  map;  but  from  Gen.  Harrison's  report  of  the  action,  we  in 
fer  that  this  event  took  place  on  high  ground,  on  or  near  where  the  railroad 
line  lays;  that  states  that  it  was  during  the  execution  of  an  order  to  dislodge 


186 


INDIANA. 


some  Indians  from  trees  15  or  20  paces  in  front  of  the  left  line,  that  Daviess 
became  outflanked,  and  fell  mortally  wounded. 

The  land  on  which  the  battle  was  fought,  was  purchased  by  Gen.  John 
Tipton,  and  presented  to  the  state  of  Indiana,  as  a  burial  place  for  his  fallen 
comrades.  Tipton  was  the  brave  ensign  of  Capt.  Spencer's  company,  noticed 
above.  His  name  is  most  honorably  identified  with  the  history  of  the  state. 
He  was  a  senator  in  congress  from  1832  to  1839,  and  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mitte  of  Indian  Affairs,  an  office  for  which  he  was  peculiarly  well  qualified, 
having  been,  for  many  years,  Indian  agent,  and  well  acquainted  with  most 
of  the  Indian  tribes.  He  was  a  warm  hearted  man,  and  possessed  uncommon 
force  of  character:  he  was  one  of  the  original  projectors  of  the  Wabash  and 
Erie  Canal,  and  also  one  of  the  founders  of  Logansport,  where  he  died  in 
1839. 

The  reader  will  notice  the  building  on  the  right  of  the  view.  This  is  the 
Battle  Ground  Institute,  under  the  charge  of  Ilev.  E.  H.  Staley.  It  is  a 
flourishing  seminary  for  both  sexes.  A  number  of  small  neat  houses  stand 
above  it,  erected,  some  of  them,  by  the  parents  of  the  children,  many  of  the 
latter  brothers  and  sisters,  who  here  live  together,  obtaining,  away  from 
their  homes,  a  double  education,  that  of  house  keeping,  with  that  derived 
fronT  books. 


South-eastern  view  of  Madison. 

As  seen  from  the  Kentucky  sido  of  the  Ohio,  near  Milton  ferry.     The  terminus  of  the  Railroad  is  seen 
on  the  left,  the  Court  House  on  the  right. 

MADISON,  the  county  seat  of  Jefferson  county,  is  situated  86  miles  S.S.E. 
from  Indianapolis,  50  above  Louisville,  and  100  below  Cincinnati.  It  is  lo 
cated  in  a  beautiful  and  picturesque  valley,  which,  with  the  hills  on  the  Ken 
tucky  shore  and  those  of  Indiana,  and  the  bold  curve  and  broad  sweep  of 
the  Ohio  River,  affords  a  panorama  rarely  equaled.  The  valley  in  which  the 
city  is  situated,  is  nearly  three  miles  long,  which  is  inclosed  on  the  north  by 
steep  and  rugged  hills  about  400  feet  high.  This  place  has  very  superior 
advantages  for  trade,  and  the  navigation  is  usually  open  in  ordinary  seasons. 
Great  quantities  of  breadstuffs  are  exported,  and  a  large  amount  of  capital 
is  employed  in  founderies,  machine  shops,  etc.,  and  the  establishments  for 


INDIANA. 


187 


packing  pork  are  very  extensive.  Madison  has  gas  and  water  works,  the  lat 
ter  of  which  is  owned  by  the  city.  The  annual  value  of  sales  of  produce 
and  merchandise,  and  industrial  products,  is  eight  millions  of  dollars.  With 
in  five  miles  of  the  city  is  the  well  known  Hanover  College.  Population  is 
about  12,000. 

The  site  of  Madison  was  originally  a  dense  growth  of  poplars,  beech  and 
walnut,  and  the  present  landing  was  covered  with  a  growth  of  cottonwood, 
the  water's  edge  being  fringed  with  willows.  The  original  proprietors  were 
John  Paul  and  Jonathan  Lyon.  A  few  families  had  settled  here  on  Mount 
Glad,  now  a  part  of  North  Madison,  in  1807-8.  Col.  John  Vawter  first 
came  to  Madison  in  1806,  and  moved  into  the  country  in  March,  1807  ;  he 
held  the  first  public  sale  of  lots  in  Feb.,  1811.  The  first  white  child,  born 
in  Madison  was  Dawson  Blackmore,  Jr.  His  father  came  here  from  western 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  fall  of  1809,  and  located  himself  in  a  framed  log-house, 
now  standing  in  Walnut-street.  The  first  sermon  preached  in  Madison  is 
said  to  have  been  delivered  in  Mr.  Blackmore's  house,  by  a  Methodist 
itinerant  preacher.  The  first  regular  house  of  worship  was  built  on  East- 
street,  on  the  site  of  the  present  St.  John's  church. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  a  number  of  the  earlier  settlers  of  Madison,  pre 
vious  to  1820:  Milton  Stapp,  Jeremiah  Sullivan,  C.  P.  J.  Arvin.  Daniel  Wilson, 
Thomas  Brown,  Nicholas  D.  Grover.  Geo.  W.  Leonard,  Moody  Park,  Victor  King, 
Cbas.  W.  Basnett,  William  Brown,  D.  Blackmore,  sen.,  D.  Blackmore,  jr.,  Silas 
Kitchie,  John  Soring,  John  G.  Soring,  William  G.  Wharton,  W.  J.  McClure,  John 
Kitchie,  S.  C.  Stephens,  Howard  Watts,  John  Haney,  Rufus  Gale,  William  Randall, 
Gamaliel  Taylor,  E.  <  r.  Whitney,  M.  Shannon,  Edward  Shannon,  Jesse  D.  Bright, 
Michael  G.  Bright,  David  Bright,  Ja*;ob  Wildman,  George  Wagoner,  Andrew  Wood- 
fill,  Alexander  Washer.  Williamson  Dunn,  \Vm.  McKee  Dunn,  James  Vawter,  Jno. 
Hunt,  Simeon  Hunt,  Cornelius  Vaile,  Geo.  Short,  and  David  McClure. 

One  of  the  first  sermons  ever  preached  in  Madison,  was  by  that  celebrated 
and  eccentric  itinerant,  Lorenzo  Dow,  who  "held  forth"  standing  on  a  poplar 
log,  near  the  site  of  the  court  house.  He  was  born  in  Coventry,  Connecti 
cut,  in  ,  and  died  at  Washington  City,  in ,  aged  —  years,  where  his 

grave  is  now  to  be  seen.  He  traveled  through  the  United  States  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  times,  visiting  the  wilderness  parts,  often  preaching  where-  a  ser 
mon  was  never  heard  before.  Occasionally  he  went  to  Canada,  and  made 
three  voyages  to  England  and  Ireland,  where,  as  elsewhere,  he  drew  crowds 
around  him,  attracted  by  his  long  flowing  beard  and  hair,  singularly  wild 
demeanor,  and  pungency  of  speech.  During  the  thirty  years  of  his  public 
life,  he  must  have  traveled  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  miles. 

Pickett,  in  his  History  of  Alabama,  avers  that  he  was  the  earliest  Protestant 
preacher  in  that  state;  says  he:  "Down  to  this  period  (in  1803),  no  Pro 
testant  preacher  had  ever  raised  his  voice,  to  remind  the  Tombigbee  and  Ten- 
saw  settlers  of  their  duty  to  the  MOST  HIGH.  Hundreds,  born  and  bred  in 
the  wilderness,  and  now  adult  men  and  women,  had  never  even  seen  a 
preacher.  The  mysterious  and  eccentric  Lorenzo  Dow,  one  day,  suddenly  ap 
peared  at  the  Boat  Yard.  He  came  from  Georgia,  across  the  Creek  nation, 
encountering  its  dangers  almost  alone.  He  proclaimed  the  truths  of  the 
gospel  here,  to  a  large  audience,  crossed  over  the  Alabama,  and  preached  two 
sermons  to  the  'Bigbee  settlers,'  and  went  from  thence  to  the  Natchez  set 
tlements,  where  he  also  exhorted  the  people  to  '  turn  from  the  error  of  their 
ways.'  He  then  visited  the  Cumberland  region  and  Kentucky,  and  came 
back  to  the  Tombigbee,  filling  his  appointments  to  the  very  day.  Again 


188 


INDIANA. 


plunging  into  the  Creek  nation,  this  holy  man  of  God  once  more  appeared 
among  the  people  of  Georgia." 

When  Dow  was  in  Indiana,  Judge  0.  H.  Smith  had  the  pleasure  of  listen 
ing  to  a  discourse  from  him,  some  items  of  which  he  has  thus  preserved 
among  his  Sketches:  "In  the  year  1819,""  states  the  judge,  "I  was  one  of  a 
congregation  assembled  in  the  woods  back  of  Rising  Sun,  anxiously  await- 


South-u'eatcrn  view  of  New  Alliany. 

The  vk'Wi»ho\v8  the  appearance  of  the  Ht.y,  as«een  from  the  high  bluff  which  risen  immediately  south  of  it. 
The.  Ohio  River  appears  on  the  right,  with  Portland,  a  station  for  steamboats,  on  the  Kentucky  sidn  of  the 
Ohio,  at  the  foot  of  the  Canal  around  the  Falls,  three  miles  from  Louisville. 

ing  the  arrival  of  Lorenzo  Bow.  Time  passed  away,  we  had  all  become  im 
patient,  when  in  the  distance  we  saw  him  approaching  at  a  rapid  rate  through 
the  trees  on  his  pacing  pony.  He  rode  up  to  the  log  on  which  I  was  sitting, 
threw  the  reins  over  the  neck  of  the  pony,  and  stepped  upon  the  log,  took 
off  his  hat,  his  hair  parted  in  the  middle  of  his  head,  and  flowing  on  either 
side  to  his  shoulders,  his  beard  resting  on  his  breast.  In  a  minute,  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  he  said : 

'Behold,  I  come  quickly,  and  my  reward  is  with  me.'  My  subject  is  repentance. 
We  sin*:,  'while  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn,  the  vilest  sinner  may  return.'  That 
idea  has  done  much  harm,  and  should  be  received  with  many  grains  of  allowance. 
There  are  cases  where  it  would  be  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle  than  for  a  man  to  repent  unto  salvation.  Let  me  illustrate:  Do  you  sup 
pose  that  the  man  among  you  who  went  out  last  fall  to  kill  his  deer  and  bear  for 
winter  meat,  and  instead  killed  his  neighbor's  hogs,  salted  them  down,  and  is  now 
living  on  the  meat,  can  repent  while  it  is  unpaid  for?  I  tell  you  nay.  Except  he 
restores  a  just  compensation,  his  attempt  at  repentance  will  be  the  basest  hypo 
crisy.  Except  ye  recent,  truly  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish.1 

He  preached  some  thirty  minutes.  Down  he  stepped,  mounted  his  pony, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  was  moving  on  through  the  woods  at  a  rapid  pace  to 
meet  another  appointment." 


INDIANA. 


189 


NEW  ALBANY,  the  county  seat  of  Floyd  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio  River,  at  the  termination  of  the  New  Albany  and 
Salem  Railroad,  2  miles  below  the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  3  miles  below  Louisville, 
about  140  below  Cincinnati,  and  100  S.  by  E.  from  Indianapolis.  The  city 
has  wide  straight  streets,  running  parallel  with  the  river,  and  crossed  at  right 
angles  by  others.  A  large  business  is  done  here  in  building  and  repairing 
steamboats,  etc.  There  are  also  large  iron  foundries,  machine  shops  and 
factories.  It  has  two  seminaries,  a  theological  college  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Presbyterians,  and  about  10,000  inhabitants. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  grave  yard 
in  New  Albany  : 

"  The  citizens  of  FLOYD  COUNTY  have  erected  this  monument  in  memory 

of  their  HONORED  DEAD. 

'  Glory  is  the  soldier's  prize, 
The  soldier's  wealth  is  honor.' 

Here  rest  the  bodies  of  Francis  Bailey, 
aged  35;  Apollos  J.  Stephens,  27;  Warren 
B.  Robinson,  24;  Charles  H.  Goff,  23; 
members  of  the  l Spencer  Greys,'  company 
A,  2d  Reg't  Indiana  Volunteers,  who  fell 
at  the  battle  of  BUENA  VISTA,  Mexico, 
Feb.  22  and  23?  1847. 

'  The  soldier  is  his  country's  stay 
In  day  and  hour  of  danger.' 

*  How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest, 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blest?' 

John  T.  Lewis,  aged  21;  Martin  How 
ard,  18;  Joseph  Morgan,  19;  Laiken  Cun 
ningham,  22;  members  of  the  'Spencer 
Greys,'  died  in  the  Mexican  campaign, 
184(J-7;  also  Henry  W.  Walker,  aged  37; 
Thos.  J.  Tyler,  aged  19,  of  the  same  com 
pany,  who  returned  home  and  died  of  disease  contracted  in  the  service." 

RKV.  JOHN  MATTHEWS,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Theology  in  the  Presbyterian  Theological  Sem 
inary  at  New  Albany,  la.  Born  in  Guilford  county,  N.  C.,  Jan.  19,  1772 ;  died  in  New  Al 
bany,  May  18,  1848,  getat  76  years  and  4  mo.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth ;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors ;  and  their 
works  do  follow  them." 


MILITARY  MONUMENT,  NEW  ALBANY. 


LEONIDAS  SHACKELFORD,  of  Glasgow,  Missouri,  born  Jan.  7,  1833,  died  Aug.  5,  1852.  In 
whose  memory  this  monument  is  erected  by  his  brothers  and  sisters.  Without  earthly 
friends,  he  died  in  a  strange  land,  realizing  in  full  a  sainted  mother's  prayer,  that  a  pre 
cious  Bible  which  she  had  given  him  would  be  his  guide  through  life,  and  in  death  his  con 
solation.  Prov.  verses  17  to  23. 


Logansport,  the  county  seat  of  Cass  county,  is  situated  on  the  Wabash 
River  and  Canal,  at  the  mouth  of  Eel  River,  jjnd  is  intersected  by  the  Toledo, 
Wabash  and  Western  and  the  Cincinnati,  Logansport  and  Chicago  Railroads, 
70  miles  N.  by  W.  from  Indianapolis,  166  W.  of  Toledo,  and  42  N.E.  from 
Lafayette.  It  is  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  and  just  below  the 
falls,  which  furnish  immense  water  power,  and  has  a  large  trade  by  river, 
canal  and  plank  roads  with  the  fertile  region  on  every  side,  th«  products  of 
which  are  sent  to  the  eastern  and  southern  markets.  Logansport  has  a  city 


190  INDIANA. 

charter,  3  banks,  6  churches,  and  a  fine  court  house  of  hewn  stone.  "West 
Logansport,  on  the  west  bank  of  Eel  River,  is  included  in  the  corporate 
limits.  Population,  in  1860,  3,690. 

Jcffersonv'dle  is  a  nourishing  town.  Opposite  Louisville,  Ky.,  on  the  Ohio 
River,  which  is  here  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  wide,  108  miles  S.  by  E. 
of  Indianapolis,  and  48  below  Madison.  It  is  at  the  terminus  of  the  Jeffer- 
scnville  and  Indianapolis  Railroad,  and  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Steuben,  and 
is  beautifully  situated  just  above  the  falls  in  the  Ohio,  which  descend  22 
feet  in  two  miles,  producing  a  rapid  current,  which,  in  time,  by  the  immense 
•water  power  it  affords,  will,  if  a  canal  is  made  around  the  falls  on  the  In 
diana  side,  render  this  a  large  and  prosperous  manufacturing  city.  Jeffer- 
sonville  has  great  facilities  for  doing  business,  and  is  said  to  possess  the  best 
landing  place  on  the  Ohio  River.  The  state  penitentiary  is  located  here. 
Population  about  3,500. 

Lawrcncelmry,  city  and  county  seat  of  Dearborn,  is  on  the  Ohio,  22  miles 
below  Cincinnati,  and  two  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Miami,  the  line 
of  separation  between  Ohio  and  Indiana.  The  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  and 
Indianapolis  and  Cincinnati  Railroads,  intersect  at  this  point.  Population 
about  4,000. 

A  few  miles  below  Lawrenceburg,  is  a  small  stream  emptying  into  the 
Ohio,  known  as  Laughery's  creek.  It  derived  its  name  from  the  calamitous 
defeat  of  Col.  Archibald  Laughery  by  the  Indians.  This  took  place  in  the 
spring  of  1782,  and  was  the  most  disastrous  military  event  that  ever  occur 
red  upon  the  soil  of  Indiana.  The  annexed  account  is  from  Day's  Hist.  Col 
lections,  of  Pa. : 

Col.  Laughery  had  been  requested,  by  Col.  Clark,  to  raise  100  volunteers  in 
the  county  of  Westmoreland,  Pa.,  to  aid  him  against  the  Ohio  Indians.  The  com 
pany  was  raised  principally  at  his  own  expense,  and  he  also  provided  the  outfit 
and  munitions  for  the  expedition.  In  this  he  was  aided  by  the  late  Robert  Orr,  by 
birth  an  Irishman,  but  who  manifested  a  deep  and  generous  interpst  in  his  adopted 
country.  Mr.  Orr  was  one  of  the  officers,  and  next  in  command  under  Col. 
Laughery. 

There  were  107  men  in  the  expedition,  who  proceeded  in  boats  down  the  Ohio, 
to  meet  Gen.  Clark,  at  the  Falls.  At  the  mouth  of  a  creek  in  the  south-eastern  paa't 
of  Indiana,  that  bears  the  name  of  the  commander,  the  boats  were  attacked  by  the 
Indians.  Of  the  whole  detachment,  not  one  escaped.  Col.  Laughery  was  killed, 
and  most  of  his  officers.  Capt.  Orr,  who  commanded  a  company,  had  his  arm 
broken  with  a  ball.  The  wounded,  who  were  unable  to  travel,  were  dispatched 
with  the  tomahawk,  and  the  few  who  escaped  with  their  lives,  were  driven  through 
the  wilderness  to  Sandusky.  Capt.  Orr  was  taken  to  Detroit,  where  he  lay  in  the 
hospital  for  several  months,  and,  with  the  remnant  who  lived,  was  exchanged,  in 
the  spring  of  1 783. 

South  Bend,  the  county  seat  of  St.  Joseph,  is  on  the  Michigan  Southern  and 
Northern  Indiana  Railroad,  85  miles  easterly  from  Chicago ;  also  on  St.  Jo 
seph  River,  which  furnishes,  by  means  of  a  dam  at  this  point,  a  vast  water 
power.  It  has  some  30  stores,  6  churches,  2  Catholic  Female  Seminaries, 
and  in  1860,  4,013  inhabitants. 

Michigan  City  is  on  Lake  Michigan,  in  La  Porte  county,  54  miles  by  rail 
road  from  Chicago,  and  154  from  Indianapolis.  It  has  communication  by 
the  Michigan  Central,  and  New  Albany  and  Salem  Railroads,  and  the  lake 
with  all  parts  of  the  country.  It  is  noted  for  the  manufacture  of  railroad 
cars,  and  has  about  4,000  inhabitants. 

•   Laporte,  the  county  seat  of  Laporte  county,  in  the  north-western  part  of 
the  state,  is  at  the  junction  of  the  Cincinnati,  Peru  and  Chicago,  with  the 


INDIANA. 


191 


UNIVERSITY  OF  INDIANA,  BLOOMINGTON. 


Michigan  Southern  and  Northern  Railroads,  58  miles  from  Chicago,  on  the 
northern  margin  of  the  beautiful  and  fertile  Door  Prairie,  so  named  from  an 
Indian  chief.  It  was  first  organized  as  a  city  in  1853,  is  a  very  flourishing 
ousiness  place,  and  has  9  churches  and  6,000  inhabitants. 

Jtloomington,  the  county  seat  of  Monroe  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the  New 
Albany  and   Salem  Railroad,  96   miles  north  from  New  Albany.     It  was 

laid  out  in  1818,  by  Benjamin 
Park,  agent  for  the  county  com 
missioners.  Its  public  build 
ings  are  substantial,  arid  the 
public  square  pleasantly  orna 
mented  with  shade  trees  and 
shrubbery.  It  is  noted  as  a 
place  of  education.  It  has  two 
female  seminaries,  and  is  the 
seat  of  the  State  University, 
founded  in  1835.  Greencasflr, 
capital  of  the  neighboring  coun 
ty  of  Putnam,  40  miles  by  rail 
road  weot  of  Indianapolis,  is 
the  seat  of  the  Indiana  Asbury 
University,  founded  in  1837,  arid  which  is  not  excelled  by  any  institution  in 
the  state.  Unusual  attention  is  given  in  this  vicinity  to  the  cultivation  of 
fruit,  the  apple,  pear,  peach  and  grape,  for  which  the  soil  is  well  adapted. 
Crawfordsvilk,  the  county  seat  of  Montgomery,  which  adjoins  Putnam  on 
the  north,  is  on  the  New  Albany  and  Salem  Railroad,  and  45  miles  north 
west  of  Indianapolis.  It  is  in  a  rich  country,  and  is  the  seat  of  Wubash  Col 
lege,  founded  in  1835,  an  institution  of  excellent  repute.  Bloornington, 
GreencavStle,  and  Crawfordsville,  have  each  about  2,500  inhabitants. 

Corydon,  the  county  seat  of  Harrison  county,  in  southern  Indiana,  is  a 
town  of  about  1.200  inhabitants.  In  1813.  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
Territory  of  Indiana  was  removed  from  Vin- 
cennes  to  this  place.  When,  in  1816,  Indiana 
was  erected  into  a  state,  Corydon  was  made  the 
capital,  and  so  remained  until  1825,  when  it  was 
removed  to  Indianapolis.  The  court  house  here, 
built  of  stone,  was  the  original  state  house,  and 
the  edifice  in  which  was  formed  the  first  consti 
tution  of  Indiana. 

Vevay,  the  county  seat  of  Switzerland  county, 
is  a  small  town  on  the  Ohio  River,  about  half 
way  between  Cincinnati  and  Louisville.  The 
place  is  of  note,  from  its  having  been  one  of  the 
first  settlements  in  the  state,  and  for  the  attempt 
made  there  to  cultivate  the  grape  for  the  pur 
pose  of  manufacturing  wine. 

It  was  laid  out  in  the  year  1813,  by  John 
Francis  Denfour  and  Daniel  Denfour,  emigrants  capital° 
from  Switzerland,  who,  in  remembrance  of  their  native  town,  gave  it  its 
present  name.  Part  of  the  land  was  entered  by  John  James  Denfour  and 
his  associates,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  and  an  extended 
credit  given,  by  an  act  of  congress,  with  a  view  of  encouraging  the  culture 
of  the  grape. 


THE  OLD  STATE  HOUSE. 
Situated  in  Corydon,  the  original 


102 


INDIANA 


Tun  Ji'o  HOCK, 
About  seventy  fuct  high. 


In  the  south  part  of  Indiana  are  some  curiosities  of  nature.  Eleven  miles  from 
Corydon,  and  in  Crawford  county,  is  the  Wijandot  Cuve,  which  is  considered  by 
many  to  equal  the  celebrated  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky.  It  has  been  explored 
for  several  miles,  and  found  to  contain  magnificent  chambers  and  galleries,  rich  in 

stalactites  and  other  lime  concretions.  Two  other 
curiosities,  which  are  near  the  line  of  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  railroad,  have  only  come  into  no 
tice  since  the  construction  of  that  work.  The 
Jug  Rock  is  at  Shoal  Station,  in  Martin  county, 
ISO  miles  west  of  Cincinnati,  and  derives  its 
name  from  its  resemblance  in  form  to  a  homely 
and  useful  utensil.  It  is  a  lone  standing  pillar 
of  sandstone,  of  about  soventv  feet  in  hight,  in 
the  midst  of  a  forest  of  beach  and  sugar  trees. 
It  is  an  unusual  object  for  this  region  ;  but  in 
the  valley  of  the  Upper  M  issouri  and  on  the  high 
table  lands  farther  west  such  formations  abound, 
Lieut.  Simpson,  in  his  exploration?  in  New  Mex 
ico,  (-mud  at  one  spot  "  hiich  sandstone  rocks 
of  almost  every  shape  a. rid  character  imaginable. 
There  were  to  be  seen  at  once,  domes,  pillars, 
turrets,  pinnacles,  spires,  castles,  vases,  tables, 
pitched  roofs,  and  a  number  of  other  objects  of 
a  well  defined  figurative  character." 

Near  Mitchells  Station,  in  Lawrence  countv, 
28  miles  east  of  the  above,  is  Hainerx  Mill  Xtreain  Gave.  Water  Hows  out  at  all 
seasons  sufficient  to  furnish  motive  power  fora  saw  mill,  grist  mill,  and  a  distillery 
located  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  opening.  It  is  owned  by  Mr.  Hugh 
Hainer.  The  source  of  the  stream  has  never  been  ascertained.  At  the  time  of 
the  construction  of  the  railroad,  two  of 
the  surveyors  attempted  to  explore  it  to 
its  source.  They  entered  it  in  a  canoe, 
and  were  absent  two  days  and  the  in 
tervening  night,  penetrating  it,  as  they 
judged,  about  nine  miles,  and  without 
reaching  its  termination.  No  particular 
change  was  found  in  the  dimensions  of 
the  cavity,  excepting  an  occasional  open 
ing  out  into  large  chambers.  Such  an 
exploration  in  certain  seasons  would  be 
perilous.  Often,  after  a  hard  shower  of 
rain,  the  water  suddenly  rises  and  pours 
out  in  such  a  volume  as  to  completely  fill 
up  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  issuing  from 
it  like  water  from  the  pipe  of  a  tire  en 
gine.  In  1856,  Capt.  John  Pope,  of  the 
corps  of  U.  S.  topographical  engineers, 
discovered  a  similar  curiosity  near  the 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  about 
lat.  32  deg.  and  long.  105  deg.,  which  he 
named  Phantom  River.  A  stream  of 
some  60  feet  in  width  came  out  of  one 
cave,  ran  150  feet  in  daylight,  and  then 
plunging  into  another  by  a  cascade  of  a  great  but  unknown  depth,  was  seen  no 
more. 


II  AMER'S  MILL  STREAM  CAVE. 

It  has  been  explored  about  nine  miles  in  a  canoe. 
It  furnishes  motive  power  for  two  mills  and  a  dis 
tillery. 


Beside  the  towns  described,  Indiana  contains  numerous  others  of  from 
1,500  to  2,500  each.  These  are  mostly  county  seats,  some  of  them  on  rail 
road  lines,  and  places  of  active  business.  They  are,  Attica,  in  Fountain 


INDIANA.  193 


county ;  Aurora,  in  Dearborn  county ;  Cambridge  City,  in  Wayne  county ; 
Cannelton,  in  Perry  county  ;  Columbus  t  in  Bartholomew  county  ;  Connersville, 
in  Fayette  county;  Delphi,  in  Carroll  county;  Franklin,  in  Johnson  county; 
Goshen,  in  Elkhart  county;  Greensburg,  in  Decatur  county;  Huntington,  in 
Huntington  county;  Mishawaka,  in  St.  Joseph  county;  Mt.  Vernon,  in 
Posey  county;  Muncie,  in  Delaware  county;  Peru,  in  Miami  county;  Prince 
ton,  in  Gibson  county;  Rising  Sun,  in  Ohio  county;  Rockville,  in  Parke 
county;  and  Shelbyville.  in  Shelby  county. 


iu/1,  ill  vriUBUii    county  ,   jn,isiny    o«/t,   m    \j 
county;  and  Shelbyville,  in  Shelby  county. 

13 


ILLINOIS. 


^  THE  name  of  this  state,  Illinois,  is  partly  Indian  and  partly  French :  it 
signifies  real  men,  and  was  originally  applied  to  the  Indians  who  dwelt  on 

the  banks  of  the  river  of  that  name. 
For  a  long  period  the  great  tract  of 
territory  lying  N.W.  of  the  Ohio,  was 
termed  the  "Illinois  country."  The 
first  white  men  of  whom  we  have 
any  authentic  knowledge,  who  tra 
versed  any  part  within  the  present 
limits  of  Illinois,  were  James  Mar- 
quette,  a  Catholic  missionary,  and  M. 
Joliet,  both  Frenchmen  from  Canada. 
This  was  in  1673.  The  next  were 
Robert  de  la  Salle,  a  young  Frenchman 
of  noble  family,  and  Louis  Hennepin,  a 
Franciscan  friar.  After  leaving 
Chicago,  La  Salle  and  his  companions 
proceeded  down  Illinois  River,  and 
reached  Peoria  Jan.  4,  1680. 

The  first  settlements  in  Illinois 
were  made  by  the  French,  at  Kaskas- 
kia,  Cahokia,  and  Peoria.  It  clearly  appears  that  Father  Gravier  began  a 
mission  among  the  Illinois  before  1693,  and  became  the  founder  of  Kaskas 
kia.  At  first  it  was  merely  a  missionary  station,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
village  consisted  entirely  of  natives;  the  other  villages,  Peoria  and  Cahokia, 
seem  at  first  to  have  been  of  the  same  kind. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  settlements  in  Illinois  are 
represented  to  have  been  in  a  flourishing  condition.  Kaskaskia  had  become 
a  considerable  town  before  any  great  progress  had  been  made  on  the  lower 
Mississippi.  The  French  writers  of  this  period  give  glowing  descriptions  of 
the  beauty,  fertility,  and  mineral  wealth  of  the  country,  and  to  add  to  its 
attractions,  a  monastery  of  Jesuits  was  established  at  Kaskaskia. 

From  the  beginning  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  but  little  is 
related.  Disputes  arose,  between  England  and  France,  respecting  the  boun 
daries  of  their  different  colonies,  which,  unhappily,  had  never  been  sufficient 
ly  defined.  The  French,  anticipating  a  struggle  for  the  preservation  of  their 
American  possessions,  strengthened  their  fortifications  on  the  Great  Lakes, 
on  the  Ohio,  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  valley  of 

195 


ARMS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


196  ILLINOIS. 

the  Mississippi.  The  British,  on  the  other  hand,  claimed  the  country  on  the 
Ohio,  and  in  the  vicinity,  by  virtue  of  their  ancient  discoveries  and  the  char 
ters  which  they  had  granted.  The  Ohio  Company,  which  was  formed  soon 
after,  produced  hostilities  between  the  two  nations.  On  the  termination  of 
the  French  war,  by  which  Great  Britain  obtained  possession  of  Canada,  the 
whole  of  the  Illinois  country  also  came  into  their  possession.  The  total 
white  population  could  not  then  have  exceeded  3,000. 

The  following  descriptions  of  the  French  settlements  at  this  period,  and 
there  were  none  other  in  Illinois,  we  find  in  Perkins'  Annals,  the  edition  by 
J.  M.  Peck.  It  is  there  copied  from  "  The  Present  State  of  the  European 
Settlements  on  the  Mississippi,  by  Capt.  Philip  Pitman,"  published  in  Lon 
don  in  1770: 

"The  village  of  Notre  Dame  de  Cascasquias  (Kaskaskia),  is  by  far  the  most  con 
siderable  settlement  in  the  country  of  the  Illinois,  as  well  from  its  number  of  in 
habitants,  as  from  its  advantageous  situation.  *  * 

Mons.  Paget  was  the  first  who  introduced  water-mills  in  this  country,  and  he 
constructed  a  very  fine  one  on  the  Kiver  Cascasquias,  which  was  both  for  grinding 
corn  and  sawing  boards.  It  lies  about  one  mile  from  the  village.  The  mill  proved 
fatal  to  him,  being  killed  as  he  was  working  it,  with  two  negroes,  by  a  party  of 
the  Cherokees,  in  the  year  1764. 

The  principal  buildings  are,  the  church  and  the  Jesuits'  house,  which  has  a 
small  chapel  adjoining  it ;  these,  as  well  as  some  other  houses  in  the  village,  are 
built  of  stone,  and,  considering  this  part  of  the  world,  make  a  very  good  appear 
ance.  The  Jesuits'  plantation  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  forty  arpents  (a  little 
over  200  acres)  of  cultivated  land,  a  very  good  stock  of  cattle,  and  a  brewery ; 
which  was  sold  by  the  French  commandant,  after  the  country  was  ceded  to  the 
English,  for  the  crown,  in  consequence  of  the  suppression  of  the  order. 

Mons.  Beauvais  was  the  purchaser,  who  is  the  richest  of  the  English  subjects  in 
this  country;  he  keeps  eighty  slaves;  he  furnishes  eighty-six  thousand  weight  of 
flour  to  the  king's  magazine,  which  was  only  a  part  of  the  harvest  he  reaped  in 
one  year. 

Sixty-five  families  reside  in  this  village,  besides  merchants,  other  casual  people, 
and  slaves.  The  fort,  which  was  burnt  down  in  October,  1766,  stood  on  the  sum 
mit  of  a  high  rock  opposite  the  village,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  (Kaskaskia) 
river.  It  was  an  oblongular  quadrangle,  of  which  the  exterior  polygon  measured 
two  hundred  and  ninety  by  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet.  It  was  built  of  very 
thick  squared  timber,  and  dove-tailed  at  the  angles.  An  officer  and  twenty  sol 
diers  are  quartered  in  the  village.  The  officer  governs  the  inhabitants,  under  the 
direction  of  the  commandant  at  Chartres.  Here  also  are  two  companies  of 
militia." 

Prairie  du  Rocher,  or  "La  Prairie  de  Roches,"  as  Captain  Pitman  has  it,  is  next 
described — 

"As  about  seventeen  (fourteen)  miles  from  Cascasquias.  It  is  a  small  village, 
consisting  of  twelve  dwelling-houses,  all  of  which  are  inhabited  by  as  many  fami 
lies.  Here  is  a  little  chapel,  formerly  a  chapel  of  ease  to  the  church  at  Fort 
Chartres.  The  inhabitants  here  are  very  industrious,  and  raise  a  great  deal  of 
corn  and  every  kind  of  stock.  The  village  is  two  miles  from  Fort  Chartres.  [This 
means  Little  Village,  which  was  a  mile,  or  more,  nearer  than  the  fort.]  ]t  takes 
its  name  from  its  situation,  being  built  under  a  rock  that  runs  parallel  with  the 
River  Mississippi  at  a  league  distance,  for  forty  miles  up.  Here  is  a  company  o£ 
militia,  the  captain  of  which  regulates  the  police  of  the  village." 

Saint  Phillippe  is  a  small  village  about  five  miles  from  Fort  Chartres,  on  the 
road  to  Kaoquias.  There  are  about  sixteen  houses  and  a  small  church  standing; 
all  of  the  inhabitants,  except  the  captain  of  the  militia,  deserted  it  in  1765,  and 
went  to  the  French  side  (Missouri).  The  captain  of  the  militia  has  about  twenty 
slaves,  a  good  stock  of  cattle,  and  a  water-mill  for  corn  and  planks.  This  village 
stands  in  a  very  fine  meadow,  about  one  mile  from  the  Mississippi." 

"  The  village  of  Saint  Famille  de  Kaoquias,"  so  Pitman  writes,  "  is  generally 


ILLINOIS. 


197 


reckoned  fifteen  leagues  from  Fort  Chartres,  and  six  leagues  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Missouri.  It  stands  near  the  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  is  marked  from  the 
river  by  an  island  of  two  leagues  long.  The  village  is  opposite  the  center  of  this 
island;  it  is  long  and  straggling,  being  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  one  end  to 
the  other.  It  contains  forty-five  dwelling-houses,  and  a  church  near  its  center. 
The  situation  is  not  well  chosen,  as  in  the  floods  it  is  generally  overflowed  two  or 
three  feet.  This  was  the  first  settlement  on  the  Mississippi.  The  land  was  pur 
chased  of  the  savages  by  a  few  Canadians,  some  of  whom  married  women  of  the 
Kaoquias  nation,  and  others  brought  wives  from  Canada,  and  then  resided  there, 
leaving  their  children  to  succeed  them. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  place  depend  more  on  hunting,  and  their  Indian  trade, 
than  on  agriculture,  as  they  scarcely  raise  corn  enough  for  their  own  consumption; 
they  have  a  great  plenty  of  poultry,  and  good  stocks  of  horned  cattle. 

The  mission  of  St.  Sulpice  had  a  very  fine  plantation  here,  and  an  excellent 
house  built  on  it.  They  sold  this  estate  and  a  very  good  mill  for  corn  and  planks, 
to  a  Frenchman  who  chose  to  remain  under  the  English  government.  They  also 
disposed  of  thirty  negroes  and  a  good  stock  of  cattle  to  different  people  in  the 
country,  and  returned  to  France  in  1764.  What  is  called  the  fort  is  a  small  house 
standing  in  the  center  of  the  village.  It  differs  nothing  from  the  other  houses,  ex 
cept  in  being  one  of  the  poorest.  It  was  formerly  inclosed  with  high  pallisades, 
but  these  were  torn  down  and  burnt.  Indeed,  a  fort  at  this  place  could  be  of  but 
little  use." 

The  conquest  of  Illinois  from  the  British,  in  1778,  by  Gen.  Geo.  Rogers 
Clark,  when  he  took  possession  of  the  forts  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  and  St. 
Vincent,  the  hitter  now  the  Yincennes  of  Indiana,  was  one  of  the  most 
romantic  episodes  in  our  western  history.  It  made  known  the  fertile  plains 
of  Illinois  to  the  people  of  the  Atlantic  states,  exciting  an  emigration  to  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Some  of  those  in  that  expedition  afterward  were 
ampng  the  first  emigrants.  Prior  to  this,  the  only  settlements  in  Illinois, 
were  the  old  French  villages  of  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  Peoria,  Prairie  du 
Rocher,  Fort  Cliartres,  Fort  Massac,  Village  a  Cote,  Prairie  du  Pont,  and  a 
few  families  scattered  along  the  Wabash  and  Illinois.  In  October,  1778,  the 
general  assembly  of  Virginia  passed  an  act  to  organize  the  county  of  Illinois. 
In  1784,  Virginia  ceded  her  claims  to  the  territory  north-west  of  the  Ohio 
to  the  United  States.  This,  by  the  ordinance  of  1787,  was  erected  into  the 
North-west  Territory.  Still  the  Illinois  country  remained  without  any 
organized  government  until  March,  1790,  when  Gov.  St.  Clair  organized  St. 
Clair  county. 

The  first  settlement  in  Illinois  by  emigrants  from  the  United  States,  was  in  1781, 
near  Bellefontaine,  Monroe  county,  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  state.  It  was 
made  by  James  Moore,  with  his  family,  accompanied  by  James  Garrison,  'Robert 
Kidd,  Shadrach  Bond,  and  Larken  Rutherford.  Their  route  out  was  through  the 
wilderness  from  Virginia  to  the  Ohio,  then  down  that  stream  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  up  the  latter  to  Kaskaskia.  Part  of  them  settled  in  the  American  bottom,  near 
Harrisonville.  This  station  afterward  became  known  as  the  block-house  fort. 
Other  parties  joined  them  and  the  settlements  increased.  They,  however,  suffered 
much  from  the  Indians  until  Wayne's  treaty,  in  1795,  brought  peace.  Many  were 
killed,  others  taken  captives,  and  often  while  laboring  in  the  field  they  were  obliged 
to  carry  their  rifles,  and  also  often  at  night  compelled  to  keep  guard. 

In  1800,  Illinois  formed  part  of  a  separate  territory  by  the  name  of  In 
diana,  in  conjunction  with  the  state  now  bearing  that  name.  A  second  di 
vision  took  place  in  1809,  and  the  western  portion  of  Indiana  was  formed 
into  a  separate  territory  bearing  the  name  of  Illinois.  In  1818,  Illinois  was 
erected  into  a  separate  state.  Hon.  Ninian  Edwards,  chief  justice  of  Ken 
tucky,  was  chosen  governor,  and  Nathaniel  Pope,  Esq.,  secretary.  Since  that 
period  it  has  rapidly  gone  forward,  increasing  in  population,  wealth  and  power. 


198  ILLINOIS. 

In  the  year  1812,  Gen.  Hull,  who  surrendered  Detroit  into  the  hands  of 
the  British,  directed  Capt.  Heald,  who  commanded  Fort  Dearborn,  at  Chi 
cago,  to  distribute  his  stores  to  the  Indians,  and  retire  to  Fort  Wayne.  Not 
having  full  confidence  in  the  Indians,  he  threw  the  powder  into  the  well  and 
wasted  the  whisky.  As  these  were  the  articles  they  most  wanted,  they  were 
so  exasperated  that  they  fell  upon  the  garrison,  after  they  had  proceeded  two 
miles  from  the  fort,  and  massacred  41  of  them,  with  2  women  and  12  chil 
dren,  the  latter  tomahawked  in  a  wagon  by  one  young  savage. 

In  1840,  the  Mormons  being  driven  out  of  Missouri,  located  a  city  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River,  which  they  called  Nauvoo.  They  had 
extraordinary  privileges  granted  them  by  the  state.  But  here,  as  elsewhere, 
numerous  difficulties  arose  between  them  and  the  inhabitants  in  the  vicinity. 
The  military  were  called  out  by  the  governor  to  suppress  the  disorders  which 
arose.  Joseph  Smith,  the  JVlormon  prophet  and  leader,  with  his  brother 
Hiram,  were  imprisoned  in  a  jail  in  Carthage.  On  June  27,  1844,  they 
were  both  killed  by  a  mob,  which  broke  into  their  place  of  confinement. 
The  Mormons,  soon  after  this  event,  began  their  movement  toward  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

At  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of  Illinois  by  the  French,  it  is  sup 
posed  that  within  the  present  limits  of  the  state,  there  were  some  eight  or 
nine  thousand  Indians.  They  are  described,  by  travelers,  as  having  been  re 
markably  handsome,  kind,  and  well  mannered.  When  the  French  first  came 
they  were  feasted  by  the  natives  in  four  courses,  the  first  of  hominy,  the 
second  of  fish,  the  third  of  dog,  which  the  Frenchmen  appear  to  have  de 
clined,  and  the  whole  concluded  with  roasted  buffalo.  Few  or  none  of  the 
descendants  of  the  tribes  occupying  this  region,  now  linger  within  or  around 
it,  their  titles  having  been  extinguished  from  time  to  time  by  treaties  with 
the  United  States  government.  The  white  inhabitants  were  somewhat 
annoyed  by  hostile  Indians  during  the  war  of  1812,  and  also  in  1832,  during 
the  prevalence  of  the  "Black  Hawk  war,"  which  created  much  distress  and 
alarm  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state. 

Illinois  is  bounded  N.  by  Wisconsin,  E.  by  the  southern  portion  of  Lake 
Michigan,  by  the  state  of  Indiana,  and  by  the  Ohio  River,  S.  by  the  Ohio 
River,  dividing  it  from  Kentucky,  and  W.  by  the  Mississippi  River,  divid 
ing  it  from  Missouri  and  Iowa.  It  lies  between  37°  and  42°  30'  N.  lat.,  and 
87°  17'  and  91°  50'  W.  long.,  being  about  380  miles  in  its  extreme  length 
from  N.  to  S.,  and  about  200  in  its  greatest  and  140  in  its  average  breadth 
from  E.  to  W.,  containing  upward  of  35,000,000  of  acres,  of  which,  in  1850, 
only  5,175,173  acres  were  improved,  showing  an  immense  capability  for  in 
crease  of  population  in  this  very  fertile  state,  which  has  scarcely  any  soil 
but  that  is  capable  of  cultivation. 

The  surface  is  generally  level,  and  it  has  no  mountains.  About  two 
thirds  of  it  consists  of  immense  prairies,  presenting  to  view,  in  some  places, 
immense  plains  extending  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  beautifully  covered 
with  grass,  herbage' and  flowers.  These  prairies  are  generally  skirted  with 
wood,  near  which  are  settlements.  They  are  also,  in  many  places,  inter 
spersed  with  groups  of  trees. 

The  largest  prairie  in  Illinois  is  denominated  the  Grand  Prairie.  Under 
this  general  name  is  embraced  the  country  lying  between  the  waters  falling 
into  the  Mississippi,  and  those  which  enter  the  Wabash  Rivers.  It  does  not 
consist  of  one  vast  tract,  but  is  made  up  of  continuous  tracts  with  points  of 
timber  projecting  inward,  and  long  arms  of  prairie  extending  between.  The 


ILLINOIS.  199 

southern  points  of  the  Grand  Prairie  are  formed  in  Jackson  county,  and  ex 
tend  in  a  north-eastern  course,  varying  in  width  from  one  to  twelve  miles, 
through  Perry,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Marion,  Fayette,  Effingham,  Coles, 
Champaign,  and  Iroquois  counties,  where  it  becomes  connected  with  the 
prairies  that  project  eastward  from  the  Illinois  River.  A  large  arm  lies  in 
Marion  county,  between  the  waters  of  Crooked  creek  and  the  east  fork  of 
the  Kaskaskia  River,  where  the  Yincennes  road  passes  through.  This  part 
alone  is  frequently  called  the  Grand  Prairie. 

For  agricultural  purposes,  Illinois  is  unsurpassed  by  any  state  in  the 
Union.  In  some  of  her  river  bottoms  the  rich  soil  is  25  feet  deep.  The 
great  American  bottom,  lying  on  the  Mississippi,  80  miles  in  length,  is  of 
exceeding  fertility,  and  has  been  cultivated  for  100  years  without  apparent 
deterioration.  Illinois  is  the  greatest  corn  producing  state  in  the  Union;  its 
yield  in  1860  was  estimated  at  100,000,000  of  bushels,  and  the  average  yield 
per  acre  at  over  50  bushels. 

Illinois  is  rich  in  minerals.  In  the  north-west  part  of  the  state  vast  beds 
of  lead  ore  abound.  Bituminous  coal  is  found  in  almost  every  county,  and 
may  be  often  obtained  without  excavation.  Iron  ore  is  found  in  many  local 
ities,  and  copper,  zinc,  etc.  There  are  salt  springs  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  state  from  which  salt  is  manufactured,  and  also  medicinal  springs  in  va 
rious  places.  Illinois  is  most  favorably  situated  for  internal  commerce.  By 
means  of  the  great  rivers  on  her  borders,  Lake  Michigan  at  the  north-east, 
and  by  her  magnificent  system  of  railroads,  she  has  great  facilities  for  com 
munication  in  every  direction.  Population,  in  1810,  was  12,282;  in  1830, 
157,445;  in  1850,851,470;  in  1860,  1,691,238. 


CHICAGO,  the  most  populous  commercial  city  of  the  north-west,  is  on  the 
western  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  about  30  miles  northward  from  its  south  end, 
at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  River,  on  the  margin  of  a  prairie  of  several  miles 
in  width.  It  is  928  miles  from  New  York,  278  fijom  Detroit,  180  from  Ga 
lena,  285  from  St.  Louis,  300  from  Cincinnati,  and  183  from  Springfield. 
Population,  in  1840,  4,853;  in  1850,  29,963;  and  in  1860, 109,420. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  history  of  Chicago  is  given  in  a  recent  pub 
lication: 

The  first  explorers  of  Lake  Michigan,  the  first  white  men  to  pitch  their  tenta  on 
the  Chicago  prairie,  and  to  haul  up  their  boats  upon  its  river  banks  and  lake  shore, 
were  the  French  Jesuit  missionaries  and  fur  traders,  under  the  guidance  of  Nicho 
las  Perrot,  who  was  also  acting  as  the  agent  of  the  government  in  the  west.  This 
was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1669.  At  that  time  this  territory  was  in  the  pos 
session  of  the  Miami  tribe  of  Indians,  but  subsequently  the  Pottawatomies  crowded 
back  the  Miamis,  and  became  the  sole  possessors,  until  the  year  1795,  when  they 
became  parties  to  the  treaty  with  Wayne,  by  which  a  tract  of  land  six  miles  square 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River,  was  ceded  to  the  United  States — the  first  ex 
tinction  of  Indian  title  to  the  land  on  which  Chicago  is  built.  For  nearly  a  hun 
dred  years  during  the  time  of  the  French  possession,  and  after  its  cession  to  the 
English,  Chicago  has  little  mention  in  history. 

During  this  time  it  is  only  known  from  incidental  circumstances,  that  in  those 
dark  days  of  French  possession,  there  was  a  fort  near  the  mouth  of  the  river,  that 
there  were  Indian  villages  near  the  Calumet  and  on  the  Des  Plaines,  that  here 
were  the  roving  grounds  of  the  Pottawatomies,  and  that  from  the  head  waters  of 
the  Illinois  to  the  Chicago  River,  was"  the  common  portage  for  the  trade  and  tran 
sit  of  the  goods  and  furs  between  the  Indians  and  the  traders,  and  that  the  ship 
ping  point  was  from  the  port  at  Chicago.  The  few  white  men  who  were  there 


200 


ILLINOIS. 


were  there  not  for  the  purpose  of  making  settlements,  but  simply  to  carry  on  a 
trade  with  the  Indians,  the  gain  from  which  must  have  been  of  no  inconsiderable 
amount.  They  were  men  of  limited  education,  and  could  not  have  been  expected 
to  have  any  accounts  of  their  adventures.  This  state  of  things  existed  until  the 
close  of  the  general  western  Indian  war,  soon  after  the  termination  of  the  war  of 
the  revolution.  During  this  war  the  intrigue  of  the  English  was  constantly  excit 
ing  the  Indians  to  warfare,  to  such  a  degree  that,  after  peace  was  declared  betweeo 


Chicago  in  1831. 

Fort  Dearborn  Is  seen  in  the  central  part,  on  a  slightly  elevated  point,  on  the  south  side  of  Chicago 
River,  near  the  lake  shore  shown  in  front. 

the  old  and  the  new  country,  a  general  war  of  the  Indians  against  the  United 
States  broke  out.  This  war  continued  until  1795,  when,  after  having  been  severely 
punished  by  Gen.  Wavne,  the  chiefs  of  the  several  tribes  assembled,  by  his  invi 
tation,  at  Greenville,  Ohio,  and  there  effected  a  treaty  of  peace,  thus  closing  the 
war  of  the  west.  In  this  treaty  numerous  small  tracts  of  land  were  ceded  by  the 
Indians  to  the  states,  and  among  them  was  one  described  as  "one  piece  of  land  six 
miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  Chicajo  (Chicago)  River,  emptying  into  the  south 
west  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  where  a  fort  formerly  stood." 

This  may  be  called  the  first  "land  sale,"  and  which  has  been  the  precursor  to  a 
business  which  has  entailed  to  its  participants  independence  and  wealth.  But  lit 
tle  time  passed  before  the  proprietors  thought  best  to  enter  upon  active  possession, 
and  in  1804  a  fort  was  built  upon  the  spot  by  government.  This  fort  remained 
until  the  year  1816,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  at  the  time  of  the  mas 
sacre.  This  fort  was  called  Fort  Dearborn,  a  name  which  it  retained  during  its 
existence.  Its  location  was  upon  a  slightly  elevated  point  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  near  the  lake  shore,  and  commanded  a  good  view  of  the  lake,  the  prairie 
extending  to  the  south,  the  belt  of  timber  along  the  south  branch  and  the  north 
branch,  and  the  white  sand  hills  to  the  north  and  south,  which  had  for  so  many 
years  been  the  sport  of  the  lake  winds.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  erection  of  this  fort, 
no  white  man  had  made  here  his  home,  the  Pottawatomie  Indians  having  undis 
puted  sway.  After  the  establishment  of  the  garrison,  there  gathered  here  a  few 
families  of  French  Canadians  and  half-breeds,  none  of  whom  possessed  more  than 
ordinary  intelligence. 

The  only  link  in  the  chain  of  civilization  which  admits  of  identity,  existed  in 
the  Kinzie  family,  who  came  here  to  reside  in  1804,  the  same  year  in  which  the 
fort  was  built.  John  Kinzie,  then  an  Indian  trader  in  the  St.  Joseph  country, 
Michigan,  in  that  year  became  the  first  permanent  white  resident  of  Chicago,  and 
to  him  is  due  the  honor  of  establishing  many  of  the  improvements  which  have 
made  Chicago  what  it  is.  For  nearly  twenty  years  he  was,  with  the  exception  of 
the  military,  the  only  white  inhabitant  of  northern  Illinois.  During  the  years  from 
1804  to  1820,  the  lake  trade  was  carried  on  by  a  small  sail  vessel,  coming  in  in  the 


ILLINOIS.  201 

fall  and  spring,  bringing  the  season's  supply  of  goods  and  stores  for  the  fort, 
and  taking  away  the  stock  of  furs  and  peltries  which  had  accumulated.  Mr. 
Kinzie  pursued  the  business  of  fur  trading  until  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities 
with  the  Indians,  which  resulted  in  the  massacre  of  1812.  The  friendly  feelings 
which  had  been  cultivated  between  himself  and  the  Indians,  preserved'  himself 
and  family  from  the  fate  which  befell  his  neighbors  of  the  fort.  Removing  for  a 
time,  in  1816  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  reopened  the  trade  with  the  Indians,  re 
siding  there  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1828. 

It  was  a  saying  with  the  Indians  that  "  the  first  white  man  who  settled  there  was 
a  negro,"  by  which  was  meant  Jean  Baptiste  Point-au-Sable,  who,  in  1796,  built 
the  first  house  in  Chicago,  which  he  afterward  sold  to  Le  Mai,  who  subsequently 
sold  it  to  Mr.  Kinzie.  In  1812  there  were  but  five  houses  outside  of  the  fort,  all 
of  which,  with  the  exception  of  that  owned  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  were  destroyed  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre.  In  August,  1816,  a  treaty  was  concluded  by  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  government,  with  the  various  Indian  tribes,  by  which  the  coun 
try  between  Chicago  and  the  waters  of  the  Illinois  River  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  on  the  4th  of  July. 

In  the  same  year,  the  troops  again  returned  to  their  former  locality,  and  a  new 
fort  was  erected,  under  the  direction  of  Capt.  Hezekiah  Bradley,  then  commander. 
It  stood  upon  the  same  ground  as  the  former  one,  and  remained  until  the  summer 
of  1856,  when  it  was  demolished  to  make  room  for  the  increasing  amount  of  business. 
The  reoccupancy  of  the  fort  by  the  troops  continued  until  May,  1823,  after  which 
time  it  was  occupied  by  the  Indian  agent,  and  used  for  the  temporary  accommoda 
tion  of  families  of  residents  recently  arrived.  On  the  10th  of  August,  1828,  the  fort 
was  again  occupied  by  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  afterward  .by  two  companies 
of  regular  troops,  under  the  command  of  Major  Fowle  and  Captain  Scotfc.  These 
last  remained  until  May,  1831,  when  the  fort  was  given  in  charge  of  George  W. 
Dole,  as  agent  for  the  government. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  in  1832,  it  was  reoccupied  by  a 
detachment  under  Gen.  Scott,  until  the  removal  of  the  Indians,  in  1836,  and,  until 
near  the  time  of  its  demolition,  was  held  by  the  government  for  the  occasional  use 
of  its  army  officers,  engineers  and  agents  connected  with  the  public  works.  From 
1816  to  1830,  Chicago  had  gained  the  number  of  twelve  or  fifteen  houses,  with  a 
population  of  less  than  one  hundred.  In  1818,  the  public  square,  where  now 
stands  the  court  house,  was  a  pond,  on  whose  banks  the  Indians  had  trapped  the 
muskrat,  and  where  the  first  settlers  hunted  ducks.  This  pond  had  an  outlet  in  a 
"  slough,"  as  it  was  then  called,  which  passed  over  the  present  site  of  the  Tremont 
House,  entering  the  river  at  the  end  of  State-street.  Along  the  shores  of  the  river 
the  wild  onion  was  found  in  great  abundance,  to  which  the  Indians  gave  the  name 
Chi-kajo,  and  from  which  the  city  doubtless  derived  its  name.  In  the  autumn  of 
1829,  the  town  of  Chicago  was  laid  out,  which  is  the  part  now  known  on  the  maps 
as  the  "original  town." 

The  site  of  Chicago  is  low,  being  but  about  five  feet  above  the  lake,  but 
sufficiently  elevated  to  prevent  inundation.  "  The  general  direction  of  the 
lake  shore  here,  is  north  and  south.  The  water,  except  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  is  shoal,  and  vessels  missing  the  entrance  ground,  go  to  pieces  in  a 
storm,  within  100  rods  of  the  shore.  The  harbor  of  Chicago  is  the  river, 
and  nothing  more.  It  is  a  short,  deep,  sluggish  stream,  creeping  through 
the  black,  fat  mud  of  the  prairie,  and  in  some  places  would  hardly  be  thought 
worthy  of  a  name;  but  it  makes  itself  wonderfully  useful  here.  Outside  of 
its  mouth  a  vessel  has  no  protection,  nor  are  there  any  piers  or  wharves. 
The  mouth  of  the  river  has  been  docked  and  dredged  out,  to  afford  a  more 
easy  entrance;  but,  after  you  are  once  in,  it  narrows  to  a  mere  canal,  from 
50  to  75  yards  in  width.  The  general  course  of  the  river,  for  about  three 
fourths  of  a  mile,  is  at  right  angles  with  the  lake  shore,  and  this  portion  is 
what  is  known  as  the  Chicago  River.  It  here  divides,  or,  more  properly,  two 
branches  unite  to  form  it,  coming  from  opposite  directions,  and  at  nearly 


202 


ILLINOIS. 


right  angles  to  the  main  stream.  These  are  called,  respectively,  the  'North 
Branch '  and  the  '  South  Branch,'  and  are  each  navigable  for  some  four 
miles,  giving,  in  the  aggregate,  a  river  front  of  some  15  or  16  miles,  capable 
of  being  increased  by  canals  and  slips,  some  of  which  have  already  been  con 
structed.  Into  the  'South  Branch'  comes  the  Illinois  canal,  extending  from 
this  point  100  miles  to  Lasalle,  on  the  Illinois  River,  forming  water  commu 
nication  between  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi.  For  the  want  of  a  map, 
take  the  letter  H ;  call  the  upright  column  on  the  right  hand  the  lake  shore ; 
let  the  cross-bar  represent  Chicago  River,  the  left  hand  column  will  stand 
for  the  two  branches,  and  you  have  a  plan  of  the  water  lines  of  the  city  of 
Chicago,  which  will  answer  very  well  for  all  purposes  of  general  description. 


A 


The   Court  House,   Chicago. 

The  view  is  from  the  north.     The  material  is  of  blue  lime  stone,  from  Lockport,  New  York.    On  the  loft 
is  the  Mechanic's  Institute  Hall. 

The  three  divisions  thus  formed  are  called,  respectively,  'North  Side,' 
'South  Side,' '"West  Side.'  In. this  narrow,  muddy  river,  lie  the  heart  and 
strength  of  Chicago.  Dry  this  up,  and  Chicago  would  dry  up  with  it,  mean 
and  dirty  as  it  looks.  From  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  River,  in  Michi 
gan,  round  to  Milwaukie,  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  a  distance,  by  the  lake 
shore,  of  more 'than  250  miles,  Chicago  is  the  only  place  where  20  vessels 
can  be  loaded  or  unloaded,  or  find  shelter  in  a  storm.  A  glance  at  the  map, 
then,  will  show  that  it  is  the  only  accessible  port — and  hence  the  commer 
cial  center — of  a  vast  territory,  measuring  thousands  of  square  miles  of  the 
richest  agricultural  country  in  the  world.  On  this  fact,  and  not  on  the  pres 
ent  actual  value,  are  really  based  those  fabulous  prices  of  corner  lots  and 
wharf  improvements,  which  have  sometimes  provoked  the  sneers  of  the 
skeptic." 

Chicago  is  regularly  laid  out  with  streets  crossing  at  right  angles,  and  is 
adorned  with  many  magnificent  buildings  of  brick  and  stone,  public  and 


ILLINOIS.  203 

private,  comparing  well  with  any  city  in  this  country  or  any  other.  The 
shore  of  the  lake  and  northern  parts  of  the  city,  are  occupied  with  the  finest 
of  residences.  Some  of  the  most  remarkable  public  buildings  are,  the  Court 
House,  the  Merchants  Exchange,  the  Marine  Hospital,  the  Medical  College, 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  etc.  Burch's  and  Wadsworth's  blocks,  on 
Lake-street,  are  rows  of  iron  front  stores,  that,  in  extent  and  beauty,  have  no 
equal  in  any  business  houses  in  any  city  of  Europe. 

A  very  elegant  building  material  has  recently  been  brought  into  use.  It 
is  found  in  great  abundance  about  20  miles  from  the  city,  on  the  line  of  the 
Illinois  canal.  "  It  is  a  compact  lime-stone,  of  a  pale  yellow  shade,  some 
what  lighter  than  the  celebrated  Caen  stone  of  France,  now  so  fashionable  in 
New  York.  The  grain  is  so  fine  that  the  fracture,  or  cut  surface,  resembles 
that  of  chalk  in  texture.  It  is  durable,  ie  easily  wrought,  and  the  color  is 
peculiarly  pleasing  and  grateful  to  the  eye.  There  is  another  stone  of  simi 
lar  texture,  of  the  color  of  freshly  fractured  slate,  or  of  the  mark  made  on 
a  slate  by  a  pencil;  but  it  is  not  so  beautiful  as  the  kind  before  mentioned. 
It  soils  readily,  and  has,  at  a  short  distance,  the  effect  of  a  dirty  white. 
There  are  also  other  architectural  stones  in  considerable  abundance  and  va 
riety;  but  none  of  great  beauty  or  importance  have  come  under  our  ob 
servation.  The  Presbyterian  Church  on  Wabash  Avenue,  is  built  of  a  blue, 
bituminous  lime-stone,  the  pitchy  matter  of  which  has  exuded  and  run  down 
the  sides,  giving  the  building  the  appearance  of  having  a  partial  coat  of  tar. 
The  general  impression  it  produces,  is  that  of  great  antiquity;  and  if  this 
idea  could  be  preserved  and  harmonized  by  the  early  pointed  gothic,  and 
a  good  growth  of  ivy,  the  effect  would  be  very  fine." 

Until  1856,  most  of  the  streets  of  Chicago  were  planked,  and  the  build 
ings  then  erected  were  generally  without  cellars.  As  a  consequence,  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  the  ground  asserted  its  original  character  of  swamp.  The 
planks  actually  floated,  and  as  the  heavy  wagons  passed  along,  the  muddy 
water  gushed  out  on  every  side.  Since  1856,  such  a  grade  has  been  estab 
lished,  that  when  finished,  will  raise  the  entire  city  from  two  to  five  feet. 

(i  There  is,  with  almost  every  block  of  buildings,  a  change  of  grade,  some 
times  of  one  foot,  sometimes  of  three  feet,  sometimes  of  five.  These  ascents 
or  descents  are  made  by  steps,  or  by  short,  steep,  inclined  planes  of  boards, 
with  or  without  cleats  or  cross  pieces,  to  prevent  slipping,  according  to  the 
fancy  of  the  adjoining  proprietor  who  erects  them.  The  profile  of  a  Chicago 
sidewalk  would  resemble  the  profile  of  the  Erie  canal,  where  the  locks  are 
most  plenty.  It  is  one  continual  succession  of  ups  and  downs.  The  reason 
of  this  diversity  is,  that  it  was  found  necessary,  at  an  early  period  in  the 
history  of  the  place,  to  raise  the  grade  of  the  streets.  It  was  afterward  found 
necessary  to  raise  the  grade  still  higher,  and  again  still  higher — as  each 
building  is  erected,  its  foundation  and  the  sidewalk  adjoining  have  been  made 
to  correspond  to  the  grade  then  last  established,  and  so  it  will  not  happen 
until  the  city  is  entirely  rebuilt,  that  the  proper  grade  will  be  uniformly  at 
tained.  In  the  mean  time,  the  present  state  of  things  will  repress  undue 
curiosity  in  the  streets,  and  keep  fire-engines  off  the  sidewalks,  which  is  a 
great  point  gained." 

The  process  of  raising  of  the  houses  and  stores,  in  Chicago,  is  one  of  great 
interest,  literally,  a  method  of  digging  a  great  city  out  of  the  mud.  "Build 
ings  of  brick  or  stone,  150  feet  by  200,  and  five  stories  high,  are  raised  up 
several  feet  by  a  system  of  screws,  without  a  crack  or  the  displacement  of  a 
single  thing.  A  hotel  contracts  to  be  lifted  up.  In  a  short  time  2rOOO 
19 


204 


ILLINOIS. 


screws  are  under  it,  and  little  by  little  the  house  rises.  Nothing  is  changed 
within.  The  kitchen  cooks,  the  dinning-room  eats,  the  bar  drinks,  and  all 
the  rooms  smoke,  as  if  nothinj 


on 


!     A  block  of  stores  and  offices 


Raising  a  Block  of  Buildings  in   Chicago. 

The  entire  block  on  the  north  side  of  Lake-street,  extending  from  Clark  to  La  Salle-street,  having  a  front 
of  320  feet — is  shown  in  the  process  of  being  raised  up  four  feet  and  two  thirds,  by  0,000  screws  placed  un 
der  it ;  turned,  at  signals,  by  a  force  of  GOO  men.  Most  of  the  stores  are  180  feet  deep,  and  five  days  were 
consumed  in  the  task. 

begins  this  new  process  of  growth,  and  all  the  tenants  maintain  their  usual 
functions ;  and,  except  the  outrageous  neaps  of  dirt  and  piles  of  lumber,  every 
thing  goes  on  as  before.  The  plank  into  the  door  gets  a  little  steeper  every 
day.  But  goods  come  in  and  go  out,  and  customers  haunt  the  usual 
places." 

The  most  remarkable  feat  of  the  kind  occurred  in  Chicago,  in  the  spring 
of  1860,  when  an  immense  block  was  raised.  This  is  shown  in  our  engrav 
ing,  and  thus  described  in  the  Chicago  Press  and  Tribune  of  the  time,  under 
the  caption  of  "The  Great  Building  Raising" 

For  the  past  week  the  marvel  and  the  wonder  of  our  citizens  and  visitors  has 
been  the  spectacle  of  a  solid  front  of  first-class  business  blocks,  comprising  the  en- 
-tire  block  on  the  north  side  of  Lake-street,  between  Clark  and  La  yalle-streets,  a 
length  of  320  feot,  being  raised  about  four  feet  by  the  almost  resistless  lifting  force 
of  6,090  screws. 

The  block  comprises  13  first  class  stores,  and  a  large  double  marble  structure, 
the  Marine  Bank  Building.  Its  subdivisions  are  a  five-story  marble  front  block 


ILLINOIS. 


205 


of  three  stores  ;  a  second  four-storj  block  of  three  stores,  and  a  five-story  block  or 
four  stores,  at  the  corner  of  Clark  street — these  all  presenting  an  unbroken  front, 
in  the  heart  of  our  city,  and  filled  with  occupants. 

This  absence  from  annoyance  to  the  merchants  and  the  public  is  due  to  the  skill 
with  which  the  contractors  have  hung  the  sidewalks  to  the  bWuk  itself,  and  carried 
up  the  same  with  the  rise  of  the  building.  The  block  has  been  raised  four  feet 
eight  inches,  the  required  hight,  in  five  days,  ending  with  Friday  last,  and  the  ma 
sons  are  now  busy  putting  in  the  permanent  supports.  The  entire  work  will  oc 
cupy  about  four  weeks. 

An  estimate  from  a  reliable  source  makes  the  entire  weight  thus  raised  to  be 
about  35,000  tuns.  So  carefully  has  it  been  done,  that  not  a  pane  of  glass  has  been 
broken,  nor  a  crack  in  masonry  appeared.  The  internal  order  of  the  block  has 
prevailed  undisturbed. 

The  process  of  raising,  as  indicated  above,  is  by  the  screw,  at  6,000  of  which, 
three  inches  in  diameter  and  of  three  eighths  thread,  600  men  have  been  employed, 
each  man  in  charge  of  from  eight  to  ten  screws.  A  complete  system  of  signals 
was  kept  in  operation,  and  by  these  the  workmen  passed,  each  through  his  series, 
giving  each  screw  a  quarter  turn,  then  returning  to  repeat  the  same.  Five  days' 
labor  saw  the  immense  weight  rise  through  four  feet  eight  inches,  to  where  it  now 
stands  on  temporary  supports?  rapidly  being  replaced  by  permanent  foundations. 
The  work,  as  it  stands,  is  worth  going  miles  to  see,  and  has  drawn  the  admiration 
of  thousands  within  the  past  week. 

The  bridges  of  Chicago  are  among  the  curiosities  of  the  place.  The  nu 
merous  branches  of  the  river  require  a  large  number  of  bridges.  The  river 
being  navigable,  and  but  little  below  the  level  of  the  streets,  compels  all  of 
these  to  be  made  draw  bridges.  These  are  hung  in  the  middle,  and  turn 


South  west   View  of  the  Railroad  Depot,  Grain  Houses,  Chicago. 

The  Illinois  Central  Passenger,  and  the  freight  depot,  etc.,  are  seen  in  the  central  part.  Sturgos  and 
Buckingham's  grain  houses  standing  on  the  lake  shore,  appear  on  the  right;  each  of  which  will  contain 
750,000  bushels  of  grain  ;  enough,  it  is  estimated,  to  feed  the  entire  population  of  the  city  for  five  years  ; 
225.000  bushels  can  be  received  and  stored  in  each  of  them  in  a  single  day. 

on  a  pivot,  the  motive  power  being  two  men  standing  there  with  a  cross-bnr. 
The  operation  of  turning  a  bridge,  occupies  about  two  minutes.  While  the 
process  is  going  on,  a  closely  packed  row  of  vehicles,  sometimes,  accumulates 
of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  length.  Policemen  are  stationed  at  either  end,  to 
prevent  persons  from  driving,  jumping,  or  being  pushed  into  the  water. 
The  manufacturing  establishments  of  Chicago  are  numerous,  consisting  of 


206  ILLINOIS. 

iron  foundries  and  machine  shops,  steam  flouring,  saw  and  planing  mills, 
manufactories  of  agricultural  implements,  etc.  Numerous  steamboats  and 
vessels  ply  between  this  place  and  Buffalo,  and  the  various  places  on  the 
Upper  Lakes,  and&a  direct  trade  is  had,  by  sailing  vessels,  with  Europe, 
via  the  lakes,  Welland  canal,  River  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
The  city  is  a  great  shipping  point  for  an  immense  and  fertile  region.  The 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  is  60  feet  wide  at  the  top,  six  feet  deep,  and 
107  miles  long,  including  five  miles  of  river  navigation,  through  this  is 
brought  a  large  amount  of  produce  from  the  south  and  south-west.  This  and 
the  railroads  radiating  from  Chicago,  add  to  the  vast  accumulation  which  is 
shipped  here  for  the  Atlantic  sea-board.  Chicago  is  within  a  short  distance 
from  extensive  coal  fields,  and  is  the  natural  outlet  for  the  produce  of  one  of 
the  richest  agricultural  sections  of  the  Union.  Great  quantities  of  lumber 
are  also  brought  here  by  lake  navigation. 

The  imports  of  Chicago,  in  1858,  a  year  of  general  depression,  were 
$91,000,000,  and  the  exports  $83,000,000  in  value,  equal  to  one  quarter  of 
the  whole  foreign  commerce  of  the  United  States.  The  tunnage  was  67,000 
tuns,  seven  eighths  of  which  was  in  sailing  crafts,  and  the  remainder  by 
steamers. 

The  grain  trade  of  Chicago  is,  perhaps,  the  greatest  of  any  place  in  the 
world,  averaging,  at  present,  about  30,000,000  of  bushels  yearly.  The  grain 
houses  are  all  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  its  branches,  with  rail 
road  tracks  running  in  the  rear,  so  that  a  train  of  cars  loaded  with  grain 
may  be  standing  opposite  one  e»d  of  a  large  elevating  warehouse,  being 
emptied  by  elevators,  at  the  rate  of  from  6  to  8,000  bushels  per  hour, 
while  at  the  other  end  the  same  grain  may  be  running  into  a  couple  of  pro 
pellers,  and  be  on  its  way  to  Buffalo,  Montreal,  and  other  places  within 
six  or  seven  hours. 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad  gram  warehouses  can  discharge  12  cars 
loaded  with  grain,  and  also  load  two  vessels  at  once,  at  the  rate  of  24,000 
bushels  per  hour ;  or  receive  from  24  cars  at  once,  at  the  rate  of  8,000  bush 
els  per  hour.  With  the  present  conveniences,  it  is  estimated  that  in  every 
10  hours  half  a  million  of  bushels  of  grain  can  be  handled. 

The  university  of  Chicago,  a  well  endowed  institution,  originated  in 
1854,  in  a  generous  donation  from  the  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglass  of  10 
,acres,  comprising  part  of  a  beautiful  grove,  adjacent  to  the  southern  limits 
of  the  city.  It  has.  in  all  its  departments,  about  200  students.  John  C 
Burroughs,  D.D.,  is  president. 


The  most  thrilling  event  in  the  history  of  Illinois,  was  the  "  massacre  at 
Chicago"  in  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  There  were  then  but  five 
houses  outside  of  the  fort,  at  this  point,  then  the  trading  station  of  John 
Kinzie,  u  the  Father  of  Chicago."  The  garrison  numbered  about  75  men, 
many  of  them  old  and  inefficient  soldiers.  The  officers  in  command,  were 
Capt.  Heald,  Lieut.  Helm,  and  Ensign  Ronan,  the  latter  a  very  young  man, 
high  spirited  and  honorable. 

On  Aug.  7,  1812,  Catfish,  a  distinguished  Pottawatomie  chief,  arrived  from 
Detroit,  bringing  dispatches  from  Gen.  Hull,  giving  orders  to  Capt.  Heald 
to  evacuate  the  fort  and  distribute  all  the  United  States  property,  in  the  fort 
and  factory,  to  the  Indians,  and  then  retire  to  Fort  Wayne,  on  the  site  of  the 
city  of  that  name  in  Indiana. 


ILLINOIS.  207 

These  ill  timed,  and  as  it  proved  afterward,  fatal  orders  of  Hull,  were 
obeyed,  so  far  as  to  evacuate  the  fort;  but  even  this  was  done  by  Heald,  in 
spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  his  officers,  who  were  satisfied  of  the  evil  de 
signs  of  the  Indians.  On  the  12th,  a  council  was  held  wjth  the  Indians,  at 
which  Capt.  Heald  informed  them  of  his  intention  to  distribute  among  them 
the  goods  stored  in  the  factory,  together  with  the  ammunition  and  provisions 
of  the  garrison.  On  the  next  day  the  goods  were  disposed  of^as  promised; 
but  fearing  the  Indians  might  make  a  bad  use  of  liquor  and  ammunition, 
Heald  gave  orders  for  their  destruction.  During  the  night  the  contents  of  the 
liquor  barrels  were  poured  into  the  river,  and  the  powder  thrown  into  the  t 
well.  This  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Indians,  exasperated  them  to  a 
high  degree,  as  they  prized  these  articles  more  than  all  the  rest. 

The  15th  of  August  was  the  day  fixed  for  leaving  the  post.  The  day  pre 
vious,  Capt.  Wells,  a  relative  of  Capt.  Heald,  arrived  with  an  escort  of  15 
friendly  Miami  Indians  from  Fort  Wayne.  He  had  heard  of  the  orders  for 
the  evacuation  of  the  fort,  and  realizing  the  danger  of  the  garrison  incum- 
bered  with  the  women  and  children,  marching  through  the  territory  of  the 
hostile  Potta,watomies,  hastened-  to  dissuade  his  relative  from  leaving  the 
fort.  But  he  arrived  too  late,  steps  had  been  taken,  which  made  it  as 
equally  dangerous  to  remain. 

"The  fatal  morning  of  the  15th,  at  length  arrived.  All  things  were  in  readiness, 
and  nine  o'clock  was  the  hour  named  for  starting.  Mr.  Kinzie  had  volunteered 
to  accompany  the  troops  in  their  march,  and  had  entrusted  his  family  to  the  care 
of  some  friendly  Indians,  who  had  promised  to  convey  them  in  a  boat  around  the 
head  of  Lake  Michigan  to  a  point  on  the  St.  Joseph's  River;  there  to  be  joined  by 
the  troops,  should  the  prosecution  of  their  march  be  permitted  them.  Early  in 
the  morning  Mr.  Kinzie  received  a  message  from  To-pee-nee-bee,  a  chief  of  the 
St.  Joseph's  band,  informing  him  that  mischief  was  intended  by  the  Pottawatomies 
who  had  engaged  to  escort  the  detachment;  and  urging  him  to  relinquish  his  de 
sign  of  accompanying  the  troops  by  land,  promising  him  that  the  boat  containing 
himself  and  family,  should  be  permitted  to  pass  in  safety  to  St.  Joseph's. 

Mr.  Kinzie  declined,  according  to  this  proposal,  as  he  believed  that  his  presence 
might  operate  as  a  restraint  upon  the  fury  of  the  savages,  so  warmly  were  the 
greater  part  of  them  attached  to  himself  and  his  family.  The  party  in  the  boat 
consisted  of  Mrs.  Kinzie  and  her  four  younger  children,  their  nurse  Grutte,  a 
clerk  of  Mr.  Kinzie's,  two  servants  and  the  boatmen,  beside  the  two  Indians 
who  acted  as  their  protectors.  The  boat  started,  but  had  scarcely  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  which,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  here  half  a  mile  below  the 
fort,  when  another  messenger  from  To-pee-nee-bee  arrived,  to  detain  them  where  they 
were.  In  breathless  expectation  sat  the  wife  and  mother.  She  was  a  woman  of 
uncommon  energy  and  strength  of  character,  yet  her  heart  died  within  her  as  she 
folded  her  arms  around  her  helpless  infants,  and  gazed  upon  the  march  of  her  hus 
band  and  eldest  child  to  certain  destruction. 

As  the  troops  left  the  fort,  the  band  struck  up  the  D.ead  March.  On  they  came 
in  military  array,  but  with  solemn  mien.  Capt.  Wells  took  the  lead  at  the  head 
of  his  little  band  of  Miamis.  He  had  blackened  his  face  before  leaving  the  garri 
son,  in  token  of  his  impending  fate.  They  took  their  route  along  the  lake  shore. 
When  they  reached  the  point  where  commenced  a  range  of  sand  hills,  inter 
vening  between  the  prairie  and  the  beach,  the  escort  of  Potta\vatomies,  in  num 
ber  about  500,  kept  the  level  of  the  prairie,  instead  of  continuing  along  the 
beach  with  the  Americans  and  Miamis.  They  had  marched  about  half  a  mile 
eolith  ot  the  present  site  of  the  Round  House  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  when 
Capt.  Wells,  who  had  kept  somewhat  in  advance  with  his  Miamis,  came  riding  fu 
riously  back.  'They  are  about  to  attack  us,'  shouted  he;  'form,  instantly,  and 
charge  upon  them.'  Scarcely  were  the  words  uttered,  when  a  volley  was  showered 
from  among  the  sand  hills.  The  troops  were  hastily  brought  into  line,  and 


208  ILLINOIS. 

charged  up  the  bank.  One  man,  a  veteran  of  70  winters,  fell  as  they  ascended. 
The  remainder  of  the  scene  is  best  described  in  the  words  of  an  eye-witness  and 
participator  in  the  tragedy,  Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Capt.  (then  Lieutenant)  Helm, 
and  step-daughter  of  Mr.  Kinzie." 

''After  we  had  left  the  bank, the  firing  became  general.  The  Miamis  fled  at  the 
outset.  Their  chiefrode  up  to  the  Pottawatomies  and  said:  'You  have  de 
ceived  the  Americans  and  us.  You  have  done  a  bad  action,  and  (brandishing 
his  tomahawk)  I  will  be  first  to  head  a  party  of  Americans  to  return  and  pun 
ish  your  treachery."  So  saying,  he  galloped  after  his  companions,  who  were  now 
scouring  across  the  prairies. 

The  troops  behaved  most  gallantly.  They  were  but  a  handful,  but  they  seemed 
,  resolved  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  Our  horses  pranced  and  bounded, 
and  could  hardly  be  restrained  as  the  balls  whistled  among  them.  I  drew  off  a 
little,  and  gazed  upon  my  husband  and  father,  who  were  yet  unharmed.  I  felt 
that  iny  hour  was  come,  and  endeavored  to  forget  those  I  loved,  and  prepare  my 
self  for  my  approaching  fate. 

"While  I  was  thus  engaged,  the  surgeon,  Dr.  Van  Voorhees,  came  up.  He  was 
badly  wounded.  His  horse  had  been  shot  under  him,  and  he  had  received  a  ball 
in  his  leg.  Every  muscle  of  his  face  was  quivering  with  the  agony  of  terror.  He 
said  to  me — 'Do  you  think  they  will  take  our  lives?  I  am  badly  wounded,  but  I 
think  not  mortally.  Perhaps  we  might  purchase  o*r  lives  by  promising  them  a 
large  reward.  Do  you  think  there  is  any  chance  ? ' 

"  '  Dr.  Van  Voorhees,'  said  I,  '  do  not  let  us  waste  the  few  moments  that  yet  re 
main  to  us,  in  such  vain  hopes.  Our  fate  is  inevitable.  In  a  few  moments  we 
must  appear  before  the  bar  of  God.  Let  us  make  what  preparation  is  yet  in  our 
power. 

Iii0h!  1  can  not  die'  exclaimed  he,  '/ am  not  Jit  to  die — if  I  had  but  a  short 
time  to  prepare — death  is  awful!'  I  pointed  to  Ensign  Ronan,  who,  though  mor 
tally  wounded  and  nearly  down,  was  still  fighting,  with  desperation,  on  one 
knee. 

"  'Look  at  that  man,'  said  I,  'at  least  he  dies  like  a  soldier.'  'Yes,'  replied  the 
unfortunate  man,  with  a  convulsive  gasp,  '  but  he  has  no  terrors  of  the  future — he 
•is  an  unbeliever! ' 

"  At  this  moment  a  young  Indian  raised  his  tomahawk  at  me.  By  springing 
aside,  I  avoided  the  blow  which  Avas  intended  for  my  skull,  but  which  alighted  on 
my  shoulder.  I  siezed  him  around  the  neck,  and  while  exerting  my  utmost  efforts 
to  get  possession  of  his  scalping-knife,  which  hung  in  a  scabbard  over  his  breast, 
I  was  dragged  from  his  grasp  by  another  and  an  older  Indian.  The  latter  bore 
me,  struggling  and  resisting,  toward  the  lake.  Notwithstanding  the  rapidity  with 
which  I  was  hurried  along,  I  recognized,  as  I  passed  them,  the  lifeless  remains  of 
the  unfortunate  surgeon.  Some  murderous  tomahawk  had  stretched  him  upon  the 
very  spot  where  I  had  last  seen  him.  1  was  immediately  plunged  into  the  water 
and  held  there  with  a  forcible  hand,  notwithstanding  my  resistance.  I  soon  per 
ceived,  however,  that  the  object  of  my  captor  was  not  to  drown  me,  for  he  held  me 
firmly,  in  such  a  position  as  to  place  my  head  above  water.  This  reassured  me, 
and  regarding  him  attentively,  I  soon  recognized,  in  spite  of  the  paint  with  which 
he  was  disguised,  The  Slack  Partridge. 

"  When  the  firing  had  nearly  subsided,  my  preserver  bore  me  from  the  water 
and  conducted  me  up  the  'sand-banks.  It  was  a  burning  August  morning,  and 
walking  through  the  sand  in  my  drenched  condition,  was  inexpressibly  painful 
and  fatiguing.  I  stooped  and  took  off  my  shoes  to  free  them  from  the  sand, 
with  which  they  were  nearly  filled,  when  a  squaw  siezed  and  carried  them  off, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  proceed  without  them. 

"  When  we  had  gained  the  prairie,  I  was  met  by  my  father,  who  told  me  that 


Slack  Partridge,  and  partly  by  another  Indian,  Pee-so-tum,  who  held  dangling  in 


ILLINOIS. 


209 


his  hand  a  scalp,  which  by  the  black  ribbon  around  the  queue,  I  recognized  as 
that  of  Capt.  Wells,  I  dragged  my  fainting  steps  to  one  of  the  wigwams. 

"The  wife  of  Wau-bee-nee-niah,  a  chief  from  the  Illinois  River,  was  standing 
near,  and  seeing  my  exhausted  condition  she  siezed  a  kettle,  dipped  up  some  water 
from  a  stream  that  flowed  near,  threw  into  it  some  maple  sugar,  and  stirring  it  up 
with  her  hand  gave  it  me  to  drink.  This  act  of  kindness,  in  the  midst  of  so  many 
many  horrors,  touched  me  most  sensibly,  but  my  attention  was  soon  diverted  to 
other  objects. 

"The  fort  had  become  a  scene  of  plunder  to  such  as  remained  after  the  troops 
marched  out.  The  cattle  had  been  shot  down  as  they  ran  at  large,  and  lay  dead 
or  dying  around.  This  work  of  butchery  had  commenced  just  as  we  were  leaving 
the  fort.  I  well  remembered  a  remark  of  Ensign  Ronan,  as  the  firing  went  on. 
'Such,'  turning  to  me,  '  is  to  be  our  fate — to  be  shot  down  like  brutes!'  'Well 
sir,'  said  the  commanding  officer,  who  overheard  him,  'are  you  afraid?'  'No,'  re 
plied  the  high  spirited  young  man,  'I  can  march  up  to  the  enemy  where  you  dare 
not  show  your  face; '  and  his  subsequent  gallant  behavior  showed  this  to  be  no 
idle  boast. 

"  As  the  noise  of  the  firing  grew  gradually  less,  and  the  stragglers  from  the  vic 
torious  party  came  dropping  in,  I  received  confirmation  of  what  my  father  had 
hurriedly  communicated  in  our  rencontre  on  the  lake  shore ;  namely,  that  the 
whites  had  surrendered  after  the  loss  of  about  two  thirds  of  their  number. 
They  had  stipulated,  through  the  interpreter,  Peresh  Leolerc,  for  the  preservation 
of  their  lives,  and  those  of  the  remaining  women  and  children,  and  for  their  de 
livery  at  some  of  the  British  posts,  unless  ransomed  by  traders  in  the  Indian  coun 
try.  It  appears  that  the  wounded  prisoners  were  not  considered  as  included 
in  the  stipulation,  and  a  horrible  scene  ensued  upon  their  being  brought  into 
camp. 

"An  old  squaw,  infuriated  by  the  loss  of  friends,  or  excited  by  the  sanguinary 
scenes  around  her,  seemed  possessed  by  a  demoniac  ferocity.  She  siezed  a  stable 
fork  and  assaulted  one  miserable  victim,  who  lay  groaning  and  writhing  in  the 
agony  of  his  wounds,  aggravated  by  the  scorching  beams  of  the  sun.  With  a  deli 
cacy  of  feeling  scarcely  to  have  been  expected  under  such  circumstances,  Wau- 
bee-nee-mah  stretched  a  mat  across  two  poles,  between  me  and  this  dreadful  scene. 
1  was  thus  spared,  in  some  degree,  a  view  of  its  horrors,  although  1  could  not  en 
tirely  close  my  ears  to  the  cries  of  the  sufferer.  The  following  night  five  more  of 
the  wounded  prisoners  were  tomahawked. 

"  The  Americans,  after  their  first  attack  by  the  Indians,  charged  upon  those  who 
had  concealed  themselves  in  a  sort  of  ravine,  intervening  between  the  sand  banks 
and  the  prairie.  The  latter  gathered  themselves  into  a  body,  and  after  some  hard 
fighting,  in  which  the  number  of  whites  had  become  reduced  to  28,  this  little  band 
succeeded  in  breaking  through  the  enemy,  and  gaining  a  rising  ground,  not 'far 
from  the  Oak  Woods.  nThe  contest  now  seemed  hopeless,  and  "Lieut.  Helm  sent 
Peresh  Leclerc,  a  half-breed  boy  in  the  service  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  who  had  accompa 
nied  the  detachment  and  fought  manfully  on  their  side,  to  propose  terms  of 
capitulation.  It  was  stipulated  that  the  lives  of  all  the  survivors  should  be  spared, 
and  a  ransom  permitted  as  soon  as  practicable. 

"But,  in  the  mean  time,  a  horrible  scene  had  been  enacted.  One  young  savage, 
climbing  into  the  baggage-wagon,  containing  the  children  of  the  white  families-, 
12  in  number,  tomahawked  the  children  of  the  entire  group.  This  was  during  the 
engagement  near  the  sand  hills.  When  Capt.  Wells,  who  was  fighting  near,  beheld- 
it,  he  exclaimed:  'Is  that  their  game,  butchering  the  women  and  children?  Then 
I  icill  kill  too  /'  So  saying,  he  turned  his  horse's  head,  and  started  for  the  Indian- 
camp,  near  the  fort,  where  had  been  left  their  squaws  and  children. 

"Several  Indians  pursued  him  as  he  galloped  along.  He  laid  himself  flat  on  the 
neck  of  his  horse,  loading  and  firing  in  that  position,  as  he  would  occasionally  turn 
on  his  pursurers.  At  length  their  balls  took  effect,  killing  his  horse,  and  severely 
wounding  himself.  At  this  moment  he  was  met  by  Winnemeg  and  Wau-ben~»ee, 
who  endeavored  to  save  him  from  the  savages  who  had  now  overtaken  him.  As 
they  supported  him  along,  after  having  disengaged  him  from  his  horse,  he  re 
ceived  his  death-blow  from  another  Indian,  Pee-so-tum,  who  stabbed  him  in  the  back, 

14 


ILLINOIS. 

"The  heroic  resolution  of  one  of  the  soldier's  wives  deserves  to  be  recorded. 
She  was  a  Mrs.  Corbin,  and  had,  from  the  first,  expressed  the  determination  never 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  believing  that  their  prisoners  were  always 
subjected  to  tortures  worse  than  death.  When,  therefore,  a  party  came  upon  her, 
to  make  her  a  prisoner,  she  fought  with  desperation,  refusing  to  surrender,  although 
assured,  by  signs,  of  safety  and  kind  treatment,  and  lite-rally  suffered  herself  to  be 
cut  to  pieces,  rather  than  become  their  captive. 

"There  was  a  Sergeant  Holt,  who,  early  in  the  engagement,  received  a  ball  in 
the  neck.  Finding  himself  badly  wounded,  he  gave  his  sword  to  his  wife,  who  was 
on  horseback  near  him,  telling  her  to  defend  herself — he  then  made  for  the  lake, 
to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  balls.  Mrs.  Holt  rode  a  very  fine  horse,  which  the 
Indians  were  desirous  of  possessing,  and  they  therefore  attacked  her,  in  hopes  of 
dismounting  her.  They  fought  only  with  the  butt-ends  of  their  guns,  for  their  ob 
ject  was  not  to  kill  her.  She  hacked  and  hewed  at  their  pieces  as  they  were  thrust 
against  her,  now  on  this  side,  now  on  that.  Finally,  she  broke  loose  from  them, 
and  dashed  out  into  the  prairie.  The  Indians  pursued  her,  shouting  and  laughing, 
and  now  and  then  calling  out:  '  The  brave  woman !  do  not  hurt  her ! '  At  length 
they  overtook  her  again,  and  while  she  was  engaged  with  two  or  three  in  front,  one 
succeeded  in  siezing  her  by  the  neck  behind,  and  dragging  her,  although  a  large 
and  powerful  woman,  from  her  horse.  NotAvithstanding  that  their  guns  had  been 
so  hacked  and  injured,  and  even  themselves  cut  severely,  they  seemed  to  regard 
her  only  with  admiration.  They  took  her  to  a  trader  on  the  Illinois  River,  by 
whom  she. was  restored  to  her  friends,  after  having  received  every  kindness  during 
her  captivity." 

"The  heart  of  Capt.  Wells  was  taken  out,  and  cut  into  pieces,  and  distributed 
among  the  tribes.  His  mutilated  remains  remained  unburied  until  the  next  day, 
when  Billy  Caldwell  gathered  up  his  head  in  one  place,  and  mangled  body  in  an 
other,  and  buried  them  in  the  sand.  The  family  of  Mr.  Kinzie  had  been  taken 
from  the  boat  to  their  home,  by  friendly  Indians,  and  there  strictly  guarded.  Very 
soon  a  very  hostile  party  of  the  Pottawatomie  nation  arrived  from  the  Wabash,  and 
it  required  all  the  skill  and  bravery  of  Rlack  Partridge^  Wau-ben-see,  Billy  Cald 
well  (who  arrived  at  a  critical  moment),  and  other  friendly  Indians,  to  protect 
them.  Runners  had  been  sent  by  the  hostile  chiefs  to  all  the  Indian  villages,  to 
apprise  them  of  the  intended  evacuation  of  the  fort,  and  of  their  plan  of  at 
tacking  the  troops.  In  eager  thirst  to  participate  in  such  a  scene  of  blood,  but 
arrived  too  late  to  participate  in  the  massacre.  They  were  infuriated  at  their 
disappointment,  and  sought  to  glut  their  vengeance  on  the  wounded  and  priso 
ners. 

On  the  third  day  after  the  massacre,  the  family  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  with  the  attaches 
of  the  establishment,  under  the  care  of  Francois,  a  half-breed  interpreter,  were 
taken  to  St.  Joseph's  in  a  boat,  where  they  remained  until  the  following  No 
vember,  under  the  protection  of  To-pee-nee-bee,  and  his  band.  They  were  then  car 
ried  to  Detroit,  under  the  escort  of  Chandonnai,  and  a  friendly  chief  by  the  name 
of  Kee-po-tah,  and,  with  their  servants,  delivered  up,  as  prisoners  of  war,  to  the 
British  commanding  officer.  Of  the  other  prisoners,  Capt.  Heald  and  Mrs.  Heald 
were  sent  across  to  the  lake  of  St.  Joseph's,  the  day  after  the  battle.  Capt.  Heald  had 
received  two  wounds,  and  Mrs.  Heald  seven,  the  ball  of  one  of  which  was  cut  from 
her  arm  by  Mr.  Kinzie,  with  a  pen-knife,  after  the  engagement.  Mrs.  H.  was 
ransomed  on  the  battle  field,  by  Chandonnai,  a  half-breed  from  St.  Joseph's,  for  a 
mule  he  had  just  taken,  and  the  promise  of  ten  bottles  of  whisky.  Capt.  Heald 
was  taken  prisoner  by  an  Indian  from  the  Kankakee,  who,  seeing  the  wounded 
and  enfeebled  state  of  Mrs.  Heald,  generously  released  his  prisoner,  that  he 
might  accompany  his  wife. 

Lieut.  Helm  was  wounded  in  the  action  and  taken  prisoner;  and  afterward 
taken  by  some  friendly  Indians  to  the  Au-sable,  and  from  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and 
liberated  from  captivity  through  the  agency  of  the  late  Thomas  Forsyth,Esq.  Mrs. 
Helm  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  ankle;  had  her  horse  shot  from  under  her; 
and  after  passing  through  the  agonizing  scenes  described,  went  with  the  family  of 
Mr.  Kinzie  to  Detroit.  The  soldiers  with  their  wives  and  children,  were  dispersed 
among  the  different  villages  of  the  Pottowatomies,  upon  the  Illinois,  Wabash,  Rock 


ILLINOIS. 


211 


River  and  Milwaukie.  The  largest  proportion  were  taken  to  Detroit,  and  ran 
somed  the  following  spring.  Some,  however,  remained  in  captivity  another  year, 
and  experienced  more  kindness  than  was  expected  from  an  enemy  so  mer 
ciless. 

Captain  (subsequently  Major)  Heald,  his  wife  and  family,  settled  in  the  coun 
ty  of  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  after  the  war,  about  1817,  where  he  died  about  15  yeara 
since.  He  was  respected  and  beloved  by  his  acquaintances.  His  health  was  im 
paired  from  the  wounds  he  received." 


Northwestern  view  of  the  State  House,  Springfield. 

The  engraving  shows  the  appearance  of  the  State  Capitol,  as  seen  from  the  Mayor's  office,  in  Washing 
ton-street.     The  Court  House  and  the  Bank  building  are  seen  on  the  left. 

SPRINGFIELD,  the  capital  of  Illinois,  is  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
state,  four  miles  S.  from  Sangamon  River,  on  the  border  of  a  rich  and  beau 
tiful  prairie,  97  miles  from  St.  Louis,  75  N.E.  from  Alton,  and  188  S.W. 
from  Chicago.  It  is  laid  out  with  great  regularity  on  what  was  formerly  an 
open  prairie,  the  streets  being  wide  and  straight,  and  ornamented  with  shade 
trees.  The  state  capitol  stands  on  a  square  of  three  acres  in  the  center  of 
the  city,  which  is  beautifully  adorned  with  trees,  shrubbery  and  flowevs. 
From  the  unusual  attention  given  to  the  cultivation  of  shrubbery  and  flow-' 
era,  Springfield  is  sometimes  fancifully  and  pleasantly  termed  the  "Flower 
City."  It  contains  the  governor's  house,  court  house,  12  churches,  4  bank 
ing  houses,  the  Illinois  State  University,  and  in  1860  6,499  inhabitants. 

The  first  settlers  of  Springfield  appear  to  have  been  several  members  of  a  family 
by  the  name  of  Kelly,  who,  sometime  during  the  year  1818  or  1819,  settled  upon 
the  present  site  of  the  city;  one  of  them,  John  Keily,  erected  his  rude  cabin  upon 
the  spot  Avhere  stands  the  building  known  as  the  "Garrett  House;  "  this  was  the 
first  habitation  erected  in  the  city,  and,  perhaps,  also,  in  the  county  of  Sangamon. 
Another  of  the  Kellys  built  his  cabin  westward  of  the  first,  and  near  the  spot 
where  stands  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Torrey;  and  the  third  near  or  upon  the  spot 
where  A.  G.  Herndon  resides.  A  second  family,  by  the  name  of  Duggett,  settled 
in  that  portion  of  the  western  part  of  the  city  known  by  the  early  inhabitants  as 
"Newsonville,"  sometime  in  the  early  part  of  1820;  and  some  half  dozen  other 
families  were  added  to  the  new  settlement  during  the  year  1821. 


212 


ILLINOIS. 


The  original  name  of  Springfield  was  Calhoun.  At  a  special  term  of  the  county 
commissioners'  court,  held  in  April,  1821,  at  Kelly's  house,  they  designated  a  cer 
tain  point  in  the  prairie,  near  John  Kelly's  field,  on  the  waters  of  Spring  creek,  as 
a  temporary  seat  of  justice  for  the  county,  and  that  "said  county  seat  should  be 
called  and  known  by  the  name  of  Springfield."  The  first  court  house  and  jail 
was  built  in  the  latter  part  of  1821,  at  the  N.W.  corner  of  Second  and  Jefferson- 
streets.  The  town  was  surveyed  and  platted  by  James  C.  Stephenson,  Esq.,  and 
he  is  said  to  have  received  block  21  for  his  services.  Town  lots,  at  that  period, 
could  not  have  been  considered  very  valuable,  as  tradition  says  he  proposed  to  give 
Dr.  Merryman  one  fourth  of  the  block  for  his  pointer  dog  to  which  he  took  a  fancy, 
and  which  offer  was  rejected.  In  1823,  Springfield  did  not  contain  more  than  a 
dozen  log  cabins,  which  were  scattered  about  in  the  vicinity  of  where  the  court 
house  then  stood,  and  the  Sangamon  River  was  the  boundary  line  of  settlements 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  The  site  of  Springfield  was  originally  an  open 
prairie,  destitute  of  trees  or  shrubbery :  where  the  state  house  now  stands,  was 
formerly  a  kind  of  swamp,  where,  during  the  winter,  the  boys  amused  themselves 
in  skating. 

The  first  tavern  in  Springfield  was  an  old-fashioned  two  story  log  house,  kept  by 
a  person  named  Price,  which  stood  where  the  residence  of  Charles  Lorsh  now 
stands.  The  first  tavern  of  much  pretension  was  the  old  "Indian  Queen  Hotel." 
built  by  A.  G.  Herndon.  The  first  store,  for  the  sale  of  dry  goods,  in  Springfield, 
was  opened'  by  Elijah  lies,  now  occupied  by  John  Hay. 

In  1837,  the  seat  of  government  for  the  state  was  removed  from  Vandalia  to 
Springfield,  and  the  first  session  of  the  legislature  here  was  in  the  winter  of  1839- 
40.  The  senate  held  its  session  in  the  old  Methodist  church,  and  the  house  of 
representatives  met  in  the  second  Presbyterian  church.  In  1840,  Springfield  re 
ceived  a  city  charter.  Benjamin  S.  Clement  was  elected  the  first  mayor,  and  Jas. 
R.  Gray,  Joseph  Klein,  Washington  lies,  and  Wm.  Prentiss,  aldermen.  The  St. 
Louis,  Alton  and  Chicago  Railroad  was  commenced  in  Aug.,  1850,  and  was  finished 
from  Alton  to  Springfield,  Sept.,  1852:  from  this  period  Springfield  has  rapidly  ad 
vanced  in  wealth  and  population. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  city  ceme 
tery  : 

NINIAN  EDWARDS,  chief  justice  of  Ky.,  1808;  governor  111.  Territory,  1809  to  1818;  IT. 
S.  senator,  1818  to  1824;  governor  state  of  111.,  1826  to  1830;  died  July  20,1833,  in  the  59th 
year  of  his  age. 


PASCAL  PAOLI  ENOS,  a  native  of  Windsor,  Conn.,  emigrated  to  the  valley  of  the  Missis 
sippi  in  1816;  with  three  others  founded  the  city  of  Springfield  in  1824,  and  died  A. D. 
1832,  aged  sixty-two.  The  pioneers  acknowledge  his  virtues. 


Erected  by  the  Whigs  of  Springfield  in  memory  of  JOHN  BRODIE,  who  departed  this  life 
on  the  3d  of  Aug.,  1844,  in  the  42d  year  of  his  age.  [Second  monument.] — The  grave  of 
JOHN  BRODIE,  a  native  of  Perth,  Scotland,  who  departed  this  life  on  the  3d  of  Aug.,  1844, 
in  the  42d  year  of.  his  age. 

Far  from  his  native  isle  he  lies, 
Wrapped  in  the  vestments  of  the  grave. 

[In  the  old  graveyard.]  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Rev.  JACOB  M.  EARLY,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  and  for  seven  years  a  resident  of  Springfield,  111.,  combining  in  his  character 
splendid  natural  endowments,  a  highly  cultivated  mind,  undaunted  moral  courage,  and  the 
graces  of  the  Christian  religion.  Eminent  in  the  profession  of  his  choice,  and  successful 
in  his  ministry,  he  enjoyed  a  large  share  of  the  respect  and  affections  of  an  extensive  and 
respectable  acquaintance.  Though  called  suddenly  from  life,  he  met  death  with  a  calm 
and  amazing  fortitude,  in  the  certain  hope  of  a  blissful  immortality,  through  our  Lord  and 
Savior  Jesus  Christ.  He  was  born  Feb.  22,  1806,  and  died  March  11,  1838,  aged  32  yrs.  18 
days. 


ILLINOIS. 


213 


RESIDENCE  OF  AB'M.  LINCOLX, 


Springfield  is  noted  as  having  been  the  home  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  president 
of  the  United  States.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky. 

His  grandfather  removed  from 
Virginia  at  an  early  day,  and 
finally  fell  on  the  frontiers  be 
neath  the  tomahawk  of  the  sav 
age.  His  son,  Thomas,  and  the 
father  of  Abraham,  traveled 
about  from  neighborhood  to 
neighborhood,  working  as  a  la 
borer,  until  he  finally  settled  in 
what  was  then  Hardin,  now  La- 
rue  county,  Ky.,  and  there,  in 
1809,  was  born  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  When  in  his  eighth 
year,  the  family  removed  to 
Spencer  Co.,  Iiid.  When  Abra 
ham  was  21  years  of  age,  they  again  emigrated  to  Macon,  Illinois.  Soon 
after  he  engaged  as  a  flat  boatman  on  the  Mississippi,  then  he  took  charge 
of  a  store  and  a  mill  at  New  Salem,  and  on  the  outbreak  of  the  Black  Hnwk 
war  he  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company  of  volunteers.  In  1834  he  was, 
for  the  first  time,  elected  to  the  legislature  of  Illinois,  and  soon  after  com 
menced  the  study  of  law.  In  1837  he  removed  to  Springfield  and  entered 
upon  his  professional  career.  In  1840,  and  again  in  1844,  he  was  one  of 
the  electors  on  the  Whig  ticket  in  Illinois;  in  1846  wa,s  elected  to  congress 
from  the  Springfield  district.  In  1858,  he  was  brought  prominently  before 
the  public  by  his  memorable  senatorial  contest  with  the  distinguished  Ste 
phen  A.  Douglass.  This  was  the  final  point  in  his  career  which  led  to  his 
nomination  and  subsequent  election,  by  the  Republican  party,  to  the  Presi 
dency.  His  history  illustrates  the  power  of  natural  capacity,  joined  to  in 
dustry,  to  overcome  poverty  and  other  obstacles  in  the  way  of  obtaining  an 
education,  in  a  country  whose  institutions  give  full  freedom  to  the  exercise 
of  all  manly  faculties. 

Kaskaskia',  a  small  village  and  the  county  seat  of  Randolph  county,  is  on 
Kaskaskia  River,  10  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi,  and  on 
a  neck  of  land  between  them,  two  miles  from  the  latter,  and  142  miles 
S.  of  Springfield.  It  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  town  in  Illinois, 
and,  perhaps,  in  the  whole  western  states.  It  was  founded  by  Father  Gravier, 
a  Catholic  missionary,  some  where  about  the  year  1693.  It  was,  at  first, 
merely  a  missionary  station  inhabited  by  the  natives.  In  1763,  when  ceded 
by  the  French  to  the  English,  it  contained  about  ISO  families.  It  was  the 
first  capital  of  the  territory,  and  retained  that  rank  until  1818. 

Judge  Hall,  in  his  "  Sketches  of  the  West,"  gives  a  pleasant  picture  of 
the  characteristics  of  the  French  settlers  in  this  region.  Says  he : 

They  made  no  attempt  to  acquire  land  from  the  Indians,  to  organize  a  social  sys 
tem,  to  introduce  municipal  regulations,  or  to  establish  military  defenses ;  but 
cheerfully  obeyed  the  priests  and  the  king's  officers,  and  enjoyed  the  present,  with 
out  troubling  their  heads  about  the  future.  They  seem  to  have  been  even  careless 
as  to  the  acquisition  of  property,  and  its  transmission  to  their  heirs.  Finding 
themselves  in  a  fruitful  country,  abounding  in  game,  where  the  necessaries  of  life 
could  be  procured  with  little  labor,  where  no  restraints  were  imposed  by  govern 
ment,  and  neither  tribute  nor  personal  service  was  exacted,  they  Avere  content  to 
live  in  unambitious  peace,  and  comfortable  poverty.  They  took  possession  of  so 
much  of  the  vacant  land  around  them  as  they  Avere  disposed  to  till,  and  no  more. 


214  ILLINOIS. 

Their  agriculture  was  rude;  and  even  to  this  day,  some  of  the  implements  of  hus 
bandry  and  modes  of  cultivation,  brought  from  France  a  century  ago,  remain  un 
changed  by  the  march  of  mind,  or  the  hand  of  innovation.  Their  houses  were 
comfortable,  and  they  reared  fruits  and  flowers;  evincing,  in  this  respect,  an  at 
tention  to  comfort  and  luxury,  which  has  not  been  practiced  among  the  English  or 
American  first  settlers ;  but  in  the  accumulation  of  property,  and  "in  all  the  essen 
tials  of  industry,  they  were  indolent  and  improvident,  rearing  only  the  bare  neces 
saries  of  life,  and  living  from  generation  to  generation  without  change  or  improve 
ment. 

The  only  new  articles  which  the  French  adopted,  in  consequence  of  their  change 
of  residence,  were  those  connected  with  the  fur  trade.  The  few  who  were  en 
gaged  in  merchandise  turned  their  attention  almost  exclusively  to  the  traffic  with 
the  Indians,  while  a  large  number  became  hunters  and  boatmen.  The  voyagevrs, 
engagees,  and  couriers  des  bois,  as  they  are  called,  form  a  peculiar  race  of  men. 
They  were  active,  sprightly,  and  remarkably  expert  in  their  vocation.  With  all 
the  vivacity  of  the  French  character,  they  have  little  of  the  intemperance  and  bru 
tal  coarseness  usually  found  among  the  boatmen  and  mariners.  They  are  patient 
under  fatigue,  and  endure  an  astonishing  degree  of  toil  and  exposure  to  the  weather. 
Accustomed  to  live  in  the  open  air,  they  pass  through  every  extreme,  and  all  the 
sudden  vicissitudes  of  climate,  with  little  apparent  inconvenience.  Their  boats 
are  managed  with  expertness,  and  even  grace,  and  their  toil  enlivened  by  the  song. 
As  hunters,  they  have  roved  over  the  whole  of  the  wide  plain  of  the  west,  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  sharing  the  hospitality  of  the  Indians,  abiding  for  long  periods, 
and  even  permanently,  with  the  tribes,  and  sometimes  seeking  their  alliance  by 
marriage.  As  boatmen,  they  navigate  the  birch  canoe  to  the  sources  of  the  long 
est  rivers,  and  pass  from  one  river  to  another,  by  laboriously  carrying  the  packages 
of  merchandise,  and  the  boat  itself,  across  mountains,  or  through  swamps  or  woods, 
so  that  no  obstacle  stops  their  progress.  Like  the  Indian,  they  can  live  on  game, 
without  condiment  or-bread;  like  him  they  sleep  in  the  open  air,  or  plunge  into 
the  water  at  any  season,  without  injury. 

The  French  had  also  a  fort  on  the  Ohio,  about  thirty-six  miles  above  the  junc 
tion  of  that  river  with  the  Mississippi,  of  which  the  Indians  obtained  possession 
by  a  singular  stratagem.  This  was  just  above  the  site  of  Metropolis  City,  and  was 
a  mission  station  as  early  as  1711.  A  number  of  them  appeared  in  the  day  time 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  each  covered  with  a  bear-skin,  and  walking  on 
all-fours,  and  imitating  the  motions  of  that  animal.  The  French  supposed  them 
to  be  bears,  and  a  party  crossed  the  river  in  pursuit  of  them.  The  remainder  of 
the  troops  left  their  quarters,  and  resorted  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  front  of  the 
garrison,  to  observe  the  sport.  In  the  meantime,  a  large  body  of  Indian  warriors, 
who  were  concealed  in  the  woods  near  by,  came  silently  up  behind  the  fort,  en 
tered  it  without  opposition,  and  very  few  of  the  French  escaped  the  carnage. 
They  afterward  built  another  fort  on  the  same  ground,  which  they  called  Massacre, 
in  memory  of  this  disastrous  event,  and  which  retained  the  name  of  Fort  Massac, 
after  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  American  government. 

These  paragraphs  of  Hall  are  quoted  by  Peck,  in  the  "Western  Annals, 
and  to  them  are  appended  these  additional  facts  from  his  own  pen : 

The  style  of  agriculture  in  all  the  French  settlements  was  simple.  Both  the  Spanish 
and  French  governments,  in  forming  settlements  on  the  Mississippi,  had  special  regard  to 
convenience  of  social  intercourse,  and  protection  from  the  Indians.  All  their  settlements 
•were  required  to  be  in  the  form  of  villages  or  towns,  and  lots  of  a  convenient  size  for  a 
door  yard,  garden  and  stable  yard,  were  provided  for  each  family.  To  each  village  were 
granted  two  tracts  of  land  at  convenient  distances  for  "common  Jields"  and  "commons." 

A  common  field  is  a  tract  of  land  of  several  hundred  acres,  inclosed  in  common  by  the 
villagers,  each  person  furnishing  his  proportion  of  labor,  and  each  family  possessing  indi 
vidual  interest  in  a  portion  of  the  field,  marked  off  and  bounded  from  the  rest.  Ordinances 
were  made  to  regulate  the  repairs  of  fences,  the  time  of  excluding  cattle  in  the  spring,  and 
the  time  of  gathering  the  crop  and  opening  the  field  for  the  range  of  cattle  in  the  fall. 
Each  plat  of  ground  in  the  common  field  was  owned  in  fee  simple  by  the  person  to  whom 
granted,  subject  to  sale  and  conveyance,  the  same  as  any  landed  property. 

A  common  is  a  tract  of  land  granted  to  the  town  for  wood  and  pasturage,  in  which  each 


ILLINOIS.  215 

o\vner  of  a  village  lot  has  a  common,  but  not  an  individual  right.  In  some  cases  this 
tract  embraced  several  thousand  acres. 

By  this  arrangement,  something  like  a  community  system  existed  in  their  intercourse. 
If  the  head  of  a  family  was  sick,  met  with  a  casualty,  or  was  absent  as  an  eng-iyee,  his 
family  sustained  little  inconvenience.  His  plat  in  the  common  field  was  cultivated  by  his 
neighbors,  and  the  crop  gathered.  A  pleasant  custom  existed  in  these  French  villages  not 
thirty  years  since,  and  which  had  come  down  from  the  remotest  period. 

The' husbandman  on  his  return  at  evening  from  his  daily  toil,  was  always  met  by  his 
affectionate  femme  with  the  friendly  kiss,  and  very  commonly  with  one,  perhaps  two  of  the 
youngest  Children,  to  receive  the  same  salutation  from  le  pere.  This  daily  interview  was 
at  the  gate  of  the  door  yard,  and  in  view  of  all  the  villagers.  The  simple-hearted  people 
were  a  happy  and  contented  race.  A  few  traits  of  these  ancient  characteristics  remain, 
but  most  of  the  descendants  of  the  French  are  fully  Americanized. 

The  romantic  details  of  the  conquest  of  Kaskaskia,  in  the  war  of  the 
devolution,  by  the  Virginians,  under  Clark,  we  take  from  Monette : 

The  whole  of  the  Illinois  country  being,  at  that  time,  within  the  chartered  limits 
of  Virginia,  Col.  George  Kogers  Clark,  an  officer  of  extraordinary  geriius,  who  had 
recently  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  with  slight  aid  from  the  mother  state,  projected 
and  carried  out  a  secret  expedition  for  the  reduction  of  these  posts,  the  great 
fountains  of  Indian  massacre. 

About  the  middle  of  June  (1778),  Clark,  by  extraordinary  exertions,  assembled 
at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  six  incomplete  companies.  From  these  he  selected  about 
150  frontier  men,  and  descended  the  Ohio  in  keel  boats  en  route  for  Kaskaskia; 
on  their  way  down  they  learned,  by  a  messenger,  of  the  alliance  of  France  with 
the  United  States.  About  forty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  having  first 
concealed  their  boats  by  sinking  them  in.  the  river,  they  commenced  their  march 
toward  Kaskaskia.  Their  route  was  through  a  pathless  wilderness,  interspersed 
with  morasses,  and  almost  impassable  to  any  except  backwoodsmen.  After  several 
days  of  great  fatigue  and  hardships,  they  arrived,  unperceived,  in  the  evening  of 
the  4th  of  July,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town.  In  the  dead  of  night  Clark  divided 
his  little  force  into  two  divisions.  One  division  took  possession  of  the  town  while 
the  inhabitants  were  asleep;  with  the  other  Clark  in  person  crossed  to  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  Kaskaskia  River,  and  secured  possession  of  Fort  Gage.  So  little 
apprehensive  was  he  of  danger,  that  the  commandant,  Rocheblave,  had  not  even 
posted  a  solitary  sentinel,  and  that  officer  was  awakened  by  the  side  of  his  wife  to 
find  himself  a  prisoner  of  war. 

The  town,  containing  about  250  dwellings,  was  completely  surrounded,  and  all 
avenues  of  escape  carefully  guarded.  The  British  had  cunningly  impressed  the 
French  with  a  horror  of  Virginians,  representing  them  as  bloodthirsty  and  cruel 
in  the  extreme.  Clark  took  measures,  for  ultimate  good,  to  increase  this  feeling. 
During  the  night  the  troops  filled  the  air  with  war-whoops;  every  house  was  en 
tered  and  the  inhabitants  disarmed;  all  intercourse  between  them  was  prohibited; 
the  people  were  ordered  not  to  appear  in  the  streets  under  the  penalty  of  instant 
death.  The  whole  town  was  filled  with  terror,  and  the  minds  of  the  poor  French 
men  were  agitated  by  the  most  horrid  apprehensions.  At  last,  when  hope  had 
nearly  vanished,  a  deputation,  headed  by  Father  Gibault,  the  village  priest,  ob 
tained  permission  to  wait  upon  Col.  Clark.  Surprised  as  they  had  been,  by  the 
sudden  capture  of  their  town,  and  by  such  an  enemy  as  their  imagination  had 
painted,  they  were  still  more  so  when  admitted  to  his  presence.  Their  clothes 
were  dirty  and  torn  by  the  briars,  and  their  whole  aspect  frightful  and  savage. 
The  priest,  in  a  trembling,  subdued  tone,  said  to  Clark: 

"  That  the  inhabitants  expected  to  be  separated,  never  to  meet  again  on  earth, 
and  they  begged  for  permission,  through  him,  to  assemble  once  more  in  the  church, 
to  take  a  final  leave  of  each  other."  Clark,  aware  that  they  suspected  him  of  hos 
tility  to  their  religion,  carelessly  told  them,  that  he  had  nothing  to  say  against  their 
church  ;  that  religion  was  a  matter  which  the  Americans  left  every  one  for  him 
self  to  settle  with  his  God;  that  the  people  might  assemble  in  the  church,  if  they 
wished,  but  they  must  not  leave  the  town.  Some  further  conversation  was  at 
tempted,  but  Clark,  in  order  that  the  alarm  might  be  raised  to  its  utmost  bight, 
repelled  it  with  sternness,  and  told  them  at  once  that  he  had  not  leisure  for  further 


216  ILLINOIS. 

intercourse.  The  whole  town  immediately  assembled  at  the  church ;  the  old  and 
the  young,  the  women  and  the  children,  and  the  houses  were  all  deserted.  The 
people  remained  in  church  for  a  longtime — after  which  the  priest,  accompanied  by 
several  gentlemen,  waited  upon  Col.  Clark,  and  expressed,  in  the  name  of  the  vil 
lage,  "  their  thanks  for  the  indulgence  they  had  received."  The  deputation  then 
desired,  at  the  request  of  the  inhabitants,  to  address  their  conqueror  on  a  subject 
which  was  dearer  to  them  than  any  other.  "  They  were  sensible,"  they  said,  "  that 
their  present  situation  was  the  fate  of  war ;  and  they  could  submit  to  the  loss  of 
property,  but  solicited  that  they  might  not  be  separated  from  their  wives*  and  chil 
dren,  and  that  some  clothes  and  provisions  might  be  allowed  for  their  future  sup 
port."  They  assured  Col.  Clark,  that  their  conduct  had  been  influenced  by  the 
British  commandants,  whom  they  supposed  they  were  bound  to  obey — that  they 
were  not  certain  that  they  understood  the  nature  of  the  contest  between  Great 
Britain  and  the  colonies — that  their  remote  situation  was  unfavorable  to  accurate 
information — that  some  of  their  number  had  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  the 
Americans,  and  others  would  have  done  so  had  they  durst.  Clark,  having  wound 
up  their  terror  to  the  highest  pitch,  resolved  now  to  try  the  effect  of  that  lenity, 
which  he  had  all  along  intended  to  grant.  He  therefore  abruptly  addressed  them  : 
"  Do  you,"  said  he,  "  mistake  us  for  savages  ?  I  am  almost  certain  you  do  from 
your  language.  Do  you  think  that  Americans  intend  to  strip  women  and  children, 
or  take  the  bread  out  of  their  mouths  ?  My  countrymen  disdain  to  make  war  upon 
helpless  innocence.  It  was  to  prevent  the  horrors  of  Indian  butchery  upon  our 
own  wives  and  children,  that  we  have  taken  up  arms,  and  penetrated  into  this 
stronghold  of  British  and  Indian  barbarity,  and  not  the  despicable  prospect  of 
plunder.  That  since  the  King  of  France  had  united  his  arms  with  those  of  Amer 
ica,  the  war,  in  all  probability,  would  shortly  cease.  That  the  inhabitants  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  however,  were  at  liberty  to  take  which  side  they  pleased,  without  danger 
to  themselves,  their  property,  or  their  families.  That  all  religions  were  regarded 
by  the  Americans  with  equal  respect;  and  that  insult  offered  to  theirs,  would  be 
immediately  punished.  And  now,"  continued  he,  "  to  prove  my  sincerity,  you  will 
please  inform  your  fellow-citizens  that  they  are  at  liberty  to  go  wherever  they 
please,  without  any  apprehension.  That  he  was  now  convinced  they  had  been 
misinformed,  and  prejudiced  against  the  Americans,  by  British  officers  ;  and  that 
their  friends  in  confinement  should  immediately  be  released."  The  joy  of  the  vil 
lagers,  on  hearing  the%  speech  of  Col.  Clark,  may  be  imagined.  The  contrast  of 
feeling  among  the  people,  on  learning  these  generous  and  magnanimous  intentions 
of  Col.  Clark,  verified  his  anticipations.  The  gloom  which"  had  overspread  the 
town  was  immediately  dispersed.  The  bells  rung  a  merry  peal ;  the  church  was 
at  once  filled,  and  thanks  offered  up  to  God  for  deliverance  from  the  terrors  they 
had  feared.  Freedom  to  come  and  go,  as  they  pleased,  was  immediately  given ; 
knowing  that  their  reports  would  advance  the  success  and  glory  of  his  arms. 

So  great  an  effect  had  this  leniency  of  Clark  upon  them,  that,  on  the  evening  of 
the  same  day,  a  detachment,  under  Capt.  Bowman,  being  detached  to  surprise  Caho- 
kia,  the  Kaskaskians  offered  to  go  with  it,  and  secure  the  submission  of  their  neigh 
bors.  This  having  been  accomplished,  the  two  chief  posts  in  Illinois  had  passed, 
without  bloodshed,  from  the  possession  of  England  into  that  of  Virginia. 

But  St.  Vincennes,  upon  the  Wabash,  the  most  important  post  in  the  west,  except 
Detroit,  still  remained  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  Clark  thereupon  accepted  the 
offer  of  Father  Gibault,  who,  in  company  with  another  Kaskaskian,  proceeded  on 
a  mission  of  peace  to  St.  Vincennes,  and  by  the  1st  of  August,  returned  with  the 
intelligence  that  the  inhabitants  of  that  post  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  American  cause. 

Clark  next  established  courts,  garrisoned  three  conquered  towns,  commenced  a 
fort  which  proved  the  foundation  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Louisville,  and  sent  the 
ill-natured  Rocheblavc  a  prisoner  to  Virginia.  In  October,  Virginia  extended  her 
jurisdiction  over  the  settlements  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  the  Wabash,  by  the 
organization  of  the  county  of  Illinois,  the  largest,  at  that  time,  in  the  world.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  conquest  of  the  Illinois  country  by  Clark,  it  would  have  re 
mained  in  the  possession  of  England  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  and  continued, 
like  Canada,  to  the  present  day,  an  English  province. 


ILLINOIS.  217 

Having  reduced  these  English  posts  to  submission,  Clark  opened  negotia 
tions  with  the  Indians,  showing  throughout  that  masterly  insight  into  their 
character  that  was  ever  so  wonderfully  displayed  by  him  in  dealing  with  men, 
white  or  red.  Among  the  incidents  of  his  diplomacy  is  this  one,  given  by 
Mr.  Peck : 

A  party  of  Indians,  known  as  Meadow  Indians,  had  come  to  attend  the  council  with 
tlieii  neighbors.  These,  by  some  means,  were  induced  to  attempt  the  murder  of  the  in 
vaders,  and  tried  to  obtain  an  opportunity  to  commit  the  crime  proposed,  by  surprising 
Clark  and  his  officers  in  their  quarters.  In  this  plan  they  failed,  and  their  purpose  was  dis 
covered  by  the  sagacity  of  the  French  in  attendance;  when  this  was  done,  Clark  gave 
them  to  the  French  to  deal  with  as  they  pleased,  but  with  a  hint  that  some  of  the  lenders 
would  be  as  well  in  irons.  Thus  fettered  and  foiled,  the  chiefs  were  brought  daily  to  the 
council  house,  where  he  whom  they  proposed  to  kill,  was  engaged  in  forming  friendly  re 
lations  with  their  red  brethren.  At  length,  when,  by  these  means,  the  futility  of  their  pro 
ject  had  been  sufficiently  impressed  upon  them,  the  American  commander  ordered  their 
irons  to  be  struck  off,  and  in  his  quiet  way,  full  of  scorn,  said, 

"  Every  body  thinks  you  ought  to  die  for  your  treachery  upon  my  life,  amidst  the  sacred 
deliberations  of  a  council.  I  had  determined  to  inflict  death  upon  you  for  your  base  at 
tempt,  and  you  yourselves  must  be  sensible  that  you  have  justly  forfeited  your  lives;  but 
on  considering  the  meanness  of  watching  a  bear  and  catching  him  asleep,  I  have  found  out 
that  you  are  not  warriors,  only  old  women,  and  too  mean  to  be  killed  by  the  Big  Knife.  But,'* 
continued  he,  "as  you  ought  to  be  punished  for  putting  on  breech  cloths  like  men,  they 
shall  be  taken  away  from  you,  plenty  of  provisions  shall  be  given  for  your  journey  home, 
as  women  don't  know  how  to  hunt,  and  during  your  stay  you  shall  be  treated  in  every  respect 
as  squaws." 

These  few  cutting  words  concluded,  the  colonel  turned  away  to  converse  with  others. 
The  children  of  the  prairie,  who  had  looked  for  anger,  not  contempt — punishment,  not 
freedom — were  unaccountably  stirred  by  this  treatment.  They  took  counsel  together,  and 
presently  a  chief  came  forward  with  a  belt  and  pipe  of  peace,  which,  with  proper  words, 
he  laid  upon  the  table.  The  interpreter  stood  ready  to  translate  the  words  of  friendship, 
but,  with  curling  lip,  the  American  said  he  did  not  wish  to  hear  them,  and  lifting  a  swerd 
which  lay  before  him,  he  shattered  the  offered  pipe,  with  the  cutting  expression  that  "he 
did  not  treat  with  women."  The  bewildered  and  overwhelmed  Meadow  Indians  next  asked 
the  intercession  of  other  red  men,  already  admitted  to  friendship,  but  the  only  reply  was, 
"The  Big  Knife  has  made  no  war  upon  these  people;  they  are  of  a  kind  that  we  shoot  like  wolves 
when  we  meet  them  in  the  woods,  lest  they  eat  the  deer." 

All  this  wrought  more  and  more  upon  the  offending  tribe;  again  they  took  counsel,  and 
then  two  young  men  came  forward,  and,  covering  their  heads  with  their  blankets,  sat 
down  before  the  impenetrable  commander;  then  two  chiefs  arose,  and  stated  that  these 
young  warriors  offered  their  lives  as  an  atonement  for  the  misdoings  of  their  relatives, 
again  they  presented  the  pipe  of  peace.  Silence  reigned  in  the  assembly,  while  the  fate 
of  the  proffered  victims  hung  in  suspense:  all  watched  the  countenance  of  the  American 
leader,  who  could  scarce  master  the  emotion  which  the  incident  excited.  Still  all  sat 
noiseless,  nothing  heard  but  the  deep  breathing  of  those  whose  lives  thus  hung  by  a  thread. 
Presently,  he  upon  whom  all  depended,  arose,  and,  approaching  the  young  men,  he  bade 
them  be  uncovered  and  stand  up.  They  sprang  to  their  feet. 

"I  am  glad  to  find,"  said  Clark,  warmly, "  that  there  are  men  among  all  nations.  With 
you,  who  alone  are  fit  to  be  chiefs  of  your  tribe,  I  am  willing  to  treat;  through  you  I  am 
ready  to  grant  peace  to  your  brothers;  /  take  you  by  the  hands  as  chiefs,  worthy  of  being 
such." 

Here  again  the  fearless  generosity,  and  the  generous  fearlessness  of  Clark,  proved  per 
fectly  successful,  and  while  the  tribe  in  question  became  the  allies  of  America,  the  fame 
of  the  occurrence,  which  spread  far  and  wide  through  the  north-west,  made  the  name  of 
the  white  negotiator  every  where  respected. 

JACKSONVILLE,  the  capital  of  Morgan  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Great 
Western  Railroad,  34  miles  W.  from  Springfield,  and  222  from  Chicago.  It 
is  beautifully  situated  in  the  midst  of  an  undulating  and  fertile  prairie,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mauvaisterre  creek,  an  affluent  of  Illinois  River.  Perhaps 
no  place  of  its  size  contains  a  greater  number  of  churches,  charitable  insti 
tutions,  seminaries  of  learning,  and  the  town  has  been  denominated  "  the 
school-house  of  Illinois."  It  contains  the  Illinois  College,  which  occupies 


218 


ILLINOIS. 


a  beautiful  situation,  and  is' one  of  the  best  and  most  flourishing  in  the  state  ; 
the  Illinois  Conference  Female  College,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Methodists, 
having  had  at  one  time  400  pupils ;  the  Berean  College,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Christian  denomination;  and  the  Jacksonville  Female  Seminary.  The 


North-eastern  view  of  Illinois  College,  Jacksonville. 

The  Illinois  College  building  is  seen  in  the  central  part.  The  structure  on  the  right  was  tt' 
me$ly  used  as  a  chapel,  library,  etc.;  that  on  the  left  is  a  wing  remaining  of  the  former  College  buiU. 
ing. 

state  institutions  are  the  Insane  Asylum,  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institution, 
and  the  Institution  for  the  Blind.  These  state  asylums  are  situated  rela 
tively  on  three  sides  of  a  quadrangle  around  the  town,  each  about  a  mile 
from  the  center.  All  of  the  buildings  for  these  institutions,  together  with 
those  for  literary  purposes,  are  of  the  first  order,  and  some  of  them  make  an 
Imposing  'appearance.  The  state  asylums  are  supported  by  the  state  tax, 
and  all  citizens  of  the  state  are  entitled  to  their  benefits  without  charge. 

One  of  the  first  originators  of  the  Illinois  College  was  the  late  Rev.  John  M. 
Ellis,  who  was  sent  by  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  to  the  infant  set 
tlements  of  this  state.  He  early  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  a  seminary  de 
voted  to  the  purposes  of  education,  on  a  somewhat  peculiar  plan.  The  first  attempt 
was  at  Shoal  creek,  in  Bond  county,  where  the  people  took  quite  an  interest  in 
the  undertaking.  A  committee  was  afterward  appointed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
Missouri  (with  which  the  Presbyterian  churches  of  this  state  were  then  connected), 
to  consider  the  subject  and  make  a  report.  A  tour  in  connection  with  this  subject 
was  taken  by  Messrs.  Ellis  and  Lippincott,  in  Jan.,  1828.  Having  visited  several 
places,  Saturday  night  overtook  them  on  the  south  side  of  Sandy  creek,  some  four 
or  five  miles  south  from  Jacksonville. 

Mr.  Ellis,  in  order  to  fulfill  his  appointment  to  preach,  continued  his  journey  on 
Sunday  morning.  "It  was  a  bright  splendid  morning.  The  winter  rain  had 
covered  every  twig  and  blade  of  prairie  grass  with  ice,  and  as  the  rising  sun  threw 
his  clear  rays  athwart  the  plain,  myriads  of  gems  sparkled  with  living  light,  and 
Diamond  Grove  might  almost  have  been  fancied  a  vast  crystal  chandelier."  The 
name  of  Diamond  Grove  was  considerably  more  ancient  than  the  name  or  exist 
ence  of  Jacksonville,  and  was  used  as  a  designation  of  the  region  around  it. 
•  The  most  convenient  place  for  the  people,  at  that  time,  to  assemble  on  that  Sab 
bath,  was  at  the  house  of  Judge  Leeper,  wrhich  was  about  a  mile  south-east  from 
,the  public  square,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  woodland,  which  borders  OR 


ILLINOIS.  219 

the  Mauvaisterre  creek,  and  nearly  east  of  the  spot  where  the  Insane  Hospital  now 
stands.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Jackson 
ville.  The  principal  sites  which  attracted  the  notice  of  the  commissioners  when 
here,  was  the  spot  now  known  as  the  mound  and  the  site  .on  which  the  college 
stands. 

Mr.  Ellis  removed  his  residence  from  Kaskaskia  to  Jacksonville,  in  1828,  and 
the  same  year  made  a  report  to  the  society  respecting  the  seminary.  About  this 
period  seven  members  of  the  theological  department  of  Yale  College,  Conn.,  see 
ing  the  report  of  Mr.  Ellis,  pledged  themselves  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity  in  the  distant  and  then  wild  state  of  Illinois.  The  names  of  these 
young  men  were,  Theoron  M.  Grosvenor,  Theoron  Baldwin,  J.  M.  Sturtevant  (now 
president  of  the  college),  J.  T.  Brooks,  Elisha  Jenney,  William  Kirby  and  Asa 
Turner.  The  following  is  extracted  from  President  Sturtevant's  Historical  Dis 
course,  delivered  in  Jacksonville  on  the  Quarter  Century  Celebration  at  Illinois 
College,  July  11,  1855,  being  relative  to  his  first  visit  to  Jacksonville: 

"It  was  on  a  bright  Sabbath  morning,  the  15fch  day  of  November,  a  little  after 
sunrise,  that  we  came  in  sight  of  Jacksonville.  It  was  already  called,  in  the  ordi 
nary  speech  of  the  people,  a  beautiful  place.  I  had  often  heard  it  called  so  my 
self;  ami  beautiful  it  was,  when  the  bright  face  of  spring  was  again  spread  over 
it,  though  its  beauty  was  God's  work,  and  not  man's.  It  was  at  that  time  little 
better  than  a  group  of  log  cabins.  The  prairie  was  in  the  sombre  brown  of  autumn, 
with  scarce  a  tree  or  shrub  to  relieve  the  monotony.  To  the  north-west,  however, 
the  view  was  shut  in  by  an  elevation,  which  a  New  Englander  might  almost  recog 
nize  as  a  hill.  It  was,  crowned  with  a  natural  grove.  Against  the  front  of  the 
grove  was  already  projected  an  edifice  of  brick,  which,  at  that  distance,  and  on 
such  an  elevation,  made  an  appearance  of  considerable  dignity  and  magnificence. 
The  site  on  which  it  stood  charmed  every  beholder.  It  was  the  south  half  of  what 
is  now  our  college  buildings,  then  in  process  of  erection.  We  were  most  cordially 
welcomed  at  the  humble,  but  none  the  less  hospitable,  dwelling  of  Mr.  Ellis.  *  * 

Our  arrival  was  expected,  and  preaching  was  appointed.  At  the  proper  hour 
we  repaired  to  the  place  of  worship.  AVhat  would  our  people  say  now,  if  we  were 
to  invite  them  to  assemble  in  such  a  place  for  public  worship?  It  was  a  log  school 
house,  some  20  feet  square,  with  a  floor  of  split  logs,  and  seats,  so  far  as  there  were 
any  of  the  same,  with  holes  bored  in  them,  and  sticks  driven  in  for  legs.  The 
chimney  was  of  the  style  and  structure  most  approved  for  log-cabins,  built  out  of 
doors,  of  logs  and  sticks,  and  occupying  near  half  of  one  side  of  the  room.  Such 
was  its  condition  the  first  time  1  met  the  congregation  in  that  place.  Before  the 
next  Sabbath,  the  chimney  had  either  fallen  down  or  been  removed,  in  prepara 
tion  for  an  arrangement  for  warming  the  house  by'a  stove.  For  two  or  three  Sab 
baths  we  met  there,  before  this  vast  opening  in  one  side  was  again  closed  up.  Desk 
or  pulpit  there  was  none,  an  awkward  circumstance  to  one  just  from  the  school  of 
theology,  with  no  faith  in  the  possibility  of  preaching  without  a  manuscript  before 
him.  Yet,  on  that  day,  this  was  the  unlucky  predicament  of  your  speaker.  On 
the  first  Sabbath  the  audience  was  small,  and  a  chair  was  set  for  the  preacher  in 
one  corner  of  the  room.  On  the  second  Sabbath  the  house  was  crowded.  The 
chair  was  missing.  The  deficiency  of  seats  had  been  supplied  by  bringing  in  rails  - 
from  a  neighboring  fence,  and  laying  them  across  from  one  seat  to  another,  and 
thus  covering  over  the  whole  area  with  'sittings.'  Those  who  could  not  thus  be 
accommodated,  crowded  around  the  ample  Opening  where  the  chimney  had  been, 
and  heard  standing  in  the  open  air.  There  was  a  state  of  democratic  equality  in 
the  congregation,  which  would  have  done  good  to  the  heart  of  a  thorough-going 
leveler.  The  preacher  found  a  seat,  where  he  could,  among  the  congregation ; 
laid  his  Bible  and  hymn  book  on  the  rail  by  his  side,  and  rose  in  his  place  and  ad 
dressed  the  congregation  as  best  he  might. 

When  the  day  appointed  arrived,  we  repaired  to  the  still  unfinished  edifice,  then 
a  full  mile  distant  from  Jacksonville,  where  we  found  the  room  which  has  ever 
since  been  used  as  a  chapel,  finished,  lacking  the  desk,  the  lathing  and  plastering, 
and  for  the  most  part  the  seating.  The  rest  of  the  building  was  in  a  still  more  un 
finished  condition.  Of  course  its  impression  was  far  enough  from  inviting.  Nine 
pupils  presented  themselves  on  that  day.  They  were  Alvin  M.  Dixon,  James  P, 


220  ILLINOIS. 

Stewart,  from  Bond  county,  Merril  Rattan  and  Hampton  Rattan,  from  Greene 
county,  Samuel  R.  Simms,  Chatham  II.  Simms,  Rollin  Mears,  Charles  B.  Barton, 
and  a  }7outh  by  the  name  of  Miller,  of  Morgan  county.  They  were  all  to  begin 
their  studies  in  the  ftrst  rudiments,  for  it  is  not  known  that  there  was,  at  that  time, 
iii  the»state,  a  single  youth  fitted  for  the  freshman  class*  in  an  American  college. 
The  pupils  were  called  together,  a  portion  of  scripture  was  read,  a  few  remarks 
were  made  on  the  magnitude  of  the  errand  which  had  brought  us  there." 

The  first  printing  office  in  Jacksonville,  was  set  up  by  James  G.  Edwards, <of 
Boston,  who  afterward  removed  to  Burlington,  Iowa.  He  was  the  printer  and  edi 
tor  of  the  "  Western  Observer."  His  printing  office  is  the  building  in  the  rear 
of  that  of  Dr.  Mavo  McLean  Reed,  a  native  of  South  Windsor,  Connecticut.  Dr. 
Reed  emigrated  to  Jacksonville  in  1830,  from  South  Windsor,  with  Mr.  Elihu 
Wolcott  and  his  family.  Mr.  W.  traveled  with  his  own  team  from  Connecticut, 
and  arrived  here  on  the  5th  of  November,  having  been  six  weeks  on  the 
journey. 

About  1,000  Portuguese  emigrants  reside  in  Jacksonville  and  its  immediate  vi 
cinity,  being  sent  here  by  a  society  in  New  York.  They  are  from  the  Island  of 
Maderia,  and  were  brought  to  embrace  the  Protestant  faith,  through  the  instru 
mentality  of  Dr.  Kally,  a  Scotchman  who  went  to  reside  in  Maderia  for  the  health 
of  his  wife.  They  have  a  minister  named  Do  Mattoes,  who  preaches  in  their  na 
tive  language.  They  are  an  industrious  and  frugal  people :  most  of  them  have 
houses  of  their  own,  with  from  two  to  ten  acres  of  land:  a  few  have  30  or  40  acres. 
They  have  additions,  occasionally,  from  their  native  country. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  from  monuments  in  Jacksonville;  the  first 
from  the  graveyard  in  the  vicinity  of  the  colleges;  the  others,  in  the  city 
graveyard.  Col.  Hardin  (the  inscription  on  whose  monument  is  given  below) 
was  much  esteemed,  and  represented  this  district  in  congress,  from  1843  to 
1845.  Being  at  the  head  of  the  Illinois  militia,  he  was  requested,  by  the 
governor  of  the  state,  to  take  the  command  of  a  regiment  of  Illinois  volun 
teers.  He  at  first  declined,  not  fully  approving  of  the  Mexican  War.  But 
being  over-persuaded,  and  desirous  of  obtaining  the  approbation  of  all  classes 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  he  finally  consented.  Tearing  himself  from  his  wife 
and  children,  he  embarked,  with  his  regiment,  for  Mexico;  but  as  in  many 
other  like  instances,  it  proved  with  him,  that 

"  The  paths  of  Glory  lead  but  to  the  Grave." 

In  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  Col.  Hardin  having  obtained  permission  to 
march  upon  the  enemy  at  a  certain  point,  was  suddenly  attacked  by  an  over 
whelming  force  of  Mexicans  concealed  in  a  ravine,  when  he  fell  pierced  with 
many  wounds.  His  remains  were  found  among  the  slain,  brought  home  and 
interred  with  military  honors. 

ALEXANDER  DUNLOP,  born  May  6th,  A.D.  1791,  in  Fayette  Co.,  Kentucky.  Died  Nov.  10, 
A.D.  1853.  Alex.  Dunlop  volunteered  as  a  private  soldier  in  the  war  with  England  in  1812, 
and  was  taken  prisoner  at  Dudley's  defeat,  May  7,  181^.  Commanded  a  company  during 
the  Seminole  War,  also  the  detachment  that  captured  St.  Marks,  April  7,  1818,  making 

;>risoners,  Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister.     Was  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand   Lodge  of  Illinois, 
84:>.     Was  commissioned  Major  of  the  U.  S.  Army  1816,  and  was  present  at  the  fall  of  Vera 
Cruz,  March  28,  1847. 


Pro  patria,  COL.  JOHN  J.  HARDIN,  of  the  1st  Reg.  of  111.  volunteers,  gloriously  fell  in  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  Feb.  23,  1847.  Born  in  Frankfort,  Ky.,  on  the  6th  day  of  January, 
1810.  Died  on  the  field  of  battle  in  the  37th  year  of  his  age. 


WILLIAM  E.  PIERSON  died  Sept.  30,  1854,  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  to  the  Cherokee  Na 
tion,  being  under  appointment  as  missionary  teacher  by  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.,  aged  24.  lie 
rests  in  hope. 


ILLINOIS. 


221 


BLOOMINGTON,  beautifully  situated  on  the  line  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad,  is  61  miles  N.  E.  from  Springfield,  and  128  S.  W.  from  Chicago. 
It  is  regularly  laid  out  on  an  undulating  surface,  giving  a  fine  prospect  of 
the  fertile  prairie  lands  in  the  vicinity.  The  city  is  generally  very  neatly 


North   View  in  Bloomington. 

Showing  the  appearance  of  the  central  part  of  the  place,  as  it  is  entered  from  the  north  ;  the  new  Bap 
tist  Church,  and  the  Shaffer  and  Landon  Houses,  with  a  portion  of  the  old  Court  House,  are  seen  on  the 
right  of  the  engraving  ;  the  2d  Presbyterian  and  the  Methodist  Churches  on  the  left. 

built,  having  the  appearance  of  thrift  and  prosperity,  and  some  of  the  build 
ings  near  the  public  square,  are  magnificent  in  their  appearance.  This  place 
contains  the  State  Normal  University,  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  two 
female  seminaries,  several  banks,  11  churches,  various,  manufacturing  estab 
lishments,  and  a  population  of  about  8,000. 

The  first  settler  and  father  of  the  town,  was  John  Allin,  a  native  of  North  Caro 
lina,  who  was  raised  in  Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  he  having  lived,  in  the  early 
period  of  his  life  in  each  of  those  states.  He  was  at  first  attracted  to  this  spot  by 
the  extreme  beauty  of  the  groves.  Being  acquainted  with  the  geography  of  the 
country,  he  found  it  was  on  a  direct  line  from  the  foot  of  the  rapids  of  the 
Illinois,  near  La  Salle  to  Cairo,  also  from  Chicago  to  Alton  and  St.  Louis.  These 


gave  it  its  present  name.  Tnis  section  ol 
country  appears  to  have  been  a  favorite  spot  with  the  Indians.  Mr.  A.  states  that 
he  had  seen  the  signs  or  remains  of  30  Indian  villages,  within  a  compass  of  30 
miles  around  Bloomington.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival,  two  tribes,  the  Kickapoos 
and  Delawares,  lived  within  some  15  or  20  miles.  The  Kickapoos  were  5  or  600; 
the  Delawares  were  about  half  that  number.  The  Kickapoos  left  in  1832. 

Mr.  Allin  came  in  1829,  and  erected  his  log  cabin  on  the  edge  of  the  timber  op 
posite  where  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  now  stands,  and  he  set  out  most  of  the 
trees  growing  in  that  vicinity.  He  brought  a  quantity  of  goods  with  him,  which 
he  kept  in  a  part  of  his  cabin,  and  opened  the  first  store  in  Bloomington.  Samuel 
Durley,  a  young  man  born  in  Kentucky,  then  nearly  of  age,  acted  as  clerk.  Rev. 
James  Latta,  the  second  settler,  built  his  habitation  about  20  rods  west  from  Mr. 
Allin 's ;  he  was  a  Methodist  preacher,  universally  esteemed  by  all  classes.  Mr. 


222 


ILLINOIS. 


Allin  found  him  living;  in  a  cabin  about  four  miles  south-west  of  Bloomington,  on 
Sugar  creek,  and  induced  him  to  remove.  M.  L.  Covel,  and  Col.  A.  Gridley, 
merchants  from  the  state  of  New  York,  were  also  prominent  men  among  the  first 
settlers. 

The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1830.  It  was  constructed  of  logs,  and  stood 
on  the  edge  of  the  timber,  about  20  rods  west  of  Mr.  Allin 's  house.  This  was  the 
first  public  building  opened  for  religious  meetings.  The  first  seminary  was  opened 
by  Rev.  Lemuel  Foster,  in  1836;  he  lived,  preached,  and  kept  school  in  the  same 
building.  Mr.  Foster  was  originally  from  New  England,  and  was  the  first  Presby 
terian  minister,  if  we  except  a  Mr.  McGhor  or  Gear,  who  was  of  feeble  constitution, 
and  died  very  soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  place.  The  first  regular  physician  was 
John  Anderson,  of  Kentucky.  Henry  Miller,  from  Ohio,  kept  the  first  house  of  en 
tertainment:  it  was  a  lo£  house  a  few  rods  from  Mr.  Allin 's. 


South-eastern  view  of  Peoria. 

Showing  the  appearance  of  the  central  part  of  the  city,  as  it  is  entered  from  the  eastern  side  of  the  Illi 
nois  River,  by  the  Railroad  and  the  Peoria  bridge.  Fart  of  the  Railroad  bridge  is  seen  on  the  extreme 
left ;  the  steamboat  landing  ou  the  right.  The  draw  or  swing  of  the  bridge  is  represented  open  for  the 
passage  of  steamboats. 

McLean  county,  named  from  Judge  McLean,  of  Ohio,  was  formed  in  1831.  At 
this  period  there  were  but  30  or  40  families  living  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Allin  donated  the  site  of  the  town  plot  for  the  county  seat.  The 
first  court  house  was  a  small  framed  building,  which  stood  on  the  present  public 
square.  Mr.  Allin  was  chosen  the  first  senator  from  the  county  in  1836,  and  con 
tinued  in  the  office  for  four  years.  Jesse  W.  Fell,  distinguished  for  his  enterprise 
and  public  spirit,  edited  and  published  the  BLOOMINGTON  OBSERVER,  the  first 
newspaper  printed  in  the  place.  It  was  printed  in  a  small  building  on  West  street, 
Ions  since  removed.  The  construction  of  the  Central  Railroad  with  the  grants 
of  lands  by  congress  on  the  route,  gave  an  important  impulse  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  town. 

PEOIUA  is  situated  on  the  right  or  west  bank  of  Illinois  River,  at  the  out 
let  of  Peoria  Lake,  70  miles  north  from  Springfield,  193  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois,  and  151  south-west  of  Chicago.  It  is  the  most  populous  town 
on  the  river,  and  one  of  the  most  important  and  commercial  in  the  state.  The 
river  is  navigable  for  steamboats  in  all  stages  of  water,  and  is  the  channel  of 


ILLINOIS.  223 

an  immense  trade  in  grain,  lumber,  pork,  etc.  It  has  a  regulai  commu 
nication  with  St.  Louis  by  steamboats,  and  with  Chicago  by  means  of  the 
Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  and  by  railroads  to  places  in  every  direction. 
The  city  is  handsomely  situated  on  an  elevation  above  the  flood,  and  slopes 
gradually  to  the  river,  rendering  drainage  laws  unnecessary,  and  the  grading 
of  the  streets  an  easy  task.  The  streets  are  all  100  feet  wide.  Back  of  the 
town  is  a  range  of  bluffs,  from  60  to  100  feet  high,  commanding,  from  their 
summits,  a  most  extensive  and  beautiful  prospect.  It  has  numerous  steam 
mills,  distilleries,  manufactories,  etc.  It  contains  28  churches,  and  about 
16,000  inhabitants. 

Peoria  derived  its  name  from  the  Peorias,  one  of  the  five  tribes  known  as  the 
Illini,  or  Minnevvay  nation.  In  the  autumn  of  1679,  La  Salle  and  his  co-voyagers, 
from  Canada,  sailed  for  this  region  of  country,  by  way  of  the  lakes  to  Chicago, 
where  he  established  a  fort.  Leaving  a  few  men  for  a  garrison,  he  set  out  with 
his  canoes,  nine  in  number,  with  three  or  four  men  in  each,  about  the  1st  of 
December,  for  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  by  ascending  St.  Joseph  River, 
Michigan,  and  across  the  portage  to  Kan-ka-kee,  a  main  branch  of  the  Illinois 
River,  and  then  down  the  river  to  Peoria.  Among  La  Salle's  companions,  were 
M.  de  Tonti,  who  acted  as  historian. 

M.  de  Tonti,  in  his  account  of  this  voyage,  says :  "  The  same  day  (January  4, 
1680),  we  went  through  a  lake  formed  by  the  river,  about  seven  leagues  long  and 
one  broad.  The  savages  call  that  place  Pimit&uii,  that  is,  in  their  tongue,  'a  place 
where  there  is  abundance  of  fat  beasts.'  After  passing  through  this  [Peoria]  lake, 
they  came  again  to  the  channel  of  the  river,  and  found  themselves  between  two 
Indian  encampments.  This  was  where  the  bridges  are  now  built.  On  perceiving 
the  strangers,  the  Indians  fled;  but  some  were  bold  enough  to  return,  when  one 
of  their  chiefs  came  and  inquired  who  they  were,  and  what  were  their  objects. 
They  were  answered  by  the  interpreter,  that  they  were  French,  and  that  their  ob 
ject  was  to  make  known  to  them  the  God  of  Heaven;  to  offer  them  the  protec 
tion  of  the  King  of  France,  and  to  trade  with  them.  This  was  well  received, 
and  the  calumet,  or  pipe  of  peace,  was  smoked  by  each  party  as  a  token  of 
peace  and  friendship.  A  great  feast  was  held,  which  lasted  for  several  days, 
attended  with  dancing,  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  and  firing  of  guns  and  other 
demonstrations  of  joy  on  the  part  of  the  French. 

M.  La  Salle  erected  a  fort  on  the  south-eastern  bank  of  the  Illinois,  which  he 
named  Creve-coeur  [Bursted  heart],  on  account  of  the  grief  he  felt  for  the  loss  of 
one  of  his  chief  trading  barks  richly  laden,  and  for  the  mutiny  and  villainous  con 
duct  of  some  of  his  companions  who  first  attempted  to  poison  and  then  desert  him. 
This  fort  is  supposed  to  have  stood  on  land  owned  by  Mr.  Wren,  some  two  or 
three  miles  eastward  of  Peoria.  The  exact  date  of  the  first  permanent  settlement 
in  Illinois,  can  not  now  be  ascertained,  unless  this  fort  or  trading  post  of  Creve- 
coeur  be  regarded  the  first,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  this  remained  a  perma 
nent  station. 

After  the  conquest  of  Canada,  the  Illinois  country  fell  into  the  possession  of  Great 
Britain.  In  1766,  the  "Quebec  Bill"  passed  the  British  parliament,  which  placed 
Illinois  and  the  North-western  Territory  under  the  local  administration  of  Canada. 
The  conquest  of  the  North-western  Territory,  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  in  1778, 
was  the  next  event  of  importance.  It  was  brought  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Virginia,  and  the  country  of  Illinois  was  organized.  In  the  year  1796,  Peoria 
was  described  as  "an  Indian  village,  composed  of  pseudo  savages,"  made  of  the 
native  tribe  of  "  Peoriaca  Indians,"  and  "  Canadian  French,"  a  few  Indian  traders 
and  hunters.  In  Dec.,  1812,  a  Capt.  Craig  was  sent  here  by  Gov.  Edwards,  to 
chastise  the  disorderly  Indians  and  their  allies,  if  any  of  them  might  be  found  at 
this  little  French  village.  Capt.  Craig  found  a  pretext  for  burning  this  French 
town,  which  had  been  laid  out  by  them,  embracing  about  one  half  of  the  1st  ward 
of  the  present  city,  the  center  of  this  village  beino;  at  or  about  the  entrance 
of  the  bridge  across  the  Illinois  River.  Capt.  Craig  excused  himself  for  this 
act,  by  accusi.i^  the  French  of  being  in  league  with  the  Indians,  and  by  alleging 


224  ILLINOIS. 

that  his  boats  were  fired  upon  from  the  town,  while  lying  at  anchor  before  it. 
This  the  French  inhabitants  denied,  and  charged  Craig  with  unprovoked  cruelty. 
This  place  was  then  called  "Z/a  mile  Mailleit"  from  its  founder,  Hypoli^e 
Mailleit,  Avho  moved  here  in  1778,  and  commenced  the  building  of  this  ville. 

In  1830,  John  Hamlin  and  John  Sharp  built  the  first  flouring  mill  ever  erected 
in  this  part  of  the  state,  on  the  Kickapoo,  or  Red  Bud  creek,  about  three  miles  W. 
of  Peoria.  The  next  was  erected  in  Oct.,  1837,  by  Judge  Hale  and  John  Enston, 
about  four  miles  from  the  city.  In  the  spring  of  1834,  the  only  building  W.  of 
the  corner  of  Main  and  Washington-streets  was  a  barn;  the  entire  town  then  con 
sisted  of  but  seven  framed  houses,  and  about  thrice  that  number  of  log  tenements 
—but  during  this  season  about  forty  houses  and  stores  were  erected.  About  this 
time,  the  old  jail,  standing  on  the  alley  between  Monroe  and  Perry-streets,  was 
built,  a  hewn  log  building,  only  16  feet  square  and  14  high  ;  the  lower  story  formed 
for  a  cell,  entered  by  a  trap  door  from  the  second  story,  which  was  used  for  a  com 
mon  prison.  The  court  house  was  a  log  building  on  the  bank,  in  which  the  jurors 
slept  at  night  on  their  blankets  on  the  floor.  The  courts  being  usually  held  in  warm 
weather,  after  the  grand  jurors  received  their  charge,  in  court  time,  the  grand 
jury  sat  under  the  shade  of  a  crab  apple  tree,  and  the  petit  jury  in  a  potato  hole 
(that  had  been  partially  filled  up)  in  the  vicinity.  The  venerable  Isaac  Waters 
was  clerk  of  the  court.  His  office  and  dwelling  were  in  a  small  log  cabin,  where 
now  stands  Toby  &  Anderson's  plow  factory.  J.  L.  Bogardus,  the  postmaster,  kept 
his  office  in  a  log  cabin  near  Sweney  &  Ham's  steam  mill. 

Peoria  was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1831,  and  as  a  city  in  1844.  The  first  city 
officers  were  Hon.  Wm.  Hale,  mayor;  Peter  Sweat,  Chester  Hamlin,  Clark  Cleave- 
land,  Harvey  Lightner,  J.  L.  Knowlton,  John  Hamlin,  Charles  Kettelle,  and  A.  P. 
Bartlett,  as  aldermen.  The  Peoria  bridge,  across  the  Illinois  River,  with  its  abut 
ments,  is  2,600  feet  long,  was  finished  in  1849,  and  cost  of  about  $33,000.  In  1818 
the  first  canal  boat  arrived  from  Lake  Michigan.  The  first  steamboat  that  arrived 
at  Peoria  was  the  "Liberty,"  in  the  month  of  December,  1829.  The  first  news 
paper  was  the  "  Illinois  Champion,"  published  by  A.  S.  Buxton  and  Henry  Wol- 
ford,  March  10,  1834.  The  first  daily  paper  was  called  the  "Daily  Register,"  pub 
lished  by  Picket  &  Woodcock ;  the  first  number  was  issued  June  28,  1848. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  the  first  formed  in  the  place,  was  organized  in 
Aug.,  1834,  by  Rev.  Zadock  Hall,  of  the  Chicago  circuit,  Dr.  Heath,  of 'St.  Louis, 
and  Rev.  John  St.  Clair,  of  Ottawa.  Their  meetings,  at  first,  were  held  in  the  old 
court  house.  The  first  church  edifice,  the  Main-street  Presbyterian  church,  was 
erected  April,  1836.  The  church,  consisting  of  eight  members,  was  organized 
in  Dec.,  1834,  by  Rev  Romulus  Barnes  and  Rev.  Flavel  Bascom.  St.  Jude's  church 
(Episcopal)  was  organized  here  in  1834;  St.  Paul's  church  building  was  erected  in 
Sept.,  1850.  The  "Baptist  church  was  constituted  in  Aug.,  1836.  The  Second 
Presbyterian  church  was  organized  Oct.,  1840. 


The  following  sketch  of  a  campaign  against  the  Indians,  at  Peoria  and 
vicinity,  in  the  war  of  1812,  is  from  Peck's  edition  of  Perkins'  Annals: 

During  the  campaign  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1813,  all  the  companies  of 
rangers,  from  Illinois  and  Missouri,  were  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Howard. 
Large  parties  of  hostile  Indians  were  known  to  have  collected  about  Peoria,  and 
scouting  parties  traversed  the  district  between  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers, 
then  an  entire  wilderness. 

It  was  from  these  marauding  parties  that  the  frontier  settlements  of  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  were  harassed.  It  became  an  object  of  no  small  importance,  to  pene 
trate  the  country  over  which  they  ranged,  and  establish  a  fort  at  Peoria,  and  thua 
drive  them  to  the  northern  wilderness.  Our  authorities  for  the  incidents  of  the 
campaign,  are  a  long  letter  from  the  honorable  John  Reynolds,  who  was  a  non-com 
missioned  officer  in  a  company  of  spies,  and  the  'Missouri  Gazette,'  of  November 
6th.  The  rendezvous  for  the  Illinois  regiment  was  'Camp  Russell,'  two  miles 
north  of  Edwardsville.  The  whole  party,  when  collected,  made  up  of  the  rangers, 
volunteers  and  militia,  amounted  to  about  1,40'J  men,  under  the  command  of  Gen. 


ILLINOIS  225 

Howard.  Robert  Wash,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Walker,  of  St.  Louis,  were  of  his  staff. 
Colonels  Benjamin  Stephenson,  then  of  Randolph  county,  Illinois,  and  Alexan 
der  McNair,  of  St.  Louis,  commanded  the  regiments.  W.  B.  Whiteside  and  John 
Moredock,  of  Illinois,  were  majors  in  the  second  regiment,  and  William  Christy 
and  Nathan  Boone,  filled  the  same  office  in  the  first,  or  Missouri  regimen*.  A  Maj. 
Desha,  a  United  States  officer  from  Tennessee,  was  in  the  army,  but  what  post 
he  occupied  we  do  not  learn.  Col.  E.  B.  Clemson,  of  the  United  States  Army, 
was  inspector.  Gov.  Reynolds  states,  there  were  some  United  States  rangers  from 
Kentucky,  and  a  company  from  Vincennes.  We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining 
the  names  of  all  the  subaltern  officers.  We  know  that  Samuel  Whiteside,  Joseph 
Phillips,  Nathaniel  Journey  and  Samuel  Judy,  were  captains  in  the  Illinois 
companies. 

The  Illinois  regiment  lay  encamped  on  the  Piasau,  opposite  Portage  de  Sioux, 
waiting  for  more  troops,  for  three  or  four  weeks.  They  then  commenced  the 
march,  and  swam  their  horses  over  the  Illinois  River,  about  two  miles  abovev  the 
mouth.  On  the  high  ground  in  Calhoun  county,  they  had  a  skirmish  with  a  party 
of  Indians.  The  Missouri  troops,  with  Gen.  Howard,  crossed  the  Mississippi  from 
Fort  Mason,  and  formed  a  junction  with  the  Illinois  troops.  The  baggage  and  men 
were  transported  in  canoes,  and  the  horses  swam  the  river. 

The  army  marched  for  a  number  of  days  along  the  Mississippi  bottom.  On 
or  near  the  site  of  Quincy,  was  a  large  Sac  village,  and  an  encampment,  that  must 
have  contained  a  thousand  warriors.  It  appeared  to  have  been  deserted  but  a 
short  period. 

The  army  continued  its  march  near  the  Mississippi,  some  distance  above  the 
Lower  Rapids,  and  then  struck  across  the  prairies  for  the  Illinois  Kiver,  which 
they  readied  below  the  mouth  of  Spoon  River,  and  marched  to  Peoria  village. 
Here  was  a  small  stockade,  commanded  by  Col.  Nicholas  of  the  United  Statee 
Army.  Two  days  previous  the  Indians  had  made  an  attack  on  the  fort,  and  wers 
repulsed.  The  army,  on  its  inarch  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Illinois  River,  found 
numerous  fresh  trails,  all  passing  northward,  which  indicated  that  the  savages  were 
fleeing  in  that  direction. 

Next  morning  the  general  marched  his  troops  to  the  Senatchwine,  a  short  dis 
tance  above  the  head  of  Peoria  Lake,  where  was  an  old  Indian  village,  called 
Gomo's  village.  Here  they  found  the  enemy  had  taken  water  and  ascended  the  Illi 
nois.  This,  and  two  other  villages,  were  burnt.  Finding  no  enemy  to  fight,  the  army 
was  marched  back  to  Peoria,  to  assist  the  regular  troops  in  building  Fort  Clark,  so 
denominated  in  memory  of  the  old  hero  of  1778;  and  Maj.  Christy,  with  a  party, 
was  ordered  to  ascend  the  river  with  two  keel  boats,  duly  armed  and  protected,  to 
the  foot  of  the  rapids,  and  break  up  any  Indian  establishments  that  might  be  in 
that  quarter.  Maj.  Boone,  with  a  detachment,  was  dispatched  to  scour  the  coun 
try  on  Spoon  River,  in  the  direction  of  Rock  River. 

The  rangers  and  militia  passed  to  the  east  side  of  the  Illinois,  cut  timber,  which, 
they  hauled  on  truck  wheels  by  drag  ropes  to  the  lake,  and  rafted  it  across.  The 
fort  was  erected  by  the  regular  troops  under  Capt.  Phillips.  In  preparing  the 
timber,  the  rangers  and  militia  were  engaged  about  two  weeks. 

Maj.  Christy  and  the  boats  returned  from  the  rapids  without  any  discovery,  exr 
cept  additional  proofs  of  the  alarm  and  fright  of  the  enemy,  and  Maj.  Boone  re 
turned  with  his  force  with  the  same  observations. 

It  was  the  plan  of  Gen.  Howard  to  return  by  a  tour  through  the  Rock  River 
valley,  but  the  cold  weather  set  in  unusually  early.  By  the  middle  of  October-it 
was  intensely  cold,  the  troops  had  no  clothing  for  a  winter  campaign,  and  their 
horses  would,  in  all  probability,  fail;  the  Indians  had  evidently  fled  a  long  distance 
in  the  interior,  so  that,  all  things  considered,  he  resolved  to  return  the  direct  route 
to  Camp  Russell,  where  the  militia  and  volunteers  were  disbanded  on  the  22d  of 
October  Supplies  of  provisions,  and  munitions  of  war  had  been  sent  to  Peoria,  in 
boats,  which  had  reached  there  a  few  days  previous  to  the  army. 

It  may  seem  to  those,  who  delight  in  tales  of  fighting  and  bloodshed,,  that  this 

expedition  was   a  very  insignificant  affair.     Very  few  Indians  were  killed,  very 

little  fighting  done,  but  one  or  two  of  the  army  were  lost,  and  yet,  as  a  means  of 

protecting  the  frontier  settlements  of  these  territories,  it  was  most  efficient,  and 

15 


226 


ILLINOIS. 


gave  at  least  six  months  quiet  to  the  people.  After  this,  Indians  shook  their  heads 
and  said,  '  White  men  like  the  leaves  in  the  forest — like  the  grass  in  the  prairies— 
they  grow  everywhere.' " 


Distant  mew  of  Quincy,  from  the  south. 

The  engraving  shows  the  appearance  of  Quincy.  when  first  seen  on  approaching  it  from  tho  south  by  the 
Mississippi.  Thayer's  Alcohol  Factory  and  Co  ins  took  A;  Go 's  Iron  Foundry  are  seen  on  the  right:  the 
Central  Mill  and  Grain  Depot  on  the  left;  between  thpse  two  points  is  a  range  of  limestone  quarries.  Just 
above  the  Central  Mill  is  the  steam  and  ferry  boat  landing;  also  mills,  stores,  shops,  etc.  The  city  is  par 
tially  seen  on  the  bluff. 

QUINCY.  the  county  seat  of  Adams  county  and  a  port  of  entry,  is  situated 
on  a  beautiful  elevation,  about  125  feet  above  the  Mississippi,  and  commands 
a  fine  view  for  five  or  six  miles  in  each  direction.  It  is  109  miles  from 
Springfield,  268  miles  from  Chicago,  by  railroad,  and  160  above  St.  Louis. 
It  contains  a  large  public  square,  a  court  house,  many  beautiful  public  and 
private  edifices,  several  banks,  a  number  of  extensive  flouring  and  other 
mills,  and  manufactories  of  various  kinds,  with  iron  founderies,  machine 
shops,  etc.  Flour  is  exported  to  a  great  extent,  and  large  quantities  of  pro 
visions  are  packed.  The  bluffs  in  front  of  the  city  may  be  considered  as  one 
vast  limestone  quarry,  from  which  building  stone  of  a  hard  and  durable 
quality  can  be  taken  and  transported  to  any  section  of  the  country,  by  steam 
boat  and  railroad  facilities  immediately  at  hand.  Five  newspapers  are  printed 
here,  three  daily  and  two  in  the  German  language,  one  of  which  is  daily. 
Population  about  16,000. 

The  "Quincy  English  and  German  Male  and  Female  Seminary,"  an  in 
corporated  and  recently  established  institution,  is  designed  for  a  male  and 
female  college  of  the  highest  grade,  for  which  a  large  and  elegant  building 
is  already  constructed.  The  streets  cross  at  right  angles,  those  running  N. 
and  S.  bear  the  name  of  the  states  of  the  Union.  The  present  bounds  of 
the  city  extend  two  and  a.  half  miles  each  way.  The  river  at  the  landing  is 
one  mile  wide.  Running  along  and  under  the  N.W.  front  of  the  city,  lies  a 
beautiful  bay,  formerly  called  "  Boston  Bay,"  from  the  circumstance  of  a 


ILLINOIS.  227 

Bostonian  having  once  navigated  his  craft  up  this  bay,  mistaking  it  for  the 
main  channel  of  the  river. 

Quincy  was  originally  selected  as  a  town  site  by  John  Wood,  of  the  state  of  New 
York;  for  severaf  years  he  was  mayor  of  this  city  and  lieutenant  governor  of  the 
state.  Mr.  Wood  built  his  cabin  (18  by  20  feet)  in  Dec.,  1822,  without  nails  or 
sawed  lumber.  This  building,  the  first  in  the  place,  stood  near  the  foot  of  Dela 
ware-street,  about  15  rods  E.  of  Thayer's  alcohol  factory.  At  this  time  there  were 
only  three  white  inhabitants  within  the  present  county  of  Adams,  and  these  were 
obliged  to  go  to  Atlas,  40  miles  distant,  to  a  horse  mill  for  corn  meal,  their  princi 
pal  breadstuff.  In  Nov.,  1825,  the  county  court  ordered  a  survey  and  plat  of  the 
town  to  be  made,  and  the  lots  to  be  advertised  for  sale.  Henry  H.  Snow,  the  clerk, 
and  afterward  judge,  laid  off  230  lots,  99  by  108  feet,  reserving  a  public  square  in 
the  center  of  the  town.  It  received  its  name,  Quincy,  on  the  day  that  John  Quincy 
Adams  was  inaugurated  president  of  the  United  States. 

On  the  present  site  of  Quincy  once  stood  an  old  Sac  village.  At  the  time  the 
town  was  surveyed,  it  was  covered  with  forest  trees  and  hazel  bushes,  excepting 
about  two  acres  of  prairie  ground  where  the  public  square  was  laid  out.  In  the 
trees  in  the  vicinity  of  the  place,  balls  were  found  which  had  been  shot  into  them 
fifty  or  more  years  before.  A  few  years  since  an  iron  ring  and  staple  were  found 
sixty  feet  below  the  earth's  surface.  In  the  mounds  in  and  about  the  city  are 
found  Indian  bones  and  armor  of  ancient  date. 

John  Wood,  from  the  state  of  New  York ;  Henry  H.  Snow,  from  New  Hamp 
shire ;  Willard  Keyes,  from  Vermont;  Jeremiah  Rose  and  Rufus -Brown,  from. 
New  York;  and  Ashur  Anderson,  from  Pennsylvania,  may  be  considered  as  prom 
inent  men  among  the  first  .settlers.  Drs.  J.  N.  Ralston,  from  Kentucky,  and  b.  W. 
Rogers,  from  New  York,  were  the  first  physicians  in  the  order  of  time.  The  first 
house  of  worship  in  the  place,  was  erected  by  the  First  Congregationalist  Society, 
in  1833  and  '34:  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  from  Massachusetts,  was  the  first  minister.  The 
building  is  now  used  as  a  carriage  shop,  on  Fourth-street,  and  stands  on  the  spot 
where  it  .was  first  erected.  The,first~sehool  was  taught,  in  1827,  by  Mr.  Mendall, 
in  a  log  school  house,  which  stood  on  a  'lot  fronting  'Hampshire-street,  between 
Second  and  Third-streets.  The  first  court  house  and  jail  was  built  of  logs,  and 
was  nearly  on  the  spot  where  the  present  court  house  is  situated.  C.  M.  Wood, 
from  New  York,  was  the  first  printer;  he  printed  the  first  paper,  the  "Illinois 
Bounty  Land  Register,"  in  1835,  since  merged  into  the  Quincy  Herald.  The  first 
ferry  was  established  by  Willard  Keyes.  The  first  store  was  opened,  in  1826,  by 
Ashur  Anderson,  who  opened  his  stock,  valued  at  $1,000,  in  Brown's  log  tavern. 
In  1828,  Robert  Tillson  and  Charles  Holmes  established  themselves  as  merchants 
in  a  log  cabin  on  the  north  side  of  the  square,  in  what  was  later  known  as  the 
old  "  Land  Office  Hotel."  Afterward,  they  erected  for  their  accommodation  the 
first  framed  building  in  the  town.  It  still  remains,  and  has  long  been  known  as 
the  old  "  Post  Office  Corner." 

"Without  access  to  market,  or  to  mill,  the  first  settlers  of  Quincy  built  their  houses 
without  nails,  brick,  or  mortar,  the  principal  utensils  used  being  the  axe  and  the  auger. 
The  necessaries  of  life  were  scarcely  attainable,  to  say  nothing  of  the  luxuries.  In  the 
cultivation  of  their  land,  viz.:  30  acres  of  corn  (without  fence)  they  were  obliged  to  go  30 
miles  to  have  their  plows  sharpened.  One  man  would  swing  a  plowshare  on  each  side  of 
an  Indian  pony,  pile  on  such  other  articles  of  iron  as  needed  repairs,  lay  in  a  stock  of  pro 
visions,  mount  and  set  out." 

The  number  of  inhabitants  during  the  first  year  increased  to  sixteen;  from  1825  to  I83b, 
they  increased  to  five  hundred;  during  all  which  time  they  continued  to  import  their  bacon 
and  flour.  As  late  as  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war  broke  out,  the  Indians,  principally 
of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes,  were  very  numerous,  the  shores  of  the  river  being  frequently 
covered  with  their  wigwams,  both  above  and  below  the  town.  Coming  in  from  their  hunt 
ing  excursions,  they  brought  large  quantities  of  feathers,  deer-skins,  moccasins,  beeswax, 
honey,  maple  sugar,  grass  floor  mats,  venison,  muskrat  and  coon-skins. 


ALTON  is  on  the  E.  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  25  miles  N.  from  St.  Louis, 
3  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River,  20  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Illinois,  and  75  miles  S.W.  of  Springfield.  The  site  of  the  city  is  quite  un- 


228 


ILLINOIS. 


even  and  broken,  with  high  and  stony  bluffs,  and  in  front  of  it  the  Missis 
sippi  runs  almost  a  due  course  from  east  to  west.  The  city  contains  a  splen 
did  city  hall,  10  churches,  and  a  cathedral  in  its  interior  superior  to  anything 
of  the  kind  in  the  western  states.  Five  newspapers  are  published  here.  As 


North-western  view  of  Alton. 

The  view  is  from  Prospect-street,  taken  by  Mr.  Rceder,  and  designed  by  him  for  a  large  engraving.  On 
the  left  of  the  picture  is  the  Railroad  Depot,  above  which  is  the  Methodist  church.  On  the  right  is  the  Pen 
itentiary  and  Steamboat  landing.  In  the  central  part  appear  the  Unitarian,  Episcopal,  Baptist,  and  Pres 
byterian  churches,  and  the  City  Hall.  On  the  right,  in  the  distance,  is  seen  the  Missouri  shore  of  the 
Mississippi,  also  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River,  at  its  entrance  into  the  "  Father  of  Waters." 


a  manufacturing  point,  Alton  has  hardly  an  equal  on  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  the  city  is  now  in  a  flourishing  condition,  having  at  hand  limestone  for 
building  purposes,  mines  of  bituminous  coal,  beds  of  the  finest  clay  for  brick 
and  earthen  ware,  with  railroad  and  steamboat  communication  to  every  point. 
The  state  penitentiary  was  located  here  in  1827.  Population  1860,  6,333. 

Upper  Alton  is  located  on  the  high  rolling  timber  land,  in  the  rear  of  Al 
ton  city,  two  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  and  has  a  population  of  upward  of 
2,000.  The  manufacturing  business  is  considerable,  particularly  cooper 
ing,  potters'  ware,  etc.  The  town  was  laid  out,  in  1817,  by  J.  Meacham, 
from  Vermont;  several  additions  have  been  since  made.  Sliurtleff  College, 
named  from  Dr.  Shurtleff,  of  Boston,  is  in  the  limits  of  the  town,  and  is  a 
flourishing  institution  under  the  charge  of  the  Baptist  denomination. 

The  Mon'.icello  Female  Seminary,  four  miles  from  Alton,  founded  by  Capt. 
Benjamin  Godfrey,  was  the  first  female  seminary  built  in  Illinois,  and  is  of 
high  reputation.  This  institution  was  opened  for  pupils  in  1838.  Rev. 
Theorem  Baldwin  had  the  charge  of  the  first  scholars.  Capt.  Godfrey,  its 
founder,  was  a  sea  captain,  and  has  been  long  distinguished  for  his  public 
spirit,  and  the  sacrifices  which  he  has  made  for  the  public  good. 
The  first  resident  in  Alton  appears  to  have  been  John  Bates,  a  blacksmith,  from 


ILLINOIS.  OLQ 

Tennessee.  He  located  himself  at  the  head  of  the  American  bottom  lands  in  Lower 
Alton,  where  he  cultivated  a  small  farm,  about  half  a  mile  below  the  steamboat 
landing;  in  Alton.  A  man  in  his  employ  was  killed  by  the  Indians  while  plowing 
on  this  farm.  The  first  settlers  who  located  in  Upper  Alton,  about  two  miles  back 
from  the  river,  came  in  from  1808  to  1812,  and  were  principally  from  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee.  They  lived  in  block-houses  for  protection.  This  place  is  called  Hun 
ter's  town  on  section  13,  and  is  now  within  the  city  limits.  Col.  Rufus  Easton, 
delegate  from  Missouri,  located  Alton  proper  on  section  14.  He  sold  a  large  por 
tion  of  Lower  Alton  to  Maj.  C.  W.  Hunter,  in  1818,  together  with  several  other 
tracts  adjoining,  which  Maj.  II.  afterward  laid  out  as  an  addition,  and  are  now  with 
in  the  city  limits. 

Maj.  Charles  W.  Hunter  was  a  native  of  Waterford,  N.  Y.,  a  son  of  Robert  Hun 
ter,  of  Pennsylvania,  a  favorite  officer  under  Gen.  Wayne,  who  led  the  forlorn  hope 
at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  in  the  Revolution,  and  also  accompanied  him  after 
ward  in  the  Indian  war  at  the  west.  Mr.  Hunter,  in  the  war  of  1812,  served  as 
major  in  the  35th  Reg.  U.  S.  infantry.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  resigned  his 
commission  and  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandise  and  the  In 
dian  trade.  After  his  purchase  from  Col.  Easton,  he  removed  his  family  here,  in 
1819,  and  built  the  first  framed  house  in  Alton  (now  standing),  and  opened  in  it 
the  first  regular  store  in  the  place.  He  brought  his  goods  here  in  a  barge,  which 
he  had  used  in  the  New  Orleans  trade. 

The  Methodist  itinerating  preachers  appear  to  have  been  the  first  in  the  order  of 
time  who  visited  Alton;  they  preached  in  the  school  house  in  Upper  Alton,  and  in 
private  houses.  The  first  Presbyterian  church  (of  stone)  was  erected  by  Capt. 
Godfrey,  of  the  firm  of  Godfrey,  Gilinan  &  Co.  Mr.  Joseph  Meacham,  who  laid 
out  Upper  Alton,  \vas  a  surveyor  from  New  England.  It  was  laid  out  on  an  ex 
tensive  scale,  and  lots  and  blocks  were  reserved  for  the  support  of  a  free  school. 
The  proceeds  were  accordingly  reserved  for  this  purpose,  and  Alton  is  entitled  to 
the  honor  of  establishing  the  first  public  free  school  in  Illinois.  The  first  teacher 
was  Deacon  Henry  H.  Snow,  of  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  S.  has  since  removed  to 
Quincy,  in  which  place  he  has  held  many  public  offices. 

Up  to  1827,  the  "town  of  Alton"  made  but  very  little  progress.  Upper  Alton 
completely  overshadowed  it.  The  location  of  the  penitentiary  here  gave  quite  an 
impulse  to  the  place.  In  1831,  the  Alton  Manufacturing  Company  built  the  large 
steam  flouring  mill,  on  the  river  bank,  in  front  of  the  penitentiary.  In  1832,  O. 
M.  Adams  and  Edward  Breath  started  the  "Weekly  Spectator."  In  1836,  the  Al 
ton  and  Springfield  road  was  surveyed  by  Prof.  Mitchell,  of  Cincinnati.  In  1836, 
Treadway  and  Parks  commenced  the  publication  of  the  "  Weekly  Alton  Tele 
graph."  In  the  spring  of  this  year,  Rev.  E.  P.  Lovejoy  commenced  the  publica 
tion  of  a  weekly  religious  newspaper,  called  the  "Alton  Observer."  The  ''Alton 
Presbytery  Reporter  "  was  started  in  1845,  also  the  "  Courier"  newspaper,  etc., 
office,  several  splendid  founderies  and  machine  shops,  two  German  newspapers,  and 
the  "Alton  National  Democrat."  The  city  of  Alton  was  incorporated  in  1837. 

Alton  is  the  place  where  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  in  1837,  fell  while  defending 
his  press  from  an  attack  by  a  mob.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  Alton, 
cemetery,  a  beautiful  spot  donated  by  Maj.  C.  W.  Hunter  to  the  city.  The 
Anti-Slavery  Society  of  Illinois  are  taking  steps  for  the  erection  of  a  monu 
ment  from  75  to  100  feet  high,  which,  if  constructed,  will  be  a  most  conspicu 
ous  object,  for  a  great  distance,  for  all  who  are  passing  up  or  down  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  Missouri  Rivers. 

Rev.  E.  P.  Lovejoy  was  born  Nov.  9,  1802,  at  Albion,  Kennebec  county,  Maine, 
then  a  part  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  educated  at  Waterville  College,  Me.,  where 
he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class.  In  the  latter  part  of  1827,  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  immediately  engaged  in  teaching  a  school.  He  after 
ward  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
ministry.  He  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and,  at  the  request  of  his  friends,  was  induced 
to  become  the  editor  of  a  religious  weekly  newspaper,  and  accordingly,  on  the  22d 
of  Nov.,  1833,  the  first  number  of  the  "St.  Louis  Observer7'  was  issued.  In  July, 


230  ILLINOIS 

1836,  on  account  of  the  strong  anti-slavery  sentiments  advocated  in  the  paper,  it 
became  quite  unpopular  in  St.  Louis,  and,  taking  the  advice  of  his  friends,  he  re 
moved  it  to  Alton. 

After  the  removal  of  the  Observer  office  to  Alton,  its  course  on  the  abolition  of 
slavery  gave  much  offense  to  a  portion  of  the  inhabitants.  A  meeting  was  called, 
Mr.  Lovejoy's  course  was  denounced,  and  on  the  night  of  the  21st  of  August,  1837, 
"  party  of  some  15  or  20  men  broke  into  the  Observer  office,  and  destroyed  the 
press  and  printing  materials.  Another  press  was  procured,  and  stored  in  the 
warehouse  of  Messrs.  Godfrey,  Oilman  &  Co.,  standing  on  the  wharf  at  Alton. 
Threats  having  been  given  that  this  press  would  also  be  destroyed,  Mr.  Lovejoy 
and  some  of  his  friends  assembled  to  defend  their  property.  On  the  night  of  Nov. 
7,  1837,  a  mob,  at  first  consisting  of  about  30  individuals,  armed,  some  with  stones 
and  some  with  guns  and  pistols,  formed  themselves  in  a  line  by  the  warehouse. 
Mr.  Gilman,  one  of  the  'owners  of  the  building,  then  asked  them  "  what  they 
wanted f"  To  which  they  replied,  "the  press."  Mr.  Gr.  replied,  that,  being  au 
thorized  by  the  mayor,  they  would  defend  their  property  at  the  hazard  of  life. 
The  mob  commenced  throwing  stones,  dashing  in  several  windows,  and  then  fired 
two  or  three  guns  into  the  building.  The  fire  was  then  returned  from  within,  two 
or  three  guns  discharged  upon  the  rioters,  one,  by  the  name  of  Bishop,  was  mor 
tally  wounded,  and  several  others  injured.  This,  for  a  while,  checked  the  mob, 
but  they  soon  returned  with  increased  numbers  and  violence.  They  raised  ladders 
on  the  warehouse,  and  kindled  a  fire  on  the  roof.  Mr.  Lovejoy  and  some  of  the 
inmates  of  the  building  stepped  to  the  door,  and  while  looking  around  just  with 
out  the  threshold,  some  one,  concealed  behind  a  pile  of  lumber,  fired  a  double  bar 
reled  gun,  when  Mr.  Lovejoy  was  struck  with  five  balls,  and  expired  in  a  few  mo 
ments. 

The  following  is  the  principal  part  of  a  communication  upon  this  riot,  given  by 
the  mayor  of  Alton  to  the  public,  dated  Nov.  6,  1837  : 

For  several  days  past  it  had  been  announced  and  generally  believed,  that  a  printing  press 
was  hourly  expected  to  be  landed  at  our  wharf.  It  had  also  been  a  current  rumor  that  this 
press  Tvas  intended  for  the  re- establishment  of  the  -'Alton  Observer."  The  circulation  of 
these  rumors  produced  no  small  degree  of  excitement,  among  those  who  had  taken  a  de 
cided  stand  against  the  abolition  sentiments  that  were  understood  to  have  been  disseminat 
ed  through  the  columns  of  the  "Observer."  Various  reports  of  a  threatening  character, 
against  the  landing  of  the  press,  were  in  circulation,  which  led  the  friends  of  the  Observer 
and  its  editor  to  make  preparations  to  defend  the  press,  in  case  any  violence  should  be  of 
fered  by  those  opposed  to  the  publication  of  that  paper.  On  Tuesday,  about  5  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  I  was  called  from  my  lodgings  and  informed  that  the  press  had  arrived  at  the 
wharf,  and  that  my  official  interference  was  desired.  I  immediately  repaired  to  the  wharf, 
and  remained  there  until  the  press  was  landed  and  stored  in  the  warehouse  of  Messrs.  God 
frey,  Gilman  &  Co.  There  were  no  indications  of  violence  or  resistance  on  the  part  of 
any  at  that  time.  The  arrival  of  the  "  abolition  press  "  (as  it  was  called)  was  generally 
known  in  the  early  part  of  that  day,  which  served  to  rekindle  the  excitement.  Represen 
tation  was  made  to  the  common  council  of  the  threatening  reports  which  were  in  circula 
tion.  The  common  council  did  not,  however,  deem  it  necessary  to  take  any  action  on  the 
subject.  Gentlemen  directly  interested  in  protecting  the  press  from  mob  violence,  deemed 
it  expedient  to  guard,  the  warehouse  with  men  and  arms,  in  readiness  to  resist  violence, 
should  any  be  offered.  During  the  early  part  of  the  night  of  Tuesday,  it  was  reported 
through  the  city,  that  there  were  from  30  to  40  armed  men  on  guard  within  the  warehouse. 

At  10  o'clock  at  night,  20  or  30  persons  appeared  at  the  south  end  of  the  warehouse,  and 
gave  some  indications  of  an  attack.  Mr.  W.  S.  Gilman,  from  the  third  story  of  the  ware 
house,  addressed  those  without,  and  urged  them  to  desist,  and  at  the  same  time  informed 
them  that  the  persons  in  the  warehouse  Avere  prepared,  and  should  endeavor  to  protect  their 
property,  and  that  serious  consequences  might  ensue.  Those  without  demanded  the  press, 
antl  said  they  would  not  be  satisfied  until  it  was  destroyed;  said  they  did  not  wish  to  in 
jure  any  person,  or  other  property,  but  insisted  on  having  the  press.  To  which  Mr.  G.  re 
plied  that  the  press  could  not  be  given  up.  The  persons  outside  then  repaired  to  the  north 
oid  of  the  building,  and  attacked  the  building  by  throwing  stones,  etc.,  and  continued  their 
violence  for  15  or  2')  minutes,  when  a  gun  was  fired  from  one  of  the  windows  of  the  ware- 
Louse,  and  a  man  named  Lyman  Bishop  was  mortally  wounded.  He  was  carried  to  a  sur 
geon's  office,  and  then  the  mob  withdrew  and  dispersed  with  the  exception  of  a  small  num 
ber.  Upon  the  first  indication  of  disturbance,  I  called  on  the  civil  officers  most  conveni 
ent,  and  repaired  with  all  dispatch  to  the  scene  of  action.  By  this  time  the  firing  from 


ILLINOIS  231 

the  warehouse,  and  the  consequent  death  of  one  of  their  number  (Bishop  died  soon  after 
he  received  the  shot),  had  greatly  increased  the  excitement,  and  added  to  the  numbers  of 
the  mob.  Owing  to  the  late  hour  of  the  night,  but  few  citizens  were  present  at  the  onset, 
except  those  engaged  in  the  contest.  Consequently  the  civil  authorities  could  do  but  little 
toward  dispersing  the  mob  except  by  persuasion.  A  large  number  of  people  soon  collected 
around  me.  I  was  requested  to  go  to  the  warehouse,  and  state  to  those  within  that  those 
outside  had  resolved  to  destroy  the  press,  and  that  they  would  not  desist  until  they  hid 
accomplished  their  object;  that  all  would  retire  until  I  should  return,  which  request  was 
made  by  acclamation,  and  all  soon  retired  to  wait  my  return. 

I  was  replied  to  by  those  within  the  warehouse  that  they  had  assembled  there  to  pro 
tect  their  property  against  lawless  violence,  and  that  they  were  determined  to  do  so.  The 
mob  began  again  to  assemble  with  increased  numbers,  and  with  guns  and  weapons  of  dif 
ferent  kinds.  I  addressed  the  multitude,  and  commanded  them  to  desist  and  disperse,  to 
which  they  listened  attentively  and  respectfully,  to  no  purpose — a  rush  was  now  made  to 
the  warehouse,  with  the  cry  of  "  fire  the  house,"  "  burn  them  out,"  etc.  The  firing  soon 
became  fearful  and  dangerous  between  the  contending  parties — so  much  so,  that  the  farther 
interposition  on  the  part  of  the  civil  authorities  and  citizens  was  believed  altogether  inad 
equate,  and  hazardous  in  the  extreme — no  means  were  at  my  control,  or  that  of  any  other 
officer  present,  by  which  the  mob  could  be  dispersed,  and  the  loss  of  life  and  the  shedding 
of  blood  prevented.  Scenes  of  the  most  daring  recklessness  and  infuriated  madness  fol 
lowed  in  quick  succession.  The  building  was  surrounded  and  the  inmates  threatened  with 
extermination  and  death  in  the  most  frightful  form  imaginable  Every  means  of  escape 
by  flight  was  cut  off.  The  scene  now  became  one  of  most  appalling  and  heart-rending  in 
terest!  Fifteen  or  twenty  citizens,  among  whom  were  some  of  our  most  worthy  and  en 
terprising,  were  apparently  doomed  to  an  unenviable  and  inevitable  death,  if  the  flames 
continued. 

About  the  time  the  fire  was  communicated  to  the  building,  Rev.  E.  P.  Lovejoy  (late 
editor  of  the  Observer),  received  four  balls  in  his  breast,  near  the  door  of  the  warehouse, 
and  fell  a  corpse  in  a  few  seconds;  two  others  from  the  warehouse  were  wounded.  Sev 
eral  persons  engaged  in  the  attack  were  severely  wounded;  the  wounds,  however,  are  not 
considered  dangerous.  The  contest  had  been  raging  for  an  hour  or  more,  when  the  per 
sons  in  the  warehouse,  by  some  means,  the  exact  manner  it  was  done  I  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain,  intimated  that  they  would  abandon  the  house  and  the  press,  provided  that 
they  were  permitted  to  depart  unmolested.  The  doors  were  then  thrown  open,  and  those 
within  retreated  down  Front  street.  Several  guns- were  fired  upon  them  while  retreating, 
and  one  individual  had  a  narrow  escape — a  ball  passed  through  his  coat  near  his  shoulder. 

A  large  number  of  persons  now  rushed  into  the  warehouse,  threw  the  press  upon  the 
wharf,  where  it  was  broken  in  pieces  and  thrown  into  the  river.  The  fire  in  the  roof  of 
the  warehouse  was  extinguished  by  a  spectator,  who  deserves  great  praise  for  his  cour 
ageous  interference,  and  but  little  damage  was  done  by  it  to  the  building.  No  disposition 
seemed  to  be  manifested  to  destroy  any  other  property  in  the  warehouse.  Without  farther 
attempts  at  violence  the  mob  now  dispersed,  and  no  farther  open  indications  of  disorder  or 
violence  have  been  manifested. 

The  foregoing  is  stated  on  what  I  consider  undoubted  authority,  and  mostly  from  my 
own  personal  knowledge.  JOHN  M.  KRUM,  Mayor. 

CAIRO  is  a  small  town  at  the  south-western  extremity  of  Illinois,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Ohio  with  the  Mississippi  Rivers,  175  miles  below  St.  Louis. 
It  is  also  at  the  southern  termination  of  the  famous  Illinois  Central  Rail 
road,  454  miles  distant  by  the  main  line  of  this  road  to  Dunleith,  its  north 
western  termination  on  the  Mississippi,  and  365  miles  distant  from  Chicago 
by  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  same. 

Cairo,  from  a  very  early  day,  was  supposed,  from  its  natural  site  at  the 
junction  of  the  two  great  rivers  of  the  west,  to  be  a  point  where  an  immense 
city  would  eventually  arise,  hence  it  has  attracted  unusual  attention  from 
enterprising  capitalists  as  a  point  promising  rich  returns  for  investments  in 
its  soil.  As  soon  as  Illinois  was  erected  into  a  state,  in  1818,  the  legislature 
incorporated  "  the  Bank  of  Cairo,"  which  was  connected  with  the  project  of 
building  a  city  at  this  point.  Since  then  two  or  more  successive  companies 
have  been  formed  for  this  object;  one  of  which  has  now  the  enterprise  so 
far  advanced  that  they  entertain  sanguine  calculations  of  accomplishing  the 
end  so  long  sought  amid  great  discouragements. 


232 


ILLINOIS. 


A  primary  obstacle  to  the  success  of  the  scheme  is  in  the  natural  situation 
of  the  surface.  For  many  miles  in  every  direction  the  country  is  a  low,  rich 
bottom,  and  as  the  river  here,  in  seasons  of  high  water,  rises  fifty  feet,  the 
whole  region  becomes  covered  with  water.  To  remedy  this,  an  earthen 

dyke,  or  levee,  some  four 
miles  in  circuit,  has  been 
built  around  the  town,  at, 
it  is  said,  a  cost  of  nearly 
a  million  of  dollars.  This 
is  shown  by  the  map. 
From  this  levee  projects 
an  embankment  like  the 
handle  of  a  dipper — the 
levee  itself  around  the 
town  answering  for  the 
rim  —  on  which  is  laid 
the  line  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad. 

The  annexed  view  shows 
at  one   glance,   parts  of 

three      states Illinois, 

Missouri  and  Kentucky. 
It  was  taken  on  top  of  the 
levee,  within  a  few  hun 
dred  feet  of  the  extreme 
south-western  point  of  Il 
linois,  which  is  seen  in  the 
distance.  The  temporary 
depot  of  the  Central  Railroad  and  the  St.  Charles'  Hotel  appear  in  front.  On 
the  right  is  shown  part  of  the  town  plat  (some  eight  feet  below  the  top  of  the 
levee),  the  bank  of  the 
levee  between  the  specta 
tor  and  the  Mississippi 
River,  before  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio,  and  the 
Missouri  shore.  On  the 
left  appears  the  Kentucky 
shore,  and  point  where  the 
Ohio,  '-the  beautiful  river," 
pours  itself  into  the  bosom, 
of  the  Mississippi,  "the 
great  father  of  waters,"  as 
he  stretches  himself  south 
ward  in  his  majestic  course 
to  the  ocean.  The  best 
buildings  in  Cairo  are  of 
brick,  mainly  stores,  and 
are  on  the  levee.  The  levee 
itself  resembles  an  ordina- 


MAP  OF  CAIRO  AND  ITS  VICINITY. 


LEVEE  AT  CAIRO. 


ry  railroad  embankment, 

and  is  about  50  feet  broad  on  the  surface. 


Junction  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 


regularly  laid  out,  and  a  system  of  underground  draim.& 


The  town  plat  within  the  levee  is 
e  adopted.    The  appear- 


ILLINOIS. 


233 


ance  of  the  spot  is  like  that  of  any  ordinary  river  bottom  of  the  west — the 
surface  level,  with  here  and  there  left  a  forest  tree,  which,  shooting  upward 
its  tall,  slender  form,  shows,  by  its  luxuriant  foliage,  the  rich  nature  of  the 
soil.  The  houses  within  the  levee  are  mainly  of  wood,  one  and  two  stories 
in  hight,  and  painted  white.  They  are  somewhat  scattered,  and  the  general 
aspect  of  the  spot  is  like  that  of  a  newly  settled  western  village,  just  after 
the  log  cabin  era  has  vanished. 

Rockford,  the  capital  of  Winnebago  county,  is  beautifully  situated  at  the 
rapids  of  Rock  River,  on  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  92  miles 
westerly  from  Chicago.  Steamers  can  come  to  this  place.  Great  manufac 
turing  facilities  are  afforded  by  the  immense  water  power  here.  Population 
1860,  5,281. 

Galesburg  is  in  Knox  county,  168  miles  south-westerly  from  Chicago,  at 
the  junction  of  the  Chicago  and  Burlington,  Northern  Cross,  and  Peoria 
arid  Oquawka  Railroads.  It  is  a  fine  town,  and  noted  as  a  place  of  educa 
tion;  Knox  College,  Knox  College  for  females,  and  Lombard  University  are 
situated  here.  Population  about  6,000. 

Free-port  is  on  a  branch  of  Rock  River,  at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Cen 
tral  with  the  Galena  and  Chicago  Union  Railroad,  120  miles  from  Chicago. 
It  is  quite  a  manufacturing  place,  and  is  one  of  the  largest  grain  depots  in 
northern  Illinois.  Population  about  5,000. 


South-eastern  view  of  Galena,  from  near  the  Swing  Bridye. 

The  Steamboat  landing  is  seen  in  the  central  part.  The  Railroad  Depot  and  the  Seminary  on  an  eleva 
tion  in  the  distance,  appear  on  the  right.  The  Draw  or  Swing  Bridge  is  represented  open,  parts  of  which 
are  seen  on  the  right  and  left. 

GALENA,  a  nourishing  city,  and  capital  of  Joe  Daviess  county,  is  situated 
on  Fevre  River,  6  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the  Mississippi,  1651  above 
New  Orleans,  450  above  St. 'Louis,  160  W.N.W.  from  Chicago,  and  250  N. 
by  W.  from  Springfield.  The  city  is  built  principally  on  the  western  side 
of  Fevre  or  Galena  River,  an  arm  of  the  Mississippi,  and  its  site  is  a  steep 
acclivity,  except  for  a  few  rods  along  the  river.  The  streets  rise  one  above 


234  ILLINOIS. 

another,  the  different  tiers  connecting  by  flights  of  steps.  The  town  is  well 
paAred  and  the  houses  are  built  of  brick.  The  numerous  hills  overlooking 
the  city  are  thickly  studded  with  the  mansions  of  the  wealthy  merchant  or 
thrifty  miner.  Population  I860,  8,196. 

Galena  is  a  French  word,  signifying  "lead  mine.1'  Galena  was  formerly 
called  Fevre  River,  the  French  word  for  wild  bean,  which  grew  here  in  great 
abundance.  The  city  was  first  settled  in  1826,  and  was  then  an  outpost  in 
the  wilderness,  about  300  miles  from  the  settlements.  The  first  settlement 
was  begun  at  Old  Town.  Col.  John  Shaw,  from  the  interior  of  New  York, 
traversed  this  region  from  1809  to  1812,  extending  his  journeys  to  a  point 
westward  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers.  He  was  engaged  as  a  spy 
in  this  section  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  on  one  occasion  it  is  said  that  he  outrun 
three  Indians  in  a  chase  of  nine  miles.  When  he  first  came  to  Galena,  he 
found  the  Indians  smelting  lead  on  the  town  plat.  Col.  S.  was  the  first  one 
who  carried  lead  to  St.  Louis  fora  regular  price;  this  was  soon  after  the 
close  of  the  war  of  1812.  He  also,  it  is  said,  built  the  first  flouring  mill  in 
Wisconsin,  four  miles  above  Prairie  du,  Chien.  The  first  pine  lumber  sawed 
in  that  state  was  in  his  mill  on  Black  River. 

Andrew  C.  and  Moses  Swan,  of  Pennsylvania,  came  to  Galena  in  the  fall 
of  1827,  by  the  way  of  Green  Bay  and  Wisconsin  River:  one  of  them  kept 
the  first  regular  tavern.  It  stood  on  a  site  opposite  the  De  Soto  House. 
One  of  the  early  visitors  at  Galena  was  Ebenezer  Brigham,  who  journeyed 
from  Worcester,  Mass.,  to  St.  Louis  in  1818:  the  Upper  Mississippi  country 
was,  at  that  period  almost  unknown.  Beyond  the  narrative  of  PIKE'S  Ex 
pedition,  and  the  vague  report  of  hunters,  boatmen,  and  a  few  lead  diggers 
about  Dubuque,  the  public  possessed  but  little  reliable  information.  In 
1820,  Mr.  Brigham  followed  up  the  river  to  Galena.  This  place  then  con 
sisted  of  one  log  cabin,  and  a  second  one  commenced,  which  he  assisted  in 
ompleting.  The  first  church  erected  was  by  the  Presbyterians.  The 

Miner's  Journal"  was  started  here  in  1828,  by  Mr.  Jones,  who  died  of  the 
cholera  in  1832.  The  "  Galena  North-Western  Gazette,"  was  first  issued  in 
1833,  by  Mr.  H.  H.  Houghton,  from  Vermont.  It  was  printed  in  a  log 
house  at  the  old  town,  about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  levee.  The 
first  brick  building  here  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  Capt.  D.  S.  Harris,  a 
native  of  New  York.  Capt.  H.  is  also  said  to  have  constructed  the  first 
steamboat  on  the  Upper  Mississippi.  It  was  built  in  1838,  and  called  the 
"Joe  Daviess,"  in  honor  of  Col.  Joe  Daviess,  who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Tip- 
pecanoe. 

Galena  is  on  the  meridian  of  Boston,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
healthy  locations  in  the  United  States.  It  is  thd  most  commodious  harbor 
for  steamboats  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  a  great  amount  of  tunnage 
is  owned  here.  Galena  owes  its  growth  and  importance  mainly  to  the 
rich  mines  of  lead,  with  which  it  is  surrounded  in  every  direction.  Con 
siderable  quantities  of  copper  are  found  in  connection  with  the  lead.  About 
40,000,000  Ibs.  of  lead,  valued  at  $1,600,000  have  been  shipped  from  this 
place  during  one  season.  It  is  estimated  that  the  lead  mines,  in  this  vicinity, 
are  capable  of  producing  150,000,000  Ibs.  annually,  for  ages  to  come.  Mine 
ral  from  some  8  or  10  places,  or  localities,  in  Wisconsin,  is  brought  to  Ga 
lena,  and  shipped  for  New  Orleans  and  other  markets.  Since  the  comple 
tion  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  a  small  portion  of  lead  has  been  sent 
eastward  by  that  road.  The  average  price  is  about  thirty  dollars  per  thous 
and  Ibs. 


ILLINOIS. 


235 


THE  LEAD  REGION. 


Outside  of  the  town  is  the  forbidding  and  desolate  hill  country  of  the  lead 
region.  Storms  have  furrowed  the  hills  in  every  direction,  and  the  shovels 

of  the  miners  have  dotted  the  whole 
surface  with  unsightly  pits,  walled 
around  with  heaps  of  limestone  and 
sand,  through  which  the  delver  has 
sought  the  lead.  There  is  no  culture 
around,  and  the  edifices  consist  of  the 
rude  cabin  of  the  miners,  and  primitive 
looking  smelting  furnaces  where  the 
lead  is  prepared  for  market.  A  late 
visitor  gives  the  following  description : 

Every  hill  is  spotted  with  little  mounds  of 
yellow  earth,  and  is  as  full  of  holes  as  a  worm- 
eaten  cheese.  Some  winding  road  at  length  brings 
you  to  the  top  of  one  of  these  bare,  bleak  hills, 
and  to  a  larger  mound  of  the  same  yellowish 
earth,  with  which  the  whole  country  in  sight  is 
mottled.  On  top  of  this  mound  of  earth  stands 
a  windlass,  and  a  man  is  winding  up  tubs  full 
of  dirt  and  rock,  which  continually  increase  the  pile  under  his  feet.  Beneath  him,  forty, 
fifty,  a  hundred  feet  under  ground,  is  the  miner.  As  we  look  around  on  every  ridge,  see 
the  windlass  men,  and  know  that  beneath  each  one  a  smutty-faced  miner  is  burrowing  by 
the  light  of  a  dim  candle,  let  us  descend  into  the  mines  and  see  the  miners  at  their  work. 
The  windlass-man  makes  a  loop  in  the  end  of  the  rope,  into  which  you  put  one  foot,  and, 
clasping,  at  the  same  time,  the  rope  with  one  hand,  slowly  you  begin  to  go  down  ;  down, 
it  grows  darker  and  darker  ;  a  dairp,  grave-like  smell  comes  up  from  below,  and  you  grow 
dizzy  with  the  continual  whirling  around,  until,  when  you  reach  the  bottom  and  look  up 
at  the  one  small  spot  of  daylight  through  which  you  came  down,  you  start  with  alarm  as 
the  great  mass  of  rocks  and  earth  over  your  head  seem  to  be  swaying  and  tumbling  in. 
You  draw  your  breath  a  little  more  freely,  however,  when  you  perceive  that  it  was  only 
your  own  dizziness,  or  the  scuddingof  clouds  across  the  one  spot  of  visible  sky,  and  you 
take  courage  to  look  about  you.  Two  or  three  dark  little  passages,  from  four  to  six  feet 
high,  and  about  three  feet  wide,  lead  off  into  the  murky  recesses  of  the  mine  ;  these  are 
called,  in  mining  parlance,  drifts.  You  listen  a  little  while,  and  there  is  a  dull  "thud! 
tht.ul!  "  comes  from  each  one,  and  tells  of  something  alive  away  off  in  the  gloom,  and, 
candle  in  hand,  you  st;irt  in  search  of  it.  You  eye  the  rocky  walls  and  roof  uneasily  as, 
half  bent,  you  thread  the  narrow  passage,  until,  on  turning  some  angle  in  the  drift,  you 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  miner,  he  looks  small  and  dark,  and  mole-like,  as  on  his  knees,  and 
pick  in  hand,  he  is  prying  from  a  perpendicular  crevice  in  the  rock,  a  lump  of  mineral  as 
large  as  his  head,  and  which,  by  the  light  of  his  dim  candle,  flashes  and  gleams  like  a 
huge  carbuncle  ;  or,  perhaps,  it  is  a  horizontal  sheet  or  vein  of  mineral,  that  presents  its 
edge  to  the  miner ;  it  is  imbedded  in  ihe  solid  rock,  which  must  be  picked  and  blasted 
down  to  get  at  the  mineral.  He  strikes  the  rock  with  his  pick,  and  it  rings  as  though  he 
had  struck  an  anvil.  You  can  conceive  how,  with  that  strip  of  gleaming  metal,  seeming 
like  a  magician's  wand,  to  beckon  him  on  and  on,  he  could  gnaw,  as  it  were,  his  narrow 
way  for  hundreds  of  feet  through  the  rock.  But  large,  indeed,  you  think,  must  be  his  or 
gan  of  hope,  and  resolute  his  perseverance,  to  do  it  with  no  such  glittering  prize  in  sight. 
Yet  such  is  often  the  case,  and  many  a  miner  has  toiled  for  years,  and  in  the  whole  time 
has  discovered  scarcely  enough  mineral  to  pay  for  the  powder  used.  Hope,  however,  in 
the  breast  of  the  miner,  has  as  many  lives  as  a  cat,  and  on  no  day,  in  all  his  toilsome 
years,  could  you  go  down  into  his  dark  and  crooked  hole,  a  hundred  feet  from  grass  and 
sunshine,  but  he  would  tell  you  that  he  was  "  dose  to  it  now,"  in  a  few  days  he  hoped  to 
strike  a  lode  (pronounced  among  miners  as  though  it  was  spelled  leed),  and  so  a  little 
longer  and  a  little  longer,  arid  his  life  of  toil  wears  away  while  his  work  holds  him  with  a 
fascination  equaled  only  by  a  gamblers'  passion  for  his  cards. 

Lodes  or  veins  of  mineral  in  the  same  vicinity  run  in  the  general  direction.  Those  in 
the  vicinity  of  Galena,  run  east  and  west.  The  crevice  which  contains  the  mineral,  is 
usually  perpendicular,  and  from  1  to  20  feet  in  width,  extending  from  the  cap  rock,  or  the 
first  solid  rock  above  the  mineral,  to  uncertain  depths  below,  and  is  filled  with  large, 
loose  rocks,  and  a  peculiar  red  dirt,  in  which  are  imbedded  masses  of  mineral.  These 
masses  are  made  up  cubes  like  those  formed  of  crystallization,  and  many  of  them  as  geo- 


236 


ILLINOIS. 


metrically  correct  as  could  be  made  with  a  compass  and  square.  Before  the  mineral  13 
broken,  it  is  of  the  dull  blue  color  of  lead,  but  when  broken,  glistens  like  silver.  Some 
times  caves  are  broken  into,  whose  roofs  are  frosted  over  with  calcareous  spar,  as  pure*  and 
white  as  the  frost  upon  the  window  pane  in  winter,  and  from  dark  crevices  in  the  floor 
comes  up  the  gurgling  of  streams  that  never  saw  the  sun.  The  life  of  a  mirier  is  a  dark 
and  lonesome  one.  His  drift  is  narrow,  and  will  not  admit  of  two  abreast ;  therefore, 
there  is  but  little  conversation,  and  no  jokes  are  bandied  about  from  mouth  to  mouth,  by 
fellow-laborers.  The  alternations  of  hope  and  disappointment  give,  in  the  course  of  years, 
a  subdued  expression  to  his  countenance. 

There  are  no  certain  indications  by  which  the  miner  can  determine  the  existence  of  a 
vein  of  mineral  without  sinking  a  shaft.  Several  methods  are  resorted  to,  however.  The 
linear  arrangement  of  any  number  of  trees  that  are  a  little  larger  than  the  generality  of 
their  neighbors,  is  considered  an  indication  of  an  opening  underground  Corresponding  to 
their  arrangement.  Depressions  in  the  general  surface  are  also  favorable  signs,  and 
among  the  older  miners  there  are  yet  some  believers  in  the  mystic  power  of  witch-hazel 
and  the  divining  rod.  In  the  largest  number  of  cases,  however,  but  little  attention  is 
paid  to  signs  other  than  to  have  continuous  ground — that  is,  to  dig  on  the  skirts  of  a  ridge 
that  is  of  good  width  on  top,  so  that  any  vein  that  might  be  discovered  would  not  run  out 
too  quicklv  on  the  other  side  of  the  ridge.  On  such  ground  the  usual  method  of  search  is 
by  suckering,  as  it  is  called.  The  miner  digs  a  dozen  or  more  holes,  about  six  feet  deep, 
and  within  a  stone's  throw  of  each  other,  and  in  some  one  of  these  he  is  likely  to  find  a 
few  pieces  of  mineral,  the  dip  of  certain  strata  of  clay  then  indicates  the  direction  in  which 
he  is  to  continue  the  search,  in  which,  if  he  is  so  successful  as  to  strike  a  lode,  his  fortune 
is  made  ;  in  the  other  event,  he  is  only  the  more  certain  that  the  lucky  day  is  not 
far  off. 


North-western  view  of  Rock  Island   City. 

The  viow  shows  the  appearance  of  the  city  as  seen  from  Davenport,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Missis 
sippi.     The  ferry  lauding  appears  on  the  left,  the  Court  House  and  Presbyterian  Churches  on  the  right. 

ROCK  ISLAND  CITY,  and  county  scat  of  Rock  Island  Co.,  is  situated  on 
the  Mississippi  River,  opposite  the  city  of  Davenport,  2  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  Rock  River,  178  W.  by  S.,  from  Chicago,  and  131  N.  N.  W.  of 
Springfield.  It  is  at  the  foot  of  the  Upper  Rapids  of  the  Mississippi,  which 
extend  nearly  15  miles,  and  in  low  stages  of  water  obstruct  the  passage  of 
loaded  vessels.  It  is  a  flourishing  manufacturing  place,  at  the  western  ter 
minus  of  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  Railroad.  Pop.  1860,  5,130. 

It  derives  its  name  from  an  island  three  miles  in  length,  the  southern  ex 
tremity  of  which  is  nearly  opposite  the  town.  The  principal  channel  of  the 
river  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  island,  while  that  on  its  eastern  side  has  been 
FO  dammed  as  to  produce  a.  vast  water  power  above  and  a  good  harbor  below. 
The  island  forms  one  of  the  capacious  buttresses  of  the  immense  railroad 


ILLINOIS. 


237 


bridge  across  the  Mississippi,  connecting  the  place  with  Davenport,  and  creates 
a  junction  between  the  railroad  from  Chicago  and  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Mis 
souri  Railroad  through  Iowa. 

Fort  Armstrong,  on  Rock  Island,  was  erected  in  1816,  by  Lieut.  Col. 
Lawrence,  of  the  United  States  Army.  It  was  then  in  the  heart  of  the  In 
dian  country,  and  was  the  scene 
of  many  wild  exploits,  both  be 
fore  and  during  the  continuance 
of  the  «  Black  Hawk  War."  The 
old  chief,  Black  Hawk,  was  born 
in  1768,  on  Hock  River,  about 
three  miles  from  where  the  fort 
now  stands.  From  the  time  this 
fortification  was  first  constructed, 
until  the  close  of  the  war  above 
mentioned,  this  fort  was  used  as 
a  depot  of  supplies,  etc.,  and  for 
a  long  time  was  commanded  by 
Col.  L.  Taylor,  afterward  presi 
dent  of  the  United  States. 
Col.  William  Lawrence,  the  founder  of  the  fort,  arrived  here  May  10,  1816, 
with  the  8th  regiment  and  a  company  of  riflemen.  As  soon  as  they  had 
completed  their  encampment,  he  employed  the  soldiers  to  cut  logs  and  build 
storehouses  for  the  provisions,  and  had  a  bake  house  and  oven  put  up.  This 
was  the  first  regular  building  erected  at  this  point. 

"  The  soldiers  now  set  to  work  to  build  the  fort,  which  was  named  Fort  Arm 
strong.  At  this  time  there  lived  a  large  body  of  Indians  in  the  vicinity,  number- 
ing'some  10,000,  divided  in  three  villages,  one  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  near 
the  foot  of  the  island  called  '  Wanpello  Village;'  about  three  miles  south  on  the 
bank  of  Hock  River,  stood  the  famous  village  of 'Black  Hawk,'  and  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river  was  a  small  village  named  after  an  old  brave,  'Oshkosh'  Upon 
the  first  arrival  of  the  troops  on  the  Island,  the  Indians  were  very  much  dissatis 
fied,  but  the  officers  took  great  pains  to  gain  their  friendship,  by  making  them 
many  presents,  and  they  soon  became  reconciled  and  were  most  excellent  neigh 
bors.  During  the  first  summer  they  would  frequently  bring  over  supplies  of  sweet 
corn,  beans,  pumpkins,  and  such  other  vegetables  as  they  raised,  and  present 
them  to  Mr.  Davenport  and  the  officers,  with  the  remarks  that  they  had  raised  none, 
and  that  they  themselves  had  plenty,  invariably  refusing  to  take  any  pay." 


FORT  AKM.STK.JNG, 


The  following  account  of  the  defeat  of  Maj.  Zachary  Taylor,  at  Rock  Is 
land,  in  August  1814,  is  from  the  personal  narrative  of  Mr.  J.  Shaw,  of  Wis 
consin  : 

About  two  months  after  the  capture  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  Maj.  Zachary  Taylor 
came  up  the  Mississippi,  with  22  fortified  boats,  each  containing  an  average  of 
about  80  men,  under  his  command.  When  the  expedition  arrived  near  Rock  Is 
land,  it  was  discovered  that  about  4,000  Indians  had  there  collected.  The  British 
had  erected  a  false,  painted  battery,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  apparently 
mounted  with  six  twelve-pounders;  but  in  reality  they  had  but  two  guns  with 
them,  one  of  which  was  entrusted  to  the  care  of  the  Indians.  Mr.  Shaw  was  on 
board  the  boat  with  Mr.  Taylor.  The  battle  commenced,  and  the  first  ball  from 
the  British  guns  passed  completely  through  the  advance  boat,  on  which  was  Tay 
lor,  and  he  instantly  ordered  it  to  be  put  about;  the  second  ball  cut  off  the 
steering  oar  of  the  next  boat  that  was  advancing,  and  a  strong  wind  springing 
up  at  that  moment,  this  boat  drifted  over  the  river  to  the  western  bank,  a  short 
distance  below  the  present  town  of  Davenport;  the  men  having  no  oar  to  steer 


938  ILLINOIS. 

with,  could  not  prevent  this  occurrence.  About  1,000  Indians  immediately  took 
to  their  canoes,  and  paddled  over  the  river,  expecting,  no  doubt,  to  get  the  boat  as 
a  prize,  as  she  must  inevitably  drift  into  shallow  water.  The  Indians  kept  up  a 
constant  fire  on  the  unfortunate  boat,  and  a  number  of  Indians,  mounted  on  horse 
back,  came  galloping  down  the  western  shore,  with  their  guns  elevated  in  their 
right  hands,  gleaming  in  the  sun,  and  shouting  their  war-cries  in  the  most  hideous 
manner.  On  the  first  fire  from  the  British  guns,  and  immediately  after  the  pas 
sage  of  the  ball  through  the  foremost  boat,  Maj.  Taylor  had  ordered  a  retreat. 
Gen.  Samuel  Whiteside,  who  had  command  of  one  of  the  boats,  impelled  with  the 
natural  desire  of  assisting  the  disabled  boat,  that  was  drifting  across  the  river,  in 
to  the  power  of  merciless  enemies,  disobeyed  the  order,  and  steered  toward  the 
disabled  craft.  When  he  approached  it,  he  called  for  "some  brave  man  to  cast  a 
cable  from  his  own  boat  on  board  of  her."  An  individual,  named  Paul  Harpole, 
jumped  from  the  disabled  boat,  in  a  most  exposed  situation,  caught  the  cable,  and 
made  it  fast  to  the  boat.  In  less  than  a  minute's  time,  a  thousand  Indians  would 
have  been  aboard  of  her;  she  was  then  in  two  and  a  half  feet  water,  among  small 
willows,  which  in  some  measure  protected  the  Indians.  In  the  mean  while,  Har 
pole  called  for  guns  to  be  handed  him  from 'below;  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  boat 
completely  exposed;  fired  no  less  than  14  guns,  when  he  was  eventually  struck  in 
the  forehead  by  a  ball;  he  pitched  forward  toward  the  Indians,  and  the  instant  he 
struck  the  water,  the  savages  had  hold  of  him,  hauled  him  on  shore,  and  cut  him 
with  their  knives  into  a  hundred  pieces.  All  this  was  witnessed  by  the  other 
boats,  and  the  crippled  boat  having  been  towed  off  into  deep  water,  the  whole  body 
retreated,  and  descended  the  Mississippi. 

Fort  Armstrong  was  finally  evacuated  by  the  United  States  troops,  May 
4,  1836.  Col.  Davenport  had  a  fine  situation  near  the  fort,  about  half  a 
mile  distant.  At  first  he  supplied  the  fort  with  provisions,  and  was  after 
ward  extensively  engaged  in  the  Indian  trade.  He  was  murdered,  at  the 
age  of  62,  while  alone  in  his  house,  on  the  island,  on  July  4,  1845,  by  a 
band  of  robbers.  The  following  account  is  from  "  Wilkies'  Hist,  of  Daven 
port,  Past  and  Present : " 

On  last  Friday  afternoon  we  were  witness  to  a  strange  and  interesting  ceremony 
performed  by  the  Indians,  over  the  remains  of  Mr.  Davenport,  who  was  murdered 
at  his  residence  on  Kook  Island,  on  the  4th  inst.  Upon  preceding  to  the  beautiful 
spot  selected  as  his  last  resting  place,  in  the  rear  of  his  mansion  on  Hock  Island, 
we  found  the  war  chief  and  braves  of  the  band  of  Fox  Indians,  then  encamped  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  place,  reclining  on  the  grass  around  his  grave,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  planted  a  white  cedar  post,  some  seven  or  eight  feet  in  hight. 

The  ceremony  began  by  two  of  the  braves  rising  and  walking  to  the  post,  upon 
which,  with  paint,  they  began  to  inscribe  certain  characters,  while  a  third  brave, 
armed  with  an  emblematic  war  club,  after  drinking  to  the  health  of  the  deceased, 
from  a  cup  placed  at  the  base  of  the  post,  walked  three  times  around  the  grave,  in 
an  opposite  direction  to  the  course  of  the  sun,  at  each  revolution  delivering  a 
speech  with  sundry  gestures  and  emphatic  motions  in  the  direction  of  the  north 
east.  When  he  had  ceased,  he  passed  the  club  to  another  brave,  who  went  through 
the  same  ceremony,  passing  but  once  around  the  grave,  and  so  in  succession  with 
each  one  of  the  braves.  This  ceremony,  doubtless,  would  appear  pantomimic  to 
one  unacquainted  with  the  habits  or  language  of  the  Indians,  but  after  a  full  in 
terpretation  of  their  proceedings,  they  would  be  found  in  character  with  this  tra 
ditionary  people. 

In  walking  around  the  grave  in  a  contrary  direction  to  the  course  of  the  sun, 
they  wished  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  ceremony  was  an  original  one.  In  their 
speeches  they  informed  the  Great  Spirit  that  Mr.  Davenport  was  their  friend,  and 
they  wished  the  Great  Spirit  to  open  the  door  to  him,  and  to  take  charge  of  him. 
The  enemies  whom  they  had  slain,  they  called  upon  to  act  in  capacity  of  waiters 
to  Mr.  Davenport,  in  the  spirit  land — they  believing  that  they  have  unlimited  power 
over  the  spirits  of  those  whom  they  have  slain  in  battle.  Their  gestures  toward 
the  north-east,  were  made  in  allusion  to  their  great  enemies,  the  Sioux,  who  live 


ILLINOIS. 


239 


in  that  direction.  They  recounted  their  deeds  of  battle,  with  the  number  that 
they  had  slain  and  taken  prisoners.  Upon  the  post  were  painted,  in  hieroglyphics, 
the  number  of  the  enemy  that  they  had  slain,  those  taken  prisoners,  together  with 
the  tribe  and  station  of  the  brave.  For  instance,  the  feats  of  Wau-co-shaw-she,  the 
chief,  were  thus  portrayed:  Ten  headless  figures  were  painted,  which  signified 
that  he  had  killed  ten  men.  Four  others  were  then  addeed,  one  of  them  snialler 
than  the  others,  signifying  that  he  had  taken  four  prisoners,  one  of  whom  was  a 
child.  A  line  was  then  run  from  one  figure  to  another,  terminating  in  a  plume, 
signifying  that  all  had  been  accomplished  by  a  chief.  A  fox  was  then  painted 
over  the  plume,  which  plainly  told  that  the  chief  was  of  the  Fox  tribe  of  Indians. 
These  characters  are  so  expressive,  that  if  an  Indian  of  any  tribe  whatsover  were 
to  see  them,  he  would  at  once  understand  them. 

Following  the  sign  of  Pau-tau-co-to,  who  thus  proved  himself  a  warrior  of  high 
degree,  were  placed  20  headless  figures,  being  the  number  of  Sioux  that  he  had 
slain. 

The  ceremony  of  painting  the  post  was  followed  by  a  feast,  prepared  for  the  oc 
casion,  which  by  them  was  certainly  deemed  the  most  agreeable  part  of  the  pro 
ceedings.  Meats,  vegetables,  and  pies,  were  served  up  in  such  profusion  that 
many  armsful  of  the  fragments  were  carried  off—  it  being  a  part  of  the  ceremony, 
which  is  religiously  observed,  that  all  the  victuals  left  upon  such  an  occasion  are 
to  be  taken  to  their  homes.  At  a  dog  feast,  which  is  frequently  given  by  them 
selves,  and  to  which  white  men  are  occasionally  invited,  the  guest  is  either  obliged 
to  eat  all  that  is  placed  before  him,  or  hire  some  other  person  to  do  so,  else  it  is 
considered  a  great  breach  of  hospitality. 


Distant  view  of  Nauvoo. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Nauvoo,  as  it  is  approached  when  sailing  up  the  Mississippi. 

NAUVOO,  Hancock  county,  is  103  miles  N.  W.  by  W.  from  Springfield; 
52  above  Quincy,  and  220  above  St.  Louis.  It  is  laid  out  on  an  extensive 
plan,  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sites  on  the  river  for  a  city.  In  conse 
quence  of  a  graceful  curve  of  the  Mississippi,  it  bounds  the  town  on  the 
north-west,  west,  and  south-west.  The  ground  rises  gradually  from  the 
water  to  a  considerable  hight,  presenting  a  smooth  and  regular  surface,  with 
a  broad  plain  at  the  summit.  The  place  has  now  about  1,500  inhabitants, 
the  majority  of  whom  are  Germans;  there  are,  also,  French  and  American 
settlers.  The  inhabitants  have  fine  gardens,  wine  is  manufactured,  and  many 
cattle  are  raised. 

Nauvoo,  originally  the  village  of  Commerce,  is  noted  as  the  site  of  the  Mor 
mon  city,  founded  by  Joseph  Smith,  in  1840.  The  population,  at  one  time, 
when  under  the  Mormon  rule,  was  estimated  at  about  18,000.  The  dwell 
ings  were  mostly  log  cabins,  or  small  frame  houses.  The*  great  Mormon 
Temple — the  remains  of  which  are  still,  by  far,  the  most  conspicuous  object 
in  the  place — was  128  feet  long.  88  feet  wide,  and  65  feet  high  to  the  cor* 


240  ILLINOIS. 

nice,  and  163  feet  to  the  top  of  the  cupola.  It  would  accommodate  an  as 
semblage  of  3,000  persons.  It  was  built  of  polished  limestone  resemblino- 
marble,  and  obtained  on  the  spot.  The  architecture,  in  its  main  features, 
resembled  the  Doric.  In  the  basement  of  the  temple  was  a  large  stone  basin 
or  baptistry,  supported  by  12  oxen  of  a  colossal  size ;  it  was  about  15  feet 
high,  altogether  of  white  stone  and  well  carved.  This  building,  at  that  time, 
without  an  equal  at  the  west,  was  fired  October  9,  1848,  and  for  the  most 
part  reduced  to  a  heap  of  ruins. 

It  is  believed  that  Capt.  White  erected  the  first  building  in  the  place,  a 
log  cabin  near  the  river,  about  a  mile  westward  of  where  the  temple  after 
ward  stood.  Mr.  Gallard  brought  out  Capt.  White ;  he  lived  in  a  two  story 
house  near  the  log  cabin.  Smith,  the  Mormon,  when  he  first  came  to  Nauvoo, 
put  up  with  Mr.  G. :  he  purchased  about  a  mile  square  of  territory.  He 
built  the  Mansion  House  near  the  river.  Smith's  widow,  who  is  described 
as  amiable  and  intelligent,  married  Maj.  Bideman.  The  Mormon  Church 
property  was  sold  to  a  company  of  French  socialists,  about  600  in  number, 
under  M.  Cabot,  for  about  $20,000.  It  appears  that  many  of  the  French 
are  leaving  the  place,  finding  that  they  can  do  better  elsewhere,  individually, 
than  by  living  in  common  with  others. 

After  the  Mormons  had  been  driven  from  Missouri,  the  people  of  Illinois 
received  them  with  great  kindness.  When  they  had  established  themselves 
at  Nauvoo,  the  legislature  granted  them  extraordinary  powers,  and  the  city 
laws,  in  some  respects,  became  superior  to  those  of  the  state.  Under  these 
laws,  difficulties  ensued.  Smith  acted  as  mayor,  general  of  the  Nauvoo  Le 
gion,  keeper  of  the  Nauvoo  Hotel,  and  as  their  religious  prophet,  whose  will 
was  law.  Smith,  and  some  others,  forcibly  opposed  the  process  issued  against 
them  for  a  riot.  The  people  were  aroused  at  their  resistance,  and  deter 
mined  that  the  warrants  should  be  executed.  In  June  1844,  some  3,000 
militia  from  the  adjacent  country,  and  bands  from  Missouri  and  Iowa,  as 
sembled  in  the  vicinity  of  Nauvoo.  Gov.  Ford  hastened  to  the  spot  to  pre 
vent  blood-shed.  On  the  24th,  Gen.  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  and  his 
brother,  Gen.  Hyrum  Smith,  having  received  assurances  of  protection  from 
the  governor,  surrendered,  and  went  peaceably  to  prison,  at  Carthage,  to 
await  their  trial  for  treason.  On  the  evening  of  the  27th,  the  guard  of  the 
jail  were  surprised  by  a  mob  of  some  200  men  disguised,  who  overpowered 
them,  broke  down  the  door,  rushed  into  the  room  of  the  prisoners,  fired  at 
random,  severely  wounding  Taylor,  editor  of  the  Nauvoo  Neighbor.  They 
finished  by  killing  the  two  Smiths,  after  which  they  returned  to  their 
homes. 

In  Sept.  1845,  the  old  settlers  of  Hancock  county,  exasperated  by  the 
lawless  conduct  of  the  Mormons,  determined  to  drive  them  from  the  state, 
and  commenced  by  burning  their  farm  houses,  scattered  through  the  county. 
The  result  was,  that  they  were  compelled  to  agree  to  emigrate  beyond  the 
settled  parts  of  the  United  States.  On  the  16th  of  September,  1846,  the 
Anti-Mormons  took  possession  of  Nauvoo.  Whatever  doubts  might  have 
then  existed  abroad,  as  to  the  justice  of  the  course  pursued  by  them,  it  is  now 
evident  by  the  subsequent  history  of  the  Mormons,  that  they  are,  as  a  people, 
governed  by  doctrines  which  render  them  too  infamous  to  dwell  in  the  heart 
of  civilized  communities. 


Kev.  Peter  Cartwright,  the  celebrated  pioneer  Methodist  itinerant  of  UK- 


ILLINOIS.  241 

nois,  gives  this  amusing  account  of  an  interview  he  had  with  Joe  Smith,  the 
father  of  Mormonism : 

At  an  early  day  after  they  were  driven  from  Missouri  and  took  up  their  residence 
in  Illinois,  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  become  acquainted  with  Joe  Smith,  personally,  and 
with  many  of  their  leading  men  and  professed  followers.  On  a  certain  occasion  I 
fell  in  with  Joe  Smith,  and  was  formally  and  officially  introduced  to  him  in  Spring 
field,  then  our  county  town.  We  soon  fell  into  a  free  conversation  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  and  Mormonism  in  particular.  I  found  him  to  be  a  very  illiterate  and 
impudent  desperado  in  morals,  but,  at  the  same  time,  he  had  a  vast  fund  of  low 
cunning. 

In  the  first  place,  he  made  his  onset  on  me  by  flattery,  and  he  laid  on  the  soft 
sodder  thick  and  fast.  He  expressed  great  and  almost  unbounded  pleasure  in  the 
high  privilege  of  becoming  acquainted  with  me,  one  of  whom  he  had  heard  so 
many  great  and  good  things,  and  he  had  no  doubt  I  was  one  among  God's  noblest 
creatures,  an  honest  man.  'He  believed  that  among  all  the  churches  in  the  world, 
the  Methodist  was  nearest  right,  and  that,  as  far  as  they  went,  they  were  right. 
But  they  had  stopped  short  by  not  claiming  the  gift  of  tongues,  of  prophecy,  and 
of  miracles,  and  then  quoted  a  batch  of  scripture  to  prove  his  positions  correct. 
Upon  the  whole,  he  did  pretty  well  for  clumsy  Joe.  I  gave  him  rope,  as  the  sail 
ors  say,  and,  indeed,  I  seemed  to  lay  this  flattering  unction  pleasurably  to  my 
eoul. 

"  Indeed,"  said  Joe,  "  if  the  Methodists  would  only  advance  a  step  or  two  further, 
they  would  take  the  world.  We  Latter-day  Saints  are  Methodists,  as  far  as  they 
have  gone,  only  we  have  advanced  further,  and  if  you  would  come  in  and  go  with 
us,  we  could  sweep  not  only  the  Methodist  Church,  but  all  others,  and  you  would 
be  looked  up  to  as  one  of  the  Lord's  greatest  prophets.  You  would  be  honored 
by  countless  thousands,  and  have,  of  the  good  things  of  this  world,  all  that  heart 
could  wish." 

1  then  began  to  inquire  into  some  of  the  tenets  of  the  Latter-day  Saints.  He 
explained.  1  criticized  his  explanations,  till,  unfortunately,  we  got  into  high  de-* 
bate,  and  he  cunningly  concluded  that  his  first  bait  would  not  take,  for  he  plainly 
saw  I  was  not  to  be  flattered  out  of  common  sense  and  honesty.  The  next  pass  he 
made  at  me  was  to  move  upon  my  fears.  *  He  said  that  in  all  ages  of  the  world, 
the  good  and  right  way  was  evil  spoken  of,  and  that  it  was  an  awful  thing  to  fight 
against  God. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "  if  you  will  go  with  me  to  Nauvoo,  I  will  show  you  many  living 
witnesses  that  will  testify  that  they  were,  by  the  Saints,  cured  of  blindness,  lame 
ness,  deafness,  dumbness,  and  all  the  diseases  that  human  flesh  is  heir  to;  and  I 
will  show  you,"  said  he,  "that  we  have  the  gift  of  tongues,  and  can  speak  in  un 
known  languages,  and  that  the  Saints  can  drink  any  deadly  poison,  and  it  will  not 
hurt  them;  "  and  closed  by  saying,  "  the  idle  stories  you  hear  about  us  are  noth 
ing  but  sheer  persecution.1' 

I  then  gave  him  the  following  history  of  an  encounter  I  had  at  a  camp-meeting 
in  Morgan  county,  some  time  before,  with  some  of  his  Mormons,  and  assured  him- 
I  could  prove  all  I  said  by  thousands  that  were  present. 

The  camp-meeting  was  numerously  attended,  and  we  had  a  good  and  gracious 
work  of  religion  going  on  among  the  people.  On  Saturday  there  came  some 
20  or  30  Mormons  to  the  meeting.  During  the  intermission  after  the  eleven 
o'clock  sermon,  they  cellected  in  one  corner  of  the  encampment,  and  began  to 
sing,  they  sang  well.  As  fast  as  the  people  rose  from  their  dinners  they  drew  up 
to  hear  the  singing,  ami  the  scattering  crowd  drew  until  a  large  company  sur 
rounded  them.  I  was  busy  regulating  matters  connected  with  the  meeting.  At 
length,  according,  I  have  no  doubt,  to  a  preconcerted  plan,  an  old  lady  Mormon 
began  to  shout,  and  after  shouting  a  while  she  swooned  away  and  fell  into  the 
arms  of  her  husband.  The  old  man  proclaimed  that  his  wife  had  gone  into  a 
trance,  and  that  when  she  came  to  she  would  speak  in  an  unknown  tongue,  and 
that  he  would  interpret.  This  proclamation  produced  considerable  excitement, 
and  the  multitude  crowded  thick  around.  Presently  the  old  lady  arose  and  be 
gan  to  speak  in  an  unknown  tongue,  sure  enough. 

16 


24"2  ILLINOIS. 

Just  then  my  attention  was  called  to  the  matter.  I  saw  in  one  moment  that 
the  whole  maneuver  was  intended  to  bring  the  Mormons  into  notice,  and  break  up 
the  good  of  our  meeting.  I  advanced,  instantly,  toward  the  crowd,  and  asked  the 
people  to  give  way  and  let  ine  in  to  this  old  lady,  who  was  then  being  held  in  the 
arms  of  her  husband.  I  carne  right  up  to  them,  and  took  hold  of  her  arm,  and  or 
dered  her  peremptorily  to  hush  that  gibberish  ;  that  I  would  have  no  more  of  it;  that 
it  was  presumptuous,  and  blasphemous  nonsense.  I  stopped  very  suddenly  her 
unknown  tongue.  She  opened  her  eyes,  took  me  by  the  hand,  and  said: 

"  My  dear  friend,  T  have  a  message  directly  from  God  to  you."  I  stopped  her 
short,  and  said,  "  I  will  have  none  of  your  messages.  If  God  can  speak  through 
no  better  medium  than  an  old,  hypocritical,  lying  woman,  I  will  hear  nothing  of 
it."  Her  husband,  who  was  to  be  the  interpreter  of  her  message,  flew  into  a  mighty 
rage,  and  said,  u  Sir,  this  is  my  wife,  and  I  will  defend  her  at  the  risk  of  my  life. 
I  replied,  "Sir,  this  is  my  camp-meeting,  and  L  will  maintain  the  good  order  of  it 
at  the  risk  of  my  life.  If  this  is  your  wife,  take  her  off  from  here,  and  clear  your 
selves  in  five  minutes,  or  I  will  have  you  under  guard." 

The  old  lady  slipped  out  and  was  off  quickly.  The  old  man  stayed  a  little,  and 
began  to  pour  a  tirade  of  abuse  on  me.  I  stopped  him  short,  and  said,  "  Not  an 
other  word  of  abuse  from  you,  sir.  I  have  no  doubt  you  are  an  old  thief,  and  if 
your  back  was  examined,  no  doubt  you  carry  the  marks  of  the  cowhide  for  your 
villainy."  And  sure  enough,  as  if  1  had  spoken  by  inspiration,  he,  in  some  of  the 
old  states,  had  been  lashed  to  the  whipping-post  for  stealing,  and  1  tell  you,  the  old 
man  began  to  think  other  persons  had  visions  besides  his  wife,  but  he  was  very 
clear  from  wishing  to  interpret  my  unknown  tongue.  To  cap  the  climax,  a  young 
gentleman  stepped  up  and  said  he  had  no  doubt  all  I  said  of  this  old  man  was  true, 
and  much  more,  for  he  had  caught  him  stealing  corn  out  of  his  father's  crib.  By 
this  time,  such  was  the  old  man's  excitement,  that  the  great  drops  of  sweat  ran 
down  his  face,  and  he  called  out, 

"  Don't  crowd  me,  gentlemen,  it  is  mighty  warm" 

Said  I,  "  Open  the  way,  gentlemen,  and  let  him  out."  When  the  way  was 
opened,  I  cried,  "  Now  start,  and  don't  show  your  face  here  again,  nor  one  of  the 
Mormons.  If  you  do,  you  will  get  Lynch' s  laiv."  They  all  disappeared,  and  our 
meeting  went  on  prosperously,  a  great  many  were  converted  to  God,  and  the  church 
was  much  revived  and  built  up  in  her  holy  faith. 

My  friend,  Joe  Smith,  became  very  restive  before  I  got  through  with  my  narra 
tive  ;  and  when  I  closed,  his  wrath  boiled  over,  and  he  cursed  me  in  the  name  of 
his  God,  and  said,  "  I  will  show  you,  sir,  that  I  will  raise  up  a  government  in  these 
United  States  which  will  overturn  the  present  government,  and  I  will  raise  up  a 
new  religion  that  will  overturn  every  other  form  of  religion  in  this  country  !  " 

"Yes,1  said  I,  "Uncle  Joe,  but  my  Bible  tells  me  'the  bloody  and  deceitful  matt 
shall  not  live  out  half  his  days,'  and  1  expect  the  Lord  will  send  the  devil  after  you 
some  of  these  days,  and  take  you  out  of  the  way." 

"No,  sir,"  said  he,  "I  shall  live  and  prosper,  while  you  will  die  in  your  sins." 

"Well,  sir,"  said  I,  "if  you  live  and  prosper,  you  must  quit  your  stealing  and 
abominable  whoredoms ! " 

Thus  we  parted,  to  meet  no  more  on  earth ;  for,  in  a  few  years  after  this,  an 
outraged  and  deeply  injured  people  took  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  killed 
him,  and  drove  the  Mormons  from  the  state.  They  should  be  considered  and 
treated  as  outlaws  in  every  country  and  clime.  The  two  great  political  parties 
in  the  state  were  nearly  equal,  and  these  wretched  Mormons,  for  several  years, 
held  the  balance  of  power,  and  they  were  always  in  market  to  the  highest  bidder, 
and  I  have  often  been  put  to  the  blush  to  see  our  demagogues  and  stump  orators, 
from  both  political  parties,  courting  favors  from  the  Mormons,  to  gain  a  triumph  in 
an  election. 

Great  blame  has  been  attached  to  the  state,  the  citizens  of  Hancock  county,  in 
which  Nauvoo  is  situated,  as  well  as  other  adjoining  counties,  for  the  part  they 
acted  in  driving  the  Mormons  from  among  them.  But  it  should  be  remembered 
they  had  no  redress  at  law,  for  it  is  beyond  all  doubt  that  the  Mormons  would 
swear  anything,  true  or  false.  They  stole  the  stock,  plundered  and  burned  the 
houses  and  barns  of  the  citizens,  and  there  is  no  doubt  they  privately  murdered 


ILLINOIS. 


243 


some  of  the  best  people  in  the  county;  and  owing  to  the  perjured  evidence  al 
ways  at  their  command,  it  was  impossible  to  have  any  legal  redress.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  this  state  of  things,  Joe  Smith  would  not  have  been  killed,  and 
they  would  not  have  been  driven  with  violence  from  the  state.  Repeated  efforts 
were  made  to  get  redress  for  these  wrongs  and  outrages,  but  all  to  no  purpose; 
and  the  wonder  is,  how  the  people  bore  as  long  as  they  did  with  the  outrageous 
villainies  practiced  on  them,  without  a  resort  to  violent  measures. 


View  of  ML  Joliet. 

JOLIET  is  a  thriving  town,  the  county  seat  of  Will  co.,  situated  on  both 
sides  of  the  Des  Plaines  River,  and  on  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal,  148 
miles  N.  E.  by  N.  from  Springfield,  280  from  Detroit,  and  40  S.  W.  from 
Chicago.  It  was  formerly  known  on  the  maps  as  "  McGree's  mill  dam." 
On  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  the  city  extends  over  a  plain  of  considerable 
extent,  rising  as  it  recedes  from  the  river.  Upon  the  western  side  the  land 
is  formed  into  bluffs,  beneath  which  is  one  of  the  principal  streets.  It 
is  an  important  station  on  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island,  and  the  Chicago, 
Alton,  and  St.  Louis  Railroads,  and  is  connected  directly  with  the  east  by 
Joliet  and  Northern  (cut-off)  Railroads.  The  river  affords  valuable  water 
power  for  mills.  It  is  the  center  of  considerable  commerce,  several  manu 
factories  ;  and  in  its  vicinity  is  a  rich  farming  country,  and  valuable  quar 
ries  of  building  stone.  The  new  state  penitentiary  is  in  the  vicinity.  Popu- 
ation  about  7,000. 

Joliet  receive^,  its  name  from  Mt.  Joliet,  a  mound  supposed  to  be  an  arti 
ficial  elevation,  situated  about  two  and  a  half  miles  S.  W.  of  the  court  house 
in  this  place,  and  so  called  from  Louis  Joliet,  who  was  born  of  French  pa 
rents,  at  Quebec,  in  1673.  He  was  commissioned  by  M.  de  Frontenac  to 
discover  the  Great  River,  some  affluents  of  which  had  been  visited  by  mis 
sionaries  and  traders.  Joliet  chose,  for  his  companion,  Father  Marqiwtte, 
whose  name  was  thus  connected  with  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  first  dwellings  erected  in  this  place  was  a  log  house  built  by  Charles  Reed, 
about  half  a  mile  north-west  of  the  court  house,  back  of  the  bluff,  and  the  house 
erected  by  James  McGee,  from  Kentucky,  near  the  National  Hotel.  The  original 
plat  of  the  town  was  laid  out  by  James  B.  Campbell,  in  1834.  West  Joliet,  by 
Martin  H.  Demmond,  in  Jan.  1835;  East  Joliet  by  Albert  W.  Bowen,in  Feb.  1835, 
Bince  which  time  many  additions  have  been  made.  The  city  of  Joliet  was  incor- 


244  ILLINOIS. 


porated  in  1852.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  erected  by  the  Methodists,  in 
1838,  about  15  rods  south-west  of  the  court  house:  it  is  now  used  for  an  engine 
house.  The  Catholic  Church,  still  standing,  was  commenced  the  next  year.  The 
first  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1838,  their  house  was  erected  in  1857. 
The  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1844;  the  present  Congregational 
and  Methodist  Church  buildings  were  erected  in  1857.  The  Universalists 
erected  their  first  house  in  1845;  the  Baptists  about  1855. 

The  Joliet  Courier,  now  called  Joliet  {Signal,  was  first  printed  by  Gregg  and 
Hudson,  about  1836  or  '37;  the  True  Democrat,  the  second  paper,  was  established 
in  1847,  by  A.  Mackintosh,  from  New  York.  The  first  regular  school  house,  a 
stone  building  now  standing  in  Clinton-street,  was  built  in  1843,  at  a  cost  of 
$700,  considered  at  that  time  an  extravagant  expenditure.  Among  the  first 
settlers  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  were  Dr.  Albert  W.  Bowen,  from  N.  Y.,  the 
first  physician;  Edward  Perkins,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  >  Robert  Shoemaker,  Thomas 
Blackburn,  Richard  Hobbs,  from  Ohio;  Joel  A.  Matteson,  since  governor  of  the 
state ;  Daniel  Wade,  of  Penn.,  and  Lyman  White,  of  N.  Y.  On  the  west  side,  Mar 
tin  H.  Demmond,  from  N.  Y. ;  James  McKee,  or  Gee,  from  Kentucky;  John  Cur 
ry,  G.  H.  Woodruff,  Deac.  Josiah  Beaumont,  John  J.  Garland,  Deac.  Chauncy, 
from  N.  Y. ;  Charles  Clement,  from  New  Hampshire,  and  K.  J.  Cunningham,  from 
Maryland. 

La  Salle,  is  a  flourishing  city,  on  the  right  bank  of  Illinois  River,  at  the 
head  of  steamboat  navigation,  one  mile  above  Peru,  and  at  the  terminus  of 
the  Illinois  Canal,  100  miles  long,  connecting  it  with  Chicago.  It  has  a 
ready  communication,  both  with  the  northern  and  southern  markete,  by  rail 
road,  canal  and  river,  the  latter  of  which  is  navigable  at  all  stages  of  water. 
At'this  point  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  crosses  the  Chicago  and  Rock 
Island  Railroad.  This  place  has  great  facilities  for  trade  and  manufactures. 
A  substantial  railroad  bridge,  900  feet  in  length,  crosses  the  Illinois  at  La 
Salle.  An  extensive  establishment  for  the  manufacture  of  flint  glass  is  in 
operation  here,  under  the  charge  of  a  French  gentleman.  Large  warehouses 
line  the  river  bank,  and  the  dwellings  occupy  the  high  bluffs  a  little  back. 
The  surrounding  country  is  highly  productive,  and  contains  extensive  beds 
of  bituminous  coal,  which  is  extensively  mined.  The  city  of  Peru  received 
its  charter  in  1851 :  it  is  separated  from  La  Salle  by  only  an  imaginary  line. 
Its  manufacturing  interests  are  well  developed.  The  two  cities  are  in  effect 
one,  so  far  as  regards  advantages  of  business,  and  are  nearly  equal  in  popu 
lation.  Peru  and  La  Salle  have  several  fine  educational  institutions,  11 
churches,  5  weekly  newspapers,  and  about  7,000  inhabitants. 

Dixon,  the  capital  of  Lee  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  banks  of 
Rock  River,  at  the  junction  of  a  branch  of  the  Galena  Railroad,  with  the 
Illinois  Central,  98  miles  west  of  Chicago.  It  has  about  5,000  inhabitants. 

Dunleith,  a  smaller  town,  is  the  north-western  terminus  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  on  the  Mississippi  opposite  Dubuque.  .-, 

Kankakee  City  is  a  fine  town  of  3,500  inhabitants,  56  miles  south  of  Chi 
cago,  on  Kankakee  River  and  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  and  at  a  spot  that  a 
few  years  since  had  not  a  single  dwelling. 

St.  Anne,  on  the  Central  Railroad,  in  Kankakee  county,  is  a  colony  of 
800  French  Canadian  emigrants,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Father  Chiniquy, 
originally  a  Catholic  priest,  who,  with  his  people,  have  embraced  Protest 
antism.  Each  settler  has  about  40  acres,  and  their  farms  are  laid  along  par 
allel  roads,  at  right  angles  to  the  railroad*  They  exhibit  signs  of  careful 
cultivation,  and  the  village  and  church  of  the  colony  are  prettily  situated 
near  the  woods  on  the  river  side.  In  the  three  years  prior  to  1860,  the  crops 
of  these  people  were  cut  off,  and  but  for  benevolent  aid  they  would  have  per 
ished  from  famine. 


ILLINOIS.  245 

Decatur,  in  Macon  county,  at  the  junction  of  the  Illinois  Central  with  the 
Toledo,  Wabash  and  Great  Western  railroad,  is  a  substantial,  thriving  little 
city,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  geographical  center  of  the  state.  It  is  the 
seat  of  a  large  internal  trade  and  extensive  domestic  manufactures,  and  has 
about  6000  inhabitants.  An  effort  has  been  made  to  create  it  the  state 
Capital. 

Vandalia,  capital  of  Fayette  county,  is  on  Kankakee  River  and  Illinois 
Central  Railroad,  80  miles  south-easterly  from  Springfield.  It  was  laid  out 
in  1818,  and  until  1836  was  the  capital  of  Illinois.  It  is  a  small  village. 

Sandoval  is  a  new  town,  on  the  prairies,  230  miles  from  Chicago,  and  60 
from  St.  Louis  It  is  a  great  railroad  center,  at  the  point  where  intersect  the 
Illinois  Central  and  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroads.  "Here  east  meets  westy 
and  north  meets  south  in  the  thundering  conflict  of  propulsive  motion,  energy 
and  speed." 

Elgin,  Waulcegan,  St.  Charles,  Sterling,  Moline,  Naperville,  Urbana,  Bel- 
videre,  Batavia,  Aurora,  Abingdon,  Macomb,  Belleville^  Sycamore,  and  Otfa- 
wa  are  all  thriving  towns,  mostly  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  the  largest 
of  which  may  have  5,000  inhabitants. 

A  few  miles  below  Ottawa,  on  the  Illinois  River,  are  the  picturesque  hights 
of  the  Illinois,  called  the  Starved  Rock  and  the  Lover  s  Leap.  Starved  Rock 
is  a  grand  perpendicular  limestone  cliff,  150  feet  in  hight.  It  was  named  in 
memory  of  the  fate  of  a  party  of  Illinois  Indians,  who  died  on  the  rock 
from  thirst,  when  besieged  by  the  Pottawatomies.  Lover's  Leap  is  a  pre 
cipitous  ledge  just  above  Starved  Rock,  and  directly  across  the  river  is 
Buffalo  Rock,  a  hight  of  100  feet.  This  eminence,  though  very  steep  on  the 
water  side,  slopes  easily  inland.  The  Indians  were  wont  to  drive  the  buffa 
loes  in  frightened  herds  to  and  over  its  awful  brink. 


246  ILLINOIS. 

MISCELLANIES. 

THE     BLACK     HAWK   WAR. 

The  following  account  of  the  "  Black  Hawk  war"  is  taken  from  Mr.  Peck's 
edition  of  Perkins'  Annals: 

In  the  year  1804,  Gen.  Harrison  made  a  treaty  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes — tw£ 
tribes  united  as  one — by  which  they  ceded  the  lands  east  of-  the  Mississippi,  to  the 
United  States ;  but  to  these  lands  they  had  no  original  right,  even  in  the  Indian 
sense,  as  they  were  intruders  on  the  country  of  the  Santeaurs  and  lowas.  By  this 
treaty,  they  were  permitted  to  reside  and  hunt  upon  these  lands,  until  sold  for  set 
tlement  by  the  government. 

This  treaty  was  reconfirmed  by  the  Indians,  in  the  years  1815  and  1816.  Black 
HaAvk,  who  was  never  a  chief,  but  merely  an  Indian  brave,  collected  a  few  disaf 
fected  spirits,  and  refusing  to  attend  the  negotiations  of  1816,  went  to  Canada, 
proclaimed  himself  and  party  British,  and  received  presents  from  them. 

The  treaty  of  1804,  was  again  ratified  in  1822,  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in  "full 
council,"  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  on  the  Mississippi.  In  1825,  another 
treaty  was  heljl  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  with  the  Indians,  by  William  Clark  and  Lewis 
Cass,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about  a  peace  between  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  the 
Chippewas  and  the  lowas  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Sioux  and  Dacotahs  on  the 
other.  Hostilities  continuing,  the  United  States,  in  1827,  interfered  between  the 
contending  tribes.  This  offended  the  Indians,  who  thereupon  murdered  two  whites 
in  the  vicinity  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  attacked  two  boats  on  the  Mississippi,  con 
veying  supplies  to  Fort  Snelling,  and  killed  and  wounded  several  of  the  crews. 
Upon  this,  Gen.  Atkinson  marched  into  the  Winnebago  country,  and  made  prison 
ers  of  Red  Bird  and  six  others,  who  were  imprisoned  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  A  part 
of  those  arrested,  were  convicted  on  trial,  and  in  December  of  the  following  year 
(1828)  executed.  Among  those  discharged  for  want  of  proof,  was  Black  Hawk, 
then  about  sixty  years  of  age. 

About  this  time,  the  president  issued  a  proclamation,  according  to  law,  and  the 
country,  about  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  which  had  been  previously  surveyed, 
was  sold,  and  the  year  following,  was  taken  possession  of  by  American  families. 
Some  time  previous  to  this,  after  the  death  of  old  Quashquame,  Keokuk  was  ap 
pointed  chief  of  the  Sac  nation.  The  United  States  gave  due  notice  to  the  Indians 
to  leave  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  and  Keokuk  made  the  same  proclama 
tion  to  the  Sacs,  and  a  portion  of  the  nation,  with  their  regular  chiefs,  with  Keo 
kuk  at  their  head,  peaceably  retired  across  the  Mississippi.  Up  to  this  period. 
Black  Hawk  continued  his  annual  visits  to  Maiden,  and  received  his  annuity  for 
allegiance  to  the  British  government.  He  would  not  recognize  Keokuk  as  chief, 
but  gathered  about  him  all  the  restless  spirits  of  his  tribe,  many  of  whom  were 
young,  and  fired  with  the  ambition  of  becoming  "braves,"  and  set  up  himself  for  a 
chief. 

Black  Hawk  was  not  a  Pontiac,  or  a  Tecumseh.  He  had  neither  the  talent  nor 
the  influence  to  form  any  comprehensive  scheme  of  action,  yet  he  made  an  abor 
tive  attempt  to  unite  all  the  Indians  of  the  west,  from  Rock  River  to  Mexico,  in  a 
war  against  the  United  States. 

Still  another  treaty,  and  the  seventh  in  succession,  was  made  with  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1830,  in  which  they  again  confirmed  the  preceding 
treaties,  and  promised  to  remove  from  Illinois  to  the  territory  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi.  This  was  no  new  cession,  tut  a  recognition  of  the  former  treaties  by 
the  proper  authorities  of  the  nation,  and  a  renewed  pledge  of  fidelity  to  the  United 
States. 

During  all  this  time,  Black  Hawk  was  gaining  accessions  to  his  party.  Like 
Tecumseh,  he,  too,  had  his  Prophet — whose  influence  over  the  superstitious  savages 
waa  not  without  effect. 

In  1830,  an  arrangement  was  made  by  the  Americans  who  had  purchased  the 
land  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  and  the  Indians  that  remained,  to  live  as 
neighbors,  the  latter  cultivating  their  old  fields.  Their  inclosures  consisted  of 
stakes  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  small  poles  tied  with  strips  of  bark  transversely. 


ILLINOIS.  247 

The  Indians  left  for  their  summer's  hunt,  and  returned  when  their  corn  was  in 
the  milk — gathered  it,  and  turned  their  horses  into  the  fields  cultivated  by  the 
Americans,  to  gather  their  crop.  Some  depredations  were  committed  on  their  hogs 
and  other  property.  The  Indians  departed  on  their  winter's  hunt,  but  returned 
early  in  the  spring  of  1831,  under  the  guidance  of  Black  Hawk,  and  committed 
depredations  on  the  frontier  settlements.  Their  leader  was  a  cunning,  shrewd  In 
dian,  and  trained  his  party  to  commit  various  depredations  on  the  property  of  the 
frontier  inhabitants,  but  not  to  attack,  or  kill  any  person.  His  policy  was  to  pro 
voke  the  Americans  to  make  war  on  him,  and  thus  seem  to  fight  in  defense  of  In 
dian  rights,  and  the  "  graves  of  their  fathers."  Numerous  affidavits,  from  persons 
of  unquestionable  integrity,  sworn  to  before  the  proper  officers,  were  made  out  and 
sent  to  Gov.  Reynolds,  attesting  to  these  and  many  other  facts. 

Black  Hawk  had  about  five  hundred  Indians  in*training,  with  horses,  well  pro 
vided  with  arms,  and  invaded  the  state  of  Illinois  with  hostile  designs.  These  facts 
were  known  to  the  governor  and  other  officers  of  the  state.  Consequently,  Gov. 
Reynolds,  on  the  28th  of  May,  1831,  made  a  call  for  volunteers,  and  communicated 
the  facts  to  Gen.  Gaines,  of  this  military  district,  and  made  a  call  for  regular  troops. 
The  state  was  invaded  by  a  hostile  band  of  savages,  under  an  avowed  enemy  of 
the  United  States.  The  military  turned  out  to  the  number  of  twelve  hundred  or 
more,  on  horseback,  and  under  command  of  the  late  Gen.  Joseph  Duncan,  marched 
to  Rock  River. 

The  regular  troops  went  up  the  Mississippi  in  June.  Black  Hawk  and  his  men, 
alarmed  at  this  formidable  appearance,  recrossed  the  Mississippi,  sent  a  white  flag, 
and  made  a  treaty,  in  which  the  United  States  agreed  to  furnish  them  a  large 
amount  of  corn  and  other  necessaries,  if  they  would  observe  the  treaty. 

In  the  spring  of  1832,  Black  Hawk,  with  his  party,  again  crossed  the  Mississippi 
to  the  valley  of  Rock  River,  notwithstanding  he  was  warned  against  doing  so  by 
Gen.  Atkinson,  who  commanded  at  Fort  Armstrong,  in  Rock  Island.  Troops,  both 
regular  and  militia,  were  at  once  mustered  and  marched  in  pursuit  of  the  native 
band.  Among  the  troops  was  a  party  of  volunteers  under  Major  Stillman,  who,  on 
the  14th  of  May,  was  out  on  a  tour  of  observation,  and  close  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  savages.  On  that  evening,  having  discovered  a  party  of  Indians,  the  whites 
galloped  forward  to  attack  the  savage  band,  but  were  met  with  so  much  energy  and 
determination,  that  they  took  to  their  heels  in  utter  consternation.  The  whites 
were  175  in  number ;  the  Indians  from  five  to  six  hundred.  Of  this  party,  twenty- 
five  followed  the  retreating  battalion,  after  night  for  several  miles.  Eleven  whites 
were  killed  and  shockingly  mangled,  and  several  wounded.  Some  four  or  five  In 
dians  were  known  to  be  killed.  This  action  was  at  Stillman's  run,  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Ogle  county,  about  twenty -five  miles  above  Dixon. 

Peace  was  now  hopeless,  and  although  Keokuk,  the  legitimate  chief  of  the  na 
tion,  controlled  a  majority,  the  temptation  of  war  and  plunder  was  too  strong  for 
those  who  followed  Black  Hawk. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  a  party  of  warriors,  about  seventy  in  number,  attacked  the 
Indian  Creek  settlement  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  killed  fifteen  persons,  and  took 
two  young  women  prisoners;  these  were  afterward  returned  to  their  friends,  late 
in  July,  through  the  efforts  of  the  Winnebagoes.  On  the  following  day,  a  party 
of  spies  was  attacked  and  four  of  them  slain,  and  other  massacres  followed. 
Meanwhile  3,000  Illinois  militia  had  been  ordered  outj  who  rendezvoused  upon  the 
20th  of  June,  near  Peru;  these  marched  forward  to  the  Rock  River,  where  they 
were  joined  by  the  United  States  troops,  the  whole  being  under  command  of  Gen. 
Atkinson.  Six  hundred  mounted  men  were  also  ordered  out,  while  Gen.  Scott, 
with  nine  companies  of  artillery,  hastened  from  the  seaboard  by  the  way  of  the 
lakes  to  Chicago,  moving  with  such  celerity  that  some  of  his  troops,  we  are  told, 
actually  went  1,800  miles  in  eighteen  days;  passing  in  that  time  from  Fort  Mon 
roe,  on  the  Chesapeake,  to  Chicago.  Long  before  the  artillerists  could  reach  the 
scene  of  action,  however,  the  western  troops  had  commenced  the  conflict  in  earn 
est,  and  before  they  did  reach  the  field,  had  closed  it.  On  the  24th  of  June,  Black 
Hawk  and  his  two  hundred  warriors  were  repulsed  by  Major  Demint,  with  but  one 
hundred  and  fifty  militia:  this  skirmish  took  place  between  Rock  River  and  Ga 
lena.  The  army  then  continued  to  move  up  Rock  River,  near  the  heads  of  which, 


248  ILLINOIS. 

it  was  understood  that  the  main  party  of  the  hostile  Indians  was  collected  ;  and 
as  provisions  were  scarce,  and  hard  to  convey  in  such  a  country,  a  detachment  was 
sent  forward  to  Fort  Winnebago,  at  the  portage  between  the  Wisconsin  and  Fox 
Rivers,  to  procure  supplies.  This  detachment,  hearing  of  Black  Hawk's  army, 
pursued  and  overtook  them  on  the  21st  of  July,  near  the  Wisconsin  River,  and  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Blue  Mounds.  Gen.  Henry,  who  commanded  the  party, 
formed  with  his  troops  three  sides  of  a  hollow  square,  and  in  that  order  received 
the  attack  of  the  Indians ;  two  attempts  to  break  the  ranks  were  made  by  the  na 
tives  in  vain;  and  then  a  general  charge-was  made  by  the  whole  body  of  Ameri 
cans,  and  with  such  success  that,  it  is  said,  fifty-two  of  the  red  men  were  left  dead 
upon  the  field,  while  but  one  American  was  killed  and  eight  wounded. 

Before  this  action,  Henry  had  sent  word  of  his  motions  to  the  main  army,  by 
whom  he  was  immediately  rejomed,  and  on  the  28th  of  July,  the  whole  crossed  the 
Wisconsin  in  pursuit  of  Black  Hawk,  who  was  retiring  toward  the  Mississippi. 
Upon  the  bank  of  that  river,  nearly  opposite  the  Upper  Iowa,  the  Indians  were 
overtaken  and  again  defeated,  on  the  2d  of  August,  with  a  loss  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  men,  while  of  the  whites  but  eighteen  fell.  This  battle  entirely  broke  the 
power  of  Black  Hawk  ;  he  fled,  but  was  seized  by  the  Winnebagoes,  and  upon  the 
27th,  was  delivered  to  the  officers  of  the  United  states,  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

Gen.  Scott,  during  the  months  of  July  and  August,  was  contending  with  a  worse 
than  Indian  foe.  The  Asiatic  cholera  had  just  reached  Canada;  passing  up  the 
St.  Lawrence  to  Detroit,  it  overtook  the  western-bound  armament,  and  thenceforth 
the  camp  became  a  hospital.  On  the  8th  of  July,  his  thinned  ranks  landed  at  Fort 
Dearborn  or  Chicago,  but  it  was  late  in  August  before  they  reached  the  Mississippi. 
The  number  of  that  band  who  died  from  the  cholera,  must  have  been  at  least  seven 
times  as  great  as  that  of  all  who  fell  in  battle.  There  were  several  other  skir 
mishes  of  the  troops  with  the  Indians,  and  a  number  of  individuals  murdered; 
making  in  all  about  seventy-five  persons  killed  in  these  actions,  or  murdered  on  the 
frontiers. 

In  September,  the  Indian  troubles  were  closed  by  a  treaty,  which  relinquished 
to  the  white  men  thirty  millions  of  acres  of  land,  for  which  stipulated  annuities 
were  to  be  paid ;  constituting  now  the  eastern  portion  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  to 
which  the  only  real  claim  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  was  their  depredations  on  the 
unoifending  lowas,  about  140  years  since.  To  Keokuk  and  his  party,  a  reserva 
tion  of  forty  miles  square  was  given,  in  consideration  of  his  fidelity ;  while  Black 
Hawk  and  his  family  were  sent  as  hostages  to  Fort  Monroe,  in  the  Chesapeake, 
where  they  remained  until  June,  1833.  The  chief  afterward  returned  to  his  na 
tive  wilds,  where  he  died. 

CAVE  IN-ROCK. 

On  the  Ohio  River,  in  Hardin  county,  a  few  miles  above  Elizabethtown,  near  the 
south-  eastern  corner  of  the  state,  is  a  famous  cavern,  known  as  Cave-in-Rock.  Its 
entrance  is  a  semi-circular  arch  of  about  80  feet  span  and  25  feet  in  hight,  and 
ascending  gradually  from  the  bed  of  the  river,  it  penetrates  to  the  distance  of 
nearly  200  feet.  This  cave,  in  early  times,  was  the  terror  of  the  boatmen  on  the 
Ohio,  for  it  was  one  of  the  haunts  of  Mason  and  his  band  of  outlaws,  whose  acts 
of  murder  upon  travelers  through  the  wilderness  are  elsewhere  detailed  in  this 
work.  The  pioneers  of  the  west  suffered  greatly  from  the  desperadoes,  who  in 
fested  the  country  in  the  early  stages  of  its  history.  And  there  have  not  been 
wanting,  even  in  more  recent  times,  instances  in  which  bands  of  villains  have  been 
formed  to  set  all  law  at  defiance  by  preying  upon  society. 

About  the  year  1820,  the  southern  counties  of  Illinois  contained  a  gang  of  horse 
thieves,  so  numerous  and  well  organized  as  to  defy  punishment  by  legal  means,  un 
til  a  company  of  citizens  was  formed,  called  "regulators,"  who,  taking  the  law  into 
their  own  hands,  at  last  drove  the  felons  from  the  neighborhood.  In  1841,  a  gang 
of  these  scoundrels  existed  in  Ogle  county  and  its  vicinity,  in  the  Rock  River  coun 
try.  Win.  Cullen  Bryant  was  traveling  there  at  the  tiine,  and  in  his  published 
volume  of  letters,  gives,  substantially,  this  narrative  of  their  operations  : 

The  thieves  were  accustomed  to  select  the  best  animals  from  the  drove,  and  these 
vere  passed  from  one  station  to  another,  until  they  arrived  at  some  distant  market, 


ILLINOIS.  249 

where  they  were  sold.  They  had  their  regular  lines  of  communication  from  Wis 
consin  to  St.  Louis,  and  from  the  Wabash  to  the  Mississippi.  In  Ogle  county,  it  is 
said  they  had  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  constable  among  their  associates,  and 
they  contrived  always  to  secure  a  friend  on  the  jury  whenever  one  of  their  num- 
ner  was  tried.  Trial  after  trial  had  taken  place  at  Dixon,  the  county  seat,  and  it 
had  been  found  impossible  to  obtain  a  conviction  on  the  clearest  evidence,  until  in 


Cave-in- Bock,  on  the  Ohio. 

April  of  this  year,  when  two  horse  thieves  being  on  trial,  eleven  of  the  jury  threat 
ened  the  twelfth  juror  with  a  taste  of  the  cowskin,  unless  he  would  bring  in  a 
verdict  of  guilty.  He  did  so,  and  the  men  were  condemned.  Before  they  were 
removed  to  the  state  prison,  the  court  house,  a  fine  building,  just  erected  at  an  ex 
pense  of  $20,000,  was  burnt  down,  and  the  jail  was  in  flames,  but  luckily  they 
were  extinguished  without  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners.  Such,  at  length,  be 
came  the  feeling  of  insecurity,  that  300  citizens  of  Ogle,  De  Kalb  and  Winnebago 
counties  formed  themselves  into  a  company  of  volunteers,  for  the  purpose  of  clear 
ing  the  country  of  these  scoundrels.  The  patrons  of  the  thieves  lived  at  some 
of  the  finest  groves,  where  they  owned  large  farms.  Ten  or  twenty  stolen  horses 
would  be  brought  to  one  of  these  places  of  a  night,  and  before  sunrise,  the  despera 
does  employed  to  steal  them  were  again  mounted  and  on  their  way  to  some  other 
station.  In  breaking  up  these  haunts,  the  regulators  generally  proceeded  with 
some  of  the  formalities  commonly  used  in  administering  justice,  the  accused  being 
allowed  to  make  a  defense,  and  witnesses  examined  both  for  and  against  him. 

At  this  time,  there  lived  at  Washington  Grove,  in  Ogle  county,  one  Bridge,  a  no 
torious  confederate  and  harborer  of  horse  thieves  atod  counterfeiters.  In  July  two 
horse  thieves  had  been  flogged,  and  Bridge  received  a  notice  from  the  regulators 
that  he  must  leave  the  county  by  the  17th,  or  become  a  proper  subject  for  the 
lynch  law.  Thereupon  he  came  into  Dixon,  and  asked  for  assistance  to  defend 
his  person  and  dwelling  from  the  lawless  violence  of  these  men.  The  people  of 
Dixon  then  came  together,  and  passed  a  resolution  to  the  effeci  that  they  fully  ap 
proved  of  what  the  association  had  done,  and  that  they  allowed  Mr.  Bridges  the 
term  of  four  hours  to  depart  from  the  town.  He  went  away  immediately,  and  in 
great  trepidation,  but  made  preparations  to  defend  himself.  He  kept  20  armed 
men  about  his  place  for  two  days,  but  thinking,  at  last,  that  the  regulators  did  not 
mean  to  carry  their  threats  into  execution,  he  dismissed  them.  The  regulators 
subsequently  removed  his  family,  and  demolished  his  dwelling. 

Not  long  after,  two  men,  mounted  and  carrying  rifles,  called  at  the  residence  of 


250  ILLINOIS. 

a  Mr.  Campbell,  living  at  Whiterock  Grove,  in  Ogle  county,  who  belonged  to  tho 
company  of  regulators,  and  who  acted  as  the  messenger  to  convey  to  Bridges  the 
order  to  leave  the  county.  Meeting  Mrs.  Campbell  without  the  house,  they  toid 
her  that  they  wished  to  speak  to  her  husband.  Campbell  made  his  appearance  i\i 
the  door,  and  immediately  both  the  men  fired.  He  fell,  mortally  wounded,  and  di^d 
in  a  few  minutes.  "  You  have  killed  my  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell  to  one  of 
the  murderers,  whose  name  was  Driscoll.  Upon  this  they  rode  off  at  full  speed. 

As  soon  as  the  event  was  known,  the  whole  country  was  roused,  and  every  man 
who  was  not  an  associate  of  the  horse  thieves,  shouldered  his  rifle  to  go  in  pursuit 
of  the  murderers.  They  apprehended  the  father  of  Driscoll,  a  man  nearly  70 
years  of  age,  and  one  of  his  sons,  William  Driscoll,  the  former  a  reputed  horse 
thief,  and  the  latter  a  man  who  had  hitherto  born  a  tolerably  fair  character,  and 
subjected  them  to  a  separate  exfRnination.  The  father  was  wary  in  his  answers, 
and  put  on  the  appearance  of  perfect  innocence,  but  William  Driscoll  was  greatly 
agitated,  and  confessed  that  he,  with  his  father  and  others,  had  planned  the  mur 
der  of  Campbell,  and  that  David  Driscoll,  his  brother,  together  with  another  asso 
ciate,  was  employed  to  execute  it.  The  father  and  son  were  then  sentenced  to 
death  ;  they  were  bound  and  made  to  kneel.  About  50  men  took  aim  at  each,  and 
in  three  hours  from  the  time  they  were  taken,  they  were  both  dead  men.  A  pit 
was  dug  on  the  spot  where  they  fell,  in  the  midst  of  the  prairie  near  their  dwelling. 
Their  corpses,  pierced  with  bullet  holes  in  every  part,  were  thrown  in,  and  the 
earth  was  heaped  over  them. 

The  pursuit  of  David  Driscoll,  and  the  fellow  who  was  with  him  when  Campbell 
was  killed,  went  on  with  great  activity,  more  than  a  hundred  men  traversed  the 
country  in  every  direction,  determined  that  no  lurking  place  should  hide  them. 
The  upshot  was,  that  the  Driscoll  family  lost  another  member,  and  the  horse  thieves 
and  their  confederates  were  driven  from  the  country. 

Within  a  very  few  years,  the  thinly  settled  parts  of  Iowa  have  suffered  from  like 
organized  gangs  of  horse  thieves,  until  the  people  were  obliged  to  resort  to  a  like 
summary  process  of  dispelling  the  nuisance.  To  the  isolated  settler  in  a  wilder 
ness  country,  living  many  a  long  mile  from  neighbors,  the  horse  is  of  a  peculiar 
value,  elsewhere  unknown.  So  keenly  is  the  robbery  of  these  animals  felt,  that, 
in  the  failure  of  ordinary  penalties  to  stop  the  perpetration  of  this  crime,  public 
opinion  justifies  the  generally  recognized  "  Frontier  Law"  that  DEATH  is  to  be 
meted  out  to  horse  thieves. 


MIC  HIGAN. 


THE  discovery  and  early  settlement  of  Michigan  is  due  to  the  French 
whose  motives  were  the  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade,  and,  incidentally,  the 

conversion  of  the  Indians.  To  pro 
mote  the  latter  object,  Father  Sagard 
reached  Lake  Huron  in  1632,  seven 
years  after  the  founding  of  Quebec, 
but  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Detroit  appears  to  have  been  visited 
somewhat  earlier.  The  tract  of  ter 
ritory  now  embraced  in  the  state  of 
Michigan,  derives  its  name,  it  is  said, 
from  the  Indian  word,  Michi-sawg-ye- 
gan,  the  meaning  of  which,  in  the 
Algonquin  tongue,  is,  the  Lake 
Country. 

The  Huron  tribe  of  Indians  were 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Michi 
gan.  They  were  anciently  very  nu 
merous,  brave  and  powerful,  and  their 
settlements  extended  as  far  north  as 
Lake  Superior.  As  early  as  1634, 
the  French  Catholic  missionaries 
founded  a  mission  near  Lake  Huron, 
and  in  1660,  a  station  was  established  on  the  rocky  and  pine  clad  borders  of 
Lake  Superior.  In  1668,  the  Mission  at  St.  Marys  Falls  was  founded,  and 
in  1671,  Father  Marquette  gathered  a  little  flock  of  Indian  converts  at  Point 
St.  Ignatius,  on  the  main  land,  north  of  the  island  of  Mackinaw.  The  great 
body  of  the  Hurons  were  converted  to  the  profession  of  Christianity  by  the 
efforts  of  the  missionaries.  The  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  made  war  upon 
them,  and  massacred  or  dispersed  most  of  their  number. 

In  1667,  Louis  XIV  sent  a  party  of  soldiers  to  this  territory,  to  protect 
the  French  fur  traders.  In  1701,  a  French  colony  left  Montreal,  and  begun 
the  settlement  of  Detroit,  which  was  a  place  of  resort  of  the  French  mis 
sionaries  at  a  much  earlier  period.  Having  established  military  posts  at  this 
and  other  places  in  Michigan,  they  soon  extended  their  commerce  westward 
of  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  Indians  on  the  Mississippi.  They  were  steadily 
opposed  by  the  Iroquois,  and  the  settlements  being  somewhat  neglected  by 

251 


ARMS  OF  MICHIGAN. 

MOTTO — Tuebor  si  queer  is  peninsulam  amcenam  cir- 
cumspice — If  you  seek  a  beautiful  peninsula,  look 
around  you. 


252  MICHIGAN. 

the  French  government,  they  never  flourished  as  colonies.  At  the  peace  of 
1763,  all  the  French  possessions  in  North  America  came  under  the  dominion 
of  Great  Britain.  On  the  expulsion  of  the  French,  the  celebrated  Indian 
chief,  jfyontiac,  seized  the  occasion  to  rid  the  country  of  the  hated  whites,  by 
a  general  uprising,  and  simultaneous  attacks  on  all  the  forts  of  the  English 
on  the  lakes.  Mackinaw  was  taken  by  stratagem,  and  the  garrison  butch 
ered.  Detroit  was  besieged  some  months,  by  Pontiac,  with  600  Indians,  but 
it  held  out  until  the  Indian  allies,  becoming  weary  of  the  siege,  retired,  and 
left  Pontiac  no  choice  but  to  make  peace.  At  the  termination  of  the  revo 
lutionary  war,  by  the  peace  of  1783,  Michigan,  being  included  in  the  North 
west  Territory,  was  ceded  t«  the  United  States;  the  British,  however,  did 
not  surrender  the  post  of  Detroit  until  1796. 

Soon  after  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  by  "Wayne,  with  the  Indians,  which 
was  made  in  1795,  the  settlements  upon  the  Maumee  (now  wholly  included 
in  Ohio),  upon  the  Raisin  and  Detroit  Rivers,  were  organized  under  the 
name  of  Wayne  county,  and  Detroit  was  the  seat  of  justice.  In  1796,  the 
whole  of  the  North-west  Territory  was/organized  into  five  extensive  counties, 
of  which  Wayne,  as  described  above,  was  one.  The  others,  with  their  loca 
tion,  were  as  follows:  "Washington  county  comprised  all  that  portion  of  the 
present  state  of  Ohio  within  forty  miles  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  between  the 
Muskingum  and  the  Little  Miami;  Marietta  was  the  seat  of  justice.  Ham 
ilton  county  comprised  all  that  region  of  country  between  the  Little  and 
the  Great  Miami,  within  the  same  distance  of  the  Ohio  River;  and  Cincin 
nati  was  the  county  seat.  Knox  county  embraced  the  country  near  the  Ohio 
River,  between  the  Great  Miami  and  the  Wabash  Rivers;  and  Vincennes  was 
the  county  seat.  St.  Clair  county  embraced  the  settlements  upon  the  Illinois 
and  upon  the  Kaskaskia  Rivers,  as  well  as  those  upon  the  Upper  Mississippi; 
and  Kaskaskia  was  the  seat  of  justice." 

In  1805,  the  territory  of  Michigan  was  organized,  and  Gen.  Wm.  Hull 
appointed  governor;  Detroit  was  the  seat  of  government.  The  census 
of  1820  gave  it  an  aggregate  population  of  only  8,900.  This  included  the 
Huron  District,  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  now  known  as  the  state 
of  Wisconsin.  "  About  the  year  1832,  the  tide  of  emigration  began  to  set 
strong  toward  Michigan  Territory.  Steamboat  navigation  had  opened  a  new 
commerce  upon  the  lakes,  and  had  connected  the  eastern  lakes  and  their  pop 
ulation  with  the  Illinois  and  Upper  Mississippi.  This  immense  lake  navi 
gation  encircled  the  peninsula  of  Michigan.  It  became  an  object  of  explo 
ration.  Its  unrivaled  advantages  for  navigation,  its  immense  tracts  of  the 
most  fertile  arable  lands,  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  all  the  northern  grains 
and  grasses,  attracted  the  attention  of  western  emigrants-.  The  tide  soon 
began  to  set  strong  into  Michigan.  Its  fine  level  and  rolling  plains,  its  deep 
and  enduring  soil,  and  its  immense  advantages  for  trade  and  commerce  had 
become  known  and  duly  appreciated.  The  hundreds  of  canoes,  pirogues, 
and  barges,  with  their  half-civilized  couriers  du  6ots,  which  had  annually 
visited  Detroit  for  more  than  a  century,  had  given  way  to  large  and  splendid 
steamboats,  which  daily  traversed  the  lakes  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  from 
the  east  end  of  Lake  Erie  to  the  south-western  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan. 
Nearly  a  hundred  sail  of  sloops  and  schooners  were  now  traversing  every 
part  of  these  inland  seas.  Under  these  circumstances,  how  should  Michigan 
remain  a  savage  wilderness  ?  'New  York  state  and  the  New  England  states 
began  to  send  forth  their  numerous  colonies,  and  the  wilderness  to  smile. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  more,  or  in  1834,  the  population  of  Michigan  had 


MICHIGAN.  253 

increased  to  87,273  souls,  exclusive  of  Indians.  The  following  year  the 
number  amounted  to  more  than  ninety  thousand  persons,  distributed  over 
thirty-eight  counties,  comprised  in  the  southern  half  of  the  peninsula,  and 
the  'attached  Huron,  or  Wisconsin  District/  lying  west  of  Lake  Michigan. 
The  town  of  Detroit,  which  in  1812  was  a  stockade  village,  had  now  become 
'a  city,'  with  nearly  2,500  inhabitants. 

The  humble  villages  and  wigwams  of  the  Indians,  sparsely  distributed  over 
a  wide  extent  of  wilderness,  had  now  given  way  to  thousands  of  farms  and 
civilized  habitations.  Towns  and  smiling  villages  usurped  the  encampment 
and  the  battle-field.  The  fertile  banks  of  the  'River  Raisin'  were  crowned 
with  hamlets  and  towns  instead  of  the  melancholy  stockade.  A  constitu 
tion  had  been  adopted  on  the  15th  of  June,  1836,  and  the  'state  of  Michi 
gan  '  was  admitted  into  the  Union  on  the  26th  day  of  January,  1837,  and 
Stephens  T.  Mason  was  made  the  first  governor." 

In  the  war  of  1812,  the  important  fortress  of  Mackinaw,  being  garrisoned 
by  only  57  men,  under  Lieut.  Hanks,  was  surrendered  to  a  party  of  British 
and  Indians  on  July  17,  1812.  On  the  15th  of  August,  Gen.  Brock, 
with  a  force  of  1,300  men,  of  whom  700  were  Indians,  summoned  Gen.  Hull 
to  surrender  Detroit,  stating  that  he  would  be  unable  to  control  the  Indians 
if  any  resistance  should  be  offered.  Although  Hull  had  a  force  of  800  men, 
he  supposed  it  would  be  useless  to  resist,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  he 
surrendered  the  fort,  and,  in  the  capitulation,  included  the  whole  territory 
of  Michigan.  The  indignation  was  great  against  him,  and  after  he  was  ex 
changed,  he  was  tried"  by  a  court  martial,  sentenced  to  death,  but  on  account 
of  his  age  and  services  in  the  Revolution,  the  president  remitted  the  punish 
ment,  but  deprived  him  of  all  military  command.  In  Jan.,  1813,  Gen.  Win 
chester,  who  was  encamped  at  Frenchtown,  on  the  River  Raisin,  was  sur 
prised  by  a  force  of  British  and  Indians,  under  Gen.  Proctor.  After  a  severe 
contest,  Gen.  Winchester  surrendered,  under  the  promise  of  being  protected 
from  the  Indians.  The  promise  was  broken :  a  large  number  of  prisoners, 
mostly  those  who  were  wounded,  were  murdered  by  the  Indians.  The  cele 
brated  naval  victory  of  Perry  occurred  on  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie,  only  a 
few  miles  from  her  shores,  and  the  victory  of  the  Thames,  in  which  the  Brit 
ish  and  Indians  were  defeated  by  Harrison,, and  in  which  Tecumseh  was 
slain,  took  place  only  a  short  distance  from  Detroit,  within  the  adjacent 
Canadian  territory.  A  brief  outline  of  these  events  we  present  below : 

" Perry 's  Victory. — The  grand  object  of  the  Americans  in  the  campaign  of  1813, 
in  the  west,  was  to  attack  Maiden  and  reconquer  Michigan  from  the  enemy;  but 
this  could  not  be  effectually  done,  so  long  as  the  fleet  of  the  enemy  held  possession 
of  Lake  Erie.  To  further  the  desired  object,  a  number  of  vessels  had  been  build 
ing  ^at  Erie,  on  the  south-east  shore  of  the  lake,  and  were  finished  early  in  August. 
They  consisted  of  two  twenty  gun  vessels,  and  seven  smaller  vessels,  carrying  from 
one  to  three  each — the  whole  fleet  numbering  fifty-four  guns,  On  the  10th  o'f  Sep 
tember,  Perry  fell  in  with,  and  gave  battle  to,  the  British  fleet  near  the  western 
end  of  the  lake,  under  Commodore  Barclay,  consisting  of  six  vessels,  carrying  in 
all  sixty-four  guns.  The  number  of  guns  in  both  fleets,  in  some  cases,  is  surpassed 
by  those  of  a  single  battle-ship  of  the  line.  The  engagement  between  these  little 
fleets  was  desperate,  and  lasted  three  hours.  Never  was  victory  more  complete; 
every  British  ship  struck  her  colors,  and  the  Americans  took  more  prisoners  than 
they  themselves  numbered  men. 

Gen.  Harrison,  at  this  time,  lay  with  the  main  body  of  the  Americans  in  tho 
vicinity  of  Sandusky  Bay  and  Fort  Meigs;  the  British  and  their  Indian  allies,  un 
der  Proctor  and  Tecumseh,  were  at  Maiden,  ready,  in  case  of  a  successful  issue, 
to  renew  their  ravages  upon  the  American  borders. 


254  MICHIGAN. 

Battle  of  the  Thames. — Harrison's  army  had  received  a  reinforcement  of  3,000 
Kentucky  volunteers,  under  Gov.  Shelby.  On  the  27th  of  September,  the  main 
body  of  the  army  sailed  for  Detroit  River,  intending  to  enter  Canada  by  the  valley 
of  the  Thames.  Two  days  after,  Harrison  was  at  Sandwich,  and  M'Arthur  took 
possession  of  Detroit.  Proctor  retreated  up  the  Thames,  was  pursued,  and  come 
up  with  on  the  5th  of  October,  by  Harrison's  army;  the  Americans  numbering 
something  over  3,000,  and  their  enemy  about  2,000.  The  latter  were  badly  posted 
in  order  of  battle.  Their  infantry  was  formed  in  two  lines,  extending  from  the 
river  to  a  small  dividing  swamp;  the  Indians  extended  from  the  latter  to  a  larger 
swamp.  The  Kentucky  mounted  men,  under  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  divided 
into  two  parts.  The  one  under  the  colonel  in  person,  charged  the  Indians;  the 
other  under  his  brother  James,  charged  the  infantry.  The  latter  received  the 
enemy's  fire,  broke  through  their  ranks,  and  created  such  a  panic,  that  they  at 
once  surrendered.  Upon  the  left,  the  contest  with  the  Indians  was  more  severe  ; 
but  there  the  impetuosity  of  the  Kentuckians  overcame  the  enemy,  Tecumseh, 
their  leader,  being  among  the  slain.  The  battle  was  over  in  half  an  hour,  with  a 
loss  to  both  armies  of  less  than  fifty  killed.  Proctor  fled  at  the  beginning  of  the 
action.  In  January,  1814,  the  enemy  again  took  a  position  near  the  battle-field  of 
the  Thames.  Capt.  Holmes,  while  advancing  to  meet  them,  learned  that  a  superior 
force  was  approaching.  Having  posted  himself  on  a  hill,  and  thrown  up  intrench- 
ments,  he  was  vigorously  attacked,  but  repulsed  the  enemy  with  considerable  loss. 

Attack  on  Mackinaw. — In  the  June  following,  Col.  Croghan  attempted  to  take 
the  island  of  Mackinaw,  but  his  force  being  insufficient,  he  was  repelled  with  the 
loss  of  twelve  men,  among  whom  was  Major  Holmes. 

Jf'  Arthur 's  Expedition. — The  last  movement  of  consequence  in  the  north-west, 
during  the  Avar,  was  the  expedition  of  Gen.  M'Arthur.  He  left  Detroit  on  the  26th 
of  October,  with  seven  hundred  cavalry,  intending  to  move  to  the  relief  of  Gen. 
Brown,  who  was  besieged  by  the  enemy  at  Fort  Erie,  on  the  Niagara  River,  oppo 
site  Buffalo.  When  he  had  proceeded  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  he  ascer 
tained  that  the  enemy  were  too  strong  in  front,  and  he  changed  his  course,  de 
feated  a  body  of  opposing  militia,  destroyed  several  mills,  and  returned  to  Detroit, 
without  the  loss  of  a  man,  although  pursued  by  about  1,200  regular  troops." 

"The  history  of  Michigan,"  says  Lanman,  "exhibits  three  distinct  and 
strongly  marked  epochs.  The  first  may  properly  be  denominated  the  roman 
tic,  which  extends  to  the  year  1760,  when  its  dominion  was  transferred  from 
France  to  Great  Britain.  This  was  the  period  when  the  first  beams  of  civili 
zation  had  scarcely  penetrated  its  forests,  and  the  paddles  of  the  French  fur 
traders  swept  the  lakes,  arid  the  boat  songs  of  the  traders  awakened  tribes  a&> 
wild  as  the  wolves  which  howl  around  the  wigwams.  The  second  epoch  i?i 
the  military,  commencing  with  the  Pontiac  war;  and,  running  down  through 
the  successive  struggles  of  the  British,  the  Indians  and  the  Americans,  to 
obtain  the  dominion  of  the  country,  it  ends  with  the  victory  of  Commodore 
Perry,  defeat  of  Proctor,  and  the  death  of  Tecumseh,  the  leader  of  the  Anglo- 
savage  confederacy  upon  the  banks  of  the  Thames.  The  third  epoch  is  the 
enterprising,  the  hardy,  the  practical,  the  working  age  of  Michigan,  and  it 
commences  with  the  introduction  of  the  public  lands  into  market.  It  is 
the  age  of  agriculture,  commerce,  and  manufactures;  of  harbors,  cities,  ca 
nals,  and  railroads." 

Michigan  consists  of  two  peninsulas,  lying  between  latitudes  41°  45'  and 
48°  N.,  and  between  longitudes  82°  25'  and  90°  34"  W.  from  Greenwich. 
It  is  bounded  N.,  N.  E.  and  E.,  by  Canada,  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
Lake  Superior,  the  Sault  St.  Marie,  Lake  Huron,  the  Strait  and  Lake  St. 
Ckir,  Detroit  Strait  and  Lake  Erie;  on  the  S.  by  the  states  of  Ohio  and 
Indiana;  and  on  the  W.  by  Lake  Michigan  and  the  state  of  Wisconsin. 
The  total  land  surface  comprises  an  area  of  more  than  56,000  square  miles, 
and  the  area  of  waters  within  the  constitutional  limits  of  the  state,  is  computed 


MICHIGAN.  255 

at  36,324  square  miles.  The  lake  coast  of  Michigan  is  more  than  1,400 
miles  long.  The  Southern  Peninsula,  or  Michigan  proper,  comprises  nearly 
two  thirds  of  the  land  surface  of  the  state.  The  Northern  Peninsula  has 
Lake  Superior  on  the  north,  and  Lake  Huron  and  Lake  Michigan  on  the 
south.  It  is  about  220  miles  from  S.  E.  to  N.  W.,  and  about  120  miles  in 
its  greatest  width.  The  Southern  Peninsula,  about  283  miles  from  N.  to  S., 
and  200  from  E.  to  W.  in  its  broadest  part. 

The  Southern  Peninsula  of  Michigan  may  be  considered,  generally,  as  one 
vast  undulating  plain,  seldom  becoming  rough  or  broken.  There  are  occa 
sional  conical  elevations  from  150  to  200  feet  in  hight,  but  generally  much 
less.  The  shores  of  Lake  Huron  are  often  steep,  forming  bluffs;  while  those 
of  Lake  Michigan  are  coasted  by  shifting  sand  hills  of  from  100  to  200  feet 
in  hight.  The  central  part  of  the  peninsula  may  be  regarded  as  a  fertile 
table  land,  elevated  about  300  feet  above  the  level  the  great  lakes.  To  the 
traveler,  the  country  presents  an  appearance  picturesque  and  delightful. 
Through  a  considerable  part,  it  is  so  even  and  free  from  brush  as  to  permit 
carriages  to  be  driven  through  with  considerable  facility.  The  lowering 
forest  and  grove,  the  luxuriant  prairie,  the  numerous  crystal  lakes  and  lim 
pid  rivulets,  are  so  frequently  and  happily  blended  together,  especially  in  the 
southern  section,  as  to  render  this  country  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
Union. 

The  part  of  the  Southern  Peninsula  generally  known  to  travelers,  and 
containing  seven  eighths  of  the  population  and  productive  industry  of  the 
state,  stretches  north  100  miles  or  so,  from  the  north  line  of  Indiana,  reach 
ing  from  Toledo  on  the  east  to  within  some  50  miles  of  Chicago  on  the  west, 
embracing  some  20,000  square  miles  of  mainly  arable  land,  having  the  aver 
age  climate  of  New  York,  or  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  with  about  the 
area  of  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire  combined. 

The  Northern  Peninsula  exhibits  a  striking  contrast  to  the  Southern. 
While  the  latter  is  level  or  moderately  undulating  and  quite  fertile,  the  for 
mer  (sometimes  called  the  Siberia  of  Michigan)  is  rugged,  mountainous,  and 
to  a  considerable  extent,  sterile  in  soil.  The  shores  of  Lake  Superior  are 
composed  of  a  sandstone  rock,  which,  in  many  places,  is  worn  by  the  action 
of  the  winds  and  waves  into  fancied  resemblances  of  castles,  etc.,  forming 
the  celebrated  "Pictured  Rocks;"  while  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  are 
composed  of  a  limestone  rock. 

The  Northern  Peninsula  is  primitive  in  formation,  but  rich  in  mineral 
wealth.  Here  are  the  richest  copper  mines  in  the  world.  A  block  of  almost 
pure  copper,  weighing  over  a  tun,  and  bearing  the  arms  of  the  state  rests 
imbedded  in  the  walls  of  the  national  monument  at  Washington. 

Michigan  has  not  advanced  with  equal  rapidity  to  the  prairie  states ;  but 
she  has  enduring  elements  of  solid  wealth,  which,  in  time,  will  render  her 
among  the  most  prosperous.  Among  these  are  her  vast  forests  of  valuable 
timber,  her  inexhaustible  quarries  of  the  finest  of  gypsum,  her  extensive 
fisheries;  her  recently  discovered  salt  springs,  and  deposits  of  coal,  and  of 
copper  and  iron  ore,  a  climate  rendered  equable  and  healthy  by  the  vast 
bodies  of  water  which  nearly  surround  her,  together  with  a  soil  that  pays 
fairly  the  labors  of  the  husbandman.  A  popular  journalist  gives  us  some 
substantial  thoughts  upon  this  subject.  He  says : 

At  first  view,  Michigan  would  seem  far  less  inviting  to  farmers  in  quest  of  a  lo 
cation,  than  her  more  western  sisters,  and  accordingly  her  growth  has,  for  the  last 
20  years,  been  far  slower  than  theirs.  Her  soil  is,  in  the  average,  not  nearly  so 
vich  as  that  of  the  prairies,  and  is  generally  covered  with  heavy  timber,  while 


256  MICHIGAN. 

her  untimbered  lands  are  apt  to  be  swampy.  There  are  some  exceptions  near 
her  southern  border;  but  in  general,  her  low  levels  are  covered  with  bog-grass, 
or  with  a  growth  of  black  ash  or  low  spruce,  and  can  not  be  made  productive 
of  grain  nearly  so  soon,  so  cheaply,  nor  so  abundantly,  as  can  the  prairies  of 
Illinois  or  Iowa.  Hence  it  is  but  natural  that  the  great  majority  of  eastern  far 
mers,  in  quest  of  new  lands,  should  push  on  to  the  prairie  states,  there  to  secure 
lands  that  are  readily  made,  broadly  and  generously  productive. 

To  buy  a  heavily  timbered  quarter  section,  let  daylight  in  upon  it,  put  up  a  log 
cabin,  and  move  a  family  into  it,  with  a  determination  to  make  there  a  farm,  and 
get  a  living  while  making  it,  is  an  act  of  genuine  courage.  Many  a  man  has 
been  crowned  a  hero  on  considerably  cheaper  terms.  He  who  does  it,  better  de 
serves  a  pension  than  the  ex-soldiers,  whom  congress  has  seemed  disposed  to 
quarter  for  life  on  the  treasury.  For  the  first  half  dozen  years  or  so,  the  growth 
of  that  farm  will  be  scarcely  perceptible,  since  five  days'  work  must  be  done  else 
where  to  every  one  devoted  to  the  enlargement  of  the  clearing.  Making  roads, 
going  to  mill,  hunting  cattle  astray  in  the  dense  forest,  making  fences,  etc.,  with 
the  necessity  of  working  for  others  to  procure  those  necessaries  of  life  that  the 
narrow  patch  of  stumpy  clearing  refuses  to  supply,  consume  at  least  five  sixths  of 
the  time;  so  that  the  poor  man  who,  from  the  first,  adds  five  acres  per  annum  to 
the  area  of  arable  soil  which  surrounds  his  cabin,  does  very  well.  But  when  15 
or  20  acres  thus  cleared,  begin  to  furnish  adequate  bread  for  his  family,  and  grass 
for  his  cattle,  the  case  is  bravely  altered.  Mills  are  by  this  time  nearer  and  more 
easily  reached ;  roads  are  better,  and  require  less  labor  at  his  hands ;  each  addi 
tion  to  his  clearing  requires  fencing  on  but  two  sides,  instead  of  three  or  four  as 
at  first;  the  older  stumps  begin  to  yield  to  the  plow ;  wild  animals  and  birds  are 
less  destructive  of  his  growing  crops  than  when  the  clearing  was  but  a  hand's 
breadth ;  so  that  two.  or  three  days  per  week  may  now  be  given  to  clearing  instead 
of  one.  After  40  acres  have  been  cleared,  the  timber  ceases  to  be  an  obstacle; 
the  neighboring  saw  mill  or  embryo  village  will  take  some  of  it  at  a  price  that  will 
at  least  pay  for  cutting  and  drawing;  the  black  ash  swamp  supplies  in  abundance 
the  best  of  rail  timber ;  a  barn  this  year,  a  corn-crib  next,  and  a  wagon  shed  the 
year  after,  absorb  a  good  many  trees ;  the  household  fires  lick  up  the  residue ;  so 
that  acres  are  insensible  swept  off  without  an  effort;  the  remaining  woods  break 
the  force  of  the  sharp  winds,  and  furnish  nuts  and  other  food  for  swine ;  and  when 
the  eightieth  acre  has  been  cleared,  the  quarter-section  is  worth  more  than  if  it 
were  all  treeless,  and  clearing  for  clearing's  sake  may  be  suspended.  Local  or 
personal  circumstances  must  necessarily  modify  this  picture,  but  its  essential  and 
general  truth  will  be.  conceded.  And  thus  a  state  or  section,  like  a  single  farm, 
•when  denuded  of  a  portion  of  its  timber,  is  far  more  inviting  to  the  settler  than  if 
it  had  no  timber  at  all. 

"Michigan  is  encompassed  by  five  lakes,  four  of  which  are  the  largest  col 
lections  of  fresh  water  on  the  globe.  These  are,  Lake  Superior,  Lake  Michi 
gan,  Lake  Huron,  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  Lake  Erie,  which  are  connected  by 
the  Straits  of  Detroit,  St.  Clair,  Michilimackinac,  and  St.  Mary.  Nor  is  this 
state  merely  surrounded  by  lakes,  but  the  interior  is  interspersed  with  them 
from  one  border  to  the  other.  The  country,  indeed,  is  literally  maculated 
with  small  lakes  of  every  form  and  size,  from  an  area  of  1  to  1,000  acres, 
though,  as  a  general  rule,  they  do  not,  perhaps,  average  500  acres  in  extent, 
they  are  sometimes  so  frequent  that  several  of  them  may  be  seen  from  the 
same  position.  They  are  usually  very  deep,  with  gravelly  bottoms,  waters 
transparent,  and  of  a  cool  temperature  at  all  seasons.  This  latter  fact  is 
supposed  to  be  in  consequence  of  springs  which  furnish  them  constant  sup 
plies.  Water  fowl  of  various  sorts  inhabit  their  shores,  and  their  depths  are 
the  domain  of  abundance  of  fish,  trout,  bass,  pike,  pickerel,  dace,  perch,  cat 
fish,  sucker,  bull-head,  etc.,  which  often  grow  to  an  extraordinary  size.  It 
is  usual  to  find  some  creek  or  rivulet,  originating  in  these,  but  what  is  a  sin- 
gular  fact,  and  not  easily  accounted  for,  many  of  these  bodies  of  living  water 


MICHIGAN.  257 

have  no  perceptible  outlet,  and  yet  are  stored  with  fish.  A  lake  of  this  de 
scription,  with  its  rich  stores  offish  and  game,  form*  no  unenviable  append 
age  to  a  farm,  and  is  properly  appreciated.  But  with  all  its  length  of  Like 
coast,  Michigan  can  boast  of  but  few  good  harbors,  yet  there  are  several  that 
afford  excellent  shelter  from  the  storms  that  frequently  sweep  over  these 
great  island  seas,  and  lash  them  into  turmoil." 

The  fisheries  of  Michigan  are  an  important  element  of  her  industry.  The 
proceeds  of  these  amount,  annually,  to  more  than  half  a  million  of  dol 
lars,  exceeding,  in  value,  the  combined  product  of  the  rest  of  the  fresh 
water  fisheries  in  the  Union. 

Among  thenAhe  white  fish,  Mackinaw  trout,  and  the  muscolonge,  are  un 
surpassed  for  their  delicacy  of  flavor.  Mackinaw  has  been  famous  as  the 
greatest  fishing  point  on  the  lakes.  The  work  in  that  vicinity  is  mostly 
done  by  Laif-breeds — of  French  and  Indian  blood — in  the  employ  of  mer 
chants.  Of  late  years  colonies  of  Norwegians  have  embarked  in  tjie  busi 
ness.  Trained  in  the  severe  school  of  their  rugged  northern  homes,  they 
exhibit  the  greatest  daring,  going  out  in  their  tiny  craft  during  the  heaviest 
gales. 

The  settled  parts  of  Michigan  are  well  supplied  with  railroads,  and  others 
ire  in  progress  which  will  bring  her  valuable  lands  on  the  north  into  mar 
ket.  Within  the  state  are  an  unusually  large  number  of  plank  roads.  In 
a  country  so  lull  of  lumber,  these  are  easily  constructed,  and  add  much  to 
the  increase  of  business  communication. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  Dresent  population  of  Michigan,  is  of  New  England 
descent.  About  one  third  of  its  settlers  came  directly  from  the  state  of  New 
York.  The  number  of  inhabitants  in  1810,  was  4,762;  in  1830,31,639, 
in  1850,  397,654 :  in  1860,  754,291. 


South-eastern  view  of  Detroit. 

Showing  the  appearance  of  the  city  as  seen  from  the  Great  Western  Depot,  at  Windsor,  on  the  Canada 
«ide  of  the  river.     The  buildings  of  the  Michigan  Central  Iluilroad  appear  011  the  left. 

DETROIT,  the  principal  city,  and  formerly  the  capital  of  Michigan,  is  sit 
uated  on  the  N.W.  or  right  bank  of  Detroit  River,  or  strait,  82  miles  E.S.E. 
from  Lansing,  the  present  capital.  The  name  d'etroit,  the  French  word  for 
"•  strait,"  indicates  its  location.  Tlie  city  extends  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half, 
the  center  of  it  being  about  7  miles  from  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  18  above  the 
west  end  of  Lake  Erie.  526  from  Washington,  and,  by  steamboat,  327  from 

17 


258  MICHIGAN. 

Buffalo.  The  width  between  the  docks  at  Windsor,  Canada  West,  and  those 
of  Detroit,  opposite,  is  about  half  a  mile,  arid  the  depth  of  water  from  12  to 
48  feet.  The  current  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  stream,  opposite  the  city, 
flows  at  the  rate  of  two  and  a  half  miles  per  hour.  Such  is  its  depth  and 
uniformity,  that  it  makes  Detroit  a  secure  and  accessible  harbor  in  all 
seasons. 

Bordering  the  river,  and  for  1,200  feet  back  from  it,  the  plan  of  the  city 
is  rectangular — in  rear  of  this  triangular.  The  streets  are  spacious,  and 
among  the  more  noted  are  eight  avenues;  three  of  these  are  200  feet,  and 
five  others  120  feet  wide.  Five  of  these  center  at  a  public  ground  called  the 
Grand  Circus.  In  the  city  are  several  public  squares  or  spaces,  the  princi 
pal  of  which  are  the  Campus  Martius  and  the  Circus.  A  large  portion  of 
the  buildings  are  of  wood,  but  there  are  many  handsome  and  substantial 
brick  buildings.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned,  the  old  state  house,  now 
used  for  literary  purposes ;  the  two  Catholic  cathedrals;  the  first  Presbyte 
rian  church,  and  several  others.  There  are  in  all  about  30  churches.  The 
Central  Railroad  freight  depot,  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  United  States. 
The  city  is  supplied  with  the  purest  of  water  from  the  Detroit  River;  the 
reservoir,  which  is  of  cast  iron,  is  kept  supplied  by  means  of  a  steam  engine. 
The  business  of  Detroit  is  immense.  It  has  several  extensive  manufactories, 
large  steam  saw  mills,  founderies,  machine  shops,  etc.  It  is  most  admirably 
situated  for  trade,  and  is  becoming  a  great  commercial  emporium.  The  nav 
igation  of  the  river  and  lake  is  open  about  eight  months  in  the  year;  the 
arrivals  and  departures  of  steam  and  sailing  vessels  is  very  great,  and  con 
stantly  increasing.  By  this,  and  the  numerous  railroad  communications, 
thousands  of  emigrants  travel  annually,  and  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
produce  are  transported.  A  direct  trade  has,  of  late  years,  sprung  up  with 
Europe,  by  means  of  sailing  vessels,  from  this  and  other  lake  ports,  via  the 
Welland  Canal,  of  Canada,  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  Atlantic  Ocean.  In 
1859,  22  vessels  in  all  sailed  for  Europe,  laden  with  staves  and  lumber.  The 
population  of  Detroit,  in  1830,  was  2,222;  in  1840,  9,102;  in  1850,  21,057  j 
in  1853,  34,436;  and  in  1860,  46,834. 

Detroit  was  founded  in  1701,  by  Cadillac,  a  French  nobleman,  acting  under 
a  commission  from  Louis  XIV.  In  June  of  this  year,  he  left  Montreal  with 
one  hundred  men,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  and  all  the  necessary  means  for  the 
erection  of  a  colony;  reached  Detroit  in  July,  and  commenced  the  founda 
tion  of  the  settlement.  Before  this  period,  and  as  far  back  as  1620,  it  was 
the  resort  of  the  French  missionaries:  when  first  visited  by  them,  its  site 
was  occupied  by  an  Indian  village,  named  Teuchsa  Grondie.  A  rude  fort 
was  erected  by  Cadillac,  and  surrounded  with  pickets,  which  inclosed  a  few 
houses,  occupied  by  the  French  traders  and  the  soldiers  attached  to  the  post 
This  establishment  was,  however,  rude,  frail,  and  mounted  with  small  cannon, 
which  were  more  adapted  to  overawe  the  Indians  than  for  solid  and  effective 
defense.* 

In  May,  1712,  the  Iroquois,  or  Five  Nations,  who  were  hostile  to  the 
French  and  friendly  Indians,  instigated  the  Ottagamies  or  Foxes,  their  allies, 
to  capture  Detroit.  They  were  probably  backed  by  the  English,  who  wished 
to  destroy  this  post  and  erect  a  fort  of  their  own  upon  its  ruins.  At  this 
period,  the  French  had  established  three  villages  of  friendly  Indians  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  post,  occupied  by  the  Pottawatomies,  the  Ottawas, 


*Lanman's  History  of  Michigan. 


MICHIGAN". 


259 


and  the  Hurons.  The  Foxes,  having  laid  a  secret  plan  for  the  destruction 
of  the  French  fort,  the  plot  was  revealed  by  one  of  the  friendly  Indians,  a 
convert  to  the  Catholic  faith.  On  the  13th  of  May,  Detroit  was  attacked  by 
the  Foxes.  At  this  critical  juncture,  the  friendly  Indians,  to  whom  the 


View  IH  Woodward  Avenue,  Detroit. 

The  City  Hall  and  Market  appear  on  the  left;  the  Uussell  House  in  the  central  part.  In  the  extreme 
distance  on  the  right,  at  the  foot  of  Woodward  Avenue,  011  the  opposite  or  Canada  side  of  the  river,  is  seen 
the  depot  of  the  Great  Western  Railroad. 

French  commander,  M.  D'Buisson,  had  sent  for  aid,  appeared  through  the 
wilderness,  naked,  painted  and  armed  for  battle;  they  were  received  into  the 
fort,  and  the  Foxes  were  obliged  to  retre&t.  They  afterward  endeavored  to 
burn  out  the  French,  and  for  this  purpose  discharged  blazing  arrows  upon 
the  fort.  Many  of  the  roof's  of  the  houses,  being  thatched  with  straw,  were 
set  on  fire,  but  by  covering  the  rerr.ainder  with  wet  skins  they  were  pre 
served. 

The  French  power  in  Michigan  ceased  with  the  conquest  of  Canada.  In 
the  fall  of  1760,  Major  Rogers,  with  an  English  detachment,  proceeded  to 
ward  Detroit,  to  take  possession.  De  Bellestre,  when  he  heard  of  the  ad 
vance  of  Rogers,  erected  a  high  flag-staff,  with  an  effigy  rf  a  man's  head  on 
top,  arid  upon  this  head  he  had  placed  the  image  of  a  cn«w.  He  told  the 
Indians,  who  are  strongly  impressed  with  symbols,  that  th"  he.id  represented 
Maj.  Rogers,  and  the  crow  was  himself.  The  interpret  on  of  this  group 
was,  that  the  French  commandant  would  scratch  out  the  -r -;ms  of  the  En 
glish.  The  Indians,  however,  were  skeptical  as  to  the  truth  of  this  emblem, 
and  told  him  that  the  reverse  would  be  the  fact.  Maj.  lingers,  having 
pushed  his  boats  up  the  Detroit  River,  drew  up  his  detachment  in  a  field 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  fort.  Lieuts.  Lefflie  and  M'Cormick,  accompanied 


260  MICHIGAN. 

by  thirty-six  Royal  Americans,  were  sent  forward  to  take  possession  of  De 
troit.  The  French  garrison  surrendered  their  arms,  and  the  first  British 
flag  was  raised  upon  the  fort,  amid  the  shouts  of  700  Indians,  collected 
around  that  station,  who  exulted  that  their  prediction  respecting  the  crow 
had  been  verified. 

The  next  event  of  importance  in  the  history  of  Detroit,  and,  indeed,  of 
the  whole  north-west,  was  the  Indian  outbreak  called  the  "Pontiac  War." 
The  fort  at  Detroit  was,  at  this  time,  garrisoned  by  122  men  and  8  officers, 
under  the  command  of  Maj.  Gladwyn.  Two  armed  vessels  were  anchored 
in  front  of  the  town  for  defens.e.  The  Indians  who  besieged  it  were  600  in 
number. 

"  The  plan  which  was  devised  by  Pontiac  to  destroy  the  fort  at  Detroit;  exhibited 
remarkable  cunning  as  well  as  strategy.  He  had  ordered  the  Indians  to  saw  off 
their  rifles  so  as  to  conceal  them  under  their  blankets,  gain  admission  to  the  fort, 
and,  at  a  preconcerted  signal,  which  was  the  delivery  of  a  belt  of  wampum  in  a 
certain  way,  to  rush  upon  the  troops,  massacre  the  officers,  and  open  the  gates  to  the 
warriors  on  the  outside,  who  should  stand  ready  to  co-operate  with  those  within. 
In  order  to  carry  this  plan  into  execution,  he  encamped  at  a  little  distance  from 
Detroit,  and  sent  word  to  Major  Gladwyn  that  he  and  his  warriors  wished  to  hold 
a  council  with  the  English  commandant  on  the  following  day,  that  'they  might 
brighten  the  chain  of  peace.'  This  was  the  8th  of  May,  1763.  The  council  was 
granted.  On  the  evening  of  that  day,  an  Indian  woman,  who  had  been  employ od 
by  Major  Gladwyn  to  make  him  a  pair  of  elk-skin  moccasins,  which  he  intended 
to  present  to  a  friend,  brought  them  to  the  fort.  These  were  finished  in  so  hand 
some  a  manner,  that  he  requested  the  woman  to  take  back  the  remainder  of  the 
skin,  and  make  them  into  others  for  himself.  He  then  paid  her  for  those  which 
she  had  made,  and  ordered  his  servant  to  see  her  from  the  fort.  Having  arrived 
at  the  gate  which  looks  out  upon  the  Detroit  River,  she  lingered  as  if  her  business 
had  been  unfinished  ;  and  this  conduct  excited  some  remark.  The  servant  of  the 
commandant  was  ordered  to  inquire  the  reason  of  her  delay,  but  he  could  procure 
no  satisfactory  answer.  At  length  the  commandant  called  her  within  the  fort,  and 
inquired  why  she  loitered  about  the  gate,  and  did  not  hasten  home  before  they 
were  shut,  so  that  she  might  complete  the  moccasins  at  the  proper  time.  She  re 
plied  that  the  commandant  had  treated  her  with  great  kindness,  and  that  she  did 
not  wish  to  take  the  skin  away,  as  he  prized  it  so  much,  because  she  could  '  never 
bring  it  back.'  Something  seemed  to  be  struggling  in  her  bosom  for  utterance,  and 
at  length,  after  a  promise  that  the  disclosure  "should  not  turn  to  her  disadvantage, 
and  that,  if  profitable,  she  might  be  rewarded,  this  Indian  woman,  named  Catha 
rine,  developed  the  plot.  Major  Gladwyn  mentioned  his  apprehensions  to  the  officer 
next  in  command,  but  he  deemed  it  a  mere  trick  to  frighten  him,  and  not  worthy 
of  consideration.  The  night  was  occupied  in  making  the  proper  preparations ;  the 
ammunition  was  examined  and  arranged,  and  every  man  within  the  fort,  both  tra 
der  and  soldier,  was  directed  to  be  prepared  for  sudden  and  active  service.  The 
defenses  of  the  fort  were  strengthened,  the  arms  made  ready,  and  during  the  night 
guards  were  kept  upon  the  ramparts.  The  war  songs  and  dances  of  the  Indians, 
which  generally  precede  any  important  enterprise,  breaking  upon  the  silence  of 
midnight,  only  strengthened  his  suspicions  that  the  Indian  woman  had  told  the 
truth.  In  the  morning  of  the  9th,  about  ten  o'clock,  Pontiac  and  his  warriors  re 
paired  to  the  fort  of  Detroit,  and  they  were  immediately  admitted  to  the  council- 
house,  where  they  were  received  by  Major  Gladwyn  and  his  officers.  During  their 
progress  toward  the  fort,  the  savages  had  noticed  a  remarkable  parade  of  soldiers 
upon  the  ramparts  and  within  the  town,  and  that  the  officers  in  the  council  cham 
ber,  and  also  the  governor,  had  each  pistols  in  their  belts.  When  the  Indians  were 
seated  on  their  skins  in  the  council  chamber,  Pontiac  inquired  what  was  the  cause 
of  this  extraordinary  military  preparation ;  and  he  was  told  that  it  was  necessary 
to  keep  the  soldiers  to  rigid  discipline.  The  council  commenced  by  a  speech  from 
Pontiac,  in  which  he  professed  the  utmost  friendship  for  the  English ;  -and  as  he 
approached  the  period  of  the  concerted  signal,  the  delivery  of  the  belt  of  warn 


MICHIGAN.  261 

pum,  his  gesticulations  became  more  violent  Near  the  period  which  had  been 
described  by  the  Indian  woman  as  the  time  when  the  belt  was  to  be  delivered,  and 
the  tire  upon  the  garrison  commenced,  the  governor  and  his  officers  drew  their 
swords  from  their  scabbards;  and  the  soldiers  of  the  fort,  who  had  been  drawn 
around  the  doors  of  the  council-house,  which  had  been  intentionally  left  open, 
made  a  clattering  upon  the  ground  with  their  arms.  Pontiac,  whose  eagle  eye  had 
never  quailed  in  battle,  turned  pale  and  trembled,  and  delivered  the  belt  in  the 
usual  manner;  while  his  warriors  looked  at  each  other  with  astonishment,  but  con 
tinued  calm. 

Pontiae's  speech  having  been  concluded,  Major  Glad wyn  commenced  his  answer; 
but  instead  of  thanking  Pontiac  for  his  professions  of  friendship,  he  accused  him 
of  being  a  traitor;  and  in  order  to  convince  him  of  his  knowledge  of  the  plot,  ho 
advanced  toward  the  chief  who  sat  nearest,  and  drawing  aside  his  blanket,  dis 
closed  the  shortened  rifle.  He  advised  him  at  the  same  time,  to  leave  the  fort  be 
fore  his  young  men  should  discover  the  design  and  massacre  the  Indians;  and  as 
sured  him  that  his  person  should  be  held  safe  until  he  had  advanced  beyond  the 
pickets,  as  he  had  promised  him  safety.  As  soon  as  the  warriors  had  retired  from 
the  gates  of  the  fort,  they  gave  the  yell,  and  tired  upon  the  English  garrison. 

After  this  the  fort  was  closely  besieged,  and  the  garrison  reduced  to  great 
distress.  On  the  29th  of  July,  the  garrison  was  relieved  by  a  detachment 
of  300  regular  troops,  under  Capt.  Dalyell.  This  officer,  supposing  that 
Pontiac  might  be  surprised  in  his  camp,  marched  out  with  247  men,  during 
the  night  of  the  30th  of  July.  The  Indians,  having  information  of  the 
proposed  attack,  laid  in  wait  for  the  party,  concealed  in  the  high  grass,  near 
a  place  since  called  the  Bloody  Bridge,  upward  of  a  mile  from  Detroit  on 
the  main  road.  Upon  their  arrival,  a  sudden  and  destructive  fire  was  poured 
upon  them,  Capt.  Dalyell  and  19  others  were  killed  and  42  wounded  ;  the 
rest  made  good  their  retreat  to  the  fort.  Pontiac,  having  invested  Detroit 
for  about  twelve  months,  hearing  that  Gen.  Bradstreet  was  advancing  with 
3,000  men,  gave  up  the  siege  and  sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted. 

In  1796,  the  post  of  Detroit  was  delivered  up  by  the  British  to  the  United 
States,  according  to  treaty. 

On  the  llth  day  of  June,  1805,  the  sun  rose  in  cloudless  splendor,  over  the  little  town 
of  Detroit.  A  few  minutes  after  a  poor  washer-woman  kindled  a  fire  in  a  back  yard,  to 
begin  her  daily  toil,  a  spark  set  fire  to  some  hay.  At  noon  of  the  same  day,  but  one  soli 
tary  dwelling  remained,  to  mark  the  site  of  the  town.  All  the  others  were  in  ashes,  and 
the  whole  population,  men,  women  and  children — the  aged  and  the  young,  the  sick,  the 
halt,  and  the  blind,  were  driven  into  the  streets,  houseless  and  homeless.  All  the  boats, 
pirogues  and  skiffs  lying  along  the  beach  (as  it  then  was),  were  loaded  with  goods,  and 
pushed  off  into  the  stream;  but  burning  shingles,  driven  by  the  wind,  followed  and  de 
stroyed  them  even  there.  The  town  being  built  of  dry  pine,  and  very  compact,  the  streets 
being  but  about  twenty  feet  wide  (the  width  of  a  sidewalk  on  Jefferson  Avenue),  the  pro- 
press  of  the  fire  was  extremely  rapid,  and  the  heat  tremendous.  The  whole  population, 
like  Bedouins  of  the  desert,  pitched  their  tents,  by  the  cooling  embers  of  their  late  happy 
dwellings.  Fortunately,  Providence  permitted  the  calamity  to  fall  on  them  in  summer. 
The  Lea-light  hearts  of  the  French  habitant  rose  above  the  pressure  of  misfortune,  and  to 
work  they  went,  to  repair  damages.  No  grumbling  at  Providence.  Their  religion  told 
them  that  repining  was  useless.  So  they  worked,  and  fiddled,  and  danced,  and  sung,  and 
soon  a  new  town  began  to  appear,  in  its  present  extended  form;  and  with  the  regret  of  the 
moment,  passed  away  all  sorrow  for  the  losses  endured. — WithereU's  Reminiscences. 


The  following  account  of  the  invasion  of  Detroit,  by  Gen.  Brock,  and  of 
its  surrender  by  Gen.  Hull,  on  the  15th  of  August,  1812,  is  from  Perkins' 
History  of  the  Late  War: 

Gen.  Brock  had  been  educated  in  arms,  and  had  sustained  a  distinguished  rank 


262  MICHIGAN-. 

and  character  in  the  army  of  Egypt.  He  arrived  at  Maiden  with  reinforcements 
in  high  spirits  on  the  13th,  just  as  the  American  troops  retired  from  the  Canadian 
shore,  dispirited,  disappointed  and  disgusted  with  their  commander.  On  the  15th, 
he  planted  batteries  on  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  the  fortress  of  Detroit,  and 
sent  a  summons  to  the  American  general  to  surrender,  stating  that  he  should  other 
wise  be  unable  to  restrain  the  fury  of  the  savages.  This  was  answered  by  a  spir 
ited  refusal,  and  a  declaration  that  the  fort  and  town  would  be  defended  to  the 
last  extremity.  The  firing  from  the  batteries  and  the  fort  immediately  commenced, 
and  continued  with  little  interruption,  and  without  much  effect,  until  the  next  day. 
The  alarm  and  consternation  of  Gen.  Hull  had  now  become  extreme,  and  appeared 
in  a  series  of  irregular  and  incoherent  measures.  On  the  12th,  the  field  officers 
suspecting  the  general  intended  a  surrender  of  the  fort,  had  determined  on  his 
'arrest.  This  was  prevented  in  consequence  of  Cols.  Duncan  M' Arthur  and  Lewis 
Cass,  two  very  active,  intelligent,  and  spirited  officers,  being  detached  on  the  13th 
with  four  hundred  men,  on  a  third  expedition  to  the  River  Raisin.  They  advanced 
about  fourteen  miles,  when  on  the  15th  they  received  orders  to  return.  At  day 
light  on  the  16th,  the  British  commenced  crossing  the  river  at  Spring  Wells,  three 
miles  below  the  town,  under  cover  of  two  ships  of  war.  They  accomplished  their 
landing  by  seven  o'clock  without  opposition,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  in 
close  column  of  platoons,  twelve  in  front,  toward  the  fort  along  the  bank  of  the 
river.  The  fourth  regiment  of  United  States  troops  was  stationed  in  the  fort ;  the 
Ohio  volunteers  and  a  part  of  the  Michigan  militia  behind  the  pickets,  in  a  situa 
tion  where  the  whole  flank  of  the  enemy  would  have  been  exposed.  The  residue 
of  the  militia  were  in  the  upper  part  of  the  town  to  resist  the  incursions  of  the 
savages.  Two  twenty -four  pounders  loaded  with  grape  were  posted  on  a  command 
ing  eminence,  ready  to  sweep  the  advancing  columns.  Cols.  M' Arthur  and  Cass 
had  arrived  within  view  of  Detroit,  ready  to  act  on  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  In  this 
situation  the  troops  waited  in  eager  expectation  the  advance  of  the  British,  antici 
pating  a  brilliant  victory. 

When  the  head  of  the  British  columns  had  advanced  within  five  hundred  yards 
of  the  line,  and  the  artillery  ready  to  sweep  their  ranks,  orders  were  given  for  the 
troops  to  retire  into  the  fort,  and  for  the  artillery  not  to  fire.  A  white  flag  was 
hoisted.  A  British  officer  rode  up  to  inquire  the  cause.  A  communication  passed 
between  the  commanding  generals,  which  soon  ended  in  a  capitulation.  The  for 
tress  of  Detroit,  with  all  the.  public  stores,  property,  and  documents  of  every  kind, 
were  surrendered.  The  troops  were  made  prisoners  of  war.  The  detachment  un 
der  M'Arthur  and  Cass,  and  the  troops  at  the  River  Raisin,  were  included  in  the 
capitulation.  On  the  17th,  Gen.  Brock  dispatched  a  flag  to  Capt.  Brush  with  the 
terms.  He  immediately  called  a  council  of  his  officers,  who  determined  that  they 
were  not  bound  by  the  capitulation,  and  advised  to  break  up  the  camp  and  return. 
In  pursuance  of  their  advice,  Capt.  Brush  immediately  broke  up  his  camp,  took 
with  him  what  public  stores  and  property  he  could,  and  commenced  his  retreat  to 
Ohio.  The  Michigan  militia  who  had  not  joined  the  army  were  paroled,  on  con 
dition  of  not  serving  during  the  present  war.  No  provision  was  made  for  the  un 
fortunate  Canadians  who  had  joined  Gen.  Hull,  or  accepted  his  protection.  They 
were  left  exposed  to  suffer  as  traitors ;  nine  were  executed  at  one  time,  and  several 
more  afterward.  Gen.  Hull  in  this  measure  took  counsel  only  from  his  own  fears. 
He  held  no  council  of  war,  knowing  that  all  his  officers  would  be  opposed  to  the 
surrender.  In  his  official  report  he  expressly  exempts  them  from  any  share  in  the 
disgraceful  transaction. 

The  British  force  at  Maiden  at  the  time  Gen.  Hull  entered  Canada,  and  until 
the  12th  of  August,  consisted  of  one  hundred  regular  troops,  four  hundred  Cana 
dian  militia,  and  several  hundred  Indians.  After  the  arrival  of  Gen.  Brock  with 
his  reinforcements,  the  whole  amounted  to  three  hundred  and  thirty  regulars,  four 
hundred  militia,  and  six  hundred  Indians.  The  troops  surrendered  by  Gen.  Hull 
amounted  to  twenty -five  hundred,  consisting  of  two  troops  of  cavalry,  one  compa 
ny  of  artillery,  the  fourth  United  States  regiment,  and  detachments  from  the  first 
and  third;  three  regiments  of  Ohio  volunteers,  and  one  regiment  of  Michigan 
militia,  amounting  to  about  twelve  hundred.  By  this  capitulation  the  British  ob 
tained  2,500  muskets  stacked  on  the  esplanade 'at  the  time  of  the  surrender,  450 


MICHIGAN.  263 

brought  in  by  the  detachment  under  M' Arthur  and  Cass,  700  received  from  the 
Michigan  militia,  thirty-three  pieces  of  ordnance,  one  thousand  rounds  of  fixed 
ammunition,  200  tuns  of  ball,  200  cartridges  of  grape  shot,  75,000  musket  car 
tridges  made  up,  24  rounds  in  the  possession  of  each  man,  60  barrels  of  gunpow 
der,  150  tuns  of  lead,  provisions  for  the  army  for  25  days  in  the  fort,  and  a  large 
escort  at  the  River  Haisin.  An  event  so  disgraceful  to  the  American  arms  did  not 
faij  to  excite  universal  indignation.  When  M' Arthur's  sword  was  demanded,  he 
indignantly  broke  it,  tore  the  epaulets  from  his  shoulders,  and  threw  himself  on 
tho  ground. 

John  Kinzie,  Indian  trader,  so  long  identified  with  the  annals  of  Chicago, 
was,  at  the  time  of  the  surrender,  residing  in  Detroit.  In  "  Wau-bun,  the 
'Early  Day' in  the  North-west,"  is  given  this  narrative,  which  shows  the 
conduct  of  the  British  to  their  prisoners  in  no  pleasing  light:  ^ 

It  had  been  a  stipulation  of  Gen.  Hull,  at  the  surrender  of  Detroit,  that  the  inhabitants 
of  that  place  should  be  permitted  to  remain  undisturbed  in  their  homes.  Accordingly  the 
family  of  Mr.  Kirzie  took  up  their  quarters  with  their  friend?  in  the  old  mansion,  which 
many  will  still  recollect  as  standing  on  the  north-east  corner  of  Jeflerson-avenue  and 
Wayne -street. 

The  feelings  of  indignation  and  sympathy  were  constantly  aroused  in  the  hearts  of  the 
citizens  during  the  winter  that  ensued.  They  were  almost  daily  called  upon  to  witness  the 
cruelties  practiced  upon  the  American  prisoners  brought  in  by  their  Indian  captors.  Those 
who  could  scarcely  drag  their  wounded,  bleeding  feet  over  the  frozen  ground,  were  com 
pelled  to  dance  for  the  amusement  of  the  savages,  and  these  exhibitions  sometimes  took 
place  before  the  Government  House,  the  residence  of  Col.  McKee.  Some  of  the  British 
officers  looked  on  from  their  windows  at  these  heartrending  performances;  for  the  honor 
of  humanity  we  will  hope  such  instances  were  rare. 

Everything  that  could  be  made  available  among  the  effects  of  the  citizens  were  offered, 
to  ransom  their  countrymen  from  the  hands  of  these  inhuman  beings.  The  prisoners 
brought  in  from  the  River  Raisin — those  unfortunate  men  who  were  permitted  after  their 
surrender  to  Gen.  Proctor,  to  be  tortured  and  murdered  by  inches  by  his  savage  allies,  ex 
cited  the  sympathies  and  called  for  the  action  of  the  whole  community.  Private  houses 
were  turned  into  hospitals,  and  every  one  was  forward  to  get  possession  of  as  many  as  pos 
sible  of  the  survivors.  To  effect  this,  even  the  articles  of  their  apparel  were  bartered  by 
the  ladies  of  Detroit,  as  they  watched  from  their  doors  or  windows  the  miserable  victims 
carried  about  for  sale. 

In  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Kinzie  one  large  room  was  devoted  to  the  reception  of  the  suf 
ferers.  Few  of  them  survived.  Among  those  spoken  of  as  objects  of  the  deepest  inter 
est  were  two  young  gentlemen  of  Kentucky,  brothers,  both  severely  wounded,  and  their 
wounds  aggravated  to  a  mortal  degree  by  subsequent  ill-usage  and  hardships.  Their  so 
licitude  for  each  other,  and  their  exhibition  in  various  ways  of  the  most  tender  fraternal 
affection,  created  an  impression  never  to  be  forgotten. 

Mr.  Kinzie  joined  his  family  at  Detroit  in  th6  month  of  January.  A  short  time  after 
tuspicions  arose  in  the  mind  of  Gen.  Proctor  that  he  was  in  correspondence  with  Gen.  Har 
rison,  who  was  now  at  Fort  Meigs,  nnd  who  was  believed  to  be  meditating  an  advance  up- 
jn  Detroit.  Lieut.  Watson  of  the  British  army  waited  upon  Mr.  Kinzie  one  day,  with  an 
invitation  to  the  quarters  of  Gen.  Proctor,  on  *  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  saying  he 
wished  to  speak  with  him  on  business.  Quite  unsuspicious,  he  complied  with  the  invita 
tion,  when  to  his  surprise  he  was  ordered  into  confinement,  and  strictly  guarded  in  the 
house  of  his  former  partner,  Mr.  Patterson,  of  Sandwich.  Finding  that  he  did  not  return 
to  his  home,  Mrs.  Kinzie  informed  some  of  the  Indian  chiefs,  his  particular  friends,  who 
Immediately  repaired  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  commanding  officer,  demanded  their 
"friend's  "  release,  and  brought  him  back  to  his  home.  After  waiting  a  time  until  a  fa 
vorable  opportunity  presented  itself,  the  general  sent  a  detachment  of  dragoons  to  arrest 
him.  They  had  succeeded  in  carrying  him  away,  nnd  crossing  the  river  with  him.  Just 
at  this  moment  a  party  of  friendly  Indians  made  their  appearance. 

"  Where  is  the  Shaw-nee-aw-kee?  "  was  the  first  question.  "  There,"  replied  his  wife, 
pointing  across  the  river,  "  in  the  hands  of  the  red-coats,  who  are  taking  him  away 
again." 

The  Indians  ran  to  the  river,  seized  some  canoes  that  they  found  there,  and  crossing 
over  to  Sandwich,  compelled  Gen.  Pioctor  a  second  time  to  forego  his  intentions. 

A  third  time  this  officer  was  more  successful,  and  succeeded  in  arresting  Mr.  Kinzie  and 
conveying  him  heavily  ironed  to  Fort  Maiden,  in  Canada,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit 
River.  Here  he  was  at  first  treated  with  great  severity,  but  after  a  time  the  rigor  of  his 


264 


MICHIGAN. 


confinement  was  somewhat  relaxed,  and  he  was  permitted  to  walk  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  for  air  and  exercise. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  as  he  was  taking  his  promenade  under  the  close  supervision 
of  a  guard  of  soldiers,  the  whole  party  were  startled  by  the  sound  of  guns  upon  Lake  Erie, 
at  no  great  distance  belo\v.  What  could  it  mean?  It  must  be  Commodore  Barclay  firing 
into  some  of  the  Yankees.  The  firing  continued.  The  time  allotted  the  prisoner  for  his 
daily  walk  expired,  but  neither  he  nor  his  guard  observed  the  lapse  of  time,  so  anxiously 
were  they  listening  to  what  they  now  felt  sure  was  an  engagement  between  ships  of  war. 
At  length  Mr.  Kinzie  was  reminded  that  the  hour  for  his  return  to  confinement  had  arrived. 
He  petitioned  for  another  half-hour. 

"  Let  me  stay,"  said  he,  "  till  we  can  learn  how  the  battle  has  gone." 

Very  soon  a  sloop  appeared  under  press  of  sail,  rounding  the  point,  and  presently  two 
gun-boats  in  chase  of  her. 

"  She  is  running — she  bears  the  British  colors,"  cried  he,  "  yes,  yes,  they  are  lowering 
-^he  is  striking  her  flag!  Now,"  turning  to  the  soldiers,  "  I  will  go  back  to  prison  con- 
temed — I  know  how  the  battle  has  gone." 

The  sloop  was  the  Little  Belt,  the  last  of  the  squadron  captured  by  the  gallant  Perry  on 
that  memorable  occasion  which  he  announced  in  the  immortal  word's: — "  We  have  met  the 
enemy,  and  they  are  ours!  " 

Matters  were  growing  critical,  and  it  was  necessary  to  transfer  all  prisoners  to  a  place 
of  greater  security  than  the  frontier  was  now  likely  to  be.  It  was  resolved,  therefore,  to 
send  Mr.  Kinzie  to, the  mother  country.  Nothing  has  ever  appeared,  which  would  explain 
the  course  of  Gen.  Proctor,  in  regard  to  this  gentleman.  He  had  been  taken  from  the 
bosom  of  his  family,  where  he  was  living  quietly  under  the  parole  which  he  had  received, 
and  protected  by  the  stipulations  of  the  surrender.  He  was  kept  for  months  in  confine 
ment.  Now  he  was  placed  on  horseback  under  a  strong  guard,  who  announced  that  they 
had  orders  to  shoot  him  through  the  head  if  he  offered  to  speak  to  a  person  upon  the  road. 
He  was  tied  upon  the  saddle  in  a  way  to  prevent  his  escape,  and  thus  they  sat  out  for 
Quebec.  A  little  incident  occurred,  which  will  help  to  illustrate  the  course  invariably  pur 
sued  toward  our  citizens  at  this  period,  by  the  British  army  on  the  north-western  frontier. 

The  saddle  on  which  Mr.  Kinzie  rode  had  not  been  properly  fastened,  and  owing  to  the 
rough  motion  of  the  animal  on  which  it  was,  it  turned,  so  as  to  bring  the  rider  into  a  most 
awkward  and  painful  position.  His  limbs  being  fastened,  he  could  not  disengage  himself, 
and  in  this  manner  he  was  compelled  by  those  who  had  charge  of  him  to  ride  until  he  was 
nearly  exhausted,  before  they  had  the  humanity  to  release  him- 

Arrived  at  Quebec,  he  was  put  on  board  a  small  vessel  to  be  sent  to  England.  The  ves 
sel  when  a  few  days  out  at  sea  was  chased  by  an  American  frigate  and  driven  into  Hali 
fax.  A  second  time  she  set  sail,  when  she  sprung  a  leak  and  was  compelled  to  put  back. 

The  attempt  to  send  him  across  the  ocean  was  now  abandoned,  and  he  was  returned  to 
Quebec.  Another  step,  equally  inexplicable  with  his  arrest,  was  now  taken.  This  was 
his  release  and  that  of  Mr.  Macomb,  of  Detroit,  who  was  also  in  confinement  in  Quebec, 
and  the  permission  given  them  to  return  to  their  friends  and  families,  although  the  war 
was  not  yet  ended.  It  may  possibly  be  imagined  that  in  the  treatment  these  gentlemen 
received^  the  British  commander-in-chief  sheltered  himself  under  the' plea  of  their  being 
"native  born  British  subjects,"  and  perbaps  when  it  was  ascertained  that  Mr.  Kinzie  was 
indeed  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  it  was  thought  safest  to  release  him. 

In  the  meantime,  Gen.  Harrison  at  the  head  of  his  troops  had  readied  Detroit.  •  He 
landed  on  the  29th  September.  All  the  citizens  went  forth  to  meet  him — Mrs.  Kinzie, 
leading  her  children  by  the  hand,  was  of  the  number.  The  general  accompanied  her  to 
her  home,  and  took  up  his  abode  there. 

Watson  visited  Detroit  in  the  summer  of  1818,  and  has  given  in  his  Remi 
niscences  a  sketch  of  his  visit,  descriptive  of  what  then  fell  under  his  notice 
here : 

Here  I  am  at  the  age  of  sixty  in  Detroit,  seven  hundred  miles  west  of  Albany.  I  little 
d  earned  thirty  years  ago,  that  I  should  ever  tread  upon  this  territory 

The  location  of  Detroit  is  eminently  pleasant,  being  somewhat  elevated,  and  boldly  front 
ing  it-;  beautiful  river.  The  old  town  has  been  burnt,  which  was  a  cluster  of  miserable 
s  ructures  picketed  in  nnd  occupied  by  the  descendants  of  Frenchmen,  who  pitched  their 
tents  here  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade.  The  city  is 
now  laid  out  upon  a  large  scale,  the  streets  spacious,  and  crossing  at  right  angles.  The 
main  stivet  is  called  Jefferson-avenue,  and  stretches  the  whole  length  of  the  city.  De 
troit  must  always  be  the  emporium  of  a  vast  and  fertile  interior.  By  the  existing  estima 
tion  of  the  value  of  real  estate  here,  it  has,  I  think,  been  greatly  overrated.  Commerce 


MICHIGAN. 

is  languishing,  and  agriculture  'at  its  lowest  degradation.  In  proof  of  this,  I  saw  ;-.t  the 
Grand  Marie,  four  miles  north  of  the  city,  a  large,  clumsy,  wooden  plow,  such  as  doubt 
less  were  iu  use  in  France,  at  the  period  of  the  emigration  from  that  country  of  the  ances 
tors  of  this  people.  It  was  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  two  horses,  and  was  con 
ducted  by  three  men,  who  were  making  as  much  noise  as  if  they  were  moving  a  barn. 

The  most  attractive  object  I  have  seen  on  this  beautiful  river  are  its  innumerable  and 
lovely  islands,  most  of  which  are  cultivated.  The  dense  forest  approaches  in  close  prox 
imity  to  the  city,  and  spreads  over  a  level 'surface  quite  into  the  interior.  From  the  high 
est  point  of  elevation  I  could  attain,  I  discerned  no  uplands,  all  was  a  dead  plain.  The  land 
belongs  to  the  government,  and  is  of  the  richest  quality,  but  has  hitherto  been  represented 
as  unhealthy.  The  territory  of  Michigan  has  not  been  adequately  explored;  but  while  I 
was  at  Detroit,  several  parties  of  enterprising  and  energetic  young  men  penetrated  into 
the  woods  with  packs  on  their  shoulders  to  investigate,  and  returned  with  the  most  glow 
ing  and  flattering  accounts  of  a  country  of  the  choicest  land,  generally  undulating,  and 
requiring  nothing  but  the  vigorous  arm  of  industry  to  convert  it  into  the  granary  of* 
America. 

The  near  approach  of  the  wilderness  to  Detroit,  brings  the  howling  wolvw  within  a 
short  distance  of  the  city,  and  I  was  frequently  called  on  to  listen  to  their  shrill  cries  iu 
the  calm,  hot  nights.  The  numerous  and  large  old  orchards  of  the  finest  apples,  origin 
ally  imported  from  France, and  the  extensive  fisheries  of  white  fish  in  the  vicinity,  greatly 
augment  the  wealth  and  comfort  of  the  people.  Although  possessing  the  most  fertile  soil 
such  is  the  wretched  char  cter  of  their  agriculture,  that  the  inhabitants  are  mainly  de 
pendent  upon  the  young  and  thriving  state  of  Ohio,  for  their  supplies  of  pork,  beef,  bread- 
stuffs,  and  even  of  potatoes. 


East  view  of  the  State  House  at  Lansing. 

The  engraving  shows  the  front  or  the  eastern  side  of  the  Michigan  State  Capitol.  One  of  the  Union 
Pnblfc  Schools  is  seen  in  the  distance  on  the  left,  and  the  State  building  containing  the  office  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  State,  Auditor,  etc.,  on  the  right. 

I  daily  notice  squaws  fighting  in  the  streets  like  wild-cats,  and  in  conditions  too  revolt 
ing  to  describe.  They  lay  about  the  city  like  swine,  begging  for  cats  and  dogs,  which 
they  devour  at  the  river  side  half-cooked.  ^The  most  disgusting  and  loathsome  sight  I 
ever  witnessed,  was  that  of  a  coarse,  fat,  half-naked  Indian,  as  filthy  as  a  beast,  under  a 
tree  immediately  in  front  of  my  son's  residence,  filling  his  mouth  with  whisky  until  his 
cheeks  were  completely  distended,  and  then  two  or  three  squaws  in  succession  sucking  it 
out  of  the  corners.  I  called  my  daughter-in-law  to  see  the  revolting  sight,  but  she  as 
sured  me  it  was  nothing  unusual,  and  that  the  practice  was  common  with  this  tribe  of  In 
dians.  I  often  visited  the  fort  that  my  old  triend  Hull  so  fatally  and  ignominiously  sur 
rendered.  Col.  Myers,  who  was  in  command  of  Fort  George  at"  its  capture,  informed  me 
while  a  prisoner  in'Pittsfield,  that  one  half  of  Brock's  army,  at  the  surrender  of  Detroit, 
wore  Canadian  militia  dressed  in  British  red  coats. 

LANSING,  the  capital  of  Michigan,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  Grand 
River,  here  a  large  mill  stream,  85  miles  N.  W.  of  Detroit,  20  from  St.  Johns 
on  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukee  Railroad,  and  40  from  Jackson  on  the  Central 


266  MICHIGAN. 

Railroad.  The  town,  which  is  laid  out  on  an  extended  plan,  has  at  present 
a  scattered  appearance.  The  state  capitol  (of  wood)  was  erected  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1847,  at  an  expense  of  about  $15,000.  The  state  agricultural  college 
is  situated  three  and  a  half  miles  east  from  the  capital,  and  has  a  model  farm  of 
about  700  acres :  it  is  crowded  with  pupils,  and  the  noble  example  set  by 
Michigan,  in  founding  this  institution,  has  been  followed  by  several  other 
states.  The  house  of  Correction,  for  juvenile  offenders,  opened  in  1856,  is 
about  three  fourths  of  a  mile  east  from  the  capital.  In  1852,  a  plank  road 
to  Detroit  was  constructed,  at  an  expense  of  $130,000.  Plank  roads  also 
connect  it  with  Jackson  and  Marshall.  Population  about  3,000. 

The  lands  comprising  the  northern  part  of  Lansing  were  first  entered  from  the 
United  States,  in  1836,  by  Jaines  Seymour,  Frederic  Bushnell,  and  Charles  M.  Lee, 
of  Rochester,  New  York.  The  first  settler  was  John  W.  Burchard,  a  young  lawyer, 
who  bought,  on  the  east  side  of  Grand  River,  109  acres  of  James  Heymour,  situated 
at  the  lower  town  bridge  extending  up  the  river  to  the  school  section.  He  built  a 
log  cabin  still  standing  in  the  rear  of  the  Seymour  House.  This  was  in  1843 ;  and 
in'June  of  the  same  year,  he  removed  his  family  to  this  place,  and  immediately 
commenced  building  a  saw-mill  and  dam.  In  the  spring  of  1844,  he  was  drowned 
while  amusing  himself,  in  a  boat,  at  the  sheet  of  water  which  fell  over  the  dam, 
which  he  had  constructed.  Approaching  too  near,  his  boat  was  overturned,  and 
he  perished  amid  the  eddying  waters.  He  was  buried  at  Mason,  12  miles  distant, 
universally  lamented.  He  was  a  man  of  much  promise,  and  was  the  first  prose 
cuting  attorney  in  the  county.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Burchard,  his  family  left  the 
place,  and  the  settlement  was,  for  a  short  time,  abandoned,  and  the  lands  and  im 
provements  reverted  back  to  Mr.  Seymour. 

In  Aug.  1844,  Mr.  Seymour  employed  Joab  Page,  and  his  two  sons-in-law,  Whit 
ney  Smith  and  Geo.  D.  Pease,  all  of  Mason,  to  finish  the  mill,  etc.  All  these 
lived  in  Burchard's  log  house  for  several  years. 

In  Jan.  1847,  Mr.  Seymour  made  a  proposition  to  the  legislature  of  Michigan, 
that  if  they  would  remove  the  seat  of  government  on  to  his  lands,  he  would  give 
20  acres,  erect  the  capitol  and  buildings  for  the  use  of  the  state.  This  offer,  how 
ever,  was  not  accepted;  but  they  passed  an  act  to  locate  the  capital  in  the  town 
ship.  A  commission  was  appointed,  consisting  of  the  commissioner  of  the  land 
office,  James  Seymour,  and  Messrs.  Townsend  and  Brother,  of  New  York,  to  make 
a  definite  location.  The  commission  selected  a  spot  on  which  to  erect  a  capitol 
building,  one  mile  from  the  Burchard  Mill,  on  section  16,  called  the  "School  Sec 
tion."  The  commission,  in  May  of  the  same  year,  united  in  laying  out  a  town 
plat,  two  and  one  fourth  miles  long,  and  one  wide,  comprising  both  sides  of  the 
river.  At  this  period  there  were  no  settlers  on  the  tract  but  the  Page  family,  whose 
nearest  neighbors,  on  the  south  and  east,  were  four  and  a  half  miles  distant,  and 
one  settler,  Justus  Gilkley,  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  north-west.  Within  a  few 
weeks  after  the  town  was  laid  out,  one  thousand  persons  moved  into  the 
place. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  some  of  the  first  settlers  besides  those  already 
mentioned: 

B.  B.  Danforth,  D.  L.  Case,  James  Turner,  Charles  P.  Bush,  George  W.  Peck, 
John  Thomas,  Whitney  Jones,  A.  T.  Grossman,  Henry  C.  Walker,  C.  C.  Darling, 
Dr.  B.  S.  Taylor,  J.  C.  Bailey,  M.  W.  Quackenbush. 

Lansing  received  its  name  from  Lansing  in  New  York,  from  which  some  of  the 
settlers  had  emigrated.  The  first  public  worship  in  the  place  was  held  in  the  Bur 
chard  log  house,  by  the  Methodist  traveling  preachers.  In  1849,  the  Methodists 
and  Presbyterians  united  in  building  the  first  church  in  the  place,  now  solely  oc 
cupied  by  the  Methodists.  The  first  Presbyterian  clergyman  here,  was  the1  Rev. 
S.  Millard,  from  Dexter.  The  first  school  was  kept  in  a  little  shanty  built  in  1847 
and  stood  near  the  Seymour  House.  The  first  physician  was  a  Dr.  Smith,  who, 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  1847,  died  of  a  fever  in  Page's  log  house.  The  first  post 
master  was  George  W.  Peck,  who,  for  a  time,  kept  the  office  in  Bush  and  Town- 
send's  store,  near  the  upper  town  bridge.  The  first  framed  house  in  the  township 


MICHIGAN. 


267 


was  erected  in  1847,  by  James  Turner,  a  native  of  New  York,  whose  ancestors 
were  from  New  London,  Connecticut  This  building  is  now  standing,  about  40 
rods  below  the  lower  town  bridge. 


:,.,-, 


Southern  view  of  the  Penitentiary  at  Jackson. 

Showing  its  appearance  as  seen  from  the  railroad. 

JACKSON  is  a  large,  thriving,  and  well-built  town,  on  the  line  of  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad,  on  and  near  the  head  of  Grand  River,  76  miles 
W.  from  Detroit,  and  32  8.  from  Lansing,  the  capital.  The  streams  here 
afford  excellent  water  power,  and  the  soil  is  well  adapted  to  grass  or  grain. 
Coal  and  an  abundance  of  white  sand-stone  and  lime-stone  are  found  in  the 
vicinity.  The  inhabitants  are  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufactures  of 
flour,  leather,  iron  ware,  machinery,  etc.  It  contains  'the  county  buildings, 
a  branch  of  the  state  university,  the  state  penitentiary,  7  churches,  and  several 
banks.  Its  situation  and  facilities  for  travel  give  it  a  large  trade.  Popula 
tion  about  9,500. 

"In  this,  Jackson  county,  the  matter  of  mining  coal  has  recently  become 
an  enterprise  of  considerable  magnitude.  There  are  several  'workings'  of 
coal  in  the  vicinity  of  Jackson,  and  companies  have  been  formed  for  the  pur 
pose  of  mining  coal.  Considerable  coal  has  been  mined  and  sold  from  these 
different  workings  and  mines.  The  principal  mine,  and  one  which  in  all  its 
arrangements  and  provisions,  is  equal  to  any  mine  in  the  country,  is  that  of 
the  Detroit  and  Jackson  Coal  and  Mining  Company.  The  works  of  this 
company  are  at  Woodville  station,  on  the  line  of  the  Michigan  Central  Rail 
road,  about  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Jackson  city.  The  mine  is  situated 
on  the  north  side  of  the  railroad,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the  main  track. 
The  Coal  Company  have  built  a  side  track  from  the  Central  Road  to  the 
mouth  of  their  shaft.  The  shaft  from  which  the  coal  is  taken,  is  90  feet 
deep,  and  at  the  bottom  passes  through  a  vein  of  coal  about  four  feet  in 
thickness.  This  vein  has  been  opened  in  different  directions,  for  several 
hundred  feet  from  the  shaft,  and  with  a  tram  road  through  the  different 
entries  the  coal  is  reached  and  brought  from  the  rooms  to  the  shaft,  and 
then  lifted  by  steam  to  the  surface.  This  coal  has  been  transported  to 
different  points  in  the  state,  and  is  rapidly  coming  into  use  for  all  ordinary 
purposes,  taking  the  place  of  many  of  the  Ohio  coals,  and  at  a  reduced 
cost.  The  existence  of  valuable  beds  of  coal,  in  Central  Michigan,  has 
only  been  determined  within  the  past  few  years.  Beside  the  openings  in 
this  county,  there  have  been  others  made  at  Owesso  and  Corunna,  in  Shia- 
wassee  county;  at  Flint  in  Genesee  county,  and  at  Lansing.  Most  of  these 
have  been  upon  veins  outcropping  at  the  surface  of  the  ground." 


268  MICHIGAN. 

Adrian,  a  flourishing  town,  is  situated  on  a  branch  of  the  Raisin  River, 
and  on  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  80  miles  S.  E.  from  Lansing;  37 
W.  from  Monroe,  and  70  W.  S.  W.  from  Detroit.  The  Erie  and  Kalamazoo 
Railroad,  which  was  opened  in  1830,  connects  the  town  with  Toledo,  32 
miles  distant;  and  the  Southern  Railroad  was  extended  westward  to  Chicago, 
in  1852.  Adrian  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in  1853.  Being  in  the  midst 
of  a  fine,  fertile,  farming  region,  it  has,  since  the  construction  of  its  railroads, 
increased  with  rapidity.  It  has  several  flouring  mills,  foundries,  machine 
shops,  etc.;  10  houses  of  worship,  and  about  6,000  inhabitants. 

The  village  was  surveyed  and  platted  in  1828,  by  Addison  J.  Comstock,  who 
made  a  location  in  1826,  and  having  erected  a  shanty,  he  brought  his  family  here 
in  the  spring  of  1827,  and  was  soon  joined  by  Noah  "Norton  and  others.  The  first 
sermon  preached  in  the  place,  was  in  1827,  by  Rev.  John  Janes,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  at  the  house  occupied  by  Mr.  Norton.  In  1830  a  Methodisl 
Church  was  organized.  Other  churches  were  soon  after  established  by  the  Bap 
tists  and  Presbvterians.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  erected  in  1832,  on  Church 
street,  by  the  Presbyterians:  it  was  afterward  sold  to  the  Episcopalians,  and  it- 
now  owned  by  the  Methodists.  The  first  framed  school  house  was  erected  in  tin 
winter  of  1831-2.  It  stood  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Winter-streets,  and  was  used 
for  some  time,  for  the  double  purpose  of  school  and  church.  Mr.  Comstock  built 
a  saw  mill  in  1827,  and  soon  after  a  flouring  mill,  the  only  one  for  many  miles 
around.  The  seat  of  justice  for  Lenawee  county  was  removed  from  Tecuinseh  to 
Adrian,  in  1836.  The  city  received  its  name  from  Mrs.  Comstock.  James  Sword 
was  the  first  mayor.  Mr.  S.  is  a  native  of  the  county  of  Kent,  in  England ;  he  was 
a  soldier  in  the  Peninsular  war,  in  Spain,  and  was  in  several  important  battles  at 
that  period.  The  Lenawee  Republican  find. Adrian  Gazette,  R.  W.  Ingalls,  editor 
and  proprietor;  the  first  paper  in  the  county,  was  issued  Oct.  22.  1834.  Its  name 
has  been  changed  to  "The  Watch  Tower."  In  1843,  the  Messrs.  Jermain  com 
menced  the  publication  of  the  "Expositor."  The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Ormsby, 
the  second  Dr.  Bebee,  who  died  of  the  small  pox,  and  toe  third,  Dr.  P.  J.  Spalding, 
who  came  to  Adrian  in  1832. 

Ann  Arbor'  the  county  seat  of  Washtenaw  county,  is  on  Huron  River,  and 
on  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad.  It  is  37  miles  W.  from  Detroit,  and  51 

southerly  from  Lansing.  It  is 
considered  one  of  the  most  beau 
tifully  situated  places  in  the 
state.  The  site  of  the  city  is 
elevated,  dry,  and  healthy,  and 
it  is  regularly  laid  out.  The 
state  university,  in  this  place, 
was  established  in  1837,  and  is 
now  a  flourishing  and  well  en 
dowed  institution.  The  literary 
department  was  opened  in  1841 : 

UNIVERSITY  or  MICHIGAN.  ,  -,  TIT  ,  •      -i  o  A  n 

the  medical  department  in  1849, 

and  in  1853  a  scientific  course  was  added.  The  buildings  are  large,  in  an 
elevated,  commanding,  and  pleasant  situation.  Ann  Arbor  is  surrounded  by 
an  excellent  farming  district,  has  considerable  trade  and  manufactures  of  va 
rious  kinds.  Population  about  6,000. 


MONROE  is  near  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  on  one  of  the  branches  of  the 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  41  miles  from  Detroit  and  24  from  Toledo,  by 
the  railroad  connecting  those  cities.  It  is  on  both  sides  of  the  River  Raisin, 
2  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the  lake.  It  has  a  fine  harbor,  and  the  soil 


MICHIGAN. 


269 


WINCHESTER'S  HEAD  QU'VUTEHS, 
On  the  River  Raisin. 

This  house,  modernized,  is  now  the  Episr<-.pal  par 
sonage  in  Monroe.  It  is  of  hewn  logs:  the  hinineys 
were  built  of  stone  from  the  river  bed  a  few  yards 
distant,  and  the  original  form  of  the  house  in  the 
usual  style  of  the  French  settlers,  with  a  very  steep 
roof.  The  grove  of  pear  trees  in  the  rear  is  sup 
posed  to  be  over  7t>  years  old. 


u  a  limestone  formation  which  furnishes  inexhaustible  quarries  for  the  manu 
facture  of  lime.     Population  about  4,000. 

This  point  formerly  called  FRENCHTOWN,  and  sometimes  the  settlement  of 
the  River  Itaisln,  is  one  of  the  most  noted  in  the  history  of  Michigan.  The 

following  details  are  communicated 
for  this  work,  by  Edwin  Willits, 
Esq.,  of  Monroe,  who  has  given 
much  attention  to  the  investigation 
of  the  history  of  this  section : 

Monroe,  was  -one  of  the  earliest  set 
tlements  in  the  state  of  Michigan,  a 
small  body  of  Canadians  and  French 
having  settled  there  in  1784.  In  1794, 
Detroit  and  Frenchtown  (Monroe)  were 
the  principal  towns  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  peninsula.  The  latter  consisted, 
however,  of  only  a  few  log  cabins  bor 
dering  both  banks  of  the  River  Raisin, 
the  claims  on  which  they  were  situated 
being  narrow  and  running  back  from 
the  river  a  long  distance.  The  culti 
vated  portions  of  the  claims  lay  next  to 
the  river,  and  were  inclosed  by  pickets 
which  were  very  substantial,  being  split 
out  roughly  from  logs, and  driven  or  set  in 
the  ground  closely  together.  The 
first  American  settlement  was  established  there  in  1703,  and  soon  after  a  Catholic 
chapel  was  erected  for  the  French. 

The  region  around  about  Frenchtown  was  originally  inhabited  and  claimed  by 
the  Pottawatomie  Indians.  At  a  treaty  concluded  at  Fort  Mclntosh  in  1785,  these 
Indians  and  other  tribes  ceded  to  the  United  States  a  strip  of  territory  six  miles 
wide,  extending  from  the  southern  bank  of  the  lliver  Raisin  to  Lake  St.  Clair. 
As  late  as  the  year  1800,  the  Fottawatomies  had  a  village  of  a  thousand  warriors, 
beside  their  wives  and  children,  at  what  is  now  called  Chase's  Mill,  on  the  River 
Raisin,  eight  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Monroe.  Their  huts  were  made  of  bark,  and 
were  thatched  with  wild  grass.  This  was  their  permanent  dwelling  place,  save 
when  they  were  absent  on  hunting  expeditions.  They  cultivated  the  flat  between 
the  high  grounds  and  the  river  for  their  cornfields :  they  were  peaceable  when 
sober. 

At  Hull's  treaty  at  Detroit,  in  1807,  the  Indians  ceded  to  the  United  States  about 
14  of  the  present  counties,  in  the  eastern  part  of  Michigan,  and  two  and  one  half 
counties  in  northern  Ohio.  After  this,  therefore,  the  Fottawatomies  abandoned 
their  village  near  Monroe,  and  moved  west.  They  reserved,  however,  a  tract  of 
land  in  Monroe  county,  three  miles  square,  called  the  Macon  Reservation,  14  miles 
from  the  inouth  of  the  River  Raisin. 

In  1X05,  there  were,  according  to  the  report  of  Judge  Woodward,  121  settle 
ments,  or  farms,  on  the  River  Raisin.  These,  however,  must  have  included  the 
neighboring  settlement  on  Sandy  and  other  creeks,  as  there  could  scarcely  have 
been  that  number  on  the  River  Raisin,  according  to  the  memory  of  the  oldest  set 
tlers.  At  this  time  there  was  no  village,  nor  any  collection  of  houses  nearer  than 
they  would  naturally  be  on  the  narrow  French  claims.  In  1807  a  block  house  and 
stockade  were  built  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of  Hon.  Charles 
Noble;  they  were  erected  for  the  protection  of  the  people  from  the  Indians.  The 
stockade  was  an  acre  in  size,  surrounded  with  pickets  12  feet  high,  and  12  to  15 
inches  through,  set  closely  together,  forming  a,  very  substantial  defense.  For  some 
time  the  upper  part  of  the  block  house  was  used  to  hold  courts  in,  and  the  lowof 
part  w;;s  the  prison. 


270  MICHIGAN. 

In  consequence  of  the  fact,  that  the  settlement  of  the  River  Raisin  was  on  the 
direct  road  from  Detroit  to  Ohio,  it  was  deemed  a  post  of  considerable  importance 
during  the  difficulties  that  preceded,  as  well  as  during  the  actual  hostilities  of  the 
war  of  1812.  Detroit  depended,  in  a  great  measure,  on  Ohio  and  Kentucky  for 
men  and  provisions,  and  as  these,  since  Gen.  Hull  had  cut  a  narrow  wagon  road 
through,  would  pass  through  Frenchtown,  it  was  of  importance  that  the  place 
should  be  kept  out  of  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  who  could  easily  cross  over  from 
Canada  and  cut  off  the  supplies  before  they  reached  Detroit.  For  this  reason, 
Monroe  became  the  scene  of  actual  warfare,  not  on  a  very  extended  scale,  it  is  true, 
but  worthy  of  record  among  the  incidents  of  the  war  of  1812. 

Just  previous  to,  or  about  the  first  of  August,  1812,  Col.  Brush  was  sent  from 
Ohio  at  the  head  of  two  companies  of  Ohio  militia,  with  3  or  400  cattle,  and  a  large 
stock  of  provisions,  and  some  arms  and  ammunition,  for  Gen.  Hull,  then  in  com 
mand  of  the  American  troops  at  Detroit.  He  got  as  far  as  Frenchtown,  but  learn 
ing  that  a  large  party  of  British  and  Indians  had  been  sent  out  from  Maiden, 
Canada,  to  intercept  him  at  Brownstown,  a  place  some  20  miles  from  Frenchtown, 
on  the  road  to  Detroit,  arid  fearing  to  advance  farther  without  assistance  from  Gen. 
Hull,  he  occupied  the  block  house  aiid  stockade.  Two  expeditions  were  sent  out 
by  Gen.  Hull  to  relieve  Col.  Brush.  The  first  consisting  of  200  men  under  Maj.  Van 
Horn,  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  Indians  at  Brownstown,  on  the  8th  of  August,  and, 
after  fighting  gallantly  against  a  hidden  and  superior  force,  he  thought  it  best,  as 
his  force  was  evidently  too  small,  to  return  to  Detroit,  leaving  18  dead  on  the  field. 
The  second  expedition  was  made  by  Col.  Miller,  on  the  9th  of  August,  with  600 
men,  who  met,  fought  and  dispersed,  after  a  desperate  battle,  a  large  body  of 
British  and  Indians  at  Monguagon,  a  place  15  miles  below  Detroit.  The  British 
were  commanded  by  Maj.  Muir,  the  Indians  by  the  celebrated  Indian  warrior  and 
statesman,  Tecumseh.  who,  on  that  day,  fought  with  desperate  valor,  a-nd  although 
wounded,  maintained  his  ground  while  the  British  regulars  gave  way.  Col.  Miller 
was  obliged  to  await  provisions  before  he  could  advance  further  toward  the  Raisin, 
and  was  finally  ordered  back  by  Gen.  Hull,  who  feared  or  expected  an  attack  on 
Detroit.  Arrangements  were  now  made  to  convey  Col.  Brush  and  the  supplies  in 
his  charge  by  a  more  circuitous  and  less  exposed  route,  which  had  been  traveled  by 
James  Knaggs,  who  had  carried  a  letter  from  Col.  Brush  to  Gen.  Hull.  In  order 
to  effect  this,  Colonels  McArthur  and  Cass  were  sent  to  his  relief  with  350  of  the 
best  troops,  on  the  13th  of  August,  but  they  had  not  arrived  at  the  Raisin  before 
the  surrender  of  Detroit  to  the  British,  which  occurred  the  16th  of  August,  their 
command,  as  well  as  that  of  Col.  Brush  and  his  supplies,  being  included  in  the 
capitulation. 

In  order  to  secure  the  force  under  Col.  Brush  and  the  supplies  in  his  charge, 
Capt.  Elliott,  a  British  officer,  accompanied  by  a  Frenchman  and  a  Wyandot  In 
dian,  was  sent  to  Frenchtown  with  a  copy  of  the  capitulation.  Col.  Brush,  learn 
ing  from  his  scouts  that  Capt.  Elliott  was  coming  with  a  flag  of  truce,  sent  a  guard 
out  to  meet  him.  He  and  his  companions  were  blindfolded  and  brought  info  the 
stockade.  Brush  would  not  believe  Elliott's  story,  and  thought  it  was  a  hoax,  and 
the  copy  of  the  capitulation  a  forgery,  so  utterly  improbable  did  it  seem  that  De 
troit  had  been  taken.  For  this  reason  he  threw  Elliott  and  his  two  companions 
into  the  block-house.  The  next  day,  however,  the  story  was  confirmed  by  an 
American  soldier,  who  had  escaped  from  Detroit.  Upon  this,  Brush  packed  up 
what  provisions  he  could,  and,  driving  his  cattle  before  him,  escaped  to  Ohio,  leav 
ing  orders  to  release  Elliott  on  the  next  day,  which  was  done.  Elliott,  of  course, 
was  indignant  at  his  treatment,  and  at  the  escape  of  Brush  with  so  much  of  the 
supplies.  To  add  to  his  rage,  a  great  portion  of  the  provisions  and  ammunition 
left  by  Brush,  had  been  carried  off  and  secreted  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  place, 
before  he  had  been  released,  they  thinking  it  no  great  harm  to  take,  for  their  own 
use,  what  would  otherwise  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  rascally  British,  as  they  called 
them.  These  acts  were  certainly  very  injudicious,  and  all  concur  in  attributing  a 
great  portion  of  the  calamities  that  befell  the  settlement  to  the  manner  in  which  they 
had  treated  Elliott,  and  to  their  evasion  of  the  terms  of  the  capitulation.  Elliott 
sent  for  Tecumseh  to  pursue  Brush,  and  permitted  the  Indians  to  ravage  and  plun- 


MICHIGAN.  271 

der  the  settlement  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  Tecumseh.*  The  settlement 
•was  plundered  not  only  of  provision  and  cattle,  but  horses,  saddles,  bridles,  house 
hold  furniture,  and  every  valuable  which  had  not  been  secreted.  The  place  was 
so  stripped  of  horses,  that  James  Knaggs,  who,  for  15  days,  lay  hid  in  the  set 
tlement  (a  reward  of  $500  having  been  offered  for  his  scalp),  could  find  only  one  on 
•which  to  escape  to  Ohio,  and  that  one  had  been  hidden  by  a  tailor  in  a  cellar: 
Knaggs  gave  his  coat  and  a  silver  watch  for  it.  After  much  peril  he  succeeded 
in  escaping,  and  afterward  was  present  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  under  Col.  R. 
M.  Johnson,  and  was  not  fur  from  Tecumseh  at  the  time  of  his  death.  Mr.  Knaggs 
is  still  living,  and  resides  at  Monroe. 

About  this  time,  at  the  command  of  Elliott,  the  block-house  was  burned,  and  also 
a  portion  of  the  pickets  were  destroyed,  as  it  was  impossible  for  the  British  to  oc 
cupy  the  place  then,  and  it  would  not  answer  to  leave  them  standing.  Elliott 
then  left,  and  bands  of  Indians  repeatedly  came  and  plundered  the  settlement,  until 
about  October,  when  some  British  officers  came  with  some  militia  and  took  per 
manent  possession  of  the  place.  They  occupied  the  houses  of  Jerome  and  Con- 
ture,  below  the  brick  house  now  owned  by  Gibson,  not  far  from  the  presenb  rail 
road  bridge.  This  location  was  made  from  the  fact  th^t  it  was  adjacent  to,  and 
commanded  the  road  to  Detroit,  and  because,  from  its  elevation,  it  overlooked  the 
opposite  (south)  side  of  the  River  Raisin,  whence  would  come  the  attacks  of  the 
Americans,  who  were  shortly  expected  to  advance  under  Gen.  Harrison  to  Detroit. 
Here  they  remained  with  a  considerable  force  of  British  and  Indians,  until  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  advance  troops  under  Gen.  Winchester,  on  the  18th  of  January, 
1813.  These  advance  troops  were  led  by  Colonels  Lewis  and  Allen,  and  came 
from  Maumee  on  the  ice,  and  attacked,  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  the  ene 
my,  from  a  point  below  where  the  storehouses  on  the  canal  are  now  situated. 
The  British  had  posted  a  six-pounder  on  the  high  ground  in  front  of  the  camp,  and 
with  it  attempted  to  prevent  the  Americans  from  crossing,  by  firing  diagonally 
down  the  river,  but  the  attack  was  made  with  such  vigor,  that  the  British  were  dis 
lodged  after  a  short  contest,  and  compelled  to  retreat  toward  Maiden.  The  In 
dians  held  out  until  dark,  being  protected,  in  a  measure,  by  the  rushes  which  con- 

*0ne  incident  we  have  never  seen  published,  shows  the  character  of  the  great  Indian 
chieftain,  Tecumseh,  in  a  noble  light.  When  he  came  to  the  Raisin,  after  the  retreat 
of  Col.  Brush,  he  found  that  most  of  the  cattle  of  the  settlement  had  been  driven  off,  either 
by  the  settlers  in  order  to  save  them,  or  by  the  Indians  as  plunder.  Therefore  he  expe 
rienced  much  difficulty  in  getting  meat,  for  his  warriors.  He,  however,  discovered  a  yoke 
of  fine  black  oxen,  belonging  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Rivard,  who  resided  up  the  river 
some  distance  above  Monroe.  Tecumseh  took  the  cattle,  but  Rivard  begged  so  hard,  stat 
ing  that  they  were  the  only  property  he  had  left,  and  taking  him  into  the  house,  showed 
the  chieftain  his  father,  sick  and  in  need  of  medicine,  fcnd  appealed  so  hard  to  Tecutnseh's 
generosity,  that  Tecumseh  said  he  must  have  the  cattle,  as  his  men  were  hungry,  but  that 
he  would  pay  him  $100  for  them.  The  cattle  were  speedily  killed,  and  during  the  evening 
a  man  who  could  write  made  out  an  order  on  Elliott  for  $100,  and  it  was  signed  by  Tecum 
seh.  The  next  morning  Rivard  went  to  the  block-house  to  get  the  money,  but  Elliott 
would  not  pay  the  order,  and  treated  Rivard  harshly,  telling  him  the  oxen  did  not  belong  to 
him,  but  to  the  British  who  had  conquered  the  country.  Rivard  returned  and  reported  what 
had  occurred.  Tecumseh  was  indignant,  declaring  that  if  that  was  the  way  his  orders 
were  treated,  he  would  pay  the  debt  himself,  and  leave  with  his  men.  The  truly  insulted 
chieftain  then  strode  into  Elliott's  presence,  accompanied  by  Rivard,  and  demanded  why 
his  order  had  not  been  paid  ?  Elliott  told  him  that  he  had  no  authority  to  pay  such  debts, 
that  it  was  no  more  than  right  that  the  citizens  should  support  the  army  for  their  willful 
ness.  Tecumseh  replied  that  he  had  promised  the  man  the  money,  and  the  money  he  should 
have,  if  he  had  to  sell  all  his  own  horses  to  raise  it:  that  the  man  was  poor  and  bad  a  sick 
father  as  he  knew,  having  seen  him,  and  that  it  was  not  right  that  this  man  should  suffer 
for  the  evil  deeds  of  his  government,  and  that  if  this  was  the  way  the  British  intended  to 
carry  on  the  war,  he  would  pay  the  debt  and  then  leave  withjbis  men  for  his  home,  and  let 
the  British  do  their  own  fighting.  Elliott,  subdued  by  the  will  of  the  Indian  leader, 
brought  out  $100  in  government  scrip,  but  Tecumseh  bade  him  take  it  back,  as  he  had 
promised  the  man  the  money,  and  the  money  he  should  have,  or  he  would  leave.  Elliott 
was  therefore  compelled  to  pay  the  specie,  and  then,  in  addition,  Tecumseh  made  him  give 
the  man  a  dcllar  extra  for  the  trouble  he  had  been  at. 


2  72 


MICHIGAN. 


cealed  them,  on  the  low  grounds  below  the  British  camp.  Finally  they  retieated 
to  the  woods,  and  the  Americans  so  heedlessly  pursued  them,  that  in  the  darkness 
they  fell  into  an  ambuscade,  and  had  about  13  men  killed  and  several  wounded.  The 
loss  in  the  afternoon  is  not  known,  but  is  supposed  to  have  amounted  to  as  many  more. 
Colonels  Lewis  and  Allen  took  possession  of  the  quarters  vacated  by  the  British, 
and  established  guards  at  the  picket  fences,  some  distance  from  the  houses,  and 
patrols  in  the  woods. 

On  the  19th,  two  hundred  Americans,  under  Col.  Wells,  arrived  and  encamped 
on  the  lleaume  farm,  about  80  rods  below  the  other  troops.  On  the  20th  of  Janu 
ary,  Gen.  Winchester  arrived  and  took  up  his  quarters  in  the  house  of  Col.  Francis 
Navarre,  on  the  opposite  (south)  side  of  the  river,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
above  the  position  of  Cols.  Lewis  and  Allen.  The  troops  that  came  with  him,  un 
der  Major  Madison,  occupied  the  same  camp  that  the  others  did.  All  the  forces 
amounted*  to  not  far  from  1,000  men. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  the  18th,  some  of  the  French  inhabitants  who 
had  sold  provisions  to  the  British,  followed  them  to  Maiden  to  get  their  pay.  On 
their  return,  they  brought  word  that  the  British  and  Indians  were  collecting  in 
large  force,  to  the  amount  of  3,000  to  attack  Frenchtown.  Gen.  Winchester  paid 
but  little  attention  to  these  reports,  feeling  considerable  confidence  in  his  own 
strength,  and  expecting  reinforcements  that  would  render  him  safe  beyond  a  doubt, 
before  the  enemy  could  possibly  attack  him.  The  British  seemed  to  be  aware  that 
they  must  make  the  attack  before  these  reinforcements  came  up,  if  they  wished  to 
effect  anything ;  hence  they  hastened  their  preparations.  On  the  2 1st,  several  of 
the  more  prominent  French  citizens  went  to,  AVinchester  and  told  him  that  they 
had  reliable  information  that  the  American  camp  would  be  attacked  that  night  or 
the  next  day.  He  was  so  infatuated  that  he  paid  no  further  deference  to  their 
statement  than  to  order  those  soldiers  who  were  scattered  around  the  settlement, 
drinking  cider  with  the  inhabitants,  to  assemble  and  remain  in  camp  all  night. 

About  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  January,  1813,  a  large  force  of 
British  and  Indians,  under  Proctor  and  the  celebrated  Indian  chiefs,  Round  Head 
and  Split  Log,  attacked  the  camp  of  the  Americans.  The  attack  was  made  all 
along  the  lines,  but  the  British  forces  were  more  particularly  led  against  the  upper 
camp,  occupied  by  Major  Madison  and  Cols.  Lewis  and  Allen,  and  the  Indians 
against  the  lower  camp,  occupied  by  Col.  Wells.  The  British  were  unsuccessful 
at  their  part  of  the  lines,  where  the  Americans  fought  with  great  bravery,  and  were 

protected  very  much 
by  the  pickets,  which 
being  placed  at  some 
distance  from  the 
woods,  afforded  the 
Kentucky  riflemen  a 
fine  opportunity  t  o 
shoot  the  enemy  down 
as  they  were  advanc 
ing.  An  attempt  was 
then  made  by  the  Brit 
ish  to  use  a  Held  piece 
just  ut  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  by  which  they 
hoped  to  prostrate  the 
pickets  and  batter 
down  the  houses,  but 
the  Kentuckians  with  their  sharpshooters  picked  the  men  off  as  fast  as  they  at 
tempted  to  load  it,  so  that  they  were  forced  to  abandon  the  attack  and  suffer  a  re 
pulse. 

While  these  things  were  happening  at  the  upper  camp,  a  far  different  state  of 
things  existed  at  the  lower  one.  The  attack  of  the  Indians  was  so  impetuous,  the 
position  so  indefensible,  and  the  American  force  so  inadequate,  consisting  of  only 
200  men,  that,  notwithstanding  the  bravery  of  Col.  Wells  and  his  men,  it  was  im 
possible  to  retain  the  position..  Cols.  Lewis  and  Allen  attempted  to  take  a  rein- 


SITE  OF  THE  STOCKADE  ox  THE  RIVKK  UAISIX. 

The  upper  camp  and  wliere  the  wounded  prisoners  were  massacred  after 
their  surrender,  was  ou  the  site  of  the  large  huuse  on  the  extreme  left. 
The  site  of  the  lower  camp  appears  in  the  distance  below.  The  view  was 
taken  from  the  railroad  bridge  on  the  Toledo,  Monroe  and  Detroit  K.R. 


MICHIGAN.  273 

foreement  to  the  right  wing,  to  enable  Col.  Wells  to  retreat  up  the  river  on  the  ice, 
under  cover  of  the  high  bank,  to  the  upper  camp.  But  before  they  arrived  at  tho 
lower  camp,  the  fire  of  the  savages  had  become  so  galling  that  Wells  was 
forced  to  abandon  his  position.  This  he  attempted  to  do  in  good  order,  but  as  soon 
as  his  men  began  to  give  way,  the  Indians  redoubled  their  cries  and  the  impetuos 
ity  of  their  attack,  so  that  the  retreat  speedily  became  a  rout.  In  this  condition 
they  were  met  by  Col.  Allen,  who  made  every  eS'ort  to  call  them  to  order  and  lead 
them  in  safety  to  the  upper  camp.  But,  notwithstanding  the  heroic  exertions  of 
Col.  Allen,  and  his  earnest  protestations  and  commands,  they  continued  their  dis 
ordered  flight,  and  from  some  unaccountable  reason,  probably  through  an  irre 
sistible  panic,  caused  by  the  terrible  cries  and  onslaught  of  the  savages,  instead 
of  continuing  up  the  river  to  the  upper  camp,  they  fled  diagonally  across 
to  the  Hull  road,  so  called,  which  led  to  Maumee,  and  attempted  to  escape 
to  Ohio.  And  now  the  flight  became  a  carnage.  The  Indians  seeing  the 
disorder  of  the  Americans,  who  thought  of  nothing  save  running  for  their 
lives,  and  escaping  the  tomahawks  of  the  savages,  having  warriors  posted  all 
along  the  woods  which  lined  or  were  within  a  short  distance  of  the  river,  now 
raised  the  cry  that  the  Americans  were  flying,  which  cry  was  echoed  by  thousands 
of  warriors,  who  all  rushed  to  the  spot  and  outstripped  the  fleeing  soldiers.  Some 
followed  them  closely  in  their  tracks  and  brained  them  with  their  tomahawks  from 
cehind;  some  posted  themselves  both  sides  of  the  narrow  road  and  shot  them 
down  as  they  passed ;  and  finally  some  got  in  advance,  and  headed  them  off  at 
Plumb  creek,  a  small  stream  about  a  mile  from  the  River  Raisin.  Here  the  panic 
stricken  soldiers,  who  had  thrown  away  most  of  their  arms  to  facilitate  their  night, 
huddled  together  like  sheep,  with  the  brutal  foe  on  all  sides,  were  slaughtered,  and 
so  closely  were  they  hemmed  in,  that  tradition  says,  that  after  the  battle,  forty 
dead  bodies  were  found  lying  scalped  and  plundered  on  two  rods  square. 

Gen.  Winchester,  impressed  with  the  foolish  idea  that  an  attack  would  not  be 
made,  had  retired  the  night  before  without  having  made  any  arrangements  for 
safety  or  dispatch  in  case  of  an  attack.  Therefore  when  awakened  by  the  firing, 
he  and  his  aids  made  great  confusion,  all  crying  for  their  horses,  which  were  in 
Col.  Navarre's  stable,  the  servants  scarcely  awake  enough  to  equip  them  with  haste. 
The  luckless  commander  became  very  impatient  to  join  his  forces,  nearly  a  mile 
distant,  and,  to  gratify  his  desire,  Cof.  Navarre  offered  him  his  best  and  fleetest 
horse,  which  had  been  kept  saddled  all  night,  as  Navarre,  in  common  with  all  the 
French  inhabitants,  expected  an  attack  before  morning.  On  this  horse  he  started 
for  the  camp,  but,  on  the  way,  finding  that  a  large  number  of  the  troops  were  then 
fleeing  on  the  Hull  road,  he  followed  after  them  to  rally  them,  and,  if  possible,  re 
gain  the  day,  but  on  his  way  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  an  Indian  (said  to  have 
been  Jack  Brandy),  who  knew  by  his  clothes  that  he  was  an  officer,  and  therefore 
spared  his  life.  Proctor  persuaded  the  Indian  to  deliver  him  over  into  his  hands. 
Col.  Allen  was  also  taken  prisoner  about  the  same  time;  he  had  behaved  with  ex 
traordinary  courage  during  the  whole  action,  although  wounded  in  the  thigh, 
lie  was  finally  killed  by  an  Indian  while  held  a  prisoner. 

With  Winchester  as  his  prisoner,  Proctor  felt  that  he  could  dictate  terms  to  that 
portion  of  the  American  troops  under  the  command  of  Major  Madison  in  the  upper 
camp,  who  had  thus  far  made  a  successful  resistance.  Procter  sent  with  a  flag 
one  of  Gen.  Winchester's  aids,  with  the  peremptory  orders  of  the  latter,  directing 
Major  Madison  to  surrender.  Col.  Proctor  had  demanded  an  immediate  surrender,- 
or  he  would  burn  the  settlement,  and  allow  the  Indians  to  massacre  the  prisoners 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  place.  Major  Madison  replied,  that  it  was  customary 
for  the  Indians  to  massacre  the  wounded  and  prisoners  after  a  surrender,  and  he 
would  not  agree  to  any  capitulation  Gen.  Winchester  might  make,  unless  the  safe 
ty  and  protection  of  his  men  were  guaranteed.  After  trying  in  vain  to  get  an  un 
conditional  surrender,  Major  Madison  and  his  men  being  disposed  to  sell  their  lives 
as  dearly  as  possible,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of  being  massacred  in  cold  blood, 
Proctor  agreed  to  the  terms  demanded,  which  were,  that  private  property  should 
be  respected,  that  sleds  should  be  sent  next  morning  to  take  the  sick  and  wounded 
to  Maiden,  and  that  their  side  arms  should  be  restored  to  the  officers  on  their  ar 
rival  there. 

18 


274  MICHIGAN. 

These  terms  completed,  the  surrender  was  made,  and  the  prisoners  and  British 
and  Indians  started  for  Maiden:  not,  however,  until  the  Indians  had  violated  the 
first  article  of  the  agreement,  by  plundering  the  settlement.  But  finally  all  de 
parted,  except  the  sick  and  wounded  American  soldiers,  who  were  left  in  the  two 
houses  of  the  upper  camp,  to  await  the  coming  of  the  sleds  on  the  morrow.  Only 
two  or  three  persons  were  left  in  charge  of  them,  a  neglect  which  was  nearly  or 
quite  criminal  on  the  part  of  Proctor.  The  last  and  most  disgraceful  scene  in  this 
bloody  tragedy  was  yet  to  be  enacted.  The  sleds  that  were  to  take  the  ill-fated 
sufferers  to  Maiden  never  came.  In  their  stead  came,  the  next  morning,  300  In 
dians,  painted  black  and  red,  determined  on  massacreing  the  wounded  Americans, 
in  revenge  for  their  loss  the  day  before.  The  slaughter  soon  commenced  in  earn 
est.  Breaking  into  the  houses  where  the  Americans  were,  they  first  plundered 
and  then  tomahawked  them.  The  houses  were  set  on  fire,  and  those  within  were 
consumed;  if  any  attempted  to  crawl  out  of  the  doors  or  windows  they  were 
wounded  with  the  hatchet  and  pushed  back  into  the  flames :  those  that  happened 
to  be  outside  were  stricken  down,  and  their  dying  bodies  thrown  into  the  burning 
dwellings.  Major  Wolfolk,  the  secretary  of  Gen.  Winchester,  was  killed  in  the 
massacre.  Thus  ended  the  "Massacre  of  the  River  Raisin,"  Thus  perished  in 
cold  blood  some  of  Kentucky's  noblest  heroes  :  their  death  filled  with  sorrow  many 
homes  south  of  the  Ohio.  No  monument  marks  the  place  of  their  death :  but  lit 
tle  is  known  of  the  private  history  of  those  brave  spirits  who  traversed  a  wilder 
ness  of  several  hundred  miles,  and  gave  up  their  lives  for  their  country :  who  died 
alone,  unprotected,  wounded,  in  a  settlement  far  from  the  abode  of  civilization. 

But  few  of  the  killed  were  ever  buried.  Their  bones  lay  bleaching  in  the  sun 
for  years.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1818,  a  company  of  men  under  the  charge  of  Col. 
Anderson,  an  old  settler  of  Frenchtown,  went  to  the  spot  of  the  battle  and  col 
lected  a  large  quantity  of  the  bones,  and  buried  them,  with  appropriate  ceremo 
nies,  in  the  old  graveyard  in  Monroe.  For  years  after,  however,  it  was  not  un 
common  to  find  a  skull,  fractured  by  the  fatal  tomahawk,  hidden  away  in  some 
clump  of  bushes,  where  the  dogs  and  wild  beasts  had  dragged  the  body  to  devour 
its  flesh. 

In  addition  to  the  preceding  communication,  we  annex  extracts  from  Dar- 
nall's  Journal  of  Winchester's  Campaign,  which  gives  additional  light  upon 
the  disaster  of  the  River  Raisin : 

Jan.  19th.  Frenchtown  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  this  river,  not  more  than  three 
miles  from  the  place  it  empties  into  Lake  Erie.  There  is  a  row  of  dwelling  houses,  about 
twenty  in  number,  principally  frame,  near  the  bank,  surrounded  with  a  fence  made  in  the 
form  of  picketing,  with  split  timber,  from  four  to  five  feet  high.  This  was  not  designed 
as  a  fortification,  but  to  secure  their  yards  and  gardens. 

2ls<.  A  reinforcement  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  men  arrived  in  the  afternoon:  also 
Gen.  Winchester,  Col.  Wells,  Major  M'Clanahan,  Capt.  Hart,  Surgeons  Irvin  and  Mont 
gomery,  and  some  other  gentlemen,  who  came  to  eat  apples  and  drink  cider,  having  been 
deprived  of  every  kind  of  spirits  nearly  two  months.  The  officers  having  viewed  and  laid 
off  a  piece  of  ground  for  a  camp  and  breastworks,  resolved  that  it  was  too  late  to  remove 
and  erect  fortifications  that  evening.  Further,  as  they  resolved  to  remove  early  next  day, 
it  was  not  thought  worth  while,  though  materials  were  at,  hand,  to  fortify  the  right  wing, 
which  therefore  encamped  in  the  open  field;  this  want  of  precaution  was  a  great  cause  of 
our  mournful  defeat.  Col.  Wells,  their  commander,  set  out  for  the  Rapids  late  in  the 
evening.  A  Frenchman  arrived  here  late  in  the  evening  from  Maiden,  and  stated  that  a 
large  number  of  Indians  and  British  were  coining  on  the  ice,  with  artillery,  to  attack  us; 
he  judged  their  number  to  be  three  thousand;  this  was  not  believed  by  some  of  our  lead 
ing  men,  who  were  regaling  themselves  with  whisky  and  loaf  sugar;  but  the  generality  of 
the  troops  put  great  confidence  in  the  Frenchman's  report,  and  expected  some  fatal  disas 
ter  to  befall  us;  principally  because  Gen.  Winchester  had  taken  up  his  head-quarters  near- 
lv  half  a  mile  from  any  part  of  the  encampment,  and  because  the  right  wing  was  exposed. 
Ensign  Harrow,  who  was  sent  with  a  party  of  men,  some  time  after  night,  by  the  orders 
of  Col.  Lewis,  to  bring  in  all  the  men,  either  officers  or  privates,  that  he  might  find  out 
of  their  quarters;  after  finding  some  and  giving  them  their  orders,  went  to  a  brick  house 
about  a  mile  up  the  river,  and  entered  a  room;  finding  it  not  occupied,  he  immediately 
went  above  stairs,  and  saw  two  men  whom  he  took  to  be  British  officers,  talking  with  the 
landlord;  the  landlord  asked  him  to  walk  down  into  a  store  room,  and  handing  his  bottle, 
asked  him  to  drink,  and  informed  him  "  there  was  no  danger,  for  the  British  had  not  a 


MICHIGAN. 


275 


force  sufficient  to  whip  us."  So  Harrow  returned  about  1  o'clock,  and  reported  to  Col. 
Lewis  what  he  had  seen.  Col.  Lewis  treated  the  report  with  coolness,  thinking  the  per 
sons  seen  were  only  some  gentlemen  from  town.  Just  at  daybreak  the  reveille  began  to 
beat  as  usual;  this  gave  joy  to  the  troops,  who  had  passed  the  night  under  the  apprehen 
sions  of  being  attacked  before  day.  The  reveille  had  not  been  beating  more  than  two 
minutes,  before  the  sentinels  fired  three  guns  in  quick  succession.  This  alarmed  our 
troops,  who  quickly  formed,  and  were  ready  for  the  enemy  before  they  were  near  enough 
to  do  execution.  The  British  immediately  discharged  their  artillery,  loaded  with  balls, 
bombs,  and  grape-shot,  which  did  little  injury.  They  then  attempted  to  make  a  charge  on 
those  in  the  pickets,  but  were  repulsed  with  great  loss.  Those  on  the  right  being  less 
secure  for  the  want  of  fortification,  were  overpowered  by  a  superior  force,  and  were  ordered 
to  retreat  to  a  more  advantageous  piece  of  ground.  They  got  in  disorder,  and  could  not 
be  formed.*  The  Indians  pursued  them  from  all  quarters,  and  surrounded,  killed,  and 
took  the  most  of  them.  The  enemy  again  charged  on  the  left  with  redoubled  vigor,  but 
were  again  forced  to  retire.  Our  men  lay  close  behind  the  picketing,  through  which  they 
had  port  holes,  and  every  one  having  a  rest,  took  sight,  that  his  antmunition  might  not  be 
spent  in  vain.  After  a  long  and  bloody  contest,  the  enemy  finding  they  could  not  either 
by  stratagem  or  force  drive  us  from  our  fortification,  retired  to  the  woods,  learing  their 
dead  on  the  ground  (except  a  party  that  kept  two  pieces  of  cannon  in  play  on  our  right.) 
A  sleigh  was  seen  three  or  four  hundred  yards  from  our  lines  going  toward  the  right,  sup 
posed  to  be  laden  with  ammunition  to  supply  the  cannon;  four  or  five  men  rose  up  and 
fired  at  once,  and  killed  the  man  and  wounded  the  horse.  Some  Indians  who  were  hid 
behind  houses,  continued  to  annoy  us  with  scattering  balls.  At  this  time  bread  from  the 
commissary's  house  was  handed  round  among  our  troops,  who  sat  composedly  eating  and 
watching  the  enemy  at  the  same  time.  Being  thus  refreshed,  we  discovered  a  white  flag 
advancing  toward  us;  it  was  generally  supposed  to  be  for  a  cessation  of  arms,  that  our  ene 
mies  might  carry  off  their  dead,  which  were  numerous,  although  they  had  been  bearing 
tiway  both  dead  and  wounded  during  the  action.  But  how  were  we  surprised  and  mortified 
when  we  heard  that  Gen.  Winchester,  with  Col.  Lewis,  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the 
Indians  in  attempting  to  rally  the  right  wing,  and  that  Gen.  Winchester  had  surrendered 
us  prisoners  of  war  to  Col.  Proctor!  M.ijor  Madison,  then  the  highest  in  command,  did  not 
agree  to  this  until  Col.  Proctor  had  promised  that  the  prisoners  should  be  protected  from 
the  Indians,  the  wounded  taken  care  of,  the  dead  collected  and  buried,  and  private  proper 
ty  respected.  It  was  then,  with  extreme  reluctance,  our  troops  accepted  this  proposition. 
There  was  scarcely  a  person  that  could  refrain  from  shedding  tears!  some  plead  with  the 
officers  not  to  surrender,  saying  they  wd^'.d  rather  die  on  the  field!  We  had  only  five 
killed,  and  twenty-five  or  thirty  wounded,  inside  of  the  pickets. 

The  British  collected  their  troops,  and  marched  in  front  of  the  village.  We  marched 
out  and  grounded  our  arms,  in  heat  and  bitterness  of  spirit.  The  British  and  Indians  took 
possession  of  them.  All  the  prisoners,  except  those  that  were  badly  wounded,  Dr.  Todd, 
Dr.  Bovvers,  and  a  few  attendants,  were  marched  toward  Maiden.  The  British  said,  as 
they  had  a  great  many  of  their  wounded  to  take  to  Maiden  that  evening,  it  would  be  out 
of  their  power  to  take  ours  before  morning,  but  they  would  leave  a  sufficient  guard  so  that 
they  should  not  be  interrupted  by  the  Indians. 

As  they  did  not  leave  the  PROMISED  GUARD,  I  lost  all  confidence  in  them,  and  expected 
we  would  all  be  massacred  before  morning.  I  being  the  only  person  in  this  house  not 
wounded,  with  the  assistance  of  some  of  the  wounded,  I  prepared  something  for  about 
thirty  to  eat. 

We  passed  this  night  under  the  most  serious  apprehensions  of  being  massacred  by  the 
tomahawk,  or  consumed  in  the  flames: — I  frequently  went  out  to  see  if  the  house  was  set 
on  fire.  At  length  the  long  wished  for  morn  arrived,  and  filled  each  heart  with  a  cheerful 
hope  of  being  delivered  from  the  crue.lty  of  these  merciless  savages.  We  were  making 
every  preparation  to  be  ready  for  the  promised  sleighs.  But,  alas!  instead  of  the  s  eighs, 
about  an  hour  by  sun,  a  great  number  of  savages,  painted  with  various  colors,  came  yell 
ing  in  the  most  hideous  manner!  These  blood-thirsty,  terrific  savages  (sent  here  by  their 
more  cruel  and  perfidious  allies,  the  British),  rushed  into  the  houses  where  the  desponding 
wounded  lay,  and  insolently  stripped  them  of  their  blankets,  and  all  their  best  clothes,  and 
ordered  them  out  of  the  houses!  I  ran  out  of  the  house  to  inform  the  interpreters f  what 
the  Indians  were  doing;  at  the  door,  an  Indian  took  my  hat  and  put  it  on  his  own  head;  I 

-When  the  right  wing  began  to  retreat,  it  is  said  orders  were  given  by  some  of  the  officers 
to  the  men  in  the  eastern  end  of  the  picketing,  to  march  out  to  their  assistance.  Captain 
Price,  and  a  number  of  men  sallied  out.  Captain  Price  was  killed,  and  most  of  the  men. 

fl  was  since  informed  that  Col.  Elliott  instructed  the  interpreters  to  leave  the  wounded, 
after  dark,  to  the  mercy  of  the  savages.  They  all  went  off  except  one  half-Indian. 


276  MICHIGAN. 

then  discovered  that  the  Indians  had  been  at  the  other  house  first,  and  had  used  the 
wounded  in  like  manner.  As  I  turned  to  go  back  into  the  house,  an  Indian  taking  hold 
of  me,  made  signs  for  me  to  stand  by  the  corner  of  the  house.  I  made  signs  to  him  1 
wanted  to  go  in  and  get  my  hat;  for  I  desired  to  see  what  they  had  done  with  the  wounded. 
The  Indians  sent  in  a  boy  who  brought  out  a  hat  and  threw  it  down  to  me,  and  I  could  not 
get  in  the  house.  Three  Indians  came  up  to  me  and  pulled  off  my  coat.  My  feeble  pow 
ers  can  not  describe  the  dismal  scenes  here  exhibited.  I  saw  my  fellow  soldiers  naked  and 
wounded,  crawling  out  of  the  houses,  to  avoid  being  consumed  in  the  flames.  Some  that 
had  not  been  able  to  turn  themselves  on  their  beds  for  four  days,  through  fear  of  being 
burned  to  death,  arose  and  walked  out  and  about  the  yard.  Some  cried  for  help,  but  there 
was  none  to  help  them.  "Ah!  "  exclaimed  numbers,  in  the  anguish  of  their  spirit,  "  what 
shall  we  do?  "  A  number,  unable  to  get  out,  miserably  perished  in  the  unrelenting  flames 
of  the  houses,  kindled  by  the  more  unrelenting  savages.  Now  the  scenes  of  cruelty  and 
murder  we  had  been  anticipating  with  dread,  during  last  night,  fully  commenced.  The 
savages  rushed  on  the  wounded,  and,  in  their  barbarous  manner,  shot  and  tomahawked,  and 
scalped  them;  and  cruelly  mangled  their  naked  bodies  while  they  lay  agonizing  and  wel 
tering  in  their  blood.  A  number  were  taken  toward  Maiden,  but  being  unable  to  march 
with  speed,  were  inhumanly  massacred.  The  road  was,  for  miles,  strewed  with  the  mangled 
bodies,  and  all  of  them  were  left  like  those  slain  in  battle,  on  the  22d,  for  birds  and  beasts 
to  tear  in  pieces  and  devour.  The  Indians  plundered  the  town  of  every  thing  valuable, 
and  set  the  best  houses  on  fire.  The  Indian  who  claimed  me,  gave  me  a  coat,  and  when 
he  had  got  as  much  plunder  as  he  could  carry,  he  ordered  me,  by  signs,  to  march,  which  I 
did  with  extreme  reluctance,  in  company  with  three  of  the  wounded,  and  six  or  seven  In 
dians.  In  traveling  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  two  of  the  wounded  lagged  behind  about 
twenty  yards.  The  Indians,  turning  round,  shot  one  and  scalped  him.  They  shot  at  the 
other  and  missed  him;  he,  running  up  to  them,  begged  that  they  would  not  shoot  him.  He 
paid  he  would  keep  up,  and  give  them  money.  But  these  murderers  were  not  moved  with 
his  doleful  cries.  They  shot  him  down,  and  rushing  on  him  in  a  crowd,  scalped  him.  In 
like  manner,  my  brother  Allen  perished.  He  marched  with  difficulty  after  the  wounded, 
about  two  or  three  hundred  yards,  and  was  there  barbarously  murdered. 

In  traveling  two  miles,  we  came  to  a  house  where  there  were  two  British  officers;  the 
Indian  made  a  halt,  and  I  asked  one  of  the  officers  what  the  Indian  was  going  to  do  with 
me;  he  said  he  was  going  to  take  me  to  Amherstburgh  (or  Maiden.)  I  judged  these  vil 
lains  had  instructed  the  Indians  to  do  what  they  had  done 

During  my  captivity  with  the  Indians,  the  other  prisoners  were  treated  very  inhumanly. 
The  first  night  they  were  put  in  a  woodyard;  the  rain  commenced  early  in  the  night  arid 
put 'out  all  their  fires;  in  this  manner  they  passed  a  tedious  night,  wet  and  benumbed  with 
cold.  From  this  place  they  were  taken  to  a  cold  warehouse,  still  deprived  of  fire,  with 
their  clothes  and  blankets  frozen,  and  nothing  to  eat  but  a  little  bread.  In  this  wretched 
condition  they  continued  two  days  and  three  nights. 

Captain  Hart,  who  was  among  those  massacred,  was  the  brother-in-law  of 
Henry  Clay.  Timothy  Mallary,  in  his  narrative  of  his  captivity,  says  on 
this  point: 

The  Indians  ordered  several  other  prisoners  and  myself  to  march  for  Maiden.  "We  had 
not  .proceeded  far  before  they  tomahawked  four  of  this  number,  amongst  whom  was  Capt. 
Hart,  of  Lexington.  He  had  hired  an  Indian  to  take  him  to  Maiden.  I  saw  part  of  this 
hire  paid  to  the  Indian.  After  having  taken  him  some  distance,  another  Indian  demanded 
him,  saying  that  he  was  his  prisoner;  the  hireling  would  not  give  him  up;  the  claimant, 
finding  that  ho  could  not  get  him  alive,  shot  him  in  the  left  side  with  a  pistol.  Captain 
Hart  still  remained  on  his  horse;  the  claimant  then  ran  up,  struck  him  with  a  tomahawk, 
pulled  him  off  his  horse,  scalped  him,  and  left  him  lying  there. 

Hon.  B.  F.  H.  Witherell,  of  Detroit,  in  his  Reminiscences,  gives  some 
facts  upon  the  inhuman  treatment  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  the  River  Raisin. 
He  says : 

Our  fellow-citizen,  Oliver  Bellair,  Esq.,  at  that  time  a  boy,  resided  with  his  parents  at 
Maiden.  He  states  that,  when  the  prisoners,  some  three  or  four  hundred  in  number,  ar 
rived  at  Maiden,  they  were  pictures  of  misery.  A  long,  cold  march  from  the  states  in 
mid  winter,  camping  out  in  the  deep  snow,  the  hard-fought  battle  and  subsequent  robbery 
of  their  effects,  left  them  perfectly  destitute  of  any  comforts.  Many  of  the  prisoners  were 
also  slightly  wounded;  the  blood,  dust,  and  smoke  of  battle  were  yet  upon  them.  At 
Maiden,  they  were  driven  into  an  open  woodyard,  and,  without  tents  or  covering  of  any 
kind,  thinly  clad,  they  endured  the  bitter  cold  of  a  long  January  night;  but  they  were 
soldiers  of  the  republic,  and  suffered  without  murmuring  at  their  hard  lot.  They  were 


MICHIGAN. 


277 


surrounded  by  a  strong  chain  of  sentinels,  to  prevent  their  escape,  and  to  keep  the  savages 
off,  who  pressed  hard  to  enter  the  inclosure.  The  inhabitants  of  the  village,  at  night,  in 
large  numbers,  sympathizingly  crowded  around,  and  thus  favored  the  escape  of  a  lew  of 
the  prisoners. 

The  people  of  Maiden  were  generally  kind  to  prisoners.  It  is  not  in  the  nature  of  a 
Frenchman  to  be  otherwise  than  kind  to  the  suffering. 

Mr.  Bellair  tells  me,  that,  at  the  time  these  prisoners  were  brought  into  Maiden,  the  vil 
lage  presented  a  horrid  spectacle.  The  Indians  had  cut  off  the  heads  of  ttiose  who  had 
fallen  in  the  battle  and  massacre,  to  the  number  of  a  hundred  or  more,  brought  them  to 
Maiden,  and  stuck  them  up  in  rows  on  the  top  of  a  high,  sharp-pointed  picket  fence;  and 
there  they  stood,  their  matted  locks  deeply  stained  with  their  own  gore — their  eyes  wide 
open,  staring  out  upon  the  multitude,  exhibiting  all  variety  of  feature;  some  with  a  pleas 
ant  smile;  others,  who  had  probably  lingered  long  in  mortal  agony,  had'  a  scowl  of  de 
fiance,  despair,  or  revenge;  and  others- wore  the  appearance  of  deep  distress  and  sorrow — 
they  may  have  died  thinking  of  their  far-off  wives  and  children,  and  friends,  and  pleasant 
homes' which  they  should  visit  no  more;  the  winter's  frost  had  fixed  their  ieatures  as  they 
died,  and  they  changed  not. 

The  savages  had  congregated  in  large  numbers,  and  had  brought  back  with  them  from 
the  bloody  banks  of  the  Raisin,  and  other  parts  of  our  frontiers,  immense  numbers  of 
scalps,  strung  upon  poles,  among  wb'di  might  be  seen  the  soft,  silky  locks  of  young  chil 
dren,  the  ringlets  and  tresses  of  fair  maidens,  the  burnished  locks  of  middle  life,  and  the 
silver  gray  of  age.  The  scalps  were  hung  some  twenty  together  on  a  pole;  each  was  ex 
tended  by  a  small  hoop  around  the  edge,  and  they  were  all  painted  red  on  the  flesh  side, 
and  were  carried  about  the  town  to  the  music  of  the  war-whoop  and  the  scalp-yell. 

That  the  British  government  and  its  officers  did  not  attempt  to  restrain  the  savages  is 
well  known;  on  the  contrary,  they  were  instigated  to  the  commission  of  these  barbarous 
deeds.  Among  the  papers  of  Gen.  Proctor,  captured  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames,  was 
found  a  letter  from  Gen.  Brock  to  Proctor,  apparently  in  answer  to  one  asking  whether  he 
should  restrain  the  ferocity  of  the  savages.  The  reply  was:  "  The  Indians  are  necessary 
to  his  Majesty's  service,  and  must  be  indulged."  If  the  gallant  Brock  would  tolerate  the 
atrocious  conduct  of  his  savage  allies,  what  could  be  expected  from  others? 


MMjrt^JMMMJM^^^atitM^^  f      f  ,'-      V     I 


The  State  Asylum  for  Deaf  Mutes  and  the  Blind,  Flint. 

The  cut  pViows  the  west  front  of  the  Asylum.  (Inscription  on  the  corner  stone.)  1857.  Erected  liy  the 
State  of  Michigan.  J.  B.  Walker,  Building  Commissioner;  J.  T.  Johnson,  foreman  of  the  mason  work  ; 
R.  Vantifflin,  foreman  of  the  joiner  work. 

FLINT,  the  county  seat  for  Genesee  county,  on  both  sides  of  the  river  of 
its  own  name,  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country,  46 
miles  E.N.E.  from  Lansing,  and  58  N.W.  from  Detroit.  It  has  considerable 
water  power.  The  Michigan  Asylum  for  Deaf  Mutes  and  the  Blind, 
one  of  the  most  elegant  and  beautiful  buildings  in  the  state,  is  at  this 
place.  The  city  was  incorporated  in  1855,  comprising  three  localities  or 
villages,  viz:  Flint,  Flint  River,  and  Grand  Traverse.  Population  about 
4,000. 


278  MICHIGAN. 

In  1832,  Olmsted  Chamberlin  and  Gideon  O.  Whittemore,  of  Oakland,  Mich., 
made  a  location  in  Flint  of  40  acres,  and  Levi  Gilkey,  of  50  acres.  John  Todd, 
with  his  wife,  originally  Miss  P.  M.  Smith,  of  Cayuga  county,  New  York,  with 
their  children,  Edwin  A.  and  Mary  L.  Todd,  were  the  first  white  settlers  of  Flint. 
They  arrived  here  April  18,  1833,  with  two  wagons,  on  the  second  day  after  leav 
ing  Pontiac.  They  moved  into  a  log  hut  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  then  a  trading 
house,  a  few  rods  from  the  bridge,  and  used  afterward  as  a  stopping  place.  The 
next  regular  settler  was  Nathaniel  Ladd,  who  located  himself  on  Smith's  reserva 
tion,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  in  a  hut  which  had  been  occupied  by  two  In 
dian  traders.  Lyman  Stow,  from  Vermont,  who  bought  out  Mr.  Ladd,  came  next. 
At  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Todd,  the  whole  country  here  was  an  entire  for 
est,  excepting  a  small  tract  cleared  by  the  Indian  traders.  The  silence  of  the  wil 
derness  was  nightly  broken  by  the  howling  of  wolves.  The  "  wild  forest  serenade," 
as  not  inaptly  termed  by  Mrs.  Todd,  began  with  a  slight  howl,  striking,  as  it  were, 
the  key  note  of  the  concert;  this  was  soon  succeeded  by  others  of  a  louder  tone, 
which,  still  rising  higher  and  louder,  the  whole  forest  finally  resounded  with  one 
almost  continuous  yell. 

In  1834,  there  were  only  four  buildings  at  this  place,  then  without  a  name :  at 
this  period  there  was  a  fort  at  Saginaw,  and  the  U.  S.  government  was  opening  a 
military  road  from  Detroit  to  Saginaw.  They  had  just  built  the  first  bridge  across 
Flint  River,  where  previously  all  travelers  had  been  ferried  over  in  an  Indian 
canoe.  Among  the  first  settlers  was  Col.  Cronk,  from  New  York,  who  bought  land 
for  his  children,  among  whom  were  James  Cronk,  who  died  in  the  Mexican  war, 
and  his  son-in-law,  Elijah  Davenport,  now  Judge  Davenport,  of  Saginaw.  Col. 
Cronk  died  at  the  house  of  John  Todd,  after  an  illness  of  eight  days.  He  was  dis 
tinguished  for  his  affability  and  benevolence,  and  was  much  respected.  The  first 
religious  meeting  was  held  by  llev.  O.  F.  North,  a  Methodist  traveling  preacher,  at 
the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Todd,  who  built  a  frame  house  the  fall  after  his  arrival;  the 
lumber  used  was  sawed  at  Thread  mill,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  Flint. 
Rev.  W.  II.  Brockway,  an  Indian  missionary,  was  for  a  time  the  only  regular 
preacher  in  the  wide  range  of  the  counties  of  Lapeer,  Genesee,  Shiawasse,  and 
Saginaw.  He  traveled  on  foot,  and  usually  alone.  Once  in  four  weeks  'he  visited 
Flint,  and  preached  in  Todd's  log  cabin,  afterward  in  a  rqom  over  the  store  of 

&  Wright.  Daniel  Sullivan  commenced  the  first  school  near  the  close  of 

1834,  and  had  some  10  or  12  scholars,  comprising  all  the  white  children  in  the 
neighborhood.  His  compensation  was  ten  cents  weekly  for  each  scholar.  Miss 
Lucy  Kiggs,  the  daughter  of  Judge  Kiggs,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  female  teacher; 
she  kept  her  school  in  a  kind  of  shanty  in  Main-street,  some  60  or  70  rods  from 
the  river. 

The  township  of  Flint  was  organized  under  the  territorial  government,  in  1836. 
The  first  election  for  township  officers  was  held  in  the  blacksmith  shop  of  Kline  & 
Freeman,  Rufus  W.  Stephens,  acting  as  moderator,  and  David  Mather  as  clerk. 
The  first  church  erected  was  the  Presbyterian :  it  stood  on  Poney  Row,  a  street 
said  to  have  been  named  from  the  circumstance  that,  at  an  early  period,  a  number 
of  men  who  lived  there  were  short  of  stature.  The  Episcopalians  erected  the 
second  church  ;  Kev.  Mr.  Brown  was  their  first  minister.  The  Methodist  church 
was  the  third  erected,  the  Catholic  the  fourth,  and  the  Baptist  the  fifth,  the  first 
minister  of  which  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gamble.  The  Episcopal  church  of  St.  Paul 
was  raised  in  1844.  The  present  Methodist  church  was  built  in  1845.  The  Pres 
byterian  church  was  erected  about  the  year  1847.  The  first  regular  physician  was 
John  Hayes,  from  Massachusetts;  the  second  was  Dr.  Lamond.  The  first  printing 
press  was  introduced  about  1836;  the  "Genesee  Whig"  was  established  in  1850; 
the  first  newspaper  printed  by  steam  power  was  the  u  wolverine  Citizen,"  by  F.  H. 
Rankin,  a  native  of  Ireland. 

GRAND  RAPIDS,  first  settled  in  1833,  laid  out  as  a  village  in  1836,  and  in 
corporated  in  1850,  is  the  second  city  in  importance  in  Michigan.  It  is  the 
county  seat  of  Kent  county,  on  the  line  of  the  Detroit  and  Milwaukie  Rail 
road,  at  the  Rapids  of  Grand  River;  60  miles  W.  N.W.  of  Lansing,  and  150 
from  Detroit. 


MICHIGAN. 


279 


Grand  River  is  here  about  900  feet  wide,  and  has  a  fall  of  18  feet,  which 
gives  an  immense  water  power.  The  city  contains  a  large  number  of  mills 
of  various  kinds,  as  flouring,  saw,  plaster;  also  founderies,  lime-kilns,  lum 
ber  dealers,  marble  gypsum,  gravel  sand,  and  manufactories  of  staves,  hubs, 
etc.  Building  material  of  every  description  is  found  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  also  salt  springs  of  extraordinary  strength,  far  greater  than  those  at 
Syracuse,  requiring  but  29  gallons  to  produce  .a  bushel  of  salt. 

The  manufacture  of  salt,  now  in  its  infancy  here,  is  destined  to  work  mar 
velous  changes  in  this 
region  of  country. — 
"Grand  Rapids  also  has 
in  its  vicinity  inexhausti 
ble  quarries  of  the  finest 
gypsum,  of  which  20,000 
tuns  per  annum  are  al 
ready  used  in  agriculture 
by  the  farmers  of  Michi 
gan,  which  amount  will 
be  doubled,  and  soon 
trebled,  on  the  construc 
tion  of  the  north  and 
south  land-grant  road 
from  Indiana  through 
Kalamazoo  and  Grand 
Rapids,  to  some  point 
near  Mackinaw,  of  which 
road  a  part  has  already 
been  graded." 

Grand  Rapids  now  has 
a    population    of    about 

VIEW  IN  MONROE-STREET,  GRAND  BAPIM.  8>°°°>      and    i4  ig  the    re' 

mark  of  the  editor  of  the 

New  York  Tribune,  after  visiting  this  place,  that  in  view  of  its  natural  ad 
vantages,  he  shall  be  disappointed  if  the  census  of  1870  does  not  swell  its 
population  to  50,000. 

Grand  Rapids  is  a  handsome  city,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  energy  and 
enterprise  of  its  population.  It  is  the  great  seat  of  the  lumber  trade  in  west- 
urn  Michigan.  This  being  a  branch  of  industry  of  primary  importance,  not 
only  to  this  point,  but  to  the  whole  state,  we  introduce  here  an  extract  from 
n  recent  article  in  the  Detroit  Tribune,  from  the  pen  of  Kay  Haddock,  Esq., 
its  commercial  editor,  which  will  give  an  idea  of  the  amount  of  wealth  Michi 
gan  possesses  in  her  noble  forests.  These  although  repelling  the  early  emi 
grants  to  the  west,  in  view  of  the  easy  tillable  lands  of  the  prairie  states,  will 
in  the  end  add  to  her  substantial  progress,  and  educate  for  her  a  population 
rendered  more  hardy  by  the  manly  toil  required  to  clear  up  and  subdue  vast 
forests  of  the  heaviest  of  timber.  Careful  estimates  show  that,  in  prosper 
ous  times,  the  annual  products  of  the  pineries  of  the  state  even  now  amount 
to  about  TEN  MILLIONS  of  dollars. 

It  is  now  almost  universally  admitted  that  the  state  of  Michigan  possesses  in 
her  soil  and  timber  the  material  source  of  immense  wealth.  While  in  years  past 
it  has  been  difficult  to  obtain  satisfactory  information  concerning  the  real  condi 
tion  and  natural  resources  of  a  large  portion  of  the  surface  of  the  Lower  Penin 
sula,  the  re-survey  of  portions  of  the  government  land,  the  exploration  of  the  COUD- 


280 


MICHIGAN. 


try  by  parties  in  search  of  pine,  the  developments  made  by  the  exploring  and  sur 
veying  parties  along  the  lines  of  the  Land  Grant  Railroads,  and  the  more  recent 
examinations  by  thV different  commissions  for  laying  out  the  several  state  roads 
under  the  acts  passed  by  tjie  last  legislature,  have  removed  every  doubt  in  Defer 
ence  to  the  subject.  The  universal  testimony  from  all  the  sources  above  mentioned, 
beem  to  be  that  in  all  the  natural  elements  of  wealth  the  whole  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  peninsula  abounds. 

The  pine  lands  of  the  state,  which  are  a  reliable  source  of  present  and  future 
wealth,  are  so  located  and  distributed  as  to  bring  almost  every  portion  of  the_state, 
sooner  or  later  in  connection  with  the  commerce  of  the  lakes.  The  pine  timber 

of  Michigan  is  generally  interspersed 
with  other  varieties  of  timber,  such 
as  beech,  maple,  whiteash,  oak,  cher 
ry,  etc.,  and  in  most  cases  the  soil  is 
suited  to  agricultural  purposes.  This 
is  particularly  the  case  on  the  west 
ern  slope  of  the  peninsula,  on  tho 
waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  along 
the  central  portion  of  the  state.  On 
the  east  and  near  Lake  Huron,  the 
pine  districts  are  more  extensively 
covered  with  pine  timber,  and  gener 
ally  not  so  desirable  for  farming  pur 
poses.  There  are  good  farming  lands, 
however,  all  along  the  coast  of  Lake 
LUMBERMAN'S  CAMP,  Huron  and  extending  back  into  the 

In  the  Pine  Forests  of  Michigan.  interior. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  pine  lands 

of  the  state  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Canal  Company,  and  individuals  who  are  hold 
ing  them  as  an  investment,  and  it  is  no  detriment  to  this  great  interest,  that  the 
whole  state  has  been  thus  explored,  and  the  choicest  lands  secured.  The  develop 
ments  which  have  thus  been  made  of  the  quality  and  extent  of  the  pine  districts, 
have  given  stability  and  confidence  to  the  lumbering  interest.  And  these  lands 
are  not  held  at  exorbitant  prices,  but  are  sold  upon  fair  and  reasonable  terms,  such 
as  practical  business  men  and  lumbermen  will  not  usually  object  to. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  almost  every  stream  of  water  in  the  state,  north  of 
Grand  River,  penetrates  a  district  of  pine  lands,  and  the  mouths  of  nearly  all  these 
streams  are  already  occupied  with  lumbering  establishments  of  greater  or  less 
magnitude.  These  lumber  colonies  are  the  pioneers,  and  generally  attract  around 
them  others  who  engage  in  agriculture,  and  thus  almost  imperceptibly  the  agricul 
tural  interests  of  the  state  are  spreading  and  developing  in  every  direction.  Tho 
want  of  suitable  means  of  access  alone  prevents  the  rapid  settlement  of  large  and 
fertile  districts  of  our  state,  which  are  not  unknown  to  the  more  enterprising  and 
persevering  pioneers,  who  have  led  the  way  through  the  wilderness,  and  are  now 
engaged  almost  single-handed  in  their  labors,  not  shrinking  from  the  privations  and 
sufferings  which  are  sure  to  surround  these  first  settlements  in  our  new  districts. 

The  Grand  Traverse  region,  with  its  excellent  soil,  comparatively  mild  climate, 
and  abundance  of  timber  of  every  description  is  attracting  much  attention,  and 
extensive  settlements  have  already  commenced  in  many  localities  in  that  region. 
The  coast  of  Lake  Michigan,  from  Grand  River  north,  for  upward  of  one  hundred 
miles  to  Manistee  River,  presents  generally  a  barren,  sandy  appearance,  the  sand 
hills  of  that  coast  almost  invariably  shutting  out  from  the  view  the  surrounding 
country. 

North  of  the  Manistee,  however,  this  characteristic  of  the  coast  changes,  and 
the  hard  timber  comes  out  to  the  lake,  and  presents  a  fine  region  of  country  ex 
tend  ing  from  Lake  Michigan  to  Grand  Traverse  Bay  and  beyond,  embracing  the 
head  waters  of  the  Manistee  River.  This  large  tract  of  agricultural  land  is  one 
of  the  richest  portions  of  tho  state,  and  having  throughout  its  whole  extent  ex 
tensive  groves  of  excellent  pine  timber  interspersed,  it  is  one  of  the  most  desirable 
portions'  of  the  peninsula.  Grand  Traverse  Bay,  the  Manistee  River,  and  the 


MICHIGAN.  281 

River  Aux  Bees  Scies  are  the  outlets  for  the  pine  timber,  and  afford  ample  means 
of  communication  between  the  interior  and  the  lake  for  such  purposes.  The 
proposed  state  roads  will,  if  built,  do  much  toward  the  settlement  of  this  region. 

A  natural  harbor,  which  is  being  improved  by  private  enterprise,  is  found  at  the 
mouth  of  the  River  Aux  Bees  Scies,  and  a  new  settlement  and  town  has  been 
started  at  this  point.  This  is  a  natural  outlet  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  re 
gion  just  described.  The  lands  here,  as  in  other  localities  in  the  new  portions  of 
the  cLate,  are  such  as  mast  induce  a  rapid  settlement  whenever  the  means  of  com- 
nmnication  shall  be  opened. 

The  valley  of  the  Muskegon  embraces  every  variety  of  soil  and  timber,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  attractive  portions  of  the  peninsula.  The  pine  lands  upon  this 
river  are  scattered  all  along  the  valley  in  groups  or  tracts  containing  several  thous 
and  acres  each,  interspersed  with  hard  timber  and  surrounded  by  tine  agricultural 
lands.  The  Fere  Marquette  River  and  White  River,  large  streams  emptying  into 
Lake  Michigan,  pass  through  a  region  possessing  much  the  same  characteristics. 
This  whole  region  is  underlaid  with  lime  rock,  a  rich  soil,  well  watered  with  living 
springs,  resembling  in  many  features  the  Grand  River  valley.  Beds  of  gypsum 
have  been  discovered  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Pere  Marquette.  The  unsettled 
counties  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  state,  the  northern  portion  of  Montcalm, 
and  Gratiot,  Isabella,  Gladwin,  Clare,  and  a  portion  of  Midland,  are  not  inferior  to 
any  other  portion.  There  is  a  magnificent  body  of  pine  stretching  from  the  head 
of  Flat  River,  in  Montcalm  county,  to  the  upper  waters  of  the  Tettibewassee,  and 
growing  upon  a  fine  soil,  well  adapted  to  agriculture.  This  embraces  a  portion  of 
the  Saginaw  valley,  and  covers  the  high  ground  dividing  the  waters  of  Lakes  Huron 
and  Michigan. 

The  eastern  slope  of  the  peninsula  embraces  a  variety  of  soil  and  timber  some 
what  different  in  its  general  features  from  other  portions  of  the  state.  The  pine 
lands  of  this  region  are  near  the  coast  of  the  lake,  and  lie  in  large  tracts,  but  with 
good  agricultural  land  adjoining. 

There  are  in  the  lower  peninsula,  in  round  numbers,  about  24,000,000  acres  of 
land.  Taking  IJoughton  Lake,  near  the  center  of  the  state,  as  a  point  of  view,  tho 
general  surface  maybe  comprehended  as  follows:  The  Muskegon  valley  to  tho 
south-west,  following  the  Muskegon  River  in  its  course  to  Lake  Michigan.  The 
western  slope,  of  the  peninsula  directly  west,  embracing  the  pine  and  agricultural 
districts  along  the  valleys  of  several  large  streams  emptying  into  Lake  Michigan. 
The  large  and  beautiful  region  to  the  north  west,  embracing  the  valley  of  the  Ma- 
nistee  and  the  undulating  lands  around  Grand  Traverse  Bay.  Northward,  the  re 
gion  embraces  the  head  waters  of  the  Manistee  and  Au  Sauble,  with  the  large 
tracts  of  excellent  pine  in  that  locality,  and  beyond,  the  agricultural  region  extend 
ing  to  Little  Traverse  Bay  and  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw.  To  the  north-east,  the 
valley  of  the  Au  Sauble,  and  the  pine  region  of  Thunder  Bay.  To  the  east,  the 
pine  and  hard  timber  extending  to  Saginaw  Bay.  To  the  south-east,  the  Saginaw 
valley;  and  to  the  south,  the  high  lands  before  described  in  the  central  counties. 

That  portion  of  the  state  south  of  Saginaw  and  the  Grand  River  valley,  is  so  well 
known  that  a  description  here  would  be  unnecessary.  Thus  we  have  yot  undevel 
oped  over  half  of  the  surface  of  this  peninsula,  embracing,  certainly,  12,000,000  to 
15,000,000  of  acres,  possessing  stores  of  wealth  in  the  timber  upon  its  surface,  re 
serving  soil  for  the  benefit  of  those,  who,  as  the  means  of  communication  are 
opened,  will  come  in  and  possess  it,  and  thus  introduce  industry  and  prosperity  into 
our  waste  places. 

We  have  not  the  figures  at  hand,  but  it  is  probable  that  at  least  one  tenth  of  the 
area  north  of  the  Grand  River  is  embraced  in  the  pine  region.  The  swamp  lands 
granted  to  the  state  will  probably  cover  nearly  double  the  area  of  the  pine  lands 
proper.  The  remainder,  for  the  most  part,  is  covered  with  a  magnificent  growth 
of  hard  timber  suited  to  the  necessities  of  our  growing  population  and  commerce. 

The  trade  in  pine  timber,  lumber,  shingles,  and  other  varieties  of  lumber,  with 
the  traffic  in  staves  form  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  manufacture 
and  commerce  in  our  own  state,  and  this  trade  alone  is  now  accomplishing  more 
for  the  development  and  settlement  of  the  country  than  all  other  causes  in  opera 
tion. 


282  MICHIGAN. 


)  the  county  seat  of  Saginaw  county,  is  57  miles  N".  E.  of  Lansing, 
and  95  N.  N.  W.  of  Detroit,  and  is  built  on  the  site  of  a  trading  post  which, 
during  the  war  of  1812,  was  occupied  as  a  military  post.  It  is  on  the  W. 
bank  of  Saginaw  River,  elevated  about  30  feet  above  the  water,  22  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river  at  Saginaw  Bay,  an  inlet  of  Lake  Huron.  It 
possesses  advantages  for  commerce,  as  the  river  is  large,  and  navigable 
for  vessels  drawing  10  feet  of  water.  The  four  branches  of  this  river 
coming  from  various  directions,  unite  a  few  miles  above  the  town,  and  afford 
intercourse  by  boats  with  a  large  portion  of  the  state.  Population  about 
3,000. 

A  very  extensive  lumber  business  is  carried  on  at  Saginaw.  Within  a 
short  time  the  manufacture  of  salt  has  begun  here,  from  brine  obtained  at 
the  depth  of  620  feet.  The  salt  is  of  extraordinary  purity,  and  the  brine  of 
unusual  strength.  This  industry,  when  developed,  will  greatly  increase  tho 
prosperity  of  the  Saginaw  valley. 

Pontiac,  named  after  the  celebrated  Indian  chieftain,  is  situated  on  Clin 
ton  River,  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  25  miles  N.  W.  from  Detroit.  It  is  a 
flourishing  village,  and  the  county  seat  of  Oakland  county.  Is  an  active 
place  of  business,  and  is  one  of  the  principal  wool  markets  in  the  state.  It 
has  quite  a  number  of  stores,  mills,  and  factories,  and  six  churches.  Popu 
lation  about  3,000. 

Mr.  Asahel  Fuller,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  emigrated  to  Michigan  in  1827,  and 
located  himself  at  Waterford,  seven  miles  north-west  from  Pontiac,  on  the  Old  In 
dian  trail  from  Detroit  to  Saginaw,  and  was  a  long  period  known  as  an  inn-keeper 
in  this  section  of  the  state.  The  Chippewa  Indians  who  received  their  annuities 
from  the  British  government  at  Maiden,  Canada  West,  in  their  journeyings,  often 
camped  or  stopped  near  his  house,  sometimes  to  the  number  of  2  or  3(J-0.  On 
one  occasion  he  saw  them  go  through  their  incantations  to  heal  a  sick  man,  one 
of  their  number.  They  formed  a  circle  around  him,  singing  a  kind  of  hum  drum 
tune,  beating  a  drum  made  of  a  hollow  log  with  a  deer  skin  stretched  over  it.  The 
Indian  priest  or  powaw  would  occasionally  throw  into  the  fire  a  little  tobacco, 
which  had  been  rubbed  in  the  hand,  likewise  pour  whiskey  into  the  fire  after 
drinking  a  little  himself,  evidently  as  a  kind  of  sacrifice.  On  another  occasion  a 
man  breathed  into  a  sick  child's  mouth,  and  prayed  most  fervently  to  the  Great 
Spirit  to  interpose.  In  1830,  Mr.  Fuller  purchased  the  first  lot  of  government 
lands  in  Springfield,  12  miles  from  Pontiac.  He  removed  there  in  1831,  and 
erected  the  first  house  in  the  place,  his  nearest  neighbor  being  5  miles  to  the  south 
east,  and  15  to  the  north-west.  Here  he  kept  a  public  house  on  the  Indian  trail 


of  Mr.  F.,  and  wife  of  Mr.  Washington  O'Donoughue,  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Springfield. 

Port  Huron  is  in  St.  Clair  county,  77  miles  from  Detroit,  at  the  junction 
of  Black  and  St.  Clair  Rivers,  two  miles  south  from  Lake  Huron,  and  one 
mile  from  Fort  Gratiot,  a  somewhat  noted  post.  It  has  a  good  harbor  and  su 
perior  facilities  for  ship  building,  and  is  largely  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi 
ness.  Great  amounts  of  excellent  pine  timber  are  sent  down  Black  River, 
and  manufactured  or  shipped  here.  It  is  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Port 
Huron  and  Lake  Michigan  Railroad,  the  western  terminus  of  the  Grand 
Trunk  Railroad,  which  extends  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  limits  of  the 
Canadas.  It  is  one  of  the  greatest  lumber  markets  in  the  west.  Its  annual 
exports  amount  to  $2,000,000.  Population  about  3,500. 

On  the  line  of  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  beside  those  already  de 
scribed,  are  the  following  large  and  flourishing  towns,  all  having  abundance 


MICHIGAN.  283 

of  water  power  mills,  factories,  etc.,  and  each  containing  from  3,000  to  7,000 
inhabitants.  Ypsilanti,  30  miles  from  Detroit  on  Huron  River,  is  the  seat* 
of  the  state  normal  school,  a  branch  of  the  state  university.  Marshall  is 
107  miles  from  Detroit.  Battle  Creek  120  miles  from  Detroit  Kalamazoo, 
23  miles  farther  west,  contains  a  United  States  land  office,  the  state  asylum 
for  the  insane,  and  a  branch  of  the  state  university.  This  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  villages :  it  is  planted  all  over  with  trees,  every  street  being 
lined  with  them.  Niles,  191  miles  from  Detroit,  has  a  branch  of  the  state 
university,  and  is  the  principal  market  for  south-western  Michigan.  The  St. 
Joseph  River  is  navigable  beyond  this  point  for  small  steamers. 

Farther  south,  in  the  state,  are  other  important  towns,  containing  each 
about  3,000  inhabitants.  They  are:  Tecumseh,*W  miles  N.  E.  of  Adrian, 
and  connected  by  a  branch  railroad,  eight  miles  in  length,  with  the  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad.  Hillsdale,  on  the  last  nameM  railroad,  110  miles  from 
Detroit,  and  noted  as  the  seat  of  Hillsdale  College,  a  thriving  and  highly 
popular  institution,  chartered  in  1855.  Coldwater  is  also  on  the  same 
railroad,  22  miles  westerly  from  Hillsdale.  St.  Joseph,  at  the  entrance  of 
St.  Joseph  River  into  Lake  Michigan,  194  miles  west  of  Detroit,  has  a  fine 
harbor  and  an  extensive  trade  in  lumber  and  fruit,  with  Chicago. 

In  1679,  the  noted  explorer,  La  Salle,  built  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  St. 
Joseph's  River.  Afterward  there  was  a  Jesuit  mission  here,  which  Charle- 
voix  visited  in  1721.  When  the  west  came  into  possession  of  Great  Britain, 
they  had  a  fort  also  at  this  point.  This  was  twice  captured  in  the  war  of 
the  revolution,  by  expeditions  of  the  brave  frontiersmen  of  Cahokia,  Illi 
nois.  The  annexed  sketch  of  these  exploits  is  thus  given  in  Perkins'  Annals, 
Peck's  edition: 

"  There  was  at  Cahokia,  a  restless,  adventurous,  daring  man,  by  the  name 
of  Thomas  Brady,  or  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  'Tom  Brady;'  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  who,  by  hunting,  or  in  some  other  pursuit,  found  him 
self  a  resident  of  Cahokia.  He  raised  a  company  of  16  resolute  persons, 
all  of  Cahokia  and  the  adjacent  village  of  Prairie  du  Pont,  of  which  the 
father  of  Mr.  Boismenue,  the  informant,  was  one.  After  becoming  organ 
ized  for  an  expedition,  the  party  moved  through  a  place  called  the  'Cow 
Pens,'  on  the  River  St.  Joseph,  in  the  south-western  part  of  Michigan. 
Here  was  a  trading-post  and  fort  originally  established  by  the  French, 
but  since  the  transfer  of  the  country,  had  been  occupied  by  the  British 
by  a  small  force,  as  a  protection  of  their  traders  from  the  Indians.  In  1777, 
it  consisted  of  21  men. 

Brady,  with  his  little  band  of  volunteers,  left  Cahokia  about  the  1st  of 
October,  1777,  and  made  their  way  to  the  fort,  which  they  captured  in  the 
night,  without  loss  on  either  side,  except,  a  negro.  This  person  was  a  slave 
from  some  of  the  colonies  on  the  Mississippi,  who,  in  attempting  to  escape, 
was  shot.  One  object  of  this  expedition,  probably,  was  the  British  goods 
in  the  fort. 

The  company  started  back  as  far  as  the  Calumet,  a  stream  on  the  border 
of  Indiana,  south-east  of  Chicago,  when  they  were  overtaken  by  a  party  of 
British,  Canadians  and  Indians,  about  300  in  number,  who  attacked  the  Ca- 
hokians  and  forced  them  to  surrender.  Two  of  Brady's  party  were  killed, 
two  wounded,  one  escaped,  and  12  were  made  prisoners.  These  remained 
prisoners  in  Canada  two  years,  except  Brady,  who  made  his  escape,  and  re 
turned  to  Illinois  by  way  of  Pennsylvania.  M.  Boismenue,  Sr.,  was  one  of 
the  wounded  men. 


284 


MICHIGAN. 


The  next  spring,  a  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Paulette  Maize,  a  daring 
fellow,  raised  about  300  volunteers  from  Cahokia,  St.  Louis,  and  other  French 

Villages,  to  re-capture  the  fort  on' the  River  St.  Joseph.  This  campaign  was 
\)j  land,  across  the  prairies  in  the  spring  of  1778.  It  was  successful;  the 
fort  was  re-taken,  and  the  peltries  and  goods  became  the  spoil  of  the  victors. 
The  wounded  men  returned  home  with  Maize.  One  gave  out;  they  had  no 
horses;  and  he  was  dispatched  by  the  leader,  to  prevent  the  company  being 
detained  on  their  retreat,  lest  the  same  disaster  should  befall  them  as  hap 
pened  to  Brady,  and  his  company.  Some  of  the  members  of  the  most  an 
cient  and  respectable  families  in  Cahokia,  were  in  this  expedition.  Thomas 
Brady  became  the  sheriff  of  the  county  of  St.  Clair,  after  its  organization  by 
the  governor  of  the  North-western  Territory  in  1790.  He  was  regarded  as 
a  trust-worthy  citizen,  and  died  at  Cahokia  many  years  since." 

Almont,  Mt.  Clemens,  Rjmeo,  Allegan,  and  Grand  Haven,  are  flourishing 

*  towns  in  the  Southern  Peninsula  of  Michigan.  Almont  is  in  Lapeer  county, 
49  miles  north  of  Detroit.  Mt.  Clemens  is  the  county  seat  of  Macomb,  and 
is  20  miles  from  Detroit,  on  Clinton  River,  4  miles  from  its  entrance  into 


The  Isle,   Mackinaw. 

Engraved  from  a  drawing  by  the  late  Francis  Howe,  of  Chicago,  taken  about  the  year  1846. 

Lake  St.  Clair.  It  is  well  situated  for  ship  building,  and  has  daily  steam 
boat  communication  with  Detroit.  Romeo  is  also  on  Clinton  River,  40  miles 
from  Detroit.  Allegan,  distant  from  Kalamazoo  28  miles,  at  the  head  of 
navigation  on  Kalamazoo  River,  is  a  young  and  thrifty  lumbering  village. 
Orand  Haven  is  at  the  mouth  of  Grand  River,  at  the  termination  of 
the  Detroit  and  Milwaukie  Railroad.  It  has  a  noble  harbor,  and  does  an 
enormous  lumber  trade.  Lumber  is  shipped  from  here  to  Chicago,  and  other 
ports  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake;  and  steamers  ply  regularly  between  this 
point  and  Chicago,  and  also  on  the  river  to  the  flourishing  city  of  Grand 
Rapids,  above. 

MACKINAW,  called  "the   Gem  of  the  Lakes"  is  an    exquisitely  beautiful 
island  in  the  straits  of  Mackinaw.     It  is,  by  water,  320  miles  north  of  De- 


MICHIGAN. 


285 


/-r 


troit,  in  Lat.  45°  54'  N.  Long.  84°  30'  W.  Its  name  is  an  abbreviation  of 
Michilimackinac,  which  is  a  compound  of  the  word  missi  or  missil,  signifying 
"great,"  and  Mackinac,  the  Indian  word  for  "  turtle,"  from  a  fancied  resem 
blance  to  a  great  turtle  lying  upon  the  water. 

Among  the  curiosities  of  the  island,  are  the  Arched  Rock,  the  Natural 
Pyramid,  and  the  Skull  Rock.  The  Arched  Rock  is  a  natural  arch  project 
ing  from  the  precipice  on  the  north-eastern 
side  of  the  island,  about  a  mile  from  the 
town,  and  elevated  140  feet  above  the  water. 
Its  abutments  are  the  calcareous  rock  com 
mon  to  the  island,  and  have  been  created  by 
the  falling  down  of  enormous  masses  of  rock, 
leaving  the  chasm.  It  is  about  90  feet  in 
hight,  and  is  crowned  by  an  arch  of  near  60 
feet  sweep.  From  its  great  elevation,  the 
view  through  the  arch  upon  the  wide  expanse 
of  water,  is  of  singular  beauty  and  grandeur. 
The  Natural  Pyramid  is  a  lone  standing 
rock,  upon  the  top  of  the  bluff,  of  probably 
30  feet  in  width  at  the  base,  by  80  or  90  in 
hight,  of  a  rugged  appearance,  and  support 
ing  in  its  crevices  a  few  stunted  cedars.  It 
pleases  chiefly  by  its  novelty,  so  unlike  any 
thing  to  be  found  in  other  parts  of  the  world ; 
and  on  the  first  view,  it  gives  the  idea  of 
a  work  of  art.  The  Skull  Rock  is  chiefly 
noted  for  a  cavern,  which  appears  to  have 
been  an  ancient  receptacle  of  human  bones. 
The  entrance  is  low  and  narrow.  It  is  here 
that  Alexander  Henry  was  secreted  by  a  friendly  Indian,  after  the  horrid 
massacre  of  the  British  garrison  at  old  Machilimackinac,  in  1763. 

"The  world,"  says  the  poet  Bryant,  "has  not  many  islands  so  beautiful  as 
Mackinaw — the  surface  is  singularly  irregular  with  summits  of  rocks  and 
pleasant  hollows,  open  glades  of  pasturage,  and  shady  nooks." 

It  is,  in  truth,  one  of  the  most  interesting  spots  on  the  continent,  and  is 
becoming  a  great  summer  resort,  from  its  natural  attractions ;  its  bracing, 
invigorating  atmosphere,  arid  the  beauty  of  its  scenery.  Its  sky  has  a  won 
derful  clearness  and  serenity,  and  its  cold  deep  waters  a  marvelous  purity, 
that  enables  one  to  discover  the  pebbles  way  down,  fathoms  below.  To 
mount  the  summits  of  Mackinaw,  and  gaze  out  northward  upon  the  expanse 
of  water,  with  its  clustering  islets,  and  the  distant  wilderness  of  the  Northern 
Peninsula ;  to  take  in  with  the  vision  the  glories  of  that  sky,  so  clear,  so 
pure,  that  it  seems  as  though  the  eye  penetrated  infinity;  to  inhale  that 
life-giving  air,  every  draught  of  which  seems  a  luxury,  were  well  worth 
a  toilsome  journey,  and  when  once  experienced,  will  remain  among  the 
most  pleasant  of  memories. 

The  island  is  about  nine  miles  in  circumference,  and  its  extreme  elevation 
above  the  lake,  over  300  feet.  The  town  is  pleasantly  situated  around  a 
small  bay  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  island,  and  contains  1.000  inhabi 
tants,  which  are  sometimes  nearly  doubled  by  the  influx  of  voyagers, 
traders,  and  Indians.  On  these  occasions,  its  beautiful  harbor  is  seen 
checkered  with  American  vessels  at  anchor,  and  Indian  canoes  rapidly  shoot- 


THE  ARCHED  ROCK, 
On  the  Isle  of  Mackinaw. 


286 


MICHIGAN. 


ing  across  the  water  in  every  direction.  It  was  formerly  the  seat  of  an  ex 
tensive  fur  trade :  at  present  it  is  noted  for  the  great  amount  of  trout  and 
white  fish  annually  exported.  Fort  Mackinaw  stands  on  a  rocky  bluff  over 
looking  the  town.  The  ruins  of  Fort  Holmes  are  on  the  apex  of  the  island. 
It  was  built  by  the  British  in  the  war  of  1812,  under  the  name  of  Fort 
George,  and  changed  to  its  present  appellation  by  the  Americans,  in  com 
pliment  to  the  memory  of  Maj.  Holmes,  who  fell  in  an  unsuccessful  attack 
upon  the  island.  This  occurred  in  1814.  The  expedition  consisted  of  a 
strong  detachment  of  land  and  naval  forfces  under  Col.  Croghan,  and  was 
shamefully  defeated,  the  death  of  the  gallant  Holmes  having  stricken 
them  with  a  panic. 

The  first  white  settlement  in  this  vicinity  was  at  Point  Ignace,  the  south 
ern  cape  of  the  upper  peninsula  of  Michigan,  and  shown  on  the  map  where 
Father  Marquette  established  a  mission  in  1671. 

The  second  site  was  on  the  opposite  point  of  the  straits,  now  called  Old 
Mackinaw,  nine  miles  south,  being  the  northern  extremitv  of  the  lower  pe 
ninsula,  or  Michigan  Proper. 

"In  the  summer  of  1079,  the  Griffin,  built  by  La  Salle  and  his  company  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie,  at  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Erie,  passed  up  the  St.  Clair, 
sailed  over  the  Huron,  and  entering  the  straits,  found  a  safe  harbor  at  Old  Mack 
inaw.  La  Salle's  expedition  passed  eight  or  nine  years  at  this  place,  and  from 
hence  they  penetrated  the  country  in  all  directions.  At  the  same  time  it  continued 
to  be  the  summer  resort  of  numerous  Indian  tribes,  who  came  here  to  trade  and 
engage  in  the  wild  sports  and  recreations  peculiar  to  the  savage  race.  As  a  city 
of  peace,  it  was  regarded  in  the  same  light  that  the  ancient  Hebrews  regarded  their 
cities  of  refuge,  and  among  those  who  congregated  here  all  animosities  were  for 
gotten.  The  smoke  of  the  calumet  of  peace  always  ascended,  and  the  war  cry 
never  as  yet  has  been  heard  in  its  streets. 

'in  Heriot's  Travels,  published  in  1807,  we  find  the  following  interesting  item: 
"In  1671  Father  Marquette  came  hither  with  a  party  of  Hurons,  whom  he  pre 
vailed  on  to  form  a  settlement.     A  fort  was  constructed,  and  it  afterward  became 

an  important  spot.  It  was  the 
place  of  general  assemblage  for  all 
the  French  who  went  to  traffic  with 
the  distant  nations.  It  was  the 
asylum  of  all  savages  who  came  to 
exchange  their  furs  for  merchan 
dise.  When  individuals  belonging 
to  tribes  at  war  with  each  other 
came  thither,  and  met  on  commer 
cial  adventure,  their  animosities 
were  suspended." 

"  Notwithstanding  San-ge-man 
and  his  warriors  had  braved  the 
dangers  of  the  straits  and  had  slain 
a  hundred  of  their  enemies  whose 
residence  was  here,  yet  it  was  not 
in  the  town  that  they  were  slain. 
No  blood  was  ever  shed  by  Indian  hands  within  its  precincts  up  to  this  period,  and 
had  it  remained  in  possession  of  the  French,  the  terrible  scenes  subsequently 
enacted  within  its  streets  would  in  all  probability  never  have  occurred,  and  Old 
Mackinaw  would  have  been  a  city  of  refuge  to  this  day. 

The  English,  excited  by  the  emoluments  derived  from  the  fur  trade,  desired  to 
secure  a  share  in  this  lucrative  traffic  of  the  north-western  lakes.  They  accord 
ingly,  in  the  year  1686,  fitted  out  an  expedition,  and  through  the  interposition  of 
the  Fox  Indians,  whose  friendship  they  secured  by  valuable  presents,  the  expedi- 


Ruisrs  OF  OLD  FORT  MACKINAW. 

Drawn  by  Capt.  S.  Eastman,  U.S.A.  Mackinaw  Island 
is  seen  on  the  right :  Point  St.  Ignace,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  straits,  on  the  left. 


MICHIGAN.  287 

• 

tion  reached  Old  Mackinaw,  the  "Queen  of  the  Lakes,"  and  found  the  El  Dorado 
they  had  so  long  desired." 

The  following  interesting  description,  from  Parkman's  "  History  of  the  Conspir 
acy  of  Pontiac,"  of  a  voyage  by  an  English  merchant  to  Old  Mackinaw  about  this 
time,  will  be  in  place  here :  u  Passing  the  fort  and  settlement  of  Detroit,  he  soon 
enters  Lake  St.  Clair,  which  seems  like  a  broad  basin  filled  to  overflowing,  while 
along  its  far  distant  verge  a  faint  line  of  forests  separates  the  water  from  the  sky. 
He  crosses  the  lake,  and  his  voyagers  next  urge  his  canoe  against  the  current  of 
the  great  river  above.  At  length  Lake  Huron  opens  before  him,  stretching  its 
liquid  expanse  like  an  ocean  to  the  furthest  horizon.  His  canoe  skirts  the  eastern 
shore  of  Michigan,  where  the  forest  rises  like  a  wall  from  the  water's  edge,  and  as 
he  advances  onward,  an  endless  line  of  stiff  and  shaggy  fir  trees,  hung  with  long 
mosses,  fringe  the  shore  with  an  aspect  of  desolation.  Passing  on  his  right  the  ex 
tensive  Island  of  Bois  Blanc,  he  sees  nearly  in  front  the  beautiful  Island  of  Mack 
inaw  rising  with  its  white  cliffs  and  green  foliage  from  the  broad  breast  of  waters.  He 
does  not  steer  toward  it,  for  at  that  day  the  Indians  were  its  only  tenants,  but  keeps 
along  the  main  shore  to  the  left,  while  his  voyagers  raise  their  song  and  chorus. 
Doubling  a  point  he  sees  before  him  the  red  flag  of  England  swelling  lazily  in  the 
wind,  and  the  palisades  and  wooden  bastions  of  Fort  Mackinaw  standing  close  up 
on  the  margin  of  the  lake.  On  the  beach  canoes  are  drawn  up,  and  Canadians  and 
Indians  are  idly  lounging.  A  little  beyond  the  fort  is  a  cluster  of  white  Canadian 
houses  roofed  with  bark  and  protected  by  fences  of  strong  round  pickets.  The 
trader  enters  the  gate  and  sees  before  him  an  extensive  square  area,  surrounded  by 
high  palisades.  Numerous  houses,  barracks,  and  other  buildings  form  a  smaller 
square  within,  and  in  the  vacant  place  which  they  inclose  appear  the  red  uniforms 
of  British  soldiers,  the  gray  coats  of  the  Canadians  and  the  gaudy  Indian  blankets 
mingled  in  picturesque  confusion,  while  a  multitude  of  squaws,  with  children  of 
every  hue,  stroll  restlessly  about  the  place.  Such  was  old  Fort  Mackinaw  in 
1763." 

In  1763,  during  the  Pontiac  war,  Old  Mackinaw,  or  Michilimackinac,  was 
the  scene  of  a  horrid  massacre,  the  fort  being  at  the  time  garrisoned  by  the 
British.  It  had  come  into  their  possession  after  the  fall  of  Quebec,  in  1759. 
It  inclosed  an  area  of  two  acres,  surrounded  by  pickets  of  cedar.  It  stood 
near  the  water,  and  with  western  winds,  the  waves  dashed  against  the  foot 
of  the  stockade.  Within  the  pickets  were  abput  thirty  houses  with  families, 
and  also  a  chapel,  in  which  religious  services  were  regularly  performed  by  a 
Jesuit  missionary.  Furs  from  the  upper  lakes  were  collected  here  for  trans 
portation,  and  outfits  prepared  for  the  remote  north-west.  The  garrison  con 
sisted  of  93  men ;  there  were  only  four  English  merchants  at  the  fort. 
Alexander  Henry  was  invested  with  the  right  of  trafficking  with  the  Indians, 
and  after  his  arrival  was  visited  by  a  body  of  60  Chippewas,  whose  chieftain, 
Minavavanckj  addressed  him  and  his  companions  in  the  following  manner: 

Englishmen,  it  is  to  you  that  I  speak,  and  I  demand  your  attention.  You 
know  that  the  French  King  is  our  father.  He  promised  to  be  such,  and  we  in  turn 
promised  to  be  his  children.  This  promise  we  have  kept.  It  is  you  that  have  made 
war  with  this  our  father.  Tou  are  his  enemy,  and  how  then  could  you  have  the 
boldness  to  venture  among  us,  his  children.  You  know  that  his  enemies  are  ours. 
We  are  informed  that  our  father,  the  King  of  France,  is  old  and  infirm,  and  that 
being  fatigued  with  making  war  upon  your  nation,  he  has  fallen  asleep.  During 
this  sleep  you  have  taken  advantage  of  him,  and  possessed  yourselves  of  Canada. 
But  his  nap  is  almost  at  an  end.  I  think  1  hear  him  already  stirring  and  inquiring 
for  his  children,  and  when  he  does  awake  what  must  become  of  you?  He  will 
utterly  destroy  you.  Although  you  have  conquered  the  French,  you  have  not  con- 
quored  us.  We  are  not  your  slaves.  These  lakes,  these  woods  and  mountains  are 
left  to  us  by  our  ancestors,  they  are  our  inheritance  and  we  will  part  with  them  to 
none.  Your  nation  supposes  that  we,  like  the  white  people,  can  not  live  without 
bread,  and  pork,  and  beef,  but  you  ought  to  know  that  He,  the  Great  Spirit  and 


288  MICHIGAN. 

Master  of  Life,  has  provided  food  for  us  in  these  spacious  lakes  and  on  these 
woody  mountains. 

Our  father,  the  King  of  France,  employed  our  young  men  to  make  war  upon 
your  nation.  In  this  warfare  many  of  them  have  been  billed,  and  it  is  our  custom 
to  retaliate  until  such  time  as  the  spirits  of  the  slain  are  satisfied.  But  the  spirits 
of  the  slain  are  to  be  satisfied  in  one  of  two  ways;  the  first  is  by  the  spilling  the 
blood  of  the  nation  by  which  they  fell,  the  other  by  covering  the  bodies  of  the 
dead,  and  thus  allaying  the  resentment  of  their  relations.  This  is  done  by  making 
presents.  Your  king  has  never  sent  us  any  presents,  nor  entered  into  any  treaty 
with  us,  wherefore  he  and  we  are  still  at  war,  and  until  he  does  these  things  we 
must  consider  that  we  have  no  other  father -or  friend  among  the  white  men  than 
the  King  of  France.  But  for  you,  we  have  taken  into  consideration  that  you  have 
ventured  among  us  in  the  expectation  that  we  would  not  molest  you.  You  do  not 
come  around  with  the  intention  to  make  war.  You  come  in  peace  to  trade  with 
us,  and  supply  us  with  necessaries,  of  which  we  are  much  in  need.  We  shall  re 
gard  you,  therefore,  as  a  brother,  and  you  may  sleep  tranquilly  without  fear  of  the 
Chippewas.  As  a  token  of  friendship  we  present  you  with  this  pipe  to  smoke. 

Previous  to  the  attack  the  Indians  were  noticed  assembling  in  great  num 
bers,  with  every  appearance  of  friendship,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  trade, 
and  during  one  night  400  lay  about  the  fort.  In  order  to  celebrate  the  king's 
birth  day,  on  the  third  of  June,  a  game  of  ball  was  proposed  to  be  played 
between  the  Chippewas  and  Sacs  for  a  high  wager.  Having  induced  Major 
Etherington,  the  commandant,  and  many  of  the  garrison  to  come  outside  the 
pickets  to  view  the  game,  it  was  the  design  of  the  Indians  to  throw  the  ball 
within  the  pickets,  and,  as  was  natural  in  the  heat  of  the  game,  that  all  the 
Indians  should  rush  after  it.  The  stratagem  was  successful — the  war  cry 
was  raised,  seventy  of  the  garrison  were  murdered  and  scalped,  and  the  re 
mainder  were  taken  prisoners. 

"  Henry  witnessed  the  dreadful  slaughter  from  his  window,  and  being  unarmed  he 
hastened  out,  and  springing  over  a  low  fence  which  divided  his  house  from  that  of 
M.  Langlade,  the  French  Interpreter,  entered  the  latter,  and  requested  some  one 
to  direct  him  to  a  place  of  safety.  Langlade  hearing  the  request,  replied  that  he 
could  do  nothing  for  him.  At  this  moment  a  slave  belonging  to  Langlade,  of  the 
Pawnee  tribe  of  Indians,  took  him  to  a  door  which  she  opened,  and  informed  him 
that  it  led  to  the  garret  where  he  might  conceal  himself.  She  then  locked  the  door 
and  took  away  the  key.  Through  a  hole  in  the  wall  Henry  could  have  a  complete 
view  of  the  fort.  He  beheld  the  heaps  of  the  slain,  and  heard  the  savage  yells, 
until  the  last  victim  was  dispatched.  Having  finished  the  work  of  death  in  the 
fort,  the  Indians  went  out  to  search  the  houses.  Some  Indians  entered  Langlade'a 
house  and  asked  if  there  were  any  Englishmen  concealed  in  it.  He  replied  that 
he  did  not  know,  they  might  search  for  themselves.  At  length  they  opened  the 
garret  door  and  ascended  the  stairs,  but  Henry  had  concealed  himself  amid  a 
heap  of  birch-bark  vessels,  which  had  been  used  in  making  maple  sugar,  and  thus 
escaped.  Fatigued  and  exhausted,  he  lay  down  on  a  mat  and  went  to  sleep,  and 
while  in  this  condition  he  was  surprised  by  the  wife  of  Langlade,  who  remarked 
that  the  Indians  had  killed  all  the  English,  but  she  hoped  he  might  escape.  Fear 
ing,  however,  that  she  would  fall  a  prey  to  their  vengeance  if  it  was  found  that  an 
Englishman  was  concealed  in  her  house,  she  at  length  revealed  the  place  of  Henry's 
concealment,  giving  as  a  reason  therefor,  that  if  he  should  be  found  her  children 
would  be  destroyed.  Unlocking  the  do«*r,  she  was  followed  by  several  Indians, 
who  were  led  by  Wenniway,  a  noted  chief.  At  sight  of  him  the  chief  seized  him 
with  one  hand,  and  brandishing  a  large  carving  knife  was  about  to  pluage  it  into 
his  heart,  when  he  dropped  his  arm,  saying,  "1  won't  kill  you.  My  brother,  Mu- 
sinigon,  was  slain  by  the  English,  and  you  shall  take  his  place  and  be  called  after 
him."  He  was  carried  to  L'Arbre  Croche  as  a  prisoner,  where  he  was  rescued  by 
a  band  of  three  hundred  Ottawas,  by  whom  he  was  returned  to  Mackinaw  >  and 
finally  ransomed  by  his  friend  Wawatam.  At  the  capture  of  the  place  only  one 
trader,  M.  Tracy,  lost  his  life.  Capt.  Etherington  was  carried  away  by  some  In- 


MICHIGAN. 


289 


dians  from  the  scene  of  slaughter.  Seventy  of  the  English  troops  were  slain.  An 
Englishman,  by  the  name  of  Solomon,  saved  himself  by  hiding  under  a  heap  of 
corn,  and  his  boy  was  saved  by  creeping  up  a  chimney,  where  he  remained  two 
days.  A  number  of  canoes,  filled  with  English  traders,  arriving  soon  after  the 
massacre,  they  were  seized,  and  the  traders,  dragged  through  the  water,  were 
beaten  and  marched  by  the  Indians  to  the  prison  lodge.  After  they  had  completed 


L    A.K  JB.     S    U    P    E.  R    I    0 


ORTH 

NSULA 


MB 

ack,   now     Mackinaw 
,  and    site    of  the 
massacre   of  a  British 
Garrison  in  1763. 


ICH IG  AN;— SOUTHERN 
PENINSULA 


Map  of  Mackinaw  and  vicinity. 

the  work  of  destruction,  the  Indians,  about  four  hundred  in  number,  entertaining 
apprehensions  that  they  would  be  attacked  by  the  English,  and  the  Indians  who 
had  joined  them,  took  refuge  on  the  Island  of  Mackinaw,  "Wawatam  fearing  that 
Henry  would  be  butchered  by  the  savages  in  their  drunken  revels,  took  him  out  to 
a  cave,  where  he  lay  concealed  for  one  night  on  a  heap  of  human  bones.  As  the 
fort  was  not  destroyed,  it  was  subsequently  reoccupied  by  British  soldiers,  and  the 
removal  to  the  island  did  not  take  place  until  about  the  year  1780." 

The  station  on  the  island  was  called  New  Mackinaw,  while  the  other,  on 
the  main  land,  has  since  been  termed  Old  Mackinaw.  The  chapel,  fort,  and 
college,  at  the  latter  place,  have  long  since  passed  away,  but  relics  of  the 
stone  walls  and  pickets  remain  to  this  day.  To  the  Catholic,  as  the  site  of 
their  first  college  in  the  north-west,  and  one  of  their  earliest  mission  stations, 
this  must  be  ever  a  spot  of  great  interest, 
19 


290  MICHIGAN. 

New  Mackinaw  formerly  received  its  greatest  support  from  the  fur  trade, 
when  in  the  hands  of  the  late  John  Jacob  Astor,  being  at  that  time  the  out 
fitting  and  furnishing  place  for  the  Indian  trade.  This  trade  became  extinct 
in  1834,  and  the  place  since  has  derived  its  support  mainly  from  the  fisheries. 
The  Isle  of  Mackinaw,  in  modern  times,  has  been  a  prominent  point  for 
Protestant  missions  among  the  Indians.  The  first  American  missionary  was 
the  Rev.  David  Bacon,  who  settled  here  in  1802,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Connecticut  Missionary  Society,  the  oldest,  it  is  believed,  in  America.  This 
gentleman  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  the  eminent  New  England 
divine,  who  was  born  in  Michigan.  Prior  to  settling  at  Mackinaw,  Mr.  Bacon 
attempted  to  establish  a  mission  upon  the  Maumee.  The  Indians  in  council 
listened  to  his  arguments  for  this  object,  with  due  courtesy:  and  then,  through 
one  of  their  chiefs,  Little  Otter,  respectfully  declined.  The  gist  of  the  reply 
is  contained  in  the  following  sentence : 

f     BROTHER — Your  religion  is  very  good,  but  it  is  only  good  for  white  people. 
It  will  not  do  for  Indians :  they  are  quite  a  different  sort  of  folks. 

Old  Mackinaw,  or  Mackinack,  is  the  site  of  a  recently  laid  out  town,  Mack 
inaw  City,  which,  its  projectors  reason,  bids  fair  to  become  eventually  an  im 
portant  point.  Ferris  says,  in  his  work  on  the  west:  "If  one  were  to  point 
out,  on  the  map  of  North  America,  a  site  for  a  great  central  city  in  the  lake 
region,  it  would  be  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw.  A 
city  so  located  would  have  the  command  of  the  mineral  trade,  the  fisheries, 
the  furs,  and  the  lumber  of  the  entire  north.  It  might  become  the  metropo 
lis  of  a  great  commercial  empire.  It  would  be  the  Venice  of  the  Lakes." 
The  climate  would  seem  to  forbid  such  a  consummation;  but  the  tempera 
ture  of  this  point,  softened  by  the  vast  adjacent  bodies  of  water,  is  much 
milder  than  one  would  suppose  from  its  latitude :  north  of  this  latitude  is  a  part 
of  Canada  which  now  contains  a  million  of  inhabitants.  Two  important  rail 
roads,  running  through  the  whole  of  the  lower  peninsula  of  Michigan,  are  to 
terminate  at  this  point — one  passing  through  Grand  Rapids,  and  the  other 
through  Saginaw  City.  These  are  building  by  the  aid  of  extensive  land 
grants  from  the  general  government  to  the  state,  arid  are  to  give  southern  Mich 
igan  a  constant  communication  with  the  mineral  region  in  the  upper  peninsula, 
from  which  she  is  now  ice  locked  five  or  six  months  in  the  year,  and  which, 
in  time  is  destined  to  support  a  large  and  prosperous  population.  The  min 
eral  region  is  also  to  have  railroad  communications  through  Wisconsin  south, 
and  through  Canada  east  to  the  Atlantic,  extensive  land  grants  having  been 
made  by  the  American  and  Canadian  governments  for  these  objects,  com 
prising  in  all  many  millions  of  acres. 

The  Beaver  Islands  are  a  beautiful  cluster  of  Islands  in  Lake  Michigan. 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mackinaw.  Big  Beaver,  the  largest  of  them,  contains 
about  25,000  acres,  and  until  within  a  few  years  was  in  the  possession  of  a 
band  of  Mormons. 

When  the  Mormons  were  driven  from  Nauvoo,  in  1845,  they  were  divided  into 
three  factions — the  Twelveites,  the  Rigdonites,  and  the  Strangites.  The  Twelveites 
were  those  who  emigrated  to  Utah,  the  Rigdonites  were  the  followers  of  Sidney  Rig- 
don,  and  were  but  few  in  number,  and  the  Strangites  made  Beaver  Island  their  head 
quarters.  Their  leader,  Strang,  a  young  lawyer  originally  of  western  N.  York,  claimed 
to  have  a  revelation  from  God,  appointing  him  the  successor  of  Joe  Smith.  "These 
Mormons  held  the  entire  control  of  the  main  island,  and  probably  would  have  con 
tinued  to  do  so  for  some  time,  but  from  the  many  depredations  committed  by  them, 
the  neighboring  fishermen  and  others  living  and  trading  on  the  coasts,  became  de 
termined  to  root  out  this  band  of  robbers  and  pirates,  as  they  believed  them  to  be. 


MICHIGAN.  291 

After  organizing  a  strong  force,  they  made  an  attack  upon  these  Mormons,  and 
succeeded,  though  meeting  with  obstinate  resistance,  in  driving  them  from  the 
island.  The  attacking  party  found  concealed  a  large  number  of  hides  and  other 
goods,  which  were  buried  to  avoid  detection.  The  poor,  deluded  followers  of  this 
monstrous  doctrine  are  now  dispersed.  Some  three  or  four  hundred  were  sent  to 
Chicago,  and  from  thence  spread  over  the  country.  Others  were  sent  to  ports  on 
Lake  Erie.  Strang  was  wounded  by  one  of  the  men  he  had  some  time  previous  to 
this  attack  robbed  and  beaten.  He  managed  to  escape  the  island,  but  died  in  Wis 
consin  shortly  after,  in  consequence  of  his  wounds." 

SAULT  DE  STE.  MARIE,  the  county  seat  of  Chippewa  county,  is  situated 

on  St.  Marys  River,  or  Strait,  400  miles 
N.W.  of  Detroit,  and  about  18  from  the 
entrance  of  Lake  Superior.  The  vil 
lage  has  an  elevated  situation,  at  the 
Falls  of  St.  Mary,  and  contains  about 
1,000  inhabitants.  It  is  a  famous  fish 
ing  place,  immense  quantities  of  white 
fish  being  caught  and  salted  here  for  the 
markets  of  the  west.  The  falls  are 
merely  rapids,  having  a  descent  of  22 
THE  SAULT  OR  FALLS  OF  ST.  MAET.  feet  in  a  mile.  The  Sault  Ste.  Marie  is 

The  view  is  looking  down  the  Rapids.  one  of  the  prominent  historic  localities 

of  the  north-west. 

"On  the  17th  of  September,  1641,  the  Fathers  Joguesand  Raymbault  embarked 
in  their  frail  birch  bark  canoes  for  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  They  floated  over  the  clear 
waters  between  the  picturesque  islands  of  Lake  Huron,  and  after  a  voyage  of  sev 
enteen  days  arrived  at  the  Sault.  Here  they  found  a  large  assembly  of  Chippewas. 
After  numerous  inquiries,  they  heard  of  the  Nadowessies,  the  famed  Sioux,  who 
dwelt  eighteen  days'  journey  further  to  the  west,  beyond  the  Great  Lake.  Thus 
did  the  religious  zeal  of  the  French  bear  the  cross  to  the  banks  of  the  St.  Mary 
and  the  confines  of  Lake  Superior,  and  look  wistfully  toward  the  homes  of  the 
Sioux  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  five  years  before  the  New  England  Elliott 
had  addressed  the  tribe  of  Indians  that  dwelt  within  six  miles  of  Boston  harbor." 
In  1668,  James  Marquette  and  Claude  Dablon  founded  a  mission  here.  During 
the  whole  of  the  French  occupancy  of  the  west,  this  was  a  great  point  for  their 
missions  and  fur  traders.  In  the  late  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  trading  station 
of  the  British  North-west  Fur  Company,  on  the  Canadian  side,  was  burnt  by  Maj. 
Holmes:  this  was  just  before  the  unsuccessful  attack  on  Mackinaw.  Fort  Brady, 
at  this  place,  was  built  in  1823,  and  was  at  the  time  the  most  northerly  fortress  in 
the  United  States. 

Before  the  construction  of  the  great  canal,  the  copper  from  the  Lake  Su 
perior  mines  was  taken  around  the  falls  by  railway,  the  cars  being  drawn  by 
horses.  It  has  added  1,700  miles  of  coast  to  the  trade  of  the  lakes,  and  is 
of  incalculable  advantage  to  the  whole  of  the  business  of  the  Lake  Superior 
country. 

St.  Marys  Strait,  which  separates  Canada  West  from  the  upper  peninsula  of 
Michigan,  is  about  64  miles  long,  and  is  navigable  for  vessels  drawing  eight  feet 
of  water  to  within  about  a  mile  of  Lake  Superior.  At  this  point  the  navigation  is 
impeded  by  the  Falls — the  " sault"  (pronounced  soo)  of  the  river.  Congress 
offered  Michigan  750,000  acres  of  land  to  construct  a  ship  canal  around  these 
rapids ;  and  the  state  contracted  to  give  these  lands,  free  of  taxation  for  five  years, 
to  Erastus  Corning  and  others,  on  condition  of  building  the  canal  by  the  19th  of 
May,  1855.  The  work  was  completed  in  style  superior  to  anything  on  this  conti 
nent,  and  the  locks  are  supposed  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world.  The  canal  is  12 
feet  deep,  being  mostly  excavated  through  solid  sandstone  rock.  It  is  100  feet  wide 
at  the  top  of  the  water,  and  1 15  at  the  top  of  its  banks ;  and  the  largest  steamboats 


292  MICHIGAN. 

and  vessels  which  navigate  the  Great  Lakes  can  pass  through  it  with  the  greatest 
ease. 

The  Upper  Peninsula,  or  Lake  Superior  country,  of  Michigan,  has,  of  late 
years,  attracted  great  attention  from  its  extraordinary  mineral  wealth, 
especially  in  copper  and  iron.  The  territory  comprised  in  it,  together  with 
that  portion  of  the  Lake  Superior  region  belonging  to  the  state  of  Wiscon 
sin,  has  interests  so  peculiar  to  itself,  that  the  project  of  ceding  this 
whole  tract,  by  the  legislatures  of  Wisconsin  and  Michigan,  to  the  general 
government,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  new  state  to  be  called  SUPERIOR, 
has  been  seriously  agitated  and  may,  in  some  not  distant  future,  be  consum 
mated. 

Lake  Superior,  the  largest  body  of  fresh  water  on  the  globe,  is  an  object  of  in 
terest  to  the  traveler.  It  is  1,500  miles  in  circumference,  and  in  some  parts  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  in  depth.  Among  its  many  islands  Isle  Koyal  is  the  largest, 
being  nearly  of  the  size  of  the  state  of  Connecticut.  The  country  along  the  lake 
is  one  of  the  most  dreary  imaginable.  ^  Everywhere  its  surface  is  rocky  and  broken ; 
but  the  high  hills,  the  rugged  precipices,  and  the  rocky  shores,  with  their  spare 
vegetation,  are  relieved  by  the  transparency  and  purity  of  the  waters  that  wash 
their  base  ;  these  are  so  clear  that  the  pebbles  can  often  be  distinctly  seen  at  the 
depth  of  thirty  feet.  A  boat  frequently  appears  as  if  suspended  in  the  air,  so  trans 
parent  is  the  liquid  upon  which  it  floats.  Among  the  natural  curiosities,  the  Pic 
tured  Rocks  and  the  Doric  Arch,  on  the  south  shore  near  the  east  end,  are  promi 
nent.  The  first  are  a  series  of  lofty  bluffs,  of  a  light  gray  sandstone,  300  feet 
high,  which  continue  for  twelve  miles  along  the  shore.  They  consist  of  a  group 
of  overhanging  precipices,  towering  walls,  caverns,  waterfalls,  and  prostrate  ruins. 
The  Doric  Arch  is  an  isolated  mass  of  sandstone,  consisting  of  four  natural  pillars, 
supporting  an  entablature  of  the  same  material,  and  presenting  the  appearance  of 
a  work  of  art.  The  waters  of  Lake  Superior,  being  remarkably  pure,  abound  with 
fish,  particularly  trout,  sturgeon  and  white  fish,  which  are  an  extensive  article  of 
commerce.  The  siskowit  of  Lake  Superior,  supposed  to  be  a  cross  of  the  trout 
and  white  fish,  is  considered  by  epicures  to  possess  the  finest  flavor  of  any  fish  in 
the  world,  fresh  or  salt,  and  to  which  the  brook  trout  can  bear  no  comparison.  It 
loses  its  delicacy  of  flavor  when  salted ;  its  common  weight  is  four  pounds,  and 
length  16  inches.  So  exhilarating  is  the  winter  atmosphere  here,  that  it  is  said 
that  to  those  who  exercise  much  in  the  open  air,  it  produces,  not  unfreqently,  an 
inexpressible  elasticity  and  buoyancy  of  spirits,  that  can  be  compared  to  nothing 
else  but  to  the  effects  of  intoxicating  drinks. 

The  climate  of  the  Lake  Superior  region  is  not,  by  any  means,  so  severe 
as  its  northern  latitude  would  indicate.  A  writer,  familiar  with  it  says : 

"  No  consideration  is,  perhaps,  more  important  to  those  seeking  a  country  suita 
ble1  for  residence  and  enterprise,  than  the  character  of  its  climate.  Health  is  the 
first,  and  comfort  the  next  great  object,  in  selecting  a  permanent  abode.  Tested 
by  these  qualities,  the  Lake  Superior  region  presents  prominent  inducements.  Its 
atmosphere  is  drier,  more  transparent  and  bracing  than  those  of  the  other  states  on 
the  same  parallel.  A  healthier  region  does  not  exist;  here  the  common  diseases 
of  mankind  are  comparatively  unknown.  The  lightness  of  the  atmosphere  has  a 
most  invigorating  effect  upon  the  spirits,  and  the  breast  of  the  invalid  swells  with 
new  emotion  when  he  inhales  its  healthy  breezes,  as  they  sweep  across  the  lake. 
None  of  the  American  lakes  can  compare  with  Lake  Superior  in  healthfulness  of 
climate  during  the  summer  months,  and  there  is  no  place  so  well  calculated  to  re 
store  the  health  of  an  invalid,  who  has  suffered  from  the  depressing  miasms  of  the 
fever-breeding  soil  of  the  south-western  states.  This  opinion  is  fast  gaining  ground 
among  medical  men,  who  are  now  recommending  to  their  patients  the  healthful 
climate  of  this  favored  lake,  instead  of  sending  them  to  die  in  enervating  south 
ern  latitudes. 

The  waters  of  this  vast  inland  sea,  covering  an  area  of  over  32,000  square  miles, 
exercise  a  powerful  influence  in  modifying  the  two  extremes  of  heat  and  cold. 


MICHIGAN.  293 

The  uniformity  of  temperature  thus  produced,  is  highly  favorable  to  animal  and 
vegetable  life.  The  most  delicate  fruits  and  plants  are  raised  without  injury; 
while  four  or  five  degrees  further  south,  they  are  destroyed  by  the  early  frosts.  It 
is  a  singular  fact,  that  Lake  Superior  never  freezes  in  the  middle ;  and  along  the 
shores,  the  ice  seldom  extends  out  more  than  fifteen  to  twenty  miles.  The  temper 
ature  of  its  waters  rarely,  if  ever  change,  and  are  almost  always  at  40  deg.  Fahren 
heit— »the  maximum  density  of  water.  I  rarely  omitted  taking  a  morning  bath 
during  my  exploring  cruises  along  the  south  shore  of  the  lake,  in  the  months  of 
August  and  September,  and  found  the  temperature  of  the  water  near  the  shore, 
much  warmer  than  that  along  the  north  shore.  I  also  observed  a  rise  and  fall  in 
the  water — or  a  tidular  motion,  frequently.  In  midsummer,  the  climate  is  delight 
ful  beyond  comparison,  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  air  is  softly  bracing.  The 
winds  are  variable,  and  rarely  continue  for  more  than  two  or  three  days  in  the 
same  quarter.  We  have  no  epidemics,  no  endemics;  miasmatic  affections,  with 
their  countless  ills,  are  unknown  here  ;  and  the  luster  of  the  languid  eye  is  restored, 
the  paleness  of  the  faded  cheek  disappears  when  brought  into  our  midst.  The 
purity  of  the  atmosphere  makes  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  all  those  afflicted  with  pul 
monary  complaints,  and  such  a  thing  as  consumption  produced  by  the  climate,  is 
wholly  unknown.  Fever  and  ague,  that  terrible  scourge  of  Illinois,  Kanzas  and 
Iowa,  is  rapidly  driven  away  before  the  pure  and  refreshing  breezes  which  come 
down  from  the  north-west ;  and  thousands  of  invalids  from  the  states  below,  have 
already  found  here  a  safe  retreat  from  their  dreaded  enemy.  It  is  also  a  singular 
fact,  that  persons  suffering  from  asthma  or  phthisis,  have  been  greatly  relieved,  or, 
in  some  instances,  permanently  cured  by  a  residence  in  this  climate.  Having  had 
much  experience  in  camping  out  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior,  sleeping  con 
stantly  on  the  sandy  beach,  with  and  without  a  tent,  a  few  feet  from  the  water's 
edge.  I  would  say,  give  me  the  open  air  in  summer  to  the  confinement  of  the  best 
houses  ever  constructed.  It  is  never  very  dark  in  this  latitude,  and  the  northern 
lights  are  usually  visible  every  clear  night.  Although  myself  and  companions 
were  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  weather  on  our  exploring  excursions — with  feet  wet 
every  day,  and  nearly  all  day,  sleeping  on  the  beach,  exposed  to  heavy  dew,  yet  not 
one  of  the  party  ever  suffered  from  exposure!  Dr.  Owen,  the  celebrated  United 
States  geologist,  says:  'At  the  Pembina  settlement  (in  latitude  49  deg.),  to  a  popu 
lation  of  five  thousand,  there  was  but  a  single  physician,  and  he  told  me,  that  with 
out  an  additional  salary  allowed  him  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  the  diseases  of 
the  settlement  would  not  afford  him  a  living.'  " 


The  Copper  districts  are  Ontonagon,  Portage  Lake  and  Kewrenaw  Point,  The 
principal  iron  district,  Marquette.  The  principal  mines  in  the  Ontonagon  district 
are  the  Minnesota,  Central  and  Rockland ;  in  the  Portage  Lake,  Pewaubie,  Quincy, 
Franklin  and  Isle  Royale ;  and  in  the  Kewenaw  Point,  Cliff,  Copper  Falls,  North 
west  and  Central.  The  value  of  the  copper  product,  in  1860,  was  about  three  mil 
lions  of  dollars. 

The  existence  of  rich  deposits  of  copper  in  the  Lake  Superior  region,  has  been 
known  from  the  earliest  times.  Father  Claude  Allouez,  the  Jesuit  missionary,  who 
founded  the  mission  of  St.  Mary,  in  1668,  says  that  the  Indians  respect  this  lake 
as  a  divinity,  and  make  sacrifices  to  it,  partly,  perhaps,  on  account  of  its  magni 
tude,  or  for  its  goodness  in  furnishing  them  with  fishes.  He  farther  adds,  that  be 
neath  its  waters  pieces  of  copper  are  found  of  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds,  which 
the  savages  often  preserved  as  so  many  divinities.  Other  published  descriptions 
speak  of  it.  Charlevoix,  who  visited  the  west  in  1722,  says  that  the  copper  here 
is  so  pure  that  one  of  the  monks,  who  was  bred  a  goldsmith,  made  from  it  several 
sacramental  articles. 

Recent  developments  show  that  the  mines  were  probably  worked  by  the  same 
mysterious  race  who,  anterior  to  the  Indians,  built  the  mounds  and  ancient  works 
of  the  west.  In  the  latter  have  been  found  various  copper  trinkets  bespangled 
with  silver  scales,  a  peculiar  feature  of  the  Lake  Superior  copper,  while  on  the 
shores  of  the  lake  itself,  abandoned  mines,  filled  by  the  accumulation  of  ages,  have 
recently  been  re-opened,  the  existence  of  which  was  unknown,  even  to  the  tradi- 


294 


MICHIGAN. 


tions  of  the  present  race  of  Indians.  There  have  been  found  remains  of  cop 
per  utensils,  in  the  form  of  knives  and  chisels ;  of  stone  hammers  to  the  amount  of 
cart  loads,  some  of  which  are  of  immense  size  and  weight;  of  wooden  bowls  for 
boiling  water  from  the  mines,  and  numerous  levers  of  wood,  used  in  raising  mass 
copper  to  the  surface. 


The  Copper  and  Iron  Region  on  Lake  Superior. 

The  first  Englishman  who  ever  visited  the  copper  region  was  Alex.  Henry,  the 
trader.  In  August,  1765,  he  was  shown  by  the  Indians  a  mass  of  pure  copper,  on 
Ontonagon  River,  ten  miles  from  its  mouth,  that  weighed  3,800  pounds;  it  is  now 
in  Washington  City,  and  forms  part  of  the  Washington  monument.  He  cut  off  a 
piece  of  100  Ibs.  weight  with  an  axe.  The  first  mining  company  on  Lake  Superior 
was  organized  by  this  enterprising  explorer.  In  1770,  he,  witlTtwo  others,  having 
interested  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  other  English  noblemen,  built  a  barge  at 
Point  aux  Pius,  and  laid  the  keel  of  a  sloop  of  forty  tuns.  They  were  in  search 
of  gold  and  silver,  and  expected  to  make  their  fortunes.  The  enterprise  failed, 
and  the  American  Revolution  occurring,  for  a  time  caused  the  mineral  resources 
of  the  country  to  be  forgotten. 

Dr.  Franklin,  commissioner  for  negotiating  the  peace  between  England  and  her 
lost  colonies,  purposely  drew  the  boundary  line  through  Lake  Superior,  so  as  to 
throw  this  rich  mineral  region,  of  the  existence  of  which  he  was  then  aware,  with 
in  the  possession  of  the  United  States.  He  afterward  stated  that  future  genera 
tions  would  pronounce  this  the  greatest  service  he  had  ever  given  to  his  country. 

The  celebrated  Connecticut-born  traveler,  Capt.  Jonathan  Carver,  visited  these 
regions  in  1769,  and  in  his  travels  dwells  upon  their  mineral  wealth.  The  first 
definite  information  in  regard  to  the  metallic  resources  of  Lake  Superior,  was  pub 
lished  in  1841,  by  Dr.  Douglas  Houghton,  geologist  to  the  state  of  Michigan.  In 
1843,  the  Indian  title  to  the  country  was  extinguished  by  a  treaty  with  the  Chip- 

Eewas,  and  settlers  came  in,  among  them  several  Wisconsin  miners,  who  selected 
irge  tracts  of  land,*  including  many  of  those  now  occupied  by  the  best  mines  in 
the  country.     In  the  summer  of  1844,  the  first  mining  operations  were  commenced 

*  By  an  act  of  congress,  in  1850,  the  mineral  lands  of  Lake  Superior  were  thrown  into  mar 
ket,  with  the  right  of  pre-emption,  as  to  occupants  of  other  public  lands ;  and  to  occupants 
and  lessees,  the  privilege  of  purchasing  one  full  section  at  the  minimum  price  of  $2  50  per 
acre. 


MICHIGAN.  295 

on  Eagle  Eiver,  by  the  Lake  Superior  Copper  Company.  They  sold  out  after  two 
or  three  years'  labor,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  they  were  upon  a  vein  which 
proved  rich  in  copper,  now  known  as  the  Cliff  Mine. 

The  first  mining  operations  brought  to  light  many  masses  of  native  copper  which 
contained  silver.  This  caused  great  excitement  in  the  eastern  cities,  and,  with  the 
attendant  exaggerations,  brought  on  "  the  copper  fever  "  so  that  the  next  year,  1845, 
the  shores  of  "Keweenaw  Point  were  whitened  with  the  tents  of  speculators.  The 
next  year  the  fever  reached  its  hight,  and  speculations  in  worthless  stocks  con 
tinued  until  1847,  when  the  bubble  had  burst.  Many  were  ruined,  and  the  coun 
try  almost  deserted,  and  of  the  many  companies  formed  few  only  had  actually  en 
gaged  in  mining.  They  were,  mostly,  merely  stock  gambling  schemes.  Now, 
about  one  third  of  all  the  copper  produced  on  the  globe  comes  from  this  region. 
Such  is  its  surprising  richness,  that  the  day  may  not  be  very  distant  when  its  an 
nual  product  will  exceed  the  present  product  from  all  the  other  mines  worked  by 
man  combined. 

We  continue  this  subject  from  a  valuable  article,  published  in  1860,  in  the 
Detroit  Tribune,  on  the  copper  and  iron  interest  of  Michigan.  The  notes 
are  entirely  from  other  sources : 

This  great  interest  of  Michigan  was  first  brought  into  public  notice  by  the  enor 
mous  speculations  and  the  mad  fever  of  1845.  The  large  spur  of  country  which  pro 
jects  far  out  into  the  lake,  having  its  base  resting  on  a  line  drawn  across  from 
L'Anse  Bay  to  Ontonagon,  and  the  Porcupine  Mountains  for  its  spine,  became  the 
El  Dorado  of  all  copperdom  of  that  day.  In  this  year  the  first  active  operations 
were  commenced  at  the  Cliff  Mine,  just  back  of  Eagle  River  harbor.  Three  years 
later,  in  1848,  work  was  undertaken  at  the  Minesota,  some  fifteen  miles  back  from 
the  lake  at  Ontonagon. 

The  history  of  the  copper  mines  on  Lake  Superior  shows  that  even  the  best  mines 
disappointed  the  owners  in  the  beginning.  We  give  the  facts  relative  to  the  three 
mines  at  present  in  the  Lake  Superior  region  to  illustrate  this.  The  Cliff  Mine 
was  discovered  in  1845,  and  worked  three  years  without  much  sign  of  success;  it 
changed  hands  at  the  very  moment  when  the  vein  was  opened  which  proved  after 
ward  to  be  so  exceedingly  rich  in  copper  and  silver,  producing  now  on  an  average 
1,500  tuns  of  stamp,  barrel,  and  mass  copper  per  annum. 

The  Minesota  Mine  was  discovered  in  1848,  and  for  the  first  three  years  gave 
no  very  encouraging  results.  The  first  large  mass  of  native  copper  of  about  seven 
tuns  was  found  in  a  pit  made  by  an  ancient  race.  After  that  discovery  muoh  mo 
ney  was  spent  before  any  further  indications  of  copper  were  found.  This  mine 
yields  now  about  2,000  tuns  of  copper  per  annum,  and  declared  for  the  year  1858 
a  net  dividend  of  $300,000.  The  dividends  paid  since  1852  amount  to  upward  of 
$1,500,000  on  a  paid  up  capital  of  $66,000.* 

#The  cost  to  the  stockholders  of  the  Cliff  Mine  was  $18  50  per  share  on  6,000  shares,  and 
the  total  cash  paid  in  was  $110,905.  The  highest  selling  price  per  share  has  been  $245. 
The  years  1845,  1846  and  1847  not  a  dollar  of  returns  came  from  the  enterprise.  In  1848 
the  mine  was  so  far  opened  as  to  be  worked  with  profit.  Since  then  the  dividends  in  round 
numbers  have  been,  in  1849,  $60,000  ;  1850,  $84,000  ;  1851,  $60,000  ;  1852,  $60,000 ;  1853, 
$90,000;  1854,  $108,000;  1855,  $78,000  ;  1856,  $180,000  ;  1857,  $180,000  ;  and  1858,  $209,000. 
Up  to  Jan.  1,  1859,  the  dividends  paid  stockholders,  added  to  the  cash,  copper  and  copper 
ore  on  hand,  amounted  to  over  $3,700,000. 

The  cost  to  the  stockholders  of  the  Minesota  Mine  was  $3  per  share  on  20,000  shares,  and 
the  total  cash  paid  in,  as  above  stated,  $66,000.  The  highest  selling  price  per  share  has 
been  $110.  In  1848,  $14,000  was  expended,  and  $1,700  worth  of  copper  produced ;  in  1849, 
expenditures,  $28,000,  copper  produced,  $14,000  ;  1850,  expenditures,  $58,000,  copper  pro 
duced,  $29,000  ;  in  1851,  expenditures,  $88,000,  copper  produced,  $90,000.  In  1852,  the  fifth 
year  from  the  beginning,  the  mine  had  been  so  far  opened  that  ore  in  greater  quantities 
could  be  taken  out,  and  the  first  dividend  was  declared  ;  it  was  $30,000  ;  in  1853,  dividend, 
$60,000  ;  1854,  $90,000  ;  1855,  200,000  j  and  in  1856,  $300,000  ;  since  then  the  dividends 
have  been  about  $200,000  per  annum.  In  all  the  stockholders  have  received  more  than  a 
million  of  money  for  their  original  investment  of  $66,000,  a  fair  reward  for  their  five  years 
waiting  on  a  first  dividend. 

These  statistics,  astonishing  as  they  may  seem,  are  equaled  in  mining  experience  in  other 


296  MICHIGAN. 

The  same  has  been  experienced  at  the  Pewahic  Mine.  That  mine  commenced 
operations  in  the  year  1855,  with  an  expenditure  of  $26,357,  which  produced 
$1,080  worth  of  copper;  the  second  year  it  expended  $40,820,  and  produced  $31,- 
492  of  copper;  in  1857,  $54,484  of  expenses  produced  $44,058  worth  of  copper;  in 

countries.  That  correct  information  should  be  disseminated  upon  this  subject,  is  due  to  the 
assistance  required  for  an  early  development  of  the  immense  natural  mineral  wealth  that  our 
country  possesses.  Hence  we  lengthen  this  note  by  statistics  of  successful  British  mines,  as 
given  by  a  writer  familiar  with  the  subject : 

"He  has  struck  a  mine!"  is  one  of  those  sentences  in  every  one's  mouth  to  indicate  extra 
ordinary  good  fortune.  Phrases  like  these,  passing  into  popular  every  day  use,  must  orig 
inate  in  some  great  truth  inlpressed  upon  the  public  mind.  This  expression  is  doubtless  of 
foreign  origin,  for  the  Americans  know  so  little  of  mining,  that  all  enterprises  of  this  kind 
are  by  them  reproachfully  termed  speculative.  Yet,  when  conducted  on  correct  business 
principles,  and  with  knowledge,  few  investments  are  more  certain  than  those  made  in  this 
useful  branch  of  industry. 

"  This  statement  can  now  well  be  believed  which  has  lately  been  made  by  the  London  Min 
ing  Journal,  that  'taking  all  the  investments  made  in  that  country  (England)  in  mining  enter 
prises  (other  than  coal  and  iron)  good,  bad  and  indifferent,  at  home  and  abroad,  the  returns 
from  the  good  mines  have  paid  a  larger  interest  upon  the  entire  outlay  than  is  realized  in  any 
other  species  of  investments.' 

"  The  exact  figures  are,  for  mining,  an  annual  interest  of  13  1-2  per  cent.  Other  invest 
ments  4  8-10  per  cent.  Amount  of  dividends  paid  upon  investments  in  mining,  111  per 
cent. 

This  is  doubtless  owing  to  the  fact  that  in  England  mining  is  treated  as  a  regular  busi 
ness,  and  is  never  undertaken  by  those  who  are  not  willing  to  devote  the  same  attention, 
time,  and  money  to  it,  that  are  considered  necessary  to  the  success  of  any  other  business." 

We  have  before  us  a  list  of  twenty-  three  English  Mining  Companies,  showing,  first,  the 
number  of  shares  of  each  ;  second,  the  cash  cost  per  share  ;  third,  the  present  selling  price 
per  share;  ana  fourth,  the  amount  paid  in  dividends  per  share.  The  mines  worked  are 
principally  copper  and  lead. 

From  this  list  we  gather  the  following  facts,  which  we  express  in  round  numbers :  Those 
twenty-three  companies  invested  in  their  enterprises  one  million  and  forty  thousand  dollars. 
The  present  value  of  their  property  is  eight  millions  of  dollars.  The  shareholders  have  re 
ceived  in  dividends  fourteen  millions  of  dollars.  The  average  cost  per  share  was  sixty-five 
dollars.  The  present  selling  price  per  share  is  five  hundred  and  two  dollars;  and  the 
amount  of  dividends  received  per  share,  eight  hundred  and  seventy-three  dollars. 

What  other  branch  of  industry  will  average  such  returns  as  these?  And  is  it  not  owing 
to  the  ignorance  of  the  business  men  of  the  United  States  as  to  the  actual  fads  of  mining, 
when  legitimately  pursued,  that  has,  in  a  measure,  prevented  our  industry  from  being  partly 
directed  in  that  channel? 

From  the  list  we  group  some  of  the  most  successful  of  the  mines,  arranging  the  statistics 
so  that  they  can  be  seen  at  a  glance.  They  dwarf  by  comparison  all  ordinary  investments 
by  the  immensity  of  their  returns. 

Jamaica,  Lead  Mine.  No.  of  shares  76.  Amount  paid  per  share  $19.  Present  price  per 
share,  $250.  Total  amount  paid  in,  $1,444.  Present  value,  $190,000.  Increase  value  on 
the  original  investment,  thirteen  times. 

Wheal  Basset,  Copper.  No.  of  shares,  512.  Amount  paid  per  share,  $25  25.  Present 
price  per  share,  $2,050.  Total  amount  paid  in,  $12,800.  Present  value,  $1,049,600.  In 
crease  in  value,  eighty  times. 

South  Caradon,  Copper.  No.  of  shares,  256.  Cost  per  share,  $12  30.  Present  price  per 
share,  $1,500.  Total  amount  paid  in,  $3,200.  Present  value,  $384,000.  Increase  in  value, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  times. 

Wheal  Butter,  Copper.  No.  of  shares,  256.  Amount  paid  per  share,  $25.  Present  price 
per  share,  $3, 095.  Total  cash  capital,  $6,500.  Present  cash  value,  $792,000.  Increase  value, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four  times. 

Devon  Great  Consols,  Copper.  No.  of  shares,  1,024.  Amount  paid  per  share,  $5.  Pres 
ent  price  per  share,  $2,050.  Total  cash  capital,  $5,120.  Present  cash  value,  $2,099,200. 
Increase  value  per  share  more  than  four  hundred  times. 

Taking  the  above  five  mines  together,  and  the  sum  of  the  original  cash  capital  paid  in 
by  the  stockholders  was,  in  round  numbers,  seventy-nine  thousand  dollars,  and  the  present 
combined  value  of  the  investments,  reckoning  them  at  the  present  selling  price  of  the  shares, 
is  over  four  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars. 

Since  the  foregoiug  was  written,  later  sta-tistics  than  these  have  come  to  hand  from  Gryll'a 
Annual  Mining  Sheet,  containing  statistics  of  the  copper  mines  of  Cornwall,  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1859. 

It  appears  from  these  that  during  the  past  year  the  last  mentioned  mine — the 'Devon 
Great  Consols,'  turned  out  23,748  gross  tuns  of  copper.  On  the  1st  of  June  last,  the  lucky 


MICHIGAN  297 

1858,  the  amount  expended  -was  $109,152,  and  the  receipts  for  copper  $76.538  ;  the 
total  expense  amouikls  to  $235,816,  and  the  total  receipts  for  copper  to  $153;168, 


Outline  view  of  the    Minesola  Mine. 

The  view  shows  only  a  small  part  of  tin  surface  works.  The  aggregate  extent  of  openings  under  ground 
throughout  the  mine,  by  shafts  and  levels,  is  31,893  foet,  or  over  six  miles  in  extent.  The  deepest  shaft  is 
712  feet.  The  entire  working  force  at  the  mine  is  718,  and  the  total  population  supported  there  by  it  1,215. 

It  is  scarcely  ten  years  that  mining  has  been  properly  commenced  in  that  re 
mote  region.  At  that  time  it  was  difficult,  on  account  of  the  rapids  of  St.  Marys 
lliver,  to  approach  it  by  water  with  large  craft.  Being  more  than  a  thousand  miles 
distant  from  the  center  of  the  Union,  destitute  of  all  the  requirements  for  the  de 
velopment  of  mines,  every  tool,  every  part  of  machinery,  every  mouthful  of  pro 
vision  had  to  be  hauled  over  the  rapids,  boated  along  the  shores  for  hundreds  of 
miles  to  the  copper  region,  and  there  often  carried  on  the  back  of  man  and  beast 
to  the  place  where  copper  was  believed  to  exist.  Every  stroke  of  the  pick  cost 
tenfold  more  than  in  populated  districts;  every  disaster  delayed  the  operations  for 
weeks  and  months. 

The  opening  of  the  Sault  Canal  has  changed  all  this  and  added  a  wonderful  im 
petus  to  the  business,  the  mining  interests,  and  the  development  of  the  Lake  Su 
perior  country.  Nearly  one  hundred  different  vessels,  steam  and  sail,  have  been 

shareholders  received  as  their  annual  dividend  $220  per  share.  That  is  mine  stock  worth 
having ;  it  cost  only  $6  per  share,  fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  mine  was  first  opened. 

It  is  true  that  these  are  the  successful  mines.  Mines  to  be  placed  in  this  class  must  be 
either  ordinary  mines  managed  with  great  skill,  or  exceedingly  rich  mines,  which  possess 
naturally  such  treasures,  that  they  eventually  yield  immense  return  in  spite  of  all  blunders 
in  management." 

To  the  above  extract  we  append  the  remarks  that  the  prominent  difficulties  in  this  coun 
try,  in  the  way  of  successful  mining,  consist  in  the  total  ignorance  of  those  who  generally 
engage  in  the  business,  most  American  mining  companies  proving  but  mere  phantoms  on 
which  to  build  airy  castles,  and  most  American  mines  but  ugly  holes  in  which  to  bury  money, 
which,  like  Kidd's  treasure  is  never  found  again.  None  but  those  used  from  youth  to  the 
business  of  mining,  and  for  the  very  metals  mined  for,  are  fit  to  conduct  the  business.  Noth 
ing  but  the  mechanical  education  to  open  a  mine,  and  the  skill  to  work  the  machinery, 
united  with  a  knowledge  of  geology  and  chemistry,  and  more  especially  that  intricate  and 
delicate  branch,  metallurgy,  joined  to  extraordinary  executive  skill  in  the  business  manage 
ment,  will  conduct  an  enterprise  of  the  kind  to  any  but  a  disastrous  issue. 

Aside  from  this,  such  has  been  the  selfishness,  ignorance  and  neglect  of  those  persons  in 
this  country  who  have  had  the  control  of  these  enterprises,  that  let  any  mine  promise  ever 
so  fairly,  an  investment  in  its  stock  is  now  regarded  as  silly  as  a  purchase  in  a  lottery. 
It  is  said  that  six  millions  of  dollars  were  lost  during  "  the  copper  fever"  on  Lake  Su 
perior,  much  of  it  indirectly  stolen  by  smooth  talking  gentlemen,  regarded  as  reputable 
among  their  neighbors. 


298  MICHIGAN. 

engaged  the  past  season  in  its  trade,  and  the  number  of  these  is  destined  largely  to 
increase  year  by  year,  an  indication  of  the  growth  of  business  and  the  opening  up 
of  the  country.  For  the  growth  in  the  copper  interest  we  have  only  to  refer  to  the 
shipments  from  that  region  year  by  year.  These,  in  gross,  are  as  follows:  in  1853, 
2,535  tuns;  1854,  3,500;  1855,  4,544;  1856,  5,357;  1857,6,094;  1858,  6,025:  1859, 
6,245;  and  in  1860,  estimated,  9,000. 

The  same  facts  of  development  would  hold  generally  true,  with  regard  to  the 
other  industrial  interests  of  that  vast  country. 

It  remains  yet  almost  wholly  "  a  waste,  howling  wilderness."  At  Marquette, 
Portage  Lake,  Copper  Harbor,  Eagle  River,  Eagle  Harbor,  and  Ontonagon,  and 
the  mines  adjacent,  are  the  only  places  where  the  primeval  forests  had  given  place 
to  the  enterprise  of  man,  and  these,  in  comparison  with  the  whole  extent  of  terri 
tory  embraced  in  this  region,  are  but  mere  insignificant  patches.  What  this  coun 
try  may  become  years  hence,  it  would  defy  all  speculations  now  to  predict,  but 
there  seems  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  will  exceed  the  most  sanguine  expecta 
tions. 

The  copper  region  is  divided  into  three  districts,  viz :  the  Ontonagon,  the  Ke- 
weenaw  Point,  and  the  Portage  Lake.  Each  district  has  some  peculiarities  of 
product,  the  first  developing  more  masses,  while  the  latter  are  more  prolific  in 
vein-rock,  the  copper  being  scattered  throughout  the  rock. 

There  have  been  since  1845  no  less  than  116  copper  mining  companies  organized 
under  the  general  law  of  Michigan.  The  amount  of  capital  invested  and  now  in 
use,  or  which  has  been  paid  out  in  explorations  and  improvements,  and  lost,  is  es 
timated  by  good  judges  at  $6,000,000.  The  nominal  amount  of  capital  stock  in 
vested  in  all  the  companies  which  have  charters  would  reach  an  indefinite  number 
of  millions.  As  an  offset  to  this,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  Cliff  and  Minnesota 
mines  have  returned  over  $2,000,000  in  dividends  from  the  beginning  of  their  ope 
rations,  and  the  value  of  these  two  mines  will  more  than  cover  the  whole  amount 
spent  in  mining,  and  for  all  the  extravagant  undertakings  which  have  been  entered 
upon  and  abandoned.  While  success  has  been  the  exception  and  failure  the  rule 
in  copper  speculations,  yet  it  must  be  admitted  that  these  exceptions  are  remarka 
bly  tempting  ones.  Doubtless  there  is  immense  wealth  still  to  be  developed  in 
these  enterprises,  and  this  element  of  wealth  in  the  Lake  Superior  region  is  yet 
to  assume  a  magnitude  now  unthought  of. 

The  copper  is  smelted  mainly  in  Detroit,  Cleveland  and  Boston,  the  works  in 
Detroit  being  the  largest  There  is  one  establishment  at  Pittsburg  which  does 
most  of  the  smelting  for  the  Cliff  Mine;  one  at  Bergen,  N.  Y.,  and  one  at  New 
Haven,  Ct.  There  -are  two  at  Baltimore,  but  they  are  engaged  on  South  American 
mineral.  The  Bruce  Mines,  on  the  Canada  side  of  Lake  Huron,  have  recently  put 
smelting  works  in  operation  on  their  location.  Prior  to  this  the  mineral  was  bar 
reled  up  and  shipped  to  London,  being  taken  over  as  ballast  in  packet  ships  at  low 
rates. 

The  amount  of  copper  smelted  in  Detroit  we  can  only  judge  by  the  amount 
landed  here,  but  this  will  afford  a  pretty  accurate  estimate.  The  number  of  tuns 
landed  here,  in  1859,  was  3,088.  The  copper  yield  of  Lake  Superior  will  produce 
between  60  and  70  per  cent,  of  ingot  copper,  which  is  remarkably  pure.  The  net 
product  of  the  mines  for  1859  is  worth  in  the  markets  of  the  world  nearly  or  quite 
$2,000,000.  This  large  total  shows  the  capabilities  of  this  region  and  .affords  us 
some  basis  of  calculation  as  to  the  value  and  probable  extent  of  its  future  devel 
opments.  Beside  this  amount,  already  noticed,  as  landed  at  Detroit,  there  were 
1,268  tuns  brought  there  from  the  Bruce  Mines,  and  sent  to  London. 

There  are  indications  that  Michigan  is  slowly  but  surely  taking  the  rank  to  which  she 
is  entitled,  in  the  manufacture  as  well  as  production  of  IRON.  The  first  shipment  of  pig 
iron  of  any  consequence  was  made  by  the  Pioneer  Company  in  the  fall  of  18.58. 

The  Lake  Superior  iron  has  been  proclaimed  the  best  in  the  world,  a  proposition  that 
none  can  successfully  refute.  Its  qualities  are  becoming  known  in  quarters  where  it  would 
naturally  be  expected  its  superiority  would  be  admitted  reluctantly,  if  at  all.  It  is  now  sent 
to  New  York  and  Ohio,  and  even  to  Pennsylvania — an  agency  for  its  sale  having  been 
established  in  Pittsburg.  For  gearing,  shafting,  cranks,  flanges,  and,  we  ought  by  all 
means  to  add,  car  wheels,  no  other  should  be  used,  provided  it  can  be  obtained. 


MICHIGAN.  299 

» 

A  large  amount  of  capital  is  invested  in  the  iron  interest  in  Michigan— over  two  milliona 
of  dollars. 

Marquette  is  the  only  point  on  Lake  Superior  where  the  iron  ore  deposits  have  been 
worked.  There  are  deposits  of  iron  in  the  mountains  back  of  L'Anse,  but  this  wonderful 
region  leaves  nothing  more  to  be  desired  for  the  present.  At  a  distance  of  eighteen  miloa 
from  the  lake,  are  to  be  found  iron  mountains,  named  the  Sharon,  Burt,  Lake  Superior, 
Cleveland,  Collins,  and  Barlow,  while  eight  miles  further  back  lie  the  Ely  and  St.  Glair 
mountains.  Three  of  these  mountains  are  at  present  worked,  tho  Sharon,  the  Cleaveland, 
and  the  Lake  Superior,  and  contain  enough  ore  to  supply  the  world  for  generations  to  come. 
The  mountains  further  back  embrace  tracts  of  hundreds  of  acres  rising  to  a  hight  of  from 
four  to  six  hundred  feet,  which  there  is  every  reason  to  believe,  from  the  explorations  made, 
are  solid  iron  ore.  The  extent  of  the  contents  of  these  mountains  is  perfectly  fabulous,  in 
fact,  so  enormous  as  almost  to  baffle  computation.  The  ore,  too,  is  remarkably  rich,  yield 
ing  about  seventy  per  cent,  of  pure  metal.  There  are  now  in  operation  at  Marquette  threo 
iron  mining  companies  and  two  blast  furnaces  for  making  charcoal  pig  iron,  the  Pioneer 
and  Meigs.  The  Pioneer  has  two  stacks  and  a  capacity  of  twenty  tuns  pig  iron  per  day; 
the  Meigs  one  stack,  capable  of  turning  out  about  eleven  tuns.  The  Northern  Iron  Com 
pany  is  building  a  large  bituminous  coal  furnace  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chocolate  River,  three 
miles  south  of  Marquette,  which  will  be  in  operation  early  in  the  summer. 

Each  of  the  mining  companies,  the  Jackson,  Cleveland  and  Lake  Superior,  have  docks 
at  the  harbor  for  shipment,  extending  out  into  the  spacious  and  beautiful  bay  which  lies 
in  front  of  Marquette,  to  a  sufficient  length  to  enable  vessels  of  the  largest  dimensions  to 
lie  by  their  side  and  be  loaded  directly  from  the  cars,  which  are  run  over  the  vessels  and 
"  dumped  "  into  shutes,  which  are  made  to  empty  directly  into  the  holds.  The  process  of 
loading  is  therefore  very  expeditious  and  easy. 

The  amount  of  shipments  of  ore  for  1859,  from  Marquette  to  the  ports  below,  reaches 
75,000  gross  tuns  in  round  numbers,  and  the  shipments  of  pig  iron,  6,000  gross  tuns  more. 
To  this  must  be  added  the  amount  at  Marquette  when  navigation  closed,  the  amount  at 
the  mines  ready  to  be  brought  down,  and  the  amount  used  on  the  spot.  This  will  give  a 
total  product  of  the  iron  mines  of  Michigan,  for  the  past  year,  of  between  ninety  and  one 
hundred  thousand  tuns.  These  mining  companies  simply  mine  and  ship  the  ore  and  sell  it. 
Their  profit  ranges  between  seventy-five  cents  and  one  dollar  per  tun. 

The  quality  of  the  iron  of  Lake  Superior  is  conceded  by  all  to  be  the  best  in  the  world, 
as  the  analysis  of  Prof.  Johnston,  which  we  reproduce,  shows.  The  table  shows  the  rela 
tive  strength  per  square  inch  in  pounds:  Salisbury,  Ct.,  iron,  58,009;  Swedish  (best),  58,- 
184;  English  cable,  59,105;  Centre  county,  Pa.,  59,400;  Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  59,962; 
Lancaster  county,  Pa.,  58,661 ;  Russia  (best),  76,069:  Common  English  and  American, 
30,000;  Lake  Superior,  89,582. 

The  manufacture  of  pig  iron  at  Marquette  will  probably  be  carried  on  even  more  exten 
sively,  as  the  attention  of  capitalists  is  directed  to  it.  The  business  may  be  extended  in 
definitely,  as  the  material  is  without  limit,  and  the  demand,  thus  far,  leaving  nothing  on 
hand. 

These  facts  exhibit  the  untold  wealth  of  Michigan  in  iron  alone,  and  point  with  certain 
ty  to  an  extent  of  business  that  will  add  millions  to  our  invested  capital,  dot  our  state  with 
iron  manufactories  of  all  kinds,  and  furnish  regular  employment  to  tens  of  thousands  of 
our  citizens,  while  our  raw  material  and  our  wares  shall  be  found  in  all  the  principal  mar 
kets  of  the  world. 

In  the  mining  regions  are  the  following  towns,  the  largest  of  which  has 
1,200  souls.  Ontonagon  is  at  the  mouth  of  Ontonagon  River,  and  is  the 
largest  mining  depot.  It  is  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Minnesota  Mine,  and  will  in 
time  have  a  railroad  connection  with  Milwaukie  and  Chicago,  and  eventually 
with  Cincinnati,  heavy  grants  of  land  having  been  made  through  Michigan 
to  aid  in  the  enterprise  :  also  with  the  Canadian  railroads.  Eagle  River  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  Cliff  and  several  other  mines.  Eagle  Harbor,  Copper  Harbor, 
and  Fort  Wilkins,  the  latter  a  delightful  summer  resort,  all  are  in  the  same 
neighborhood.  Marquette  is  the  iron  city  of  Lake  Superior:  a  railroad  is 
constructing  and  partly  finished,  to  connect  it  with  Little  Noquet  Bay,  117 
miles  distant,  on  Lake  Michigan. 

We  conclude  this  notice  of  this  district  by  a  description  of  LIFE  AT  THE 
MINES,  as  given  by  a  visitor  to  the  Cliff. 

The  situation  of  the  Cliff  Mine  is  one  of  great  picturesqueness.  The  valloy  which  ia 
about  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake,  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a  rango 


300  MICHIGAN. 

of  mountains,  which  sweeps  round  in  a  crescent  form,  trending  in  a  south-westerly  direc 
tion,  and  forming  the  west  boundary  of  the  Eagle  River.  Toward  the  valley  these  moun 
tains  present  a  front  of  massive  grandeur,  being  mostly  perpendicular,  and  having  an  ele 
vation  of  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet  above  the  valley. 

The  population  of  the  mine  location  is  set  down  at  about  twelve  hundred  persons.  Each 
family  has  a  separate  cottage,  and  is  required  to  take  four  boarders.  This  system  of  di 
viding  the  population  into  small  families  has  been  found  to  work  better  for  the  mine,  and 
to  be  more  satisfactory  to  the  miners  themselves,  than  the  congregation  in  large  boarding 
houses.  The  population  consists  principally  of  Cornishmen,  the  miners  being  exclusively 
of  that  class.  The  mine  "  captains  "  are  also  old  and  experienced  "  captains  "  from  the 
copper  mines  of  Cornwall,  and  are  a  jolly,  good  tempered  set  of  men.  The  miners  them 
selves  appear  to  be  good  humored,  sociable,  and  intelligent  in  everything  relating  to  their 
business 

The  ordinary  labor  "  at  grass"  is  mostly  done  by  Dutch,  Irish,  and  Canadian  French. 
Tho  breaking  of  the  rock  sent  up  from  below  is  principally  done  by  the  Dutch,  the  Irish 
are  the  teamsters,  and  the  French  are  employed  in  a  variety  of  ways  on  the  surface.  From 
the  intense  national  antipathy  between  the  Cornish  and  the  Irish,  the  number  of  the  latter 
employed  is  very  small.  From  the  fact  of  the  Cliff  being  so  old  and  extensive  a  mine, 
most  of  the  newly  arrived  Cornish  make  directly  for  it,  thus  giving  the  managers  oppor 
tunity  to  select  the  best.  The  Cornish  miners  at  this  place  are  therefore  good  specimens 
of  their  class.  Their  dialect  varies  greatly,  according  to  the  section  of  Cornwall  from 
which  they  come,  some  speaking  with  but  a  slight  variation  from  the  usual  manner,  and 
others  having  a  vocabulary  and  intonation  of  voice  that  render  their  conversation  bewil 
dering  to  the  uninitiated. 

The  location  comprises  three  churches,  Episcopal,  Wesleyan  Methodist  and  Catholic. 
In  addition  to  the  churches  there  is  a  well  built  school  house,  store,  provision  warehouse, 
and  other  buildings.  No  tavern  or  beer  shop  stands  within  the  location,  the  sale  of  alco 
holic  or  spiritous  liquors  being  forbidden  within  the  limits.  One  or  two  whisky  and  beer 
shops  stand  beyond  the  location.  Drunkenness  is  rigidly  interdicted  anywhere  on  the 
company's  property.  All  persons  living  on  the  location  are  treated  as  belonging  to  the 
general  family,  and  are  subjected  to  a  code  of  rules.  The  miners  have  a  monthly  contri- 
bution  reserved  from  their  wages  for  the  support  of  the  doctor,  who  attends  the  miners  and 
their  families  without  additional  charge. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES,    ETC. 

Pontiac,  a  chief  of  the  Ottawa  tribe,  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  dis 
tinguished  men  of  his  race  who  have  figured  in  history.  Maj.  Rogers,  who  knew 
him  and  the  tribes  over  whom  he  held  sway,  thus  speaks  of  them-  in  1765  :  "The 
Indians  on  the  lakes  are  generally  at  peace  with  each  other.  They  are  formed 
into  a  sort  of  empire,  and  the  emperor  is  selected  from  the  eldest  tribe,  which  i? 
the  Ottawas,  some  of  whom  inhabit  near  our  fort  at  Detroit,  but  are  mostly 
further  westward  toward  the  Mississippi.  Ponteaak  is  their  present  king  or  em 
peror,  who  certainly  has  the  largest  empire  and  greatest  authority  of  any  Indian 
chief  that  has  appeared  on  the  continent  since  our  acquaintance  with  it.  He  puts 
on  an  air  of  majesty  and  princely  grandeur,  and  is  greatly  honored  and  revered 
by  his  subjects." 

"About  eight  miles  above  Detroit,  at  the  head  of  the  Detroit  River,  is  Pechee 
Island,  a  green  spot,  set  amid  the  clearest  waters,  surrounded  by  dense  forests, 
at  all  times  cool  from  the  breezes  of  the  northern  lakes,  and  removed  from  the  rest 
of  the  world.  Pontiac  made  this  island  his  summer  residence,  and  in  winter  lodged 
at  the  Ottawa  village  opposite,  on  the  Canadian  bank,  and  which  has  been  described 
as  having  been  situated  above  the  town  of  Detroit.  Poetry  may  imagine  him  here, 
musing  upon  the  inroads  of  the  English  and  the  declining  fortunes  of  his  race, 
and  looking  upon  the  gorgeous  domain  which  was  spread  around  him,  and  which 
now  constitutes  the  most  beautiful  part  of  Michigan — as  a  territory  which  was 
soon  to  pass  from  his  hands.  To  this  land  he  held  a  right  of  pre-emption,  the  time 
whereof  the  memory  of  man  ran  not  to  the  contrary ;  and  superadded  to  this,  a 
patent  from  the  Great  Spirit,  which  established  his  title  on  solid  ground."— Lan- 
maris  Michigan. 

Pontiac  displayed  more  system  in  his  undertakings  than  any  other  of  his  race 
of  whom  we  have  knowledge.  In  his  war  of  1763,  which  is  justly  called  "Pon- 


MICHIGAN".  301 

tiacs  War"  he  appointed  a  commissary,  issued  bills  of  credit,  all  of  which  he 
afterward  carefully  redeemed.  He  made  his  bills  or  notes  of  bark,  on  which  was 
a  drawing  or  figure  of  what  he  wanted  for  it.  The  shape  of  an  otter,  the  insignia 
or  arms  of  his  nation  was  drawn  under  the  required  article.  After  the  conquest 
of  Canada  by  the  English,  Pontiac  sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted.  When  the 
American  Revolution  commenced,  the  Americans  sent  messages  to  him  to  meet 
them  in  council.  He  was  inclined  to  do  so,  but  was  prevented,  from  time  to  time, 
by  Gov.  Hamilton,  of  Detroit.  He  now  appeared  to  have  become  the  friend  of  the 
English,  and  to  reward  his  attachment,  the  British  government  granted  him  a  lib 
eral  pension.  It  is  related  that  his  fidelity  being  suspected,  a  spy  was  sent  to  ob 
serve  his  conduct.  As  he  was  acting  professedly  as  a  British  agent  among  the 
Indians  in  Illinois,  the  spy  discovered  that  Pontiac,  in  his  speech,  was  betraying 
the  British  interests,  and  thereupon  plunged  a  knife  into  his  heart 

James  Marquette,  the  celebrated  explorer  of  the  Mississippi,  and  one  of  the  most 
zealous  of  that  extraordinary  class  of  men,  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  was  born  in 
1637,  of  a  most  ancient  and  honorable  family  of  the  city  of  Laon,  France,  and  en 
tered,  at  the  early  age  of  17,  the  Society  of  Jesus;  after  studying  and  teaching  for 
many  years,  he  was  invested  with  the  priesthood,  upon  which  he  at  once  sought  a 
mission  in  some  land  that  knewmot  God,  that  he  might  labor  there  to  his  latest  breath, 
and  die  unaided  and  alone.  His  desire  was  gratified.  He  founded  the  missions  of 
St.  Marys,  St.  Ignace  and  Mackinaw.  For  nine  years  he  labored  among  the  In 
dians,  and  was  enabled  to  preach  to  them  in  ten  different  languages.  "  In  his  va 
rious  excursions,"  says  Bancrpft,  "he  was  exposed  to  the  inclemencies  of  nature 
and  the  savage.  He  took  his  life  in  his  hands,  and  bade  them  defiance ;  waded 
through  water  and  through  snows,  without  the  comfort  of  a  fire ;  subsisted  on 
pounded  maize;  was  freqently  without  any  other  food  than  the  unwholesome  moss 
gathered  from  the  rocks ;  traveled  Air  and  wide,  but  never  without  peril.  Still, 
said  he,  life  in  the  wilderness  had  its  charms — his  heart  swelled  with  rapture,  as  he 
moved  over  the  waters,  transparent  as  the  most  limpid  fountain." 

In  May,  1685,  as  he  was  returning  up  Lake  Michigan  to  his  little  flock  at  Point 
Ignace,  from  one  of  his  missions  of  love  to  the  Indians  of  the  Illinois,  he  felt  that 
his  final  hour  was  approaching.  Leaving  his  men  with  the  canoe,  he  landed  at  the 
mouth  of  a  stream  running  from  the  peninsula,  and  went  a  little  apart  to  pray. 
As  much  time  passed  and  he  did  not  return,  they  called  to  mind  that  he  said  some 
thing  of  his  death  being  at  hand,  and  on  anxiously  going  to  seek  him  found  him 
dead  where  he  had  been  praying.  They  dug  a  grave,  and  there  buried  the  holy 
man  in  the  sand. 

"  The  Indians  of  Mackinaw  and  vicinity,  and  also  those  of  Kaskaskia,  were  in 
great  sorrow  when  the  tidings  of  Marquette's  death  reached  them.  Not  long  after 
this  melancholy  event,  a  large  company  of  Ojibwas,  Ottawas,  and  Hurons,  who  had 
been  out  on  a  hunting  expedition,  landed  their  canoes  at  the  mouth  of  Marquette 
River,  with  the  intention  of  removing  his  remains  to  Mackinaw.  They  had  heard 
of  his  desire  to  have  his  body  interred  in  the  consecrated  ground  of  St.  Ignatius, 
and  they  had  resolved  that  the  dying  wish  of  the  missionary  should  be  fulfilled. 
As  they  stood  around  in  silence  and  gazed  upon  the  cross  that  marked  the  place 
of  his  burial,  the  hearts  of  the  stern  warriors  were  moved.  The  bones  of  the  mis 
sionary  were  dug  up  and  placed  in  a  neat  box  of  bark  made  for  the  occasion,  and 
the  numerous  canoes  which  formed  a  large  fleet  started  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  with  nothing  but  the  sighs  of  the  Indians  and  the  dip  of  the  paddles  to  break 
the  silence  of  the  scene.  As  they  advanced  toward  Mackinaw,  the  funeral  cortege 
was  met  by  a  large  number  of  canoes  bearing  Ottawas,  Hurons,  and  Iroquois,  and 
still  others  shot  out  ever  and  anon  to  join  the  fleet. 

When  they  arrived  in  sight  of  the  Point,  and  beheld  the  cross  of  St.  Ignatius  as 
if  painted  against  the  northern  sky,  the  missionaries  in  charge  came  out  to  the 
beach  clad  in  vestments  adapted  to  the  occasion.  How  was  the  scene  hightened 
when  the  priests  commenced,  as  the  canoe  bearing  the  remains  of  Marquette  neared 
the  shore,  to  chant  the  requiem  for  the  dead.  The  whole  population  was  out,  en 
tirely  covering  the  beach,  and  as  the  procession  marched  up  to  the  chapel,  with 
cross  and  prayer,  and  tapers  burning,  and  laid  the  bark  box  beneath  a  pall  made 
in  the  form  of  a  coffin,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  forest  wept.  After  the  funo 


302  MICHIGAN. 

ral  service  was  ended,  the  coffin  was  placed  in  a  vault  in  the  middle  of  the  church, 
where,  the  Catholic  historian  says,  '  Marquette  reposes  as  the  guardian  angel  of 
the  Ottawa  missions.' 

'  He  was  the  first  and  last  white  man  who  ever  had  such  an  assembly  of  the  wild 
sons  of  the  forest  to  attend  him  to  his  grave. 

'  So  many  stirring  events  succeeded  each  other  after  this  period — first,  the  war 
between  the  English  Colonists  and  the  French;  then  the  Colonists  with  the  Indi 
ans,  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  Indian  wars,  and  finally  the  war  of  1812,  with  the 
death  of  all  those  who  witnessed  his  burial,  including  the  Fathers  who  officiated 
at  the  time,  whose  papers  were  lost,  together  with  the  total  destruction  and  evacu 
ation  of  this  mission  station  for  many  years,  naturally  obliterated  all  recollections 
of  the  transaction,  which  accounts  for  the  total  ignorance  of  the  present  inhabit 
ants  of  Point  St.  Ignatius  respecting  it.  The  locality  of  his  grave  is  lost,  but  only 
until  the  archangel's  trump,  at  the  last,  shall  summon  him  from  his  narrow  grave, 
with  those  plumed  and  painted  warriors  who  now  lie  around  him.'  " 

Gen.  Wm.  Hull  was  born  in  Derby,  Conn.,  in  1753,  and  was  educated  at  Yale 
College.  Entering  the  army  of  the  Revolution,  he  performed  most  valuable  ser 
vices  and  behaved  bravely  on  many  a  battle  field.  Washington  regarded  him  aa 
one  of  his  most  useful  officers.  In  1805,  when  Michigan  was  erected  into  a  terri 
tory,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  its  governor.  On 'the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he 
was  commissioned  brigadier  general.  "  In  the  comparatively  weak  fort  at  Detroit," 
says  Lossing,  "he  was  invested  by  a  strong  force  of  British  and  Indians;  and,  to 
save  his  command  from  almost  certain  destruction,  he  surrendered  the  fort,  his 
army  of  two  thousand  men,  and  the  territory,  to  the  enemy.  For  this  he  was  tried 
for  treason  and  cowardice,  and  being  unable  to  produce  certain  official  testimony 
which  subsequently  vindicated  his  character,  he  was  found  guilty  of  the  latter,  and 
sentenced  to  be  shot.  The  president  of  the  United  States,  'in  consideration  of  his 
age  and  revolutionary  services,'  pardoned  him,  but  a  cloud  was  upon  his  fame  and 
honor.  He  published  a  vindicatory  memoir,  in  1824,  which  changed  public  opin 
ion  in  his  favor.  Yet  he  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  the  effects  of  that  change.  He 
died  at  Newton,  on  the  29th  of  November,  1825,  at  the  age  of  seventy -two  years. 
A  Memoir  of  General  Hull,  by  his  daughter  and  grandson,  was  published  in*1848. 
It  fully  vindicates  the  character  of  the  injured  patriot,  by  documentary  evi 
dence." 

Stevens  Thompson  Mason,  the  first  governor  of  the  state  of  Michigan,  was  the 
only  son  of  Gen.  John  Mason,  of  Kentucky,  but  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1812.  At 
the  early  age  of  19,  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  territory  of  Michigan,  and 
at  the  age  of  22  was  acting  governor.  In  1836,  at  24  years  of  age,  he  was  chosen 
governor  of  the  new  state.  He  was  again  elected  in  1838,  and  died  in  1843,  when 
only  31  years  of  age. 

Gen.  Alexander  Macomb,  was  the  son  of  an  English  gentleman,  born  in  the 
British  garrison  at  Detroit,  on  the  3d  of  April,  1782,  just  at  the  close  of  the  Revo 
lution.  His  father  subsequently  settled  at  New  York.  He  entered  the  army  at* 
a  cornet  at  an  early  age,  and  continued  in  the  service  until  his  death,  at  Washing 
ton  in  1841,  being  at  the  time  general-in-chief.  He  was  succeeded  by  Winfield 
Scott.  He  was  an  excellent  officer,  and  for  his  services  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburg, 
congress  presented  him  with  a  vote  of  thanks  and  a  gold  medal. 

Dr.  Douglas  Houghton  was  born  in  Troy,  in  1809,  and  educated  for  the  medical 
profession.  In  1831,  he  was  appointed  surgeon  and  botanist  to  the  expedition  sent 
out  by  government  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi,  and  made  an  able  re 
port  upon  the  botany  of  the  region  through  which  he  passed.  Settling  in  Detroit, 
to  practice  medicine,  he  was  appointed,  in  1837,  state  geologist.  In  1842,  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  from  its  foundation  was  professor  in  the 
State  University.  His  life  was  one  of  incessant  labor,  and  he  accomplished  more 
than  any  man  living  in  developing  the  resources  of  Michigan,  especially  its  mir|- 
eral  wealth.  His  reports  upon  the  mineral  region  of  Lake  Superior,  first  aroused 
the  minds  of  this  generation  to  the  vast  riches'that  lie  buried  beneath  its  soil.  He 
was  drowned  in  October,  1845,  on  Lake  Superior.  While  coming  down  from  a 
portage  to  Copper  Harbor,  with  his  four  Indian  voyageurs,  the  boat  was  swamped 


MICHIGAN.  303 

in  a  storm,  near  the  mouth  of  Eagle  River.  Two  of  the  men  were  saved  by  being 
thrown  by  the  waves  upon  the  rocks  ten  feet  above  the  usual  level  of  the  waters. 
He  perished,  and  so  greatly  was  his  loss  felt  to  be  a  public  calamity,  that  he  is  often 
alluded  to  as  " the  lamented  Houghton"  even  to  thie  day. 

Gov.  Lewis  Cass  was  born  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  Oct.  9, 1782.  "  Having  re 
ceived  a  limited  education  at  his  native  place,  at  the  early  age  of  seventeen,  he 
crossed  the  Alleghany  Mountains  on  foot,  to  seek  a  home  in  the  "great  west,"  then 
an  almost  unexplored  wilderness.  Settled  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  he  studied  law,  and 
was  successful.  Elected  at  twenty-five  to  the  legislature  of  Ohio,  he  originated  the 
bill  which  arrested  the  proceedings  of  Aaron  Burr,  and,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Jefferson, 
was  the  first  blow  given  to  what  is  known  as  Burr's  conspiracy.  In  1807,  he  was 
appointed,  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  marshal  of  the  state,  and  held  the  office  till  the  latter 
part  of  1811,  when  he  volunteered  to  repel  Indian  aggressions  on  the  frontier.  He 
was  elected  colonel  of  the  3d  regiment  of  Ohio  volunteers,  and  entered  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  of  1812.  Having 
by  a  difficult  march  reached  Detroit;  he  urged  the  immediate  invasion  of  Canada, 
and  was  the  author-of  the  proclamation  of  that  event.  He  was  the  first  to  land  in 
arms  on  the  enemy's  shore,  and,  with  a  small  detachment  of  troops,  fought  and 
won  the  first  battle,  that  of  the  Tarontoe.  At  the  subsequent  capitulation  of  De 
troit,  he  was  absent,  on  important  service,  and  regretted  that  his  command  and 
himself  had  been  included  in  that  capitulation.  Liberated  on  parol,  he  repaired 
to  the  seat  of  government  to  report  the  causes  of  the  disaster,  and  the  failure  of 
the  campaign.  He  was  immediately  appointed  a  colonel  in  the  regular  army,  and, 
soon  after,  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  having,  in  the  mean  time, 
been  elected  major-general  of  the  Ohio  volunteers.  On  being  exchanged  and  re 
leased  from  parol,  he  again  repaired  to  the  frontier,  and  joined  the  army  for  the 
recovery  of  Michigan.  Being  at  that  time  without  a  command,  he  served  and  dis 
tinguished  himself,  as  a  volunteer  aid-de-camp  to  Gen.  Harrison,  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames.  He  was  appointed  by  President  Madison,  in  October,  1813,  governor  of 
Michigan.  His  position  combined,  with  the  ordinary  duties  of  chief  magistrate 
of  a  civilized  community,  the  immediate  management  and  control,  as  superintend 
ent,  of  the  relations  with  the  numerous  and  powerful  Indian  tribes  in  that  region 
of  country.  He  conducted  with  success  the  affairs  of  the  territory  under  embar 
rassing  circumstances.  Under  his  sway  peace  was  preserved  between  the  whites 
and  the  treacherous  and  disaffected  Indians,  law  and  order  established,  and  the 
territory  rapidly  advanced  in  population,  resources,  and  prosperity.  He  held  this 
position  till  July,  1831,  when  he  was,  by  President  Jackson,  made  secretary  of 
war.  In  the  latter  part  of  1836,  President  Jackson  appointed  him  minister  to 
France,  where  he  remained  until  1842,  when  he  requested  his  recall,  and  returned 
to  this  country.  In  January,  1845,  he  was  elected,  by  the  legislature  of  Michigan, 
to  the  senate  of  the  United'States;  which  place  he  resigned  on  his  nomination,  in 
May,  1848,  as  a  candidate  for  the  presidency,  by  the  political  party  to  which  he 
belongs.  After  the  election  of  his  opponent  (General  Taylor)  to  that  office,  the 
legislature  of  his  state,  in  1849,  re-elected  him  to  the  senate  for  the  unexpired  por 
tion  of  his  original  term  of  six  years.  When  Mr.  Buchanan  became  president,  he 
invited  Gen.  Cass  to  the  head  of  the  department  of  state,  in  which  position  he  has 
acquitted  himself  with  characteristic  ability.  He  has  devoted  some  attention  to 
literary  pursuits,  and  his  writings,  speeches,  and  state  papers  would  make  several 
volumes." — Lanmaris  Dictionary  of  U.  S.  Congress. 


WISC  0  NSIN. 


WISCONSIN  derives  its  name  from  its  principal  river,  which  the  Chippewas, 
resided  on  its  head-waters,  called   the  Wees-kon-san,  which  signifies 

"gathering  of  the  waters."  The 
French  voyageurs  called  it  Chtitconsin, 
the  first  syllable  of  which  is  nearer 
the  Indian  sound  than  Wis.  The 
first  white  men  on  the  soil  of  Wis 
consin  were  two  French  fur  traders, 
who  passed  the  winter  of  1659  among 
the  Indians  of  Lake  Superior.  Ar 
riving  at  Quebec  the  next  summer, 
with  sixty  canoes,  loaded  with  furs, 
and  manned  with  300  Algonquins, 
they  aroused  a  spirit  of  religious 
zeal  among  the  Jesuits  to  bear  the 
cross  in  the  cabins  of  those  distant 
tribes.  In  1661,  Father  Mesnard 
went  on  a  mission  to  the  south  side 
of  Lake  Superior,  where  he  resided 
ARMS  or  WISCONSIN.  more  than  eight  months,  surrounded 

Mono-Forward.  b?  savages  and  a  few  French  voj- 

ageurs:  he  finally  perished,  in  some 

unknown  way,  in  the  rocky  pine  clad  wilderness.  Undismayed  by  his  sad 
fate  a  successor  was  appointed,  Father  Claude  Allouez,  who  arrived  at  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  on  the  1st  of  September,  1668.  "He  employed  the  whole 
month  of  September  in  coasting  the  southern  portion  of  Lake  Superior, 
where  he  met  many  Christians  baptized  by  Father  Mesnard.  '  I  had  the 
pleasure,'  says  this  venerable  man,  'of  assuring,  by  baptism,  the  eternal  sal 
vation  of  many  a  dying  infant.'  His  success  with  the  adults  seems  to  have 
been  less.  At  Chagouamigon,  or  St.  Michael,  on  the  south-western  side  of 
Lake  Superior,  there  were  gathered  eight  hundred  warriors  of  different 
nations;  a  chapel  was  built;  among  them  were  several  tribes  who  under 
stood  the  Algonquin  language.  So  fine  an  occasion  for  exercising  his 
zeal  could  not  be  overlooked.  'I  spoke  in  the  Algonquin  language,'  says  he, 
'for  a  long  time,  on  the  subject  of  the  Christian  religion,  in  an  earnest  and 
powerful  manner,  but  in  language  suited  to  the  capacity  of  my  audience.  I 

20  305 


306  WISCONSIN. 

was  greatly  applauded,  but  this  was  the  only  fruit  of  my  labors/  Among  the 
•number  assembled,  were  three  hundred  Pottawatomies,  two  hundred  Sauks, 
eighty  Illinoians.  In  the  year  1668,  peace  having  been  established  between 
the  French  and  the  Six  Nations,  many  discoveries  were  made,  and  many  new 
missions  established.  In  this  year  Fathers  Dablon  and  Marquette  went  to 
the  mission  of  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  In  the  same  year,  Father  Nicholas,  who  was 
on  the  mission  with  Allouez,  conducted  a  deputation  of  'Nez  Perces,'  an  Al 
gonquin  tribe,  to  Quebec,  and  Father  Allouez  went  to  the  mission  at  Green 
Bay.  Sault  Ste.  Marie  was  made  the  center  of  their  missionary  labors  among 
the  Algonquin  tribes." 

Father  Marquette  had  been  residing  at  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw  and  the 
Sault  Ste.  Marie  about  five  years,  when,  accompanied  by  M.  Joliet,  a  French 
gentleman  of  Quebec,  and  five  French  voyageurs  and  two  Indian  guides,  he 
started  from  the  straits  on  an  exploring  expedition.  He  "had  heard  of  the 
great  river  of  the  west,  and  fancied  that  upon  its  fertile  banks — not  mighty 
cities,  mines  of  gold,  or  fountains  of  youth,  but  whole  tribes  of  God's  chil 
dren,  to  whom  the  sound  of  the  Gospel  had  never  come.  Filled  with  the 
wish  to  go  and  preach  to  them,  he  obeyed  with  joy  the  orders  of  Talon,  the 
wise  intendent  of  Canada,  to  lead  a  party  into  the  unknown  distance." 

Marquette  passed  down  Green  Bay  to  Fox  River,  which  they  entered,  and 
dragged  their  canoes  through  its  strong  rapids  to  a  village  of  Indians  where 
Father  Allouez  had  visited,  and  where  "  they  found  a  cross,  on  which  hung 
skins  and  belts,  bows  and  arrows,  which  they  had  offered  to  the  great  Mani- 
tou  (God),  to  thank  him  because  he  had  taken  pity  on  them  during  the  win 
ter,  and  had  given  them  abundant  chase."  Beyond  this  point  no  Frenchman 
had  gone,  and  here  was  the  bound  of  discovery. 

"  Being  guided  by  the  friendly  Indians,  Marquette  and  his  companions  came 
to  the  Wisconsin  River,  about  three  leagues  distant,  whose  waters  flowed 
westward.  They  floated  down  the  river  till  the  17th  of  June,  1673,  when 
they  reached  the  Mississippi,  the  great  'Father  of  Wafers,'  which  they  en 
tered  with  'a  joy  that  could  not  be  expressed,'  and  raising  their  sails  to  new 
skies,  and  to  unknown  breezes,  floated  down  this  mighty  river,  between  broad 
plains,  garlanded  with  majestic  forests  and  chequered  with  illimitable  prairies 
and  island  groves.  They  descended  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles, 
when  Marquette  and  Joliet  landed,  and  followed  an  Indian  trail  about  six 
jniles,  to  a  village.  They  were  met  by  four  old  men,  bearing  the  pipe  of 
ipeace  and  'brilliant  with  many  colored  plumes.'  An  aged  chief  received 
them  at  his  cabin,  and,  with  uplifted  handle,  exclaimed:  '•How  beautiful  is  the 
sun,  Frenchmen,  when  thou  contest  to  visit  us! — our  whole  village  awaits  thee — 
in  peace  thou  shalt  enter  all  our  dwellings'  Previous  to  their  departure,  an 
Indian  chief  selected  a  peace  pipe  from  among  his  warriors,  embellished  with 
gorgeous  plumage,  which  he  hung  around  the  neck  of  Marquette,  '  the  mys 
terious  arbiter*  of  peace  and  war — the  sacred  calumet — the  white  man's  pro 
tection  among  savages.'  On  reaching  their  boats,  the  little  group  proceeded 
onward.  'I  did  not,'  says  Marquette,  'fear  death;  I  should  have  esteemed 
it  the  greatest  happiness  to  have  died  for  the  glory  of  God.'  They  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  and  the  humble  missionary  resolved  in  his  mind, 
one  day,  to  ascend  its  mighty  current,  and  ascertain  its  source;  and  descend 
ing  from  thence  toward  the  west,  publish  the  gospel  to  a  people  of  whom  he 
had  never  heard.  Passing  onward,  they  floated  by  the  Ohio,  then,  arid  for 
a  brief  time  after,  called  the  Wabash,  and  continued  their  explorations  as 
far  south  as  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  where  they  were  escorted  to  the 


WISCONSIN. 

Indian  village  of  Arkansea.  Being  now  satisfied  that  the  Mississippi  en 
tered  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  west  of  Florida,  and  east  of  California;  and  hav 
ing  spoken  to  the  Indians  of  God  and  the  mysteries  of  the  Catholic  faith, 
Marquette  and  Joliet  prepared  to  ascend  the  stream.  They  returned  by  the 
/oute  of  the  Illinois  River  to  Green  Bay,  where  they  arrived  in  August. 
Marquette  remained  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Miamis,  near  Chicago. 
Joliet,  in  person,  conveyed  the  glad  tidings  of  their  discoveries  to  Quebec. 
They  were  received  with  enthusiastic  delight.  The  bells  were  rung  during 
the  whole  day,  and  all  the  clergy  and  dignitaries  of  the  place  went,  in  pro 
cession,  to  the  cathedral,  where  Te  Deum  was  sung  and  high  mass  cele 
brated." 

Wisconsin  was  next  visited  by  La  Salle  and  Father  Hennepin,  a  Fancis- 
can  friar,  a  man  of  ambition  and  energy.  These  adventurers  having  pa'ssed 
down  the  Illinois,  Hennepin  paddled  up  the  Mississippi  as  far  as  the  Wiscon 
sin,  where  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians,  who  treated  him  and  his 
companions  kindly.  They  then  took  them  up  to  the  Falls,  which  Hennepin 
named  St.  Anthony,  in  honor  of  his  patron  saint.  From  this  point  he  re 
turned  to  Canada,  by  way  of  Lake  Superior,  and  thence  to  France.  The 
first  permanent  settlement  by  the  whites  in  Wisconsin,  appears  to  have  been 
made  at  Green  Bay,  about  the  year  1745.  by  Augustin  De  Langlade,  a  na 
tive  of  France,  of  noble  family,  who  emigrated  to  Canada  at  an  early  age. 

The  territory  remained  under  the  government  of  France  till  1763,  when, 
at  the  treaty  of  Paris,  it  was  ceded  to  Great  Britain,  who  retained  it  until 
the  independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged  by  that  country,  in 
1783,  when  it  was  claimed  by  Virginia  as  part  of  the  Illinois  country,  con 
quered  by  Col.  George  Rodgers  Clark.  It  remained,  however,  in  the  posses* 
Bion  of  Great  Britain  tillt!796,  when  it  was  surrendered  in  accordance  with 
Jay's  treaty,  ratified  the  previous  year.  In  1784,  it  was  ceded  by  Virginia 
to  the  United  States.  In  1787,  a  government  was  provided  for  the  territory 
north-west  of  the  Ohio.  In  1800,  it  was  divided  into  two  separate  govern 
ments,  the  western  being  called  Indiana.  In  1809,  Indiana  was  divided  and 
Illinois  organized.  When  Illinois  was  formed  into  a  state,  in  1818,  the  ter 
ritory  north  of  the  parallel  of  Lat.  42°  30',  west  of  the  middle  of  Lake 
Michigan,  was  attached  to  the  territory  of  Michigan,  which  had  been  set  off 
from  Indiana  in  1805. 

In  1832,  commenced  the  "  Slack  Sawk  War"  the  most  important  actions 
of  which  took  place  within  the  "  Huron  District "  of  Michigan,  as  Wiscon 
sin  was  then  called:  they  will  be  found  detailed  on  page  1106  of  this  work. 
When  Michigan  was  formed  into  a  state,  in  1836,  Wisconsin  was  erected  into 
a  separate  territorial  government.  Wisconsin  Territory  comprised  within  its 
limits  and  jurisdiction  the  whole  region  from  Lake  Michigan  to  Lake  Supe 
rior,  extending  westward  to  the  Missouri  River,  including  all  the  sources  of 
the  Upper  Mississippi.  Its  southern  limits  were  the  northern  boundaries  of 
the  states  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  and  its  extent  from  north  to  south  was 
580  miles,  and  from  east  to  west  650  miles.  The  first  "  governor  and  super 
intendent  of  Indian  affairs"  was  Henry  Dodge,  and  John  8.  Homer  was 
territorial  secretary,  Gov.  Dodge  convened  the  first  territorial  legislature  at 
Belmont,  now  in  Lafayette  county.  The  second  session  was  convened  in 
Burlington,  now  in  Iowa,  and  the  next,  in  1838,  in  Madison,  the  present 
capital. 

"  The  settled  portions  of  the  territory  were  chiefly  near  the  western  phore 
cf  Lake  Michigan,  and  the  organized  counties  extended  westward  and  south- 


308  WISCONSIN.  * 

westwardly  to  the  banks  of  the  Fox  River  of  Green  Bay,  as  far  as  Fort 
Winnebago,  and  thence  down  the  "Wisconsin  River,  on  the  south-eastern  side, 
for  thirty  miles  below  the  "portage."  At  the  same  time,  immigrants,  by  way 
of  Milwaukie  and  Racine,  were  advancing  upon  the  upper  tributaries  of  Rock 
River,  as  far  west  as  the  "Four  Lakes"  and  Fort  Madison.  A  few  settle 
ments  had  extended,  likewise,  westward  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  north 
of  Galena  and  the  Illinois  state  line.  Others  had  been  slowly,  for  more  than 
three  years,  extending  west  of  the  Mississippi,  upon  the  waters  of  the  Des 
Moines,  Skunk  River,  Lower  Iowa,  and  Waubesapinacon,  as  well  as  upon 
the  immediate  banks  of  the  Mississippi  itself.  These  settlements,  for  tem 
porary  government,  were  annexed  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Wisconsin  Ter 
ritory  as  the  "District  of  Iowa." 

The  remainder  of  the  Territory  of  "Wisconsin,  north  and  west  of  the  Wis 
consin  River  and  of  Fox  River,  as  well  as  the  northern  and  western  portions 
of  the  present  state  of  Iowa,  was  a  savage  waste,  still  in  the  partial  occu 
pancy  of  the  remaining  tribes  of  Indians,  and  in  a  great  degree  unknown  to 
civilization.  Such  were  the  extent  and  population  of  the  Wisconsin  Terri 
tory  upon  its  first  independent  organization. 

During  the  years  1841,  1842,  and  1843,  emigration  from  the  north-eastern 
states  began  to  send  its  floods  into  the  Wisconsin  Territory,  both  by  way  of 
the  lakes  and  by  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  to  the  banks  of  the 
Wisconsin  River.  Thousands,  especially  in  the  latter  years,  crowded  into 
the  beautifully  undulating  lands  along  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan, 
south  of  Green  Bay,  to  the  Illinois  line;  and  population  extended  rapidly 
from  the  lake  shore  westward  to  the  banks  of  Fox  River,  and  along  the  re 
gion  south  of  the  Wisconsin  River  as  far  as  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 
Settlements  soon  spread  over  this  delightful  country,  diversified  by  lakes  and 
prairies,  in  which  all  the  crystal  tributaries  of  Rock  River  take  their  rise. 

A  few  years  before,  this  had  been  called  the  "Far  West,"  beyond  the  ad 
vance  of  white  settlements  and  civilized  life,  in  the  sole  occupancy  of  the 
most  degraded  and  improvident  of  the  savages,  the  Winnebagoes,  Sauks,  and 
Foxes.  Now  towns  and  commerce  occupy  the  seats  and  haunts  of  the  de 
graded  Indian,  upon  which  the  rays  of  civilization  had  never  beamed.  A 
large  mercantile  town,  with  an  active  and  enterprising  community,  had  sprung 
up  at  Milwaukie  Bay;  a  town  which,  three  years  afterward,  in  1845,  became 
an  incorporated  city,  with  extensive  powers  and  privileges,  designed  to  render 
It  the  commercial  emporium  of  the  future  state  of  Wisconsin.  Other  trad 
ing  towns  lined  the  beautiful  shore  of  the  lake  for  many  miles  north  and 
south  of  this  central  depot. 

During  the  year  1843,  the  aggregate  number  of  persons  who  arrived  in 
the  Wisconsin  Territory  has  been  estimated  at  more  than  sixty  thousand, 
embracing  all  ages  and  sexes.  Of  these,  about  fifty  thousand  arrived  by  way 
of  the  lake  route.  The  remainder  advanced  by  way  of  the  Mississippi  and 
Wisconsin  Rivers,  and  comprised  a  great  proportion  of  foreign  emigrants 
from  the  German  states.  These  emigrants  spread  over  the  country  south  and 
east  of  the  Wisconsin  River,  and  opened  new  settlements  upon  its  northern 
and  western  tributaries.  In  1845,  Wisconsin  Territory  contained  more  in 
habitants  than  any  other  new  state  possessed  upon  her  admission  into  the 
Union;  yet  the  people,  satisfied  with  the  territorial  form  of  government  de 
sired  not,  in  the  recent  state  of  the  principal  settlements,  to  incur-  the  addi 
tional  expense  of  an  independent  state  government.  Hence,  with  a  popula 
tion  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand  souls,  the  Wisconsin  Ter« 


WISCONSIN. 

ritory  had  not,  in  1845,  made  application  to  congress  for  authority  to  estab 
lish  a  state  government.  In  May,  1848,  however,  Wisconsin  was  admitted 
into  the  Union." 

Wisconsin  is  bounded  N.  by  Lake  Superior,  the  upper  peninsula  of  Mich 
igan,  and  Minnesota,  W.  by  Minnesota  and  Iowa,  E.  by  Lake  Michigan,  and 
S.  by  Illinois.  It  lies  between  42°  30' and  46°  55'  N.  Lat.,  and  between  87° 
aad  92°  50'  W.  Long.  Its  greatest  extent  north  and  south  is  285  miles,  and 
255  east  and  west,  having  a  land  area  of  53,924  square  miles,  or  34,511,360 
acres,  of  which  1,045,499  only  were  improved  in  1850. 

Wisconsin  is  one  of  the  healthiest  of  countries,  with  a  dry,  transparent, 
and  bracing  atmosphere,  and  remarkably  free  from  fevers  and  ague.  Writers 
familiar  with  it,  say : 

"It  is,  indeed,  delightful  in  speculation  to  talk  of  constant  spring,  of  perpetual 
verdure,  of  flowers  in  blooin  at  all  seasons,  of  purling  brooks  never  obstructed  by 
ice,  of  a  mild  climate,  where  Jack  Frost  never  spreads  his  white  drapery  over  the 
surface  of  the  earth ;  but  it  is  a  problem,  not  yet  fully  solved,  whether  a  tropical 
climate  contributes  more  to  one's  happiness  than  the  varying  seasons  of  a  north 
ern  clime.  Nay,  whatever  doubt  there  is  on  the  subject  predominates  in  favor  of 
a  northern  latitude.  Industry,  intelligence,  morality,  and  virtue,  are  exhibited 
more  generally  among  the  inhabitants  of  northern  latitudes  than  those  of  southern. 
If  one's  physical  enjoyment  is  equally  promoted  by  the  bracing  air  of  a  cold  cli 
mate,  then,  indeed,  the  argument  is  in  favor  of  the  latter,  for  vigor  of  body  and 
purity  of  mind  are  the  most  essential  ingredients  in  the  cup  of  happiness.  The 
air  of  our  winters  is  dry  and  bracing.  When  snow  falls  it  usually  remains  on  the 
ground  several  months,  forming  an  excellent  road  either  for  traveling,  business,  or 
pleasure.  The  rivers  are  securely  wedged  with  ice,  rendering  many  portions  of  the 
country  more  accessible  at  that  season  than  at  any  other.  An  excellent  opportu 
nity  is  afforded  to  the  youngef  portion  of  the  community  for  innocent  amusements 
• — sleighing,  sliding  downhill,  and  skating — amusements  highly  exhilarating,  and 
promotive  alike  of  health  and  happiness.  These  observations  have  been  made  be 
cause  a  greater  value  is  often  set  on  a  mild  southern  climate,  in  reference  to  its 
capacity  in  affording  the  means  of  happiness  or  of  health,  than  it  really  possesses." 

"We  have  always  made  it  a  point  to  inquire  of  new  settlers  in  Wisconsin  how 
they  liked  the  climate,  and  the  answer  invariably  was,  that  it  was  far  superior  to 
that  of  the  states  they  had  left — whether  Eastern,  Middle  or  Southern,  One  emi 
grant  says:  'As  the  result  of  my  observations,  I  would  state  briefly — and  in  this 
1  do  but  repeat  a  common  sentiment — that  I  would  much  rather  spend  a  winter  in 
Wisconsin  than  in  New  York  or  Pennsylvania.  True,  the  weather  is  cold  ;  but  it 
is  of  that  settled,  steady,  clear  character,  which  we  here  call  'bracing  weather* 
No  damp  winds,  no  sloppy  thaw,  no  uncomfortable  rains,  but  day  after  day  the 
same  unbroken  field  of  snow,  the  same  clear,  bright  sunshine,  the  same  untroubled 
air.  Winter  here  holds  undisputed  sway ;  it  is  not  a  muddled  mixture  of  all  sea 
sons,  in  which  the  breezy  spring,  the  clear  autumn,  the  sunny  summer  and  the 
rigorous  winter  mingle  and  mix,  and  come  and  go  together.  You  will  understand 
the  force  of  this  distinction  when  I  tell  you  that  the  first  fall  of  snow  in  Wiscon 
sin  remains  on  the  ground  during  the  whole  winter  without  a  crust;  so  free  is  the 
air  from  that  dampness,  which,  in  other  countries  produce  it.  Who  among  you 
has  not  noticed  the  penetrating  character  of  dampness  in  cold — its  chilling,  search 
ing  qualities;  or  who,  on  the  other  hand,  has  not  gone  abroad  on  days  of  intense 
coldness,  but  when  the  air  was  dry  and  pure,  and  felt  elastic,  buoyant,  and  com 
fortable.  Such  is  a  Wisconsin  winter.  I  suffered  less  from  the  cold  while  here, 
than  I  have  many  times  in  Pennsylvania  when  the  thermometer  stood  much 
higher." 

Wisconsin  may  be  described  generally  as  an  elevated  rolling  prairie,  the 
highest  portion  being  on  the  north,  and  forms  the  dividing  ridge  between  the 
waters  flowing  S.W.  into  the  Mississippi,  and  those  flowing  northward  and 
eastward  into  the  lakes.  Limestone  underlies  most  of  the  southern  part  of 


310  WISCONSIN. 

the  state ;  the  northern  part  is  composed  of  primitive  rocks,  mostly  granite, 
slate  and  sand  stone.  The  country  south  of  the  middle  is  a  fine  agricultural 
region,  producing  from  30  to  50  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  The  prairies 
of  Wisconsin  are  generally  small,  and  being  skirted  and  belted  with  timber, 
are  adapted  to  immediate  and  profitable  occupation,  the  soil  being  a  dark, 
rich  vegetable  mold.  One  peculiarity  in  southern  Wisconsin  strikes  the 
traveler — the  high  degree  of  culture,  thrift,  and  cleanliness  of  the  farms, 
which  is  attributed  principally  to  the  fact,  that  almost  every  quarter  section, 
in  its  natural  state,  is  ready  for  plowing  and  fencing,  and  also  to  the  charac 
ter  of  the  settlers,  off- shoots  from  the  hardy  and  industrious' people  of  the 
Eastern  states  and  northern  Ohio.  A  large  number  of  Norwegians  and  other 
emigrants  from  northern  Europe,  have  emigrated  to  this  young  and  thriving 
State. 

Vast  quantities  of  pine  lumber  are  obtained  from  the  northern  sections  of 
the  state,  ranging  from  five  to  eight  millions  annually  in  value,  though  the 
business  is  in  its  infancy.  The  agricultural  staples  are  wheat,  Indian  corn, 
oats,  potatoes,  butter,  live  stock,  etc.  The  wheat  crop  of  1860  was  about  26 
millions  of  bushels.  Beside  the  great  lakes,  Superior  and  Michigan,  on  its 
northern  and  eastern  shores,  Wisconsin  has  vast  numbers  of  small  lakes 
within  its  borders,  generally  characterized  by  clear  water,  bold,  picturesque 
shores,  with  excellent  fish. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Wisconsin  are  important,  but  as  yet  imperfectly 
known.  The  great  lead  region,  mostly  in  the  south-western  part  of  the 
state,  contain  mines  supposed  to  be  inexhaustible,  and  decidedly  the  richest 
in  the  known  world.  Valuable  copper  and  zinc  ores  are  found  at  Mineral 
Point  and  in  its  vicinity,  also  iron  ore  in  various  places.  The  bulk  of  the 
population  of  the  state  is  in  its  southern  part,  most  of  the  country  in  the 
north  being  an  unexplored  wilderness.  If  as  densely  settled  as  Massachu 
setts,  Wisconsin  would  contain  more  than  seven  millions  of  inhabitants. 
Population  in  1820,  1,444;  in  1830,  3,245;  in  1840,  30,945;  in  1850,  305,- 
566;  in  1855,  552,109;  and  in  1860,  768,585* 

*  Ritchie,  in  his  work  on  Wisconsin*  says:  "The  number  of  inhabitants  in  Wisconsin 
does  not  exhibit  their  relative  strength  and  power.  Our  population  are  nearly  all  in  the 
prime  of  life.  You  rarely  meet  a  woman  past  fifty  years  of  age ;  still  more  rarely  as  old  a 
man  ;  and  large  numbers  are  too  young  to  have  had  many  children.  The  Milwaukie  Amer 
ican  says :  '  It  is  a  fact,  noticed  and  remarked  by  nearly  every  eastern  visitor  to  the  west, 
that  no  small  amount  of  the  business  of  the  west  and  north-west  is  conducted  by  young  men. 
Go  where  you  will,  in  every  city,  town  and  village,  you  will  find  more  youthful  countenances 
elongated  with  the  cares  and  anxieties  of  business  pursuits,  than  those  unacquainted  with 
the  peculiar  circumstances  attaching  to  western  life  and  enterprise  could  be  made  to  believe. 
Youth  and  energy  are  found  conducting  and  managing  our  railroads  and  our  banking  in 
stitutions.  Beardless  youngsters  are  seen  behind  the  desks — their  desks — of  our  counting 
houses,  and  in  our  manufactories,  mixed  up  with  our  commerce,  and,  in  short,  taking  active 
parts  in  every  field  of  business  enterprise.  A  year's  experience  as  a  clerk,  or  an  agent  for 
others,  gives  him  an  insight  into  the  modus  operandi  of  '  making  money,'  and  his  wits  are 
set  in  motion,  and  his  industrious  ingenuity  brought  to  bear  in  his  own  behalf,  and  he  de 
sires  to  'go  into  business  for  himself.'  Frequently  with  a  small  capital,  oftener  with  none, 
he  engages  in  some  branch  of  traffic,  and  in  a  few  years  is  'well  to  do  in  the  world.'  Such 
is  the  history  of  many  of  the  young  merchants  and  business  men  in  our  state,  and  we  do 
not  believe  that  a  more  enterprising,  intelligent,  and  thorough-going  business  community 
can  be  found  than  that  of  Wisconsin.  Youth,  energy,  and  a  laudable  ambition  to  rise  in 
the  world,  are  characteristic  elements  of  the  west :  they  have  made  her  what  she  now  is, 
and  give  glorious  promise  of  her  future.' 

In  one  of  our  village  or  town  hotels,  crowded  with  moneyed  boarders — the  merchants, 
bankers,  and  chief  mechanics  of  the  place — two  thirds  of  them  will  be  found  to  be  between 
twenty-five  and  thirty  years  of  age ;  their  wives,  of  course,  still  younger.  Our  population 
of  1,000,000  are  equal  in  industrial  capacity  to  at  least  twice  that  number  either  in  Europe 
or  in  the  Atlantic  states." 


WISCONSIN. 


311 


MILWAUKIE,  a  port  of  entry,  and  the  largest  city  in  Wisconsin,  is  built 
on  the  west  side  of  Lake  Michigan,  75  miles  east  of  Madison,  and  85  north 
of  Chicago.  Lat.  43°  04',  Long.  87°  57'.  The  city  is  built  on  the  flats  of 
the  Milwaukie  River,  and  on  the  bluffs  near  the  lake.  The  largest  lake  boats 
ascend  the  river  two  miles.  The  shore  on  Lake  Michigan  consists  of  a  bank 


South-eastern  river  view  in  Mihcaulde. 

The  engraving  shows  a  river  or  harbor  view  in  Milwaukie,  as  seen  from  near  the  point  of  the  entrance 
of  Menominee  River.  The  swing  bridges  across  the  river  appear  in  the  central  part.  The  terminus  of 
the  Milwaukie  and  Mississippi  Railroad  is  near  the  building  on  the  extreme  left. 

of  clay  from  20  to  100  feet  high,  and  as  nearly  perpendicular  as  the  nature 
of  the  material  will  admit.  The  city  contains  about  20  founderies  and  ma 
chine  shops,  employing  about  1,000  men,  and  26  breweries,  employing  about 
500  men.  Ship  building  is  extensively  carried  on ;  great  quantities  of  lum 
ber  are  exported;  and  it  has  a  large  commerce  on  the  lakes,  and  does  an  ex 
tensive  business  with  the  interior  by  its  railroads,  one  of  which  crosses  the 
state  to  the  Mississippi.  It  is  noted  for  its  splendid  blocks  of  buildings,  and 
for  its  superior  brick,  which  have  become  a  valuable  article  of  export,  being 
used  even  as  far  east  as  New  York  city.  They  are  hard,  smooth,  and  of  a 
beautiful  straw  color.  It  has  also  in  its  vicinity  quarries  of  a  beautiful  light 
colored  stone.  Population,  in  1840,  1,751;  in  1850,  20,035;  and  in  I860, 
45,254. 

A  foreign  traveler  describes  Milwaukie  as  one  of  the  most  picturesquely 
situated  towns  he  had  seen  in  the  west.  Says  he:  "It  is  placed  on  both 
siies  of  a  river  which  falls  into  a  fine  bay  of  Lake  Michigan,  the  town  rising 
from  the  valley  of  the  river  on  either  side  to  high  bluffs  facing  the  lake. 
The  river  is  navigable  from  the  lake,  and  vessels  discharge  and  land  their 
cargoes  direct  into,  and  from,  the  granaries  and  warehouses  which  line  its 
banks.  Tramways  from  the  various  lines  of  railroad  run  along  the  other 
sides  of  these  warehouses,  so  that  the  greatest  facilities  are  afforded  for  the 


312 


WISCONSIN. 


transport  and  handling  of  produce  and  merchandise.  The  extent  to  which 
labor  is  economized  in  this  way  both  here  and  at  Chicago  is  really  wonderful. 
By  the  aid  of  steam  power  half  a  million  bushels  of  grain  can  be  daily  re 
ceived  and  shipped  through  the  granaries  of  Chicago,  the  whole  of  it  being 
weighed  in  draughts  of  400  bushels  at  a  time,  as  it  passes  from  the  railroad 
to  the  vessel.  This  can  be  done  at  a  cost  of  a  farthing  a  bushel,  and  so  quiet 
is  the  whole  process  that  there  is  little  external  evidence  of  much  business 
going  on.  The  finest  church  in  Milwaukie  is  the  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral, 
with  the  palace  of  the  bishop  on  one  side  of  it,  and  an  orphan  asylum  on 
the  other.  There  are  many  handsome  private  residences,  some  built  of  white 
marble,  and  the  principal  hotel  of  the  city,  the  Newhall  House,  is  very  little 
inferior  either  in  size,  architecture,  or  interior  fittings  and  arrangements,  to 
the  Hotel  de  Louvre  in  Paris.  This  city,  which  only  twenty-three  years  ago 
was  the  site  of  a  single  log  cabin,  now,  in  the  one  month  of  October,  ships 
a  million  bushels  of  wheat!  From  the  bluffs  the  lake  looks  exactly  like  the 
sea,  as  no  opposite  shore  can  be  seen,  and  the  white-crested  waves  come  roll 
ing  into  the  harbor  just  as  they  do  on  the  Atlantic.  There  are  numerous 
schools  in  the  city,  free  to  all,  arid  well  endowed  by  the  state." 

Milwaukie  derives  its  name  from  Me-ne-aw-kee,  an  Indian  word,  said  to 
signify  rich  or  beautiful  land.  The  first  white  person  who  located  at  Mil 
waukie  appears  to  have  been  Alexander  Laframboise,  from  Mackinaw,  who 
established  a  trading  house  here  about  the  year  1785.  He  soon  returned  to 
Mackinaw,  and  gave  his  business  to  his  brother  to  manage  for  him :  the  latter 
remained  here  for  several  years,  and  raised  a  family.  Laframboise  failing 
in  business,  his  trading  house  was  closed  about  the  year  1800.  At  this  period 
another  trader  established  himself  here,  employing  as  clerk  S.  Chappue,  who 
had  previously  been  with  Laframboise.  J.  B.  Beaubien  established  a  trading 
post  in  Milwaukie  at  this  time.  Some  four  or  five  years  later  Laurent  Fily 
was  sent  with  J^supply  of  goods,  by  Jacob  Franks,  of  Green  Bay,  to  carry 
on  a  summer  trade  at  Milwaukie,  buying  deer  skins  in  the  red.  Previous  to 
this  Jacques  Vieau,  of  Green  Bay,  commenced  trading  here,  and  continued  it 
regularly  every  winter,  excepting  that  of  1811-12,  until  1818,  when  his  son- 
in-]aw,  SOLOMON  JUNEAU  emigrated  here  from  Canada,  first  as  his  clerk,  and 
then  on  his  own  account,  and  he  may  be  considered  as  the  first  regular  set 
tler  and  founder  of  Milwaukie. 

In  the  publications  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  Mr.  Alex.  F.  Pratt 
gives  this  sketch  of  Mr.  Juneau,  and  of  the  early  history  of  the  place : 

"Solomon  Juneau  emigrated  to  Milwaukie  in  the  fall  of  1818,  and  built 
him  a  log  cabin  among  the  natives.  At  that  time  his  family  consisted  of  a 
wife  and  one  child.  His  nearest  white  neighbors  were  at  Chicago,  Green 
Bay  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  He  kept  a  few  goods  suitable  for  the  Indian 
trade,  and  for  the  first  seventeen  years  he  was  not  only  the  only  merchant  in 
the  place,  but  the  only  white  man.  During  that  period,  a  few  Indian  traders 
were  occasionally  there,  but  not  permanently  located.  In  the  spring  of  1835, 
a  land  office  having  been  previously  established  at  Green  Bay,  this  land  was 
brought  into  market,  and  Mr.  Juneau  purchased  a  small  tract,  consisting  of 
about  130  acres,  lying  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  directly  north  of  Wis 
consin-street.  Previous  to  this  time,  Geo.  H.  Walker,  Esq.,  had  come  and 
made  a  claim  on  what  is  now  called  "Walker's  Point,"  which  he  subsequently 
obtained  a  title  to.  Byron  Kilbourn,  Esq.,  about  that  time  purchased  a  tract 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  which  has  from  that  time  been  known  by  the 
name  of  'Kilbourn  Town.'  Daniel  Wells,  Jr.,  W.  W.  Gilman,  George  D. 


WISCONSIN.  313 

Dousman,  E.  W.  Edgerton,  T.  C.  Dousman,  Geo.  0.  Tiffany,  D.  H.  Richards, 
William  Brown,  Jr.,  Milo  Jones,  Enoch  Darling,  and  others,  immigrated 
about  the  same  time,  and  made  large  purchases  of  lands.  In  the  course  of 
the  summer  of  1835,  a  number  of  good  buildings  were  erected,  and  a  great 
many  eastern  speculators  came  and  bought  lands  at  high  prices.  Mr.  Juneau, 
about  this  time,  sold  an  undivided  interest  in  his  lands  to  Morgan  L.  Martin. 
He  built  a  fine  dwelling  house  on  the  lot  where  Mitchell's  banking  house  now 
stands;  also  a  large  store  and  warehouse  on  what  is  now  known  as  'Luding- 
ton's  corner.'  In  1836,  when  we  came,  he  was  doing  a  large  business  both 
in  selling  goods  and  lots.  During  that  season,  some  two  or  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  had  been  brought  there  to  sell.  Ground 
rent  was  nearly  as  high  as  it  is  now.  A  merchant  with  a  stock  of  goods 
would  arrive  one  day,  and  by  the  next  day  noon  he  would  have  a  store  com 
pleted  to  open  in.  Things  were  done  on  the  California  principle.  They 
were  usually  built  of  rough  boards  with  a  'grass  floor,'  and  in  several  in 
stances  a  blanket  was  hung  up  for  a  partition,  and  one  half  of  the  tenement 
rented  to  another  for  a  dollar  a  day.  The  town  was  flooded  with  speculators, 
and  all  made  money  until  the  non-residents  left  and  navigation  closed,  when 
a  sudden  change  'came  o'er  the  spirit  of  their  dreams.' 

The  town  was  left  with  a  large  stock  of  goods,  and  but  few  inhabitants. 
Merchants  arid  other  business  men  enjoyed  the  winter  in  the  best  possible 
manner.  During  the  fall  quite  a  large  number  of  actual  settlers  had  arrived, 
of  the  right  stamp,  among  whom  were  H.  N.  Wells,  J.  E.  Arnold,  Henry 
Williams,  Hans  Crocker,  J.  H.  Tweedy,  L.  Blossom,  J.  W.  Pixley,  S.  H. 
Martin,  Geo.  P.  Delaplaine,  Geo.  Reed,  Cyrus  Hawley,  Fred.  Wardner,  A.  0. 
T.  Breed,  Eliphalet  Cramer,  Rufus  Parks,  Curtis  Reed,  Orson  Reed,  Wm. 
M.  Dennis,  Truman  L.  Smith,  Edmond  D.  Clinton,  A.  A.  Bird,  and  many 
others,  whom  time  will  not  allow  us  to  mention.  All  had  been  doing  a  'land 
office  business,'  and  had  plenty  of  money  left  to  winter  on.  ^  this  time  our 
old  friend  Juneau  was  supposed  to  be  worth  at  least  $100,000,  with  a  fair 
prospect  of  its  being  doubled  by  the  rise  of  land  in  the  spring.  We  have 
often  seen  him  in  those  days  go  into  his  store,  after  business  hours  were  over, 
and  take  from  the  drawers  the  money  that  his  clerks  had  received  during  the 
day  for  goods  and  lots,  amounting  often  to  8  or  10,000  dollars,  and  put  it 
loose  in  his  hat;  and  upon  one  occasion  we  recollect  of  his  hat  being  knocked 
off  in  a  playful  crowd,  when  some  $10,000  flew  in  various  directions.  In 
short,  money  seemed  to  be  of  no  earthly  use  to  him.  If  a  man  called  upon  him 
to  subscribe  for  either  a  public  improvement  or  a  charitable  object,  whatever 
was  required  he  subscribed,  without  asking  why  or  wherefore.  In  the  mean 
time  he  had  looked  on  and  seen  others  get  rich  on  the  rise  of  property  that 
he  had  sold,  and  he  commenced  buying  back  lots  and  paying  thousands  for 
those  he  had  previously  sold  for  hundreds.  We  recollect  very  well  one  cir 
cumstance:  his  re-purchasing  the  corner  lot.  near  Youngs'  Hall,  for  $3,700, 
which  he  had  sold  the  year  previous  for  $475.  He  was  truly,  in  the  lan 
guage  of  the  poet,  '  The  noblest  work  of  God,  an  honest  man.'  He  had 
implicit  confidence  in  every  body. 

The  spring  of  1837  disappointed  all  our  anticipations.  A  general  stagna 
tion  in  business  prevailed  in  all  directions.  Immigration  had  almost  entirely 
fallen  off.  Our  currency,  which  was  mostly  of  the  Michigan  '  Wild  Cat ' 
stamp,  was  no  longer  a  legal  tender.  There  was  no  sale  for  real  estate.  The 
second  payments  were  becoming  due  on  purchases  of  real  estate,  and  all  who 
supposed  themselves  rich  in  lands,  were  not  only  destitute  of  money,  but  the 


WISCONSIN. 

means  to  raise  it.  Some  who  were  able  to  hold  on,  kept  their  property  until 
tbsy  could  get  a  handsome  advance;  while  the  majority  were  compelled  to 
sell  for  what  they  could  get,  and  bankruptcy  was  the  inevitable  result. 

At  this  time,  there  were  but  few  settlements  in  the  interior;  but  the  hard 
times  which  continued  through  the  years  1837  and  1838,  induced  many  to 
leave  Milwaukie  and  locate  a 'claim.'  The  lands  between  Milwaukie  and 
Rock  River  were  then  surveyed,  but  were  not  brought  into  market  until  the 
fall  of  1839.  During  this  time  they  had  become  thickly  settled,  and  many 
of  them  quite  valuable.  The  hard  times  at  the  east  had  led  many  to  seek 
a  home  in  the  west;  and  in  the  fall  of  1839,  when  these  lands  came  into 
market,  many  of  them  had  been  so  improved  that  they  were  worth  from  $10 
to  $100  an  acre,  while  the  occupants  had  not  the  first  'red  cent'  to  buy  them 
with.  Consequently,  a  large  proportion  of  the  settlers  were  compelled  to 
either  sell  their  improvements  for  what  they  could  get,  or  pay  from  25  to  50 
per  cent,  for  money  to  enter  their  lands  with. 

About  this  time,  Alex.  Mitchell,  Harvey  Birchard,  the  Messrs.  Luding- 
tons,  E.  Eldred,  and  other  capitalists,  came  to  Milwaukie,  and  purchased  lots 
at  $100  each,  that  had  previously  been  sold  from  $1,000  to  $1,500,  and  are 
now  selling  from  $5,000  to  $15,000  each.  From  that  day  to  this,  '  the  rise 
and  progress'  of  Milwaukie  has  been  steady  and  onward.  The  price  of  land 
has  continued  to  advance  with  the  increase  of  business,  and  nearly  all  who 
commenced  in  business  there  at  that  time,  and  continued  to  the  present,  have 
become  wealthy  and  independent.  In  1846,  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
to  divide  Milwaukie  county,  and  establish  the  county  of  Waukesha;  also 
another  to  incorporate  the  city  of  Milwaukie.  At  the  first  charter  election 
in  the  new  city,  Solomon  Juneau  was  elected  mayor,  which  was  a  well  mer 
ited  compliment  to  the  'old  pioneer.'  ". 

Mr.  Juneau  subsequently  removed  to  Dodge  county,  where  by  hard  labor 
he  earned  a  cou|£brtable  living,  until  a  few  years  since,  when  he  was  "  gath 
ered  to  his  fathers." 

Mr.  Pratt  also  gives  these  amusing  reminiscences  of  the  judiciary  of  the 
Territory  of  Wisconsin : 

u  The  Territory  of  Wisconsin  was  organized  in  July,  1836.  It  was  divided 
into  three  judicial  districts.  Judge  Dunn  was  appointed  for  the  western 
district,  Judge  Irwin  for  the  middle,  and  Judge  Frazier,  of  Pennsylvania, 
for  the  eastern.  Judge  Frazier  arrived  in  Milwaukie  on  a  Sunday  evening, 
in  June,  1837.  He  put  up  at  the  small  hotel  which  stood  where  '  Dicker- 
man's  Block  '  now  stands,  which  was  called  the  *******  Tavern,  kept 
by  Mr.  Vail.  On  his  arrival,  he  fell  in  with  some  old  Kentucky  friends,  who 
invited  him  to  a  private  room,  for  the  purpose  of  participating  in  an  inno 
cent  game  of  'poker."1  The  party  consisted  of  the  judge,  Col.  Morton,  regis 
ter  of  the  land  office,  and  two  or  three  others — friends  of  the  judge.  They 
commenced  playing  for  small  sums  at  first,  but  increased  them  as  the  hours 
passed,  until  the  dawn  of  day,  the  next  morning — when  small  sums  seemed 
beneath  their  notice.  The  first  approach  of  day  was  heralded  to  them  by 
the  ringing  of  the  bell  for  breakfast.  The  judge  made  a  great  many  apolo 
gies,  saying,  among  other  things,  that  as  that  was  his  first  appearance  in  the 
territory,  and  as  his  court  opened  at  10  o'clock  that  morning,  he  must  have 
a  little  time  to  prepare  a  charge  to  the  grand  jury.  He  therefore  hoped  that 
they  would  excuse  him,  which  they  accordingly  did,  and  he  withdrew  from 
the  party.  The  court  met  at  the  appointed  hour — Owen  Aldrich  acting  as 
sheriif,  and  Cyrus  Hawley  as  clerk.  The  grand  jury  was  called  and  sworn. 


WISCONSIN".  315 

The  judge,  with  much  dignity,  commenced  his  charge ;  and  never  before  did 
we  hear  such  a  charge  poured  forth  from  the  bench !  After  charging  them 
upon  the  laws  generally,  he  alluded  to  the  statute  against  gambling.  The 
English  language  is  too  barren  to  describe  his  abhorrence  of  that  crime. 
Among  other  extravagances,  he  said,  that  'a  gambler  was  unfit  for  earth, 
heaven,  or  hell,'  and  that  'God  Almighty  would  even  shudder  at  the  sight 
of  one.' 

At  that  time,  we  had  but  one  session  of  the  legislature,  which  had  adopted 
mostly  the  statutes  of  Michigan,  which  allowed  the  court  to  exercise  its  dis 
cretion  in  granting  stays  of  executions,  etc.  A  suit  came  up  against  a  man 
in  the  second  ward,  who  had  no  counsel.  The  judge  ordered  the  crier  to  call 
the  defendant.  He  did  so,  and  the  defendant  appeared.  The  judge  asked 
him  if  he  had  anything  to  say  against  judgment  being  rendered  against  him. 
He  replied,  that  he  did  not  know  that  he  had,  as  it  was  an  honest  debt,  but 
that  he  was  unable  to  pay  it.  The  judge  inquired  what  his  occupation  was. 
He  replied  that  he  was  a  fisherman.  Says  the  judge,  ' Can  you  pay  in  fish?' 
The  defendant  answered,  that  'he  did  not  know  but  he  could,  if  he  had  time 
to  catch  them.'  The  judge  turned  to  the  clerk,  and  ordered  him  to  'enter  up 
a  judgment,  payable  in  fish,  and  grant  a  stay  of  execution  for  twelve 
months ;'  at  the  same  time  remarking  to  the  defendant,  that  he  must  surely 
pay  it  at  the  time,  and  in  good  fish ;  for  he  would  not  be  willing  to  wait  so 
long  for  'stinking  fish.'  The  next  suit  worthy  of  note,  was  against  Wm.  M. 
Dennis,  our  present  bank  comptroller.  He,  like  his  predecessor,  had  no 
counsel.  His  name  was  called,  and  he  soon  made  his  appearance.  He  en 
tered  the  court-room,  wearing  his  usual  smile,  whittling,  wrlh  his  knife  in 
the  left  hand.  The  court  addressed  him  in  a  loud  voice,  'What  are  you 
grinning  about,  Mr.  Dennis?1  Mr.  D.  replied,  that  he  was  not  aware  that  he 
was  laughing.  The  court  inquired  if  he  proposed  to  offer  any  defense?  He 
replied,  that  he  did,  but  was  not  ready  for  trial.  'No  matter'  said  the  judge, 
'there's  enough  that  are  ready;  the  clerk  will  enter  it 'continued.' '  The 
next  case,  about  which  we  recollect,  was  the  trial  of  two  Indians,  who  were 
indicted  for  murdering  a  man  on  Rock  River.  They  were  also  indicted  for 
an  assault,  with  intent  to  kill,  upon  another  man,  at  the  same  time.  The 
Jrial  for  murder  came  off  first.  They  were  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged.  On  the  day  following,  they  were  tried  for  the  assault,  etc.,  found 
guilty,  and  sentenced  to  five  years'  imprisonment,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  five 
hundred  dollars  each.  Governor  Dodge,  however,  deeming  it  too  severe  to 
fine  and  imprison  a  man  after  he  was  hanged,  commuted  it  to  imprisonment 
for  life.  The  Indians  were  confined  in  jail  a  year  or  two,  but  were  finally 
pardoned  by  the  governor. 

Judge  Frazier  soon  afterward  went  to  Green  Bay,  and  held  a  court,  from 
whence,  for  want  of  a  jail  in  which  to  confine  prisoners,  he  sentenced  a  man, 
for  some  trifling  offense,  'to  be  banished  to  Turkey  River.'  After  the  court 
adjourned,  he  returned  to  Milwaukie  on  the  steamboat  Pennsylvania.  She 
anchored  in  the  bay,  and  the  judge,  who  was  dead  drunk  at  the  time,  was 
lowered  by  means  of  a  tackle  into  a  boat,  and  rowed  to  the  landing  at 
Walker's  Point.  From  the  effect  of  this  bacchanalian  reyel  he  never  recov 
ered.  His  friend,  Col.  Morton,  took  him  to  his  own  house,  called  to  his  aid 
our  best  physicians,  and  all  was  done  that  human  skill  could  devise,  for  the 
restoration  of  his  health  ;  but  it  was  too  late ;  the  seeds  of  death  had  been 
sown;  he  lingered  in  great  distress  for  four  or  five  days,  and  breathed 
his  last.  The  members  of  the  bar,  generally,  neglected  to  attend  the 


316  WISCONSIN. 

funeral ;  and  having  no  relatives  in  the  state,  he  hardly  received  a  decent 
burial." 


Green  Bay,  the  county  seat  of  Brown  county,  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
Fox  River,  at  the  head  of  Green  Bay,*  120  miles  N.E.  from  Madison,  and 
114  N.  of  Milwaukie.  It  is  the  oldest  town  in  Wisconsin,  and  occupies  an 
important  location.  It  has  a  good  harbor,  and  is  an  important  place  of  de 
posit  and  transit  for  the  imports  and  exports  of  northern  Wisconsin.  It  is  a 
great  lumber  mart,  immense  quantities  being  annually  exported.  The  town 
has  a  beautiful  situation,  and  contains  several  spacious  warehouses,  fine 
churches,  and  elegant  residences.  By  the  canal  between  Fox  and  Wisconsin 
Kivers,  there  is  steam  navigation  between  Green  Bay  and  the  Mississippi 
River.  Fort  Howard,  named  from  Gov.  Benj.  Howard,  of  Missouri,  is  on 
{•';•»  west  side  of  Fox  River,  on  a  commanding  eminence.  Population  about 
<Y<#. 

About  1745,  the  Sieur  AUGUSTIN  DE  LANGLADE,  his  son  CHARLES,  and 
probably  some  others,  left  Mackinaw  and  migrated  to  Green  Bay,  where  they 
became  the  principal  proprietors  of  the  soil.  They  settled  on  the  east  side 
of  Fox  River,  near  its  mouth,  somewhat  above  and  opposite  the  old  French 
post,  and  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  residence  of  Judge  Arndt,  at  the  upper 
end  of  Green  Bay.  At  this  time  there  appears  to  have  been  a  small  French 
garrison  here,  of  whom  Capt.  De  Velie  was  commander.  Such  was  the  in 
fluence  of  Charles  De  Langlade,  that  he  was  appointed,  by  Vaudreuil,  the 
governor  of  Canada,  to  command  the  border  forces  of  the  French  and  In 
dians  in  the  north-west,  and  it  was  by  his  management  that  the  British  were 
defeated  and  Gen.  Braddock  slain  at  Du  Quesne,  or  Pittsburg,  in  1755. 
Langlade  was  also  at  the  capture  of  Fort  William  Henry,  and  also  at  the 
battle  of  Quebec,  where  Montcalm  was  killed.  He  received  a  pension  from 
the  British  government,  for  his  services  in  the  American  Revolution.  He 
died  at  Green  Bay,  in  Jan.,  1800,  at  the  age  of  75,  and  was  buried  by  the 
side  of  his  father,  in  the  cemetery  at  this  place. 

The  Green  Bay  settlement,  from  its  inception  in  1745  to  1785,  a  period  of 
forty  years,  made  but  little  progress.  Mr.  Grignon,  in  his  "Recollections," 
published'  by  the  State  Historical  Society,  says,  "in  1785,  there  were  but' 
seven  families,  who,  with  their  engages  and  others,  did  not  exceed  fifty-sis 
souls."  In  1792,  Charles  Reaume  arrived  and  took  up  his  residence  at  the 
Bay.  About  this  period  others  began  to  arrive,  almost  invariably  from  Can 
ada.  About  the  year  1812,  the  population  amounted  to  nearly  250  persons. 
Previous  to  the  advent  of  the  Americans,  in  1816,  there  were  no  schools. 
The  earliest  mill  erected  in  the  country  was  by  Jacob  Franks,  about  the  year 
1809.  He  first  built  a  saw  mill,  then  a  grist  mill,  on  Devil  River,  three 
miles  east  of  Depere.  Previous  to  this,  grinding  was  done  by  hand  mills. 
In  the  summer  of  1816,  a  body  of  American  troops  were  sent  to  Green  Bay, 
in  three  schooners,  where  they  arrived  about  the  16th  of  July.  Grignon,  in 
his  Recollections,  says: 

"  Col.  Miller,  the  commander,  the  very  day  of  his  arrival,  accompanied  by  CoL 

*  Green  Bay,  which  gives  name  to  the  town,  is  an  arm  of  Lake  Michigan,  of  about  100 
miles  in  length,  and  from  10  to  15  in  breadth.  The  name,  Green,  was  given  by  the  early 
explorers,  and  it  is  supposed,  from  this  fact,  that  they  must  have  visited  it  in  the  spring, 
and  have  found  the  vegetation  of  the  shores  of  the  bay  far  in  advance  of  other  parts  of  the 
country,  as  is  now  sometimes  the  case,  the  trees  being  clothed  with  young  leaves,  rich  in 
the  velvet  green  of  spring,  while  far  to  the  south,  even  as  low  as  the  latitude  of  the  south 
end  of  Lake  Huron,  all  nature  is  in  the  cold  sombre  hues  of  winter. 


WISCONSIN.  317 

Chambers,  Maj.  Gratiot,  Capt.  Ben.  O'Fallon,  and  other  officers,  visited  Tomah  at 
his  village,  less  than  half  a  mile  distant.  Col.  Miller  asked  the  consent  of  the 
Menomonees  for  the  erection  of  a  fort.  Tomah  said: 

'My  Brother!  How  can  we  oppose  your  locating  a  council-fire  among  us?  You  are 
too  strong  for  us.  Even  if  we  wanted  to  oppose  you,  we  have  scarcely  got  powder  and 
shot  to  make  the  attempt.  One  favor  we  ask  is,  that  our  French  brothers  shall  not  be  dis 
turbed  or  in  any  way  molested.  You  can  choose  any  place  you  please  for  your  fort,  and 
we  shall  not  object.' 

Col.  Miller  thanked  him  and  his  people  for  their  friendly  consent  to  his  request, 
and  added  that  he  had  some  spare  provisions,  and  supposed  a  little  pork  and  flour 
would  not  hurt  him,  as  they  seemed  to  be  scarce  articles  with  the  Indians,  and  in 
vited  him  to  call  and  get  a  supply.  Some  of  the  Indians  prompted  Tomah  to  ask 
their  new  father  for  a  little  broth  also.  Tomah  expressed  his  thanks  for  Col.  Mil 
ler's  kind  offers,  and  added  that  he  and  his  people  would  be  very  glad  to  have,  if 
possible,  a  little  broth  to  use  with  the  pork  and  flour.  Col.  Miller  said,  that  although 
it  was  contrary  to  orders,  he  would  take  it  upon  himself  to  give  them  a  little — 
enough  for  a  dram  apiece,  and  hoped  they  would  be  moderate  in  its  use. 

The  people  of  Green  Bay  were  generally  well  pleased  with  the  advent  of  the 
Americans,  a  home  market  was  furnished  for  their  surplus  provisions,  and  a  new 
impetus  was  given  to  the  settlement.  Vessels  now  began  to  arrive  with  supplies 
for  the  garrison,  and  we  began  to  experience  the  benefits  and  convenience  of  lake 
commerce  and  navigation." 

We  continue  the  history  of  Green  Bay  from  the  Kecollections  of  Hon. 
Henry  S.  B-aird.  The  article  is  valuable  as  a  vivid  description  of  the  man 
ners  and  customs  of  these  early  French  settlers  of  Wisconsin  : 

In  the  month  of  July,  1824, 1  first  landed  upon  the  shores  of  the  Fox  River.  In 
September  following,  I  came  with  my  wife  from  Mackinaw,  having  resided  at  the 
latter  place  for  two  years  previously.  My  knowledge  of  the  early  history  of  the 
state  commenced  at  that  period,  and  has  continued  uninterrupted  until  the  present 
time. 

In  1824,  Green  Bay,  as  well  as  the  entire  country,  presented  a  far  different  view 
from  its  present  ajpearance.  Old  Fort  Howard  then  occupied  its  present  site. 
The  grounds  around  it  were  used  mostly  for  fields  of  grain  and  gardens.  A  portion 
of  the  present  town  of  Fort  Howard  was  used  by  the  troops  as  a  parade  and  drill 
ground.  The  garrison  consisted  of  four  companies  of  the  third  regiment  of  United 
States  Infantry,  and  commanded  by  the  late  Gen.  John  McNiel,  the  brother-in-law 
of  ex-President  Pierce.  The  "settlement,"  so-ealled,  extended  from  Fort  Howard 
on  the  east,  and  from  the  premises  now  occupied  by  our  venerable  fellow-citizen, 
Judge  Arndt,  on  the  east  side  of  Fox  River,  to  the  present  village  of  Depere,  then 
known  as  Eapide  des  Peres.  The  lands  on  either  side  of  the  river  were  divided 
into  small  farms,  or  more  particularly  known  to  the  old  settlers  as  '^claims." 
These  claims  are  limited  in  width,  generally  from  two  to  seven  arpents,  or  French 
acres,  but  what  they  lacked  in  width  they  made  up  in  depth,  being  on  the  average 
eighty  arpents,  or  about  two  and  three  quarter  miles  long,  and  contained  from  one 
hundred  to  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  each.  Like  those  at  St.  Louis,  Kaskaskia, 
Detroit,  Prairie  du  Chien  and  other  early  settlements,  these  claims  were  generally 
"  squatted  "  upon  by  traders  and  early  pioneers,  but  were  subsequently,  by  a  series 
of  acts  of  congress,  "confirmed"  and  granted  to  the  occupants  on  certain  condi 
tions.  Their  peculiar  shape  of  "  all  long  and  no  wide,"  has  often  been  a  matter  of 
wonder  to  the  shrewd  Yankees,  who  love  to  have  their  forms  in  a  square  form,  and 
take  it  all  in  at  one  view.  Many  laugh  at  what  they  deem  the  folly  and  short 
sightedness  of  the  old  settlers  in  thus  limiting  their  locations.  But  when  apprised 
of  the  reasons  which  induced  this  manner  of  location,  they  may  cease  to  marvel. 
In  my  opinion,  the  reasons  were  two-fold  :  first,  security  against  the  hostile  attacks 
to  be  apprehended  from  the  native  Indians,  who  were  the  sole  occupants  and  pro 
prietors  of  the  country  in  the  early  years  of  its  settlement  by  the  traders,  and 
whose  passions  were  often  inflamed  by  jealousy  and  hatred  of  the  whites  in  their 
encroachments  upon  the  soil  and  freedom  of  the  original  owners.  It  is  evident 
that  it  would  be  much  easier  to  repel  attack  by  a  speedy  union  of  the  whites  thus 


318  WISCONSIN. 

living  in  close  proximity  to  each  other,  and  concentrating  their  whole  force  and 
means  of  defense,  at  some  eligible  point  of  security,  than  it  would  have  been  if 
living  in  spots  remote  and  scattered  over  a  large  extent  of  country.  Another  rea 
son  was,  that  in  those  days  the  traders  or  whites  who  settled  in  the  country  were 
not  influenced  by  the  same  motive  of  cupidity  that  governs,  the  "squatters"  or 
"  claimants  "  of  the  present  day,  in  the  desire  to  acquire  large  landed  possessions, 
But  few  of  those  who  came  into  the  country  at  that  early  period,  say  about  ono 
hundred  years  ago,  designed  to  make  it  their  permanent  abode.  Their  principal 
object  was  to  traffic  with  the  Indians,  and  to  obtain  the  rich  furs  and  peltries,  with 
which  this  whole  region  then  abounded.  Agriculture  and  the  cultivation  of  the 
soil  were,  with  them,  secondary  considerations.  But  very  small  portions  of  the 
small  tracts  of  land  thus  occupied  by  the  adventurers  were  cultivated  by  them. 
Small  patches  of  Indian  corn,  a  few  acres  of  potatoes  or  other  vegetables,  scattered 
here  and  there  through  the  settlement,  comprised  the  farming  interest  of  the  coun 
try ;  and  it  was  not  until  the  arrival  of  more  enterprising  and  grasping  settlers,  the 
keen  and  speculating  Americans  (a  class  feared  and  hated  by  the  former  class), 
that  these  claims  were  considered  of  any  value,  or  worth  the  trouble  and  expense 
of  obtaining  titles  to  them. 

As  before  stated,  the  ''settlement"  at  this  place  extended  on  both  sides  of  the 
river  from  Fort  Howard  to  Depere,  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  here  and  there 
interspersed  with  patches  of  timber,  the  cultivated  land  extending  back  from  the 
river  but  a  few  acres.  Beyond  Depere,  south  or  west,  there  was  no  white  settle 
ments  for  many  years,  except  two  or  three  families  at  the  Grand  Kaukauna,  until 
we  reached  Prairie  du  Chien,  on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  distant  about  250  miles ; 
where  was  a  garrison  of  United  States  troops,  and  a  few  hundred  inhabitants.  All 
north,  east  or  west  of  Green  Bay  was  a  dense  forest,  an  unbroken  wilderness,  peo 
pled  only  by  the  red  man,  and  roamed  by  wild  beasts.  Depere,  or  rather  "  Rapide 
des  Peres,"  is  supposed  to  be  the  spot  first  located  by  the  Jesuits  or  early- mission 
aries,  in  or  about  the  year  1671.*  An  old  building,  formerly  occupied  by  these 
Reverend  Fathers,  was  situated  very  near  the  spot  on  which  now  stands  the  new 
grist  mill  of  Messrs.  Wilcox  &  Wager.  I  frequently  visited  the  spot,  and  the  old 
foundation  of  the  venerable  edifice  was  visible  for  some  time  after  I  came  here, 
and  until,  in  cultivating  the  ground,  the  stones  Avere  removed  or  covered  over. 
The  trade  and  business  of  the  settlement  was  principally  carried  on  at  what  was 
then  called  by  the  unpretending  and  not  very  pleasing  name  of  "  Shanty  Town." 
Three  or  four  stores  were  located  at  this  point,  and  together  with  the  sutler  store 
at  Fort  Howard,  and  two  or  three  at  other  places  in  the  settlement,  supplied  the  wants 
of  the  community.  In  addition  to  the  "regular  merchants"  were  several  fur 
traders,  who  carried  on  a  regular  traffic  with  the  Indians ;  but  these  had  no  per. 
manent  places  of  trade  here.  In  the  autumn  of  each  year,  they  received,  either 
from  Mackinaw  (then  the  great  depot  and  head-quarters  of  the  American  Fur  Conin- 
pany),  or  from  Canada,  their  "outfit"  of  goods  and  merchandise,  consisting  of  ar 
ticles  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  natives,  and  departed  for  their  distant  "  winter 
ing  grounds,"  situated  in  the  wilderness.  The  principal  trading  posts,  at  that 
period,  in  northern  Wisconsin,  were  the  following:  Milwaukie,  Sheboygan,  and 
Manitowoc,  on  Lake  Michigan;  Menomonee  River,  Peshtigo  and  Oconto/on  Green 
Bay  ;  Fond  du  Lac,  Calumet,  and  Oshkosh,  on  Winnebago  Lake ;  Wolf  River,  Lake 
Shawano,  and  the  Portage  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin.  At  all  of  these  points  In 
dian  villages  were  located,  and  it  is  a  remarkable  feature  in  the  settlement  of  Wis 
consin,  that  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  principal  cities,  towns  and  villages  which  now 
in  all  directions  meet  our  view,  were  originally  sites  of  Indian  villages;  showing  that 
to  the  sagacity  and  foresight  of  the  aborigines,  rather  than  to  the  judgment  and  dis 
crimination  of  the  whites,  are  we  indebted  for  the  beautiful  and  eligible  locations 
of  the  towns  throughout  the  state. 

These  traders  conveyed  the  goods,  which,  however,  were  not  all  dry  goods,  in 
boats  called  batteaux,  being  of  light  draught  of  water,  and  constructed  so  as  to 
meet  with  the  least  opposition  from  the  current  in  rapids  or  swift  streams,  or  in 

*The  Mission  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  at  DePere,  was  established  in  1669:  See  Jesuit  Re 
lations,  1669-70;  Shea's  Hist.  Catholic  Missions;  Smith's  Hist.  Wisconsin. 


WISCONSIN.  310 

birch  bark  canoes,  which  latter  were  constructed  by  the  Indians.  The  boat  or 
canoe  was  manned,  according  to  size  and  capacity,  by  a  crew  consisting  of  from 
four  to  ten  Canadian  voyageurs,  or  by  half-bloods,  their  descendants.  This  class, 
which  once  occupied  so  prominent  a  position  in  the  early  recollections  of  the 
times,  but  which  has  now  nearly  disappeared  from  the  country  they  were  the  first 
to  visit,  deserves  a  passing  notice.  The  Canadian  voyageurs,  as  the  name  indicates, 
came  originally  from  Canada,  principally  from  Quebec  and  Montreal,  They  were 
employed  by  the  principal  traders,  under  written  contracts,  executed  in  Canada, 
for  a  term  of  from  three  to  five  years — their  wages  from  two  hundred  and  fifty 
livres  (fifty  dollars)  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  livres  (one  hundred  and  fifty  dol 
lars)  per  year,  to  which  was  added  what  was  termed  an  "outfit,"  consisting  of  a 
Mackinaw  blanket,  two  cotton  shirts,  a  capote  or  loose  sack  coat,  two  pairs  of  coarse 
pants,  shoes  and  socks,  and  some  other  small  articles,  including  soap.  Their  food, 
when  in  the  "wintering  ground,"  consisted,  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  time,  of 
corn  and  tallow,  occasionally  enriched  by  a  piece  of  fat  pork — or  venison  and  bear 
meat,  when  they  happened  to  be  plenty ;  yet  with  this  spare  and  simple  diet,  they- 
were  healthy  and  always  cheerful  and  happy.  Their  powers  of  endurance  were 
astonishing.  They  would  row  or  paddle  all  day,  and  when  necessary  would  carry 
on  their  backs,  suspended  by  a  strap  or  band  crossing  their  breast  or  forehead, 
large  packs  of  furs  or  merchandise,  weighing  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  thirty  pounds,  for  whole  days,  and  when  night  came,  enjoyed  their  frugal  meal 
and  joined  in  merry  -jokes,  recounted  stories  of  their  many  hair-breadth  escapes 
by  "flood  and  forest,'  or  perhaps  joined  in  the  dance  to.  the  music  of  the  violin, 
if  among  their  companions  any  were  capable  of  "sawing  sweet  sounds."  In  the 
spring  of  the  year,  they  returned  to  the  settlements  or  principal  trading  posts,  to 
spend  the  summer  months  in  comparative  ease,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  pas 
times  and  frolics  they  so  highly  prized.  Always  improvident,  open-hearted  and 
convivial,  they  saved  nothing,  nor  thought  of  the  wants  of  the  future,  but  spent 
freely  the  whole  of  their  hard-earned  and  scanty  wages  in  a  few  weeks  of  their 
stay  among  their  friends,  and  again  returned  in  the  fall  to  pass  through  the  same 
routine  of  toil,  hardship,  and  privation.  Intermarriages  frequently  took  place  be 
tween  them  and  the  native  women.  These  marriages  were  encouraged  by  the 
traders,  as  it  not  only  increased  the  influence  of  the  traders  and  their  en  ga  gees  over 
the  Indians,  but  was  the  means  of  securing  their  trade,  bound  the  men  more  closely 
to  the  country,  and  insured  their  continuance  in  the  fur  trade,  with  which  they 
had  then  become  familiar.  The  half-bloods  were  the  descendants  of  the  early 
vcyageurs,  and  in  character  and  manners  closely  resembled  their  sires. 

The  commerce  of  the  country  was  carried  on  through  the  medium  of  a  few  sail 
vessels  plying  between  this  place  and  the  ports  on  Lake  Erie.  These  vessels  were 
generally  of  from  twenty-five  to  seventy  tuns  burden.  Occasionally,  perhaps  once 
or  twice  in  the  season  of  navigation,  a  steamer  from  Buffalo  would  look  in  upon 
us;  but  these  were  far  different  in  structure  and  capacity  from  the  splendid  "  float 
ing  palaces"  which  have  visited  our  waters  in  later  years.  All  kinds  of  provisions 
and  supplies  were  brought  here  from  Ohio  and  Michigan,  and  the  inhabitants  were 
solely  dependent  upon  those  states  for  everything  like  provisions,  except  a  limited 
quantity  of  grain  and  vegetables  raised  by  the  miserable  farmers  of  the  country. 

The  buildings  and  improvements  in  the  country  were  then  few,  and  circumscribed 
within  a  narrow  compass,  and  in  a  great  degree  partook  of  the  unpretending  and 
simple  character  of  their  occupants.  Some  constructed  of  rough  or  unhewn  logs, 
covered  with  cedar  bark,  here  and  there  a  sprinkling  of  lodges  or  wigwams,  formed 
by  long  poles  stuck  in  the  ground  in  a  circular  form,  and  brought  together  and 
united  at  the  top  by  a  cord,  thus  forming  an  inclosure  perhaps  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  in  diameter  at  the  base,  and  covered  with  large  mats  composed  of  a  kind  of 
reed  or  grass,  called  by  the  Indians  "Puckaway."  The  mode  of  ingress  and  egress 
was  by  raising  a  smaller  mat,  covering  an  aperture  left  in  the  side  for  that  purpose. 
Light  was  admitted  from  the  top  of  the  structure,  through  an  opening  which  served 
as  well  to  emit  the  smoke  from  the  fire,  which  was  made  directly  in  the  center  of 
the  habitation.  rl'hese  wigwams  were  sometimes  occupied  by  families  of  the  half- 
blood  Canadians  and  Indians,  sometimes  by  the  natives. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  settlement,  exclusive  of  the  native  Indians,  were  mostly 


320  WISCONSIN. 

Canadian  French,  and  those  of  mixed  blood.  There  were,  in  1824,  at  Green  Bay, 
but  six  or  eight  resident  American  families,  and  the  families  of  the  officers  sta 
tioned  at  Fort  Howard,  in  number  about  the  same*.  The  character  of  the  people 
was  a  compound  of  civilization  and  primitive  simplicity — exhibiting  the  polite  and 
lively  characteristics  of  the  French  and  the  thoughtlessness  and  improvidence  of 
the  aborigines.  Possessing  the  virtues  of  hospitality  and  the  warmth  of  heart 
unknown  to  residents  of  cities,  untramnieled  by  the  etiquette  and  conventional 
rules  of  modern  "high  life,"  they  were  erer  ready  to  receive  and  entertain  their 
friends,  and  more  intent  upon  the  enjoyment  of  the  present  than  to  lay  up  store 
or  make  provision  for  the  future.  With  few  wants,  and  contented  and  happy  hearts, 
they  found  enjoyment  in  the  merry  dance,  the  sleigh-ride,  and  the  exciting  horse 
race,  and  doubtless  experienced  more  true  happiness  and  contentment  than  the 
plodding,  calculating  and  money-seeking  people  of  the  present  day.  This  was  the 
character  of  the  settlers  who  occupied  this  country  before  the  arrival  of  the  Yan 
kees — a  class  now  entirely  extinct  or  lost  sight  of  by  the  present  population ;  but 
it  is  one  which  unites  the  present  with  the  past,  and  for  whom  the  "old  settlers" 
entertain  feelings  of  veneration  and  respect.  They  deserve  to  be  remembered  and 
placed  on  the  pages  of  history  as  the  first  real  pioneers  of  Wisconsin.  Several  of 
these  persons  have  left  descendants  who  still  survive  them;  and  the  names  of  Lawe, 
Grignon,  Juneau,  Porlier,  and  others  of  that  class,  will  survive  and  serve  as  me 
morials  of  the  old  race  of  settlers,  long  after  the  last  of  the  present  generation  shall 
have  been  "gathered  to  their  fathers." 

During  the  early  years  of  my  residence  here,  the  social  circle,  although  limited, 
was  by  no  means  insignificant.  It  was  composed  of  the  families  of  the  garrison 
and  the  Americans,  and  several  of  the  "old  settlers."  If  it  was  small,  it  was  also 
united  by  the  ties  of  friendship  and  good  feeling.  Free  from  the  formalities  and 
customs  which  are  observed  by  the  ton  of  the  present  day,  we  met  to  enjoy  our 
selves,  more  like  members  of  one  family  than  as  strangers.  The  young  people  of  that 
period  (and  all  felt  young  then)  would  assemble  on  a  few  hours'  notice  at  the  house 
of  a  neighbor,  without  form  or  ceremony.  Young  ladies  were  then  expected  to 
appear  at  an  early  hour  in  the  evening,  and  not  at  the  usual  hour  of  retiring  to 
rest,  nor  were  they  required  to  appear  in  either  court  or  fancy  dresses.  The  merry 
dance  succeeded,  and  all  enjoyed  themselves  until  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 
One  custom  prevailed  universally,  among  all  classes,  even  extending  to  the  Indians  : 
that  of  devoting  the  holidays  to  festivity  and  amusement,  but  especially  that  of 
"calling"  on  New  Year's  day.  This  custom  was  confined  to  no  class  in  particu 
lar;  all  observed  it;  and  many  met  on  New  Year  who  perhaps  did  not  again  meet 
till  the  next.  All  then  shook  hands  and  exchanged  mutual  good  wishes — all  old 
animosities  were  forgotten — all  differences  settled,  and  universal  peace  established. 
May  this  good  old  custom  be  long  observed,  and  handed  down  to  future  genera 
tions  as  a  memento  of  the  good  olden  time.  During  the  winter  season,  Green  Bay 
aras  entirely  insulated.  Cut  off  from  communication  with  all  other  parts  of  the 
civilized  world,  her  inhabitants  were  left  to  their  own  resources  for  nearly  half  the 
year.  Our  mails  were  "  few  and  far  between,"  sometimes  but  once  a  month — never 
more  than  twice,  did  we  receive  them,  so  that  the  news  when  received  here  was  no 
longer  new.  The  mails  were  carried  on  a  man's  shoulders  from  Chicago  to  Green 
Bay,  through  the  wilderness,  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and 
could  not  contain  a  very  great  quantity  of  interesting  reading  matter.  Under  such 
circumstances  it  became  necessary  that  we  should  devise  some  means  to  enliven 
our  time,  and  we  did  so  accordingly ;  and  I  look  back  upon  those  years  as  among 
the  most  agreeable  in  my  life. 

The  country,  at  that  early  day,  was  destitute  of  roads  or  places  of  public  enter 
tainment — nothing  but  the  path,  or  "  Indian  trail,"  traversed  the  wide  expanse  of 
forest  and  prairie  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi,  and  the  travel  by  land 
was  performed  on  foot  or  horseback ;  but  there  was  then  another  mode  of  locomo 
tion,  very  generally  adopted  by  those  who  took  long  journeys — now  become  obso- 
Icte,  and  which  would  doubtless  be  laughed  at  by  the  present  "fast  going"  genera 
tion — that  of  the  Indian  or  bark  canoe.  I  will  not  take  time  to  describe  the  vessel, 
as  most  of  you  have  doubtless  seen  such,  and  perhaps  many,  now  present,  have 
taken  voyages  in  these  frail  barks.  The  canoe  was  used  in  all  cases  where  coin- 


WISCONSIN. 


321 


fort  and  expedition  were  desired.  You  may  smile  at  the  use  of  the  terms  "  com 
fort  and  expedition,"  where  the  traveler  sat  cooped  up  all  day  in  a  space  about  four 
feet  square,  and  at  night  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  stream,  cooked  his  own 
supper,  and  slept  on  the  ground,  with  no  covering  but  a  tent  and  blanket,  or,  often 
times,  nothing  but  the  wide  canopy  of  heaven — having,  after  a  day  of  toil  and  la 
bor  by  his  crew,  accomplished  a  journey  of  thirty  to  forty  miles !  But  these  jour 
neys  were  not  destitute  of  interest.  The  voyageur  was  enlivened  by  the  merry 
song  of  his  light-hearted  and  ever  happy  Canadian  crew — his  eye  delighted  by  the 
constant  varying  scenery  of  the  country  through  which  he  passed — at  liberty  to 
select  a  spot  for  his  encampment,  and  to  stop  when  fatigued  with  the  day's  travel 

and,  above  all,  free  from  care  and  from  the  fearful  apprehensions  of  all  modern 

travelers  on  railroads  and  steamboats^that  of  being  blown  up,  burned,  or  drowned. 
J  can  better  illustrate  this  early  mode  of  travel,  by  giving  an  account  of  a  "  party 

of  pleasure,"  undertaken  and 
accomplished  by  myself.  In 
May,  1830,  being  obliged  to 
go  on  the  annual  circuit  to 
Prairie  du  Chien,  to  attend 
court,  I  concluded  to  make  it 
a  matter  of  pleasure  as  well 
as  business.  I  accordingly 
obtained  a  good  sized  and  sub 
stantial  north-west  bark  canoe 
— about  five  fathoms,  or  thirty 
feet,  in  length,  and  five  feet 
wide  in  the  center — a  good 
tent,  or  "markee,"  together 
THE  PORTAGE.  w^tn  mattresses,  blankets, 


The  engraving  represents  a  party  of  voyageurs  carrying  their 
bark  canoe  and  packing  their  "  plunder  "  over  a  portage.  The 
term  "portage"  is  applied  to  those  points  where  the  canoes 
are  carried  by  land  around  rapids  or  other  obstructions  in  a 
river,  or  from  the  head -waters  of  one  stream  to  those  of  another, 
as  between  those  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers. 


bedding,  mess  basket,  and  all 
other  things  required  as  an 
"  outfit  "  on  such  expeditions. 
The  party  consisted  of  my 
wife,  self,  two  small  children, 
two  young  ladies  as  compan 
ions,  and  a  servant  girl;  my  crew,  of  four  Canadians — experienced  men  and  good 
singers — and  two  Menomonee  Indians,  as  bow  and  steersmen.  The  canoe  was 
propelled  both  by  oars  and  paddles. 

We  ascended  the  Fox  River  to  Fort  Winnebago,  and  descended  the  Wisconsin  to 
the  Mississippi,  and  thence  up  the  latter  four  miles  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  voyage 
occupied  eight  or  nine  days  in  going,  and  about  the  same  length  of  time  in  return 
ing — during  which  the  ladies  "camped  out"  every  night  save  two.  They  did  all 
the  cooking  and  household  work;  the  former  was  no  small  item — for,  with  appetites 
sharpened  by  pure  air  and  exercise,  and  with  abundance  of  fresh  venison,  with 
fowl  and  fish,  to  satisfy  them,  the  quantity  of  viands  consumed  by  the  party  would 
have  astonished  modern  epicures,  and  perhaps  shock  the  delicate  tastes  of  city 
belles.  We  frequently  encamped  early  in  the  afternoon — at  some  spot  which  at 
tracted  our  attention  from  its  natural  beauty,  or  romantic  appearance — and  strolled"; 
along  the  bank  of  the  stream,  plucking  beautiful  wild  flowers,  which  abounded,  en 
clambering  up  some  high  bluff  or  commanding  headland,  obtained  a  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  and  traced  the  meandering  stream  through  its  high  banks, 
far  in  the  distance.  It  was  in  the  merry  month  of  May,  when  the  forest  was 
clothed  in  its  deepest  verdure — the  hills  and  prairies  redolent  with  flowers,  aad 
the  woods  tenanted  by  melodious  songsters.  It  was  truly  a  "  trip  of  pleasure  "  and 
enjoyment.  Many  trips  for  pleasure  have  been  undertaken,  where  the  parties  .may 
have  experienced  the  refinements  and  accommodations,  and  enjoyed  the  luxuries 
to  be  found,  in  the  present  day,  in  old  and  long  settled  countries — but  I  believe 
few,  if  any,  realized  more  true  delight  and  satisfaction,  than  did  this  "Party  of 
J  Measure  in  a  Bark  Canoe." 

The  present  "State  of  Wisconsin,"  although  formerly  a  part  of  the  Territory  of 
Michigan,  was  for  many  years  rather  an  appendage  than  a  component  pad?t;Q.f  that 

21 


322 


WISCONSIN. 


territory.  In  1824,  things  had  assumed  a  more  orderly  and  regular  character ;  jus 
tice  was  administered  according  to  the  established  rules  and  practice  of  other 
states,  and  of  the  common  law.  But  in  the  subordinate,  or  justices'  courts,  many 
singular  incidents  transpired. 

Ihappened  to  be  present  at  a  trial  which  took  place  in  a  justice's  court  in  Iowa 
county.  The  court  was  held  in  a  small  log  school-house.  The  suit  was  brought 
to  recover  the  amount  of  a  note  of  hand.  "The  defendant  plead  either  payment  or 
want  of  consideration — each  party  had  employed  counsel,  and  a  jury  of  six  were 
irnpanneled  to  try  the  issue.  A  witness  was  called  and  sworn.  In  the  course  of  the 
examination,  one* of  the  counsel  objected  to  some  leading  question  put  by  the  opposite 
side,  or  to  some  part  of  the  witness'  answer  as  improper  testimony.  The  justice 
overruled  the  objection,  and  the  witness  proceeded;  but  ere  long  another  objection 
similar  to  the  first  was  made  from  the  same  side.  On  this  second  objection  being 
made,  the  foreman  of  the  jury,  a  large  and  portly  individual,  who  bore  the  title  of 
colonel,  and,  probably  owing  to  his  exalted  military  rank,  was  permitted  to  wear 
his  hat  during  the  trial,  manifested  a  good  deal  of  impatience,  shown  by  fidgeting 
in  his  seat  and  whispering -to  his  fellow  jurors;  but  the  justice  again  overruled  the 
objection  and  told  the  witness  to  proceed.  This  he  did  for  a  short  time,  when  he 
made  a  statement  which  was  clearly  irrelevant  and  contrary  to  every  rule  of  evi 
dence  and  common  sense.  The  attorney  who  had  so  often  and  so  unsuccessfully 
attempted  to  exclude  this  s6rt  of  evidence,  could  no  longer  silently  submit — he 
again  rose  from  his  seat  and  most  respectfully  appealed  to  the  court,  protesting 
against  such  statements  going  to  the  jury  as  testimony.  Thereupon  the  worthy 
foreman  rose  from  his  seat,  and  swore  he  would  no  longer  sit  there  to  hear  the  ob 
jections  of  that  fellow.  That  he  had  taken  an  oath  as  a  juror,  to  decide  the  case 


Voyageur  s  Camp. 

The  day's  toil  ended,  they  rest  from  labor. 

according  to  the  evidence,  and  if  he  could  not  hear  the  whole  story  from  the  wit 
ness,  he  should  leave.  Accordingly  he  made  several  strides  toward  the  door,  when 
the  justice  rose  from  the  bench,  and  approaching  the  juror,  placed  his  hand  upon 
the  colonel's  shoulder,  and  begged  that  he  should  return  to  his  seat,  promising  that 
the  troublesome  attorney  should  not  again  interfere.  After  some  persuasion,  ho 
consented  to  do  so — at  the  same  time,  while  pressing  his  hat  more  firmly  upon  his 


WISCONSIN. 


323 


head,  he  exclaimed,  "Well,  I'll  try  it  once  more,  but if  I  will  stand  any  mor< 

of  that  fellow's  nonsense."     The  attorney  gave  up  in  despair,  and  the  opposite 
counsel  had  it  all  his  own  way. 


South-western  view  of  Madison. 

Shows  the  appearance  of  the  city,  as  seen  from  Washington-avenue,  nf>ar  the  railroad  station  ;  the  City 
Hall  appears  on  the  left ;  the  Court  House  on  the  right ;  the  Episcopal  Church,  State  Capitol,  the  Baptist 
and  Catholic  Churches  in  the  central  part. 

MADISON,  the  county  seat  of  Dane  county,  and  capital  of  Wisconsin,  is  80 
miles  W.  of  Milwaukie,  about  100  E.  from  'Prairie  du  Chieh,  and  154  N.W. 
of  Chicago.  It  is  generally  pronounced  to  possess  the  finest  natural  site  of 
any  inland  town  in  the  Union.  It  is  situated  on  rising  ground,  an  isthmus 
between  Third  and  Fourth  Lakes  of  the  chain  called  Four  Lakes.  ''On  the 
northwest  is  Lake  Mendota,  nine  miles  long  and  six  wide;  on  the  east  Lake 
Monona,  five  miles  long  and  three  wide.  The  city  is  celebrated  for  the  beauty, 
health  and  pleasantness  of  its  location;  commanding,  as  it  does,  a  view  of 
nearly  every  characteristic  of  country  peculiar  to  the  west — the  prairie,  oak 
opening,  mound,  lake,  and  woodland.  The  surface  of  the  ground  is  some 
what  uneven,  but  in  no  place  too  abrupt  for  building  purposes.  The  space 
between  these  lakes  is  a  mile  in  width,  rising  gently  as  it  leaves  their  banks 
to  an  altitude  of  about  seventy  feet,  and  is  then  alternately  depressed  and 
elevated,  making  the  site  of  the  city  a  .series  of  gently  undulating  swells. 
On  the  most  elevated  ground  is  the  state  house,  a  fine  structure  of  limestone, 
in  the  center  of  one  of  Nature's  Parks  of  fifteen  acres,  overlooking  the 
"Four  Lakes"  and  the  surrounding  city.  From  this  the  streets  diverge  in 
every  direction,  with  a  gradual  descent  on  all  sides.  To  the  west,  about  a 
mile  distant,  is  the  State  University,  in  the  midst  of  a  park  of  40  acres, 
crowning  a  beautiful  eminence,  125  feet  above  the  lake.  This  institution  was 
founded  in  1848,  and  has  an  annual  income  of  $30,000.  On  the  south  side 
of  Lake  Monona  is  a  spacious  Water-Cure  establishment,  surrounded  by  an 
extensive  grove,  and  presenting  a  very  striking  appearance  on  approaching 


324  WISCONSIN. 

the  city.  Around  Madison,  in  every  direction,  is  a  well-cultivated,  and  beau 
tiful  undulating  country,  which  is  fast  being  occupied  by  pleasant  homes." 

Madison  possesses  many  handsome  buildings  and  several  churches  of  a 
superior  order.  Beside  the  State  University,  it  has  other  literary  institutions, 
male  and  female,  of  the  first  order,  about  20,000  volumes  in  its  public  libra 
ries,  and  is  generally  regarded  as  the  literary  emporium  of  the  state,  being 
the  point  for  the  assemblage  of  conventions  of  all  kinds,  and  a  favorite  re 
sort  for  the  literary  and  scientific  men  of  Wisconsin.  The  town  is  a  thriv 
ing  business  place,  and  has  ample  railroad  connections  with  all  pants  of  the 
country.  Population,  in  1860,  6,800. 

The  "STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  OF  WISCONSIN,"  organized  in  Madi 
son  in  1849,  is  the  most  valuable  and  flourishing  institution  of  the  kind  west 
of  the  Alleghanies.  By  an  act,  most  honorable  to  this  growing  state,  the 
sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  annually  has  been  granted  to  promote  its  ob 
jects.  This  society,  although  in  its  infancy,  has  already  secured  a  most  val 
uable  collection  of  books  and  papers ;  also  an  interesting  collection  of  orig 
inal  paintings  of  distinguished  men,  ancient  relics,  etc.  The  following  article 
upon  the  history  of  Madison,  is  from  the  pen  of  Lyman  C.  Draper,  Esq., 
Cor.  Sec.  Wisconsin  Historical  Society,  a  gentleman  who  has  probably  col 
lected  more  original  unpublished  materials  for  western  history,  than  any  per 
son  living  in  this  state  or  in  any  other: 

"The  site  of  Madison  attracted  the  attention  of  Hon.  James  D.  Doty,  as 
early  as  1832.  In  the  spring  of  1836,  in  company  with  Hon.  S.  T.  Mason, 
of  Detroit,  he  purchased  the  tract  of  land  occupied  by  the  present  city.  The 
first  cost  of  this  tract  was  about  $1,500.  The  territorial  legislature  which 
met  at  Belmont,  Lafayette  county,  the  next  winter,  passed  an  act  locating  the 
capital  here,,  and  John  Catlin  and  Moses  M.  Strong  staked  out  the  center  of 
the  village  in  February  of  the  same  winter.  In  the  mean  time  commission 
ers  were  appointed  by  the  general  government,  to  construct  the  capitol  edi 
fice:  Messrs.  James  D.  Doty,  A.  A.  Bird,  and  John  F.  O'Neil,  were  the  com 
missioners.  Eben  Peck  was  sent  on  with  his  family  to  erect  a  house,  where 
the  men  employed  in  building  the  capitol  might  board  and  lodge,  and  was 
the  first  settler  at  Madison.  He  arrived  on  the  14th  of  April,  in  1837,  and 
put  up  a  log  house,  which  remains  standing  to  this  day,  upon  its  original 
site,  on  block  107,  Butler-street.  This  was,  for  about  a  year,  the  only  public 
house  in  Madison. 

On  the  10th  of  June  succeeding,  A.  A.  Bird,  the  acting  commissioner  for 
constructing  the  capitol,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  thirty-six  workmen,  ar 
rived.  There  was  no  road,  at  that  time,  from  Milwaukie  to  the  capital,  and 
the  party  were  compelled  to  make  one  for  their  teams  and  wagons  as  they 
came  along.  They  left  Milwaukie  on  the  1st  of  June,  with  four  teams.  It 
rained  incessantly,  the  ground,  drenched  with  water,  was  so  soft  that  even 
with  an  ordinary  road,  their  progress  would  have  been  slow,  but  when  to  this 
are  added  the  obstructions  of  fallen  trees,  unbridged  streams,  hills  whose 
steepness  labor  had  not  yet  mitigated,  and  the  devious  course  which  they  ne 
cessarily  pursued,  it  is  not  surprising  that  ten  days  were  spent  in  accomplish 
ing  a  journey,  which,  since  the  advent  of  the  iron  horse  into  the  Four  Lake 
country,  we  are  able  to  perform  in  a  little  more  than  three  hours.  They 
forded  Rock  River  near  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Watertown,  and  the 
Crawfish  at  Milford.  The  first  glimpse  they  had  of  the  sun  during  their 
journey  was  on  the  prairie,  in  this  county,  now  known  as  the  Sun  Prairie — 
a  name  given  it  at  the  time,  as  a  compliment  to  the  luminary  which  beamed 


WISCONSIN.  325 

forth  so  auspiciously  and  cheerfully  on  that  occasion,  and  possibly  to  encour 
age  Old  Sol  to  persevere  in  well  doing. 

Among  the  party  that  came  with  Bird  was  Darwin  Clark,  Charles  Bird, 
David  Hyer,  and  John  Pierce ;  the  latter  accompanied  by  his  family,  being 
the  second  settler  with  a  family.  On  the  same  day  that  this  party  reached 
here,  Simeon  Mills,  now  a  resident  of  Madison,  and  well  known  through  the 
county,  arrived  from  Chicago.  John  Catlin  had  been  appointed  postmaster, 
but  was  not  here,  and  Mr.  M.  acted  as  his  deputy.  He  erected  a  block  build 
ing,  fifteen  feet  square,  and  in  this  opened  the  postoffice  and  the  first  store 
in  Madison.  The  building  is  yet  extant,  and  at  present  stands  in  the  rear 
of  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  is  used  as  a  coal  house.  During  the  following 
month  John  Catlin  arrived,  and  was  the  first  member  of  the  legal  profession 
that  settled  in  Madison.  William  N.  Seymour,  another  old  settler  and  well 
known  citizen,  came  here  the  same  season,  and  was  the  second  lawyer  in  the 
place.  The  workmen  upon  the  capitol  proceeded  at  once  to  getting  out  stone 
and  timber  for  that  edifice,  and,  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  corner  stone  was 
laid,  with  due  ceremony.  Speeches  were  made  on  the  occasion  and  toasts 
drunk,  whether  in  cold  water,  or  some  stronger  beverage,  tradition  does  not 
mention. 

The  first  framed  building  erected  was  a  small  office  for  the  acting  commis 
sioner;  the  first  framed  dwelling  was  built  by  A.  A.  Bird.  This  still  stands 
upon  its  original  site,  on  the  bank  of  Lake  Monona,  back  of  the  Capital 
House.  The  boards  used  in  these  buildings  were  sawed  by  hand.  A  steam 
saw  mill,  to  saw  lumber  for  the  capitol,  was  built  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  season,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Mendota,  just  below  the  termination  of 
Pinkney-street.  In  the  month  of  September,  of  the  same  year,  John  Stoner 
arrived,  being  the  third  settler  with  a  family.  A  Methodist  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Stebbins,  the  presiding  elder  of  the  territory,  preached  the  first  ser 
mon  delivered  in  Madison,  during  the  same  month.  Four  families,  with 
their  inmates  and  guests,  constituted  the  entire  population  of  Madison,  and 
with  two  or  three  families  at  Blue  Mounds,  the  whole  population  of  Dane 
county  during  the  winter  of  1837-8.  In  the  spring  of  1838,  Messrs.  A.  A.  • 
Bird,  Simeon  Mills,  William  A.  Wheeler,  and  others,  who  spent  the  winter 
here,  brought  on  their  families  and  became  permanent  residents.  During  the 
summer  the  Madison  Hotel  was  built,  and  the  first  session  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  territory  was  held  in  July,  in  the  sitting  room.  Judge  Dunn, 
of  Lafayette  county,  was  then  chief  justice,  with  Judges  Frazier  and  Irwin 
as  associates.  The  work  on  the  capitol  went  on  somewhat  slowly.  On  the 
8th  of  November,  the  Wisconsin  Enquirer,  by  J.  A.  Noonan,  made  its  appear 
ance,  being  the  pioneer  paper  at  the  capital. 

The  resident  population  of  Madison,  the  second  winter,  was  about  one 
hundred  souls.  The  first  female  child  born  in  Madison  was  Wisconsinia 
Peck,  born  in  the  fall  of  1837;  the  first  male  child  was  Madison  Stoner, 
born  in  1838.  Dr.  Almon  Lull,  the  first  physician,  settled  here  during  the 
same  year. 

The  Wisconsin  Enquirer  of  May  25,  1839,  contains  an  article  respecting 
Dane  county,  in  which  the  population  of  the  county  is  estimated  at  over 
three  hundred,  more  than  half  of  whom  resided  in  Madison.  This  was, 
doubtless,  too  high  an  estimate,  as  the  population  by  the  census  of  1840  was 
but  314.  The  village  then  contained  two  stores,  three  public  houses,  three 
groceries,  and  one  steam  mill — in  all,  thirty-five  buildings.  The  same  article 
states  that  prices  had  ranged  during  the  year  then  past  as  follows:  corn,  §1  25 


326  WISCONSIN. 

per  bushel;  oats,  75  cents;  potatoes,  $1  00;  butter,  37 J  to  62J  cents;  eggs, 
37^-  to  75  cents  per  dozen;  pork  and  beef,  from  7  to  12  cents  per  pound.  The 
anniversary  of  our  national  independence  was  celebrated  in  due  style,  for  the 
first  time  in  Madison,  this  season.  John  Catlin,  Esq.,  was  president  of  the 
day;  A.  A.  Bird  and  Simeon  Mills,  vice  presidents.  The  Declaration  was 
read  by  Geo.  P.  Delaplaine,  and  the  oration  pronounced  by  William  T.  Ster 
ling.  Hon.  E.  Brigham  acted  as  marshal. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  growth  of  the  village  was  slow.  Immediately 
after  the  location  of  the  capital,  all  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  were  entered 
by  speculators,  and  lots  and  land  were  held  at  a  prospective  value.  The  lo 
cation  being  at  a  central  point  between  the  Mississippi  and  Lake  Michigan, 
the  advancing  army  of  immigrants,  on  either  hand,  found  a  wide,  fertile  and 
beautiful  extent  of  country,  at  that  time  nearer  market,  and  therefore  holding 
out  superior  attractions  to  the  agriculturist.  They  did  not  consequently  care 
to  indulge  the  speculator's  appetite  for  fancy  prices.  This  condition  of  affairs 
continued  until  1848.  In  the  meantime  the  fertile  valley  of  Rock  River  had 
been  filled  with  settlers,  and  immigration  began  to  turn  into  Dane  county, 
which  possesses  a  soil  as  bountiful  and  a  surface  of  country  as  attractive  as 
any  county  in  the  state,  but  which,  before  it  was  tapped  by  railroads,  was  too 
far  from  market  to  render  agriculture  remunerative. 

The  beginning  of  the  real  prosperity  and  growth  of  Madison  commenced 
with  the  admission  of  the  state  into  the  Union,  in  1848.  The  constitutional 
convention  then  permanently  located  the  capital  here;  until  that  time  there 
had  been  fears  of  its  removal,  and  capitalists  had  hesitated  to  invest  their 
money  in  the  vicinity.  Since  that  period  its  progress  in  wealth  and  popula 
tion  has  been  rapid  and  constant. 

In  1847,  L.  J.  Farwell,  of  Milwaukie,  attracted  by  the  beauty  of  the  lo 
cation,  and  foreseeing  its  advantages  as  the  natural  business  center  of  the  in 
terior,  the  point  of  convergence  of  the  principal  lines  of  travel,  and  the  cap 
ital  of  the  state,  made  an  extensive  purchase  of  real  estate,  comprising  a 
portion  of  the  village  plat  and  of  lands  lying  adjacent,  which  included  the 
unimproved  water  power  between  Lakes  Monona  and  Mendota.  To  the 
active  enterprise,  the  liberal  policy,  and  the  public  spirit  of  this  gentle 
man,  Madison  is  largely  indebted  for  her  present  prosperity  and  growing 
greatness." 

We  conclude  this  sketch  of  Madison  with  Child's  account  of  the  first  ses 
sion  of  the  territorial  legislature  in  the  place,  which  met  Nov.  26,  1838: 

The  new  capitol  edifice  was  not  yet  in  a  suitable  condition  to  receive  the  legis 
lature  ;  so  we  had  to  assemble  in  the  basement  of  the  old  American  House,  where 
Gov.  Dodge  delivered  his  first  message  at  the  new  seat  of  government.  We  ad 
journed  from  day  to  day,  until  we  could  get  into  the  new  capitol  building.  At 
length  we  took  possession  of  the  new  Assembly  Hall.  The  floors  were  laid  with 
green  oak  boards,  full  of  ice;  the  walls  of  the  room  were  iced  over;  green  oak 
seats,  and  desks  made  of  rough  boards;  one  fire-place  and  one  small  stove.  In  a 
few  days  the  flooring  near  the  stove  and  fire-place  so  shrunk  on  account  of  the 
heat,  that  a  person  could  run  his  hands  between  the  boards.  The  basement  story 
was  all  open,  and  James  Morrison's  large  drove  of  hogs  had  taken  possession;  they 
were  awfully  poor,  and  it  would  have  taken  two  of  them,  standing  side  by  side,  to 
have  made  a  decent  shadow  on  a  bright  day.  We  had  a  great  many  smart  mem 
bers  in  the  house,  and  sometimes  they  spoke  for  Buncombe.  When  members  of 
this  ilk  would  become  too  tedious,  I  would  take  a  long  pole,  go  at  the  hogs,  and  stir 
them  up;  when  they  would  raise  a  young  pandemonium  for  noise  and  confusion. 
The  speaker's  voice  would  become  completely  drowned,  and  he  would  be  compelled 
to  stop,  not,  however,  without  giving  his  squealing  disturbers  a  sample  of  his  swear 
ing  ability. 


WISCONSIN. 


327 


The  weather  was  cold;  the  halls  were  cold,  our  ink  would  freeze,  everything 
froze — so  when  we  could  stand  it  no  longer,  we  passed  a  joint  resolution  to  adjourn 
for  twenty  days.  I  was  appointed  by  the  two  houses  to  procure  carpeting  for  both 
halls  during  the  recess;  I  bought  all  I  could  find  in  the  territory,  and  brought  it  to 
Madison,  and  put  it  down  after  covering  the  floor  with  a  thick  coating  of  hay. 
After  this,  we  were  more  comfortable.  The  American  Hotel  was  the  only  public 
house  in  Madison,  except  that  Mr.  Peck  kept  a  few  boarders  in  his  old  log  house, 
which  was  still  standing  not  long  since.  We  used  to  have  tall  times  in  those 
days — times  long  to  be  remembered.  The  Forty  Thieves  were  then  in  their  in 
fancy;  stealing  was  carried  on  in  a  small  way.  Occasionally  a  bill  would  be  fairly 
stolen  through  the  legislature;  and  the  territory  would  get  gouged  a  little  now  and 
then. 


The  Four  Lakes. 

The  "  FOUR  LAKES,"  in  the  midst  of  which  Madison  is  so  beautifully 
placed,, is  a  striking  feature  of  the  country,  which  is  called  the  "garden  spot" 
of  Wisconsin.  The  land  around  them  is  undulating,  and  consists  mostly  of 
prairies  and  "oak  openings,"  bearing  in  some  respects  a  resemblance  to  En 
glish  park  scenery.  Fourth  Lake,  or  Lake  Mendota,  is  the  largest  of  the 
chain,  and  from  50  to  70  feet  deep.  It  is  navigable  for  small  steamers. 
"The  land  around  this  lake  rises  gradually  from  its  margin,  and  forms,  in  the 
distance,  the  most  beautiful  elevations,  the  slopes  of  which  are  studded  with 
clumps  of  woods,  and  groves  of  trees,  forming  the  most  charming  natural 
scenery.  The  water  of  all  these  lakes,  coming  from  springs,  is  cold  and  clear 
to  a  remarkable  degree.  For  the  most  part,  their  shores  are  made  of  a  fine 
gravel  shingle;  and  their  bottoms,  which  are  visible  at  a  great  depth,  are 
composed  of  white  sand,  interspersed  with  granite  bowlders.  Their  banks, 
with  few  exceptions,  are  bold.  A  jaunt  around  them  affords  almost  every 
variety  of  scenery — bold  escarpments  and  overhanging  bluffs,  elevated  peaks, 
and  gently  sloping  shores,  with  graceful  swells  or  intervals,  affording  mag 
nificent  views  of  the  distant  prairies  and  openings;  they  abound  in  fish  of  a 
great  variety,  and  innumerable  water-fowl  sport  upon  the  surface.  Persons 
desiring  to  settle  in  pleasant  locations,  with  magnificent  water  views  and  wood- 


328  WISCONSIN. 

land  scenery,  may  find  hundreds  of  unoccupied  places  of  unsurpassed  beauty 
upon  and  near  their  margins." 

The  term  "  Four  Lake  Country,"  is  applied  to  Dane  county,  in  which  these 
lakes  are  situated.  This  county  contains  about  1,250  square  miles,  nearly 
equal  to  the  entire  state  of  Rhode  Island,  which  has  1,300  square  miles. 
Only  one  sixth  of  the  land  is  yet  settled,  and  all  is  susceptible  of  culture. 
"  Were  Dane  county  as  thickly  settled  as  the  French  departments  of  Rhone, 
Nord,  and  Lower  Rhine,  it  would  sustain  a  population  of  700,000  souls." 

The  first  permanent  American  settler,  within  the  limits  of  Dane  county,  was 
Ebenezer  Brighain,  of  Blue  Mounds.  "  He  journeyed  from  Massachusetts  to  St. 
Louis  in  1818;  thence,  in  the  spring  of  1828,  he  removed  to  Blue  Mounds,  the 
most  advanced  outpost  in  the  mines,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since,  being,  by 
four  years  at  least,  the  oldest  white  settler  in  the  county.  The  isolated  position  he 
thus  settled  upon  will  be  apparent  from  the  statement  of  a  few  facts.  The  nearest 
settler  was  at  what  is  now  Dodgeville,  about  twenty  miles  distant.  Mineral  Point, 
and  most  of  the  other  diggings,  where  villages  have  since  grown  up,  had  not  then 
been  discovered.  On  the  south-east,  the  nearest  house  was  on  the  O'Plaine  River, 
twelve  miles  west  of  Chicago.  On  the  east,  Solomon  Juneau  was  his  nearest  neighbor, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Milwaukie  River;  and  on  the  north-east,  Green  Bay  was  the 
nearest  settlement — Fort  VVinnebago  not  then  being  projected.  The  country  at 
this  time  was  part  of  Michigan  Territory. 

For  several  years  after  his  coming  the  savages  were  sole  lords  of  the  soil.  A 
large  Indian  village  stood  near  the  mouth  of  Token  creek;  another  stood  on  the 
ri(Jge  between  the  Second  and  Third  Lakes,  in  plain  view  of  Madison ;  and  their 
wigAvams  were  scattered  all  along  the  streams,  the  remnants  of  their  gardens,  etc., 
being  still  visible.  Then  there  was  not  a  civilized  village  in  the  state  of  any  con 
siderable  size.  When  the  capital  was  located,  he  was  the  nearest  settler  to  it — 
twenty-four  miles  distant !  He  stood  on  the  ground  before  its  selection  as  the  seat 
of  government  was  thought^of,  and  from  the  enchanting  beauty  of  the  spot,  pre 
dicted  that  a  village  would  be  built  there." 


Wdtertown,  Jefferson  county,  is  finely  situated  on  both  sides  of  Rock  River, 
on  the  Fond  du  Lac  and  Rock  River  Railroad,  40  miles  easterly  from  Madi 
son,  at  the  great  bend  of  the  river,  at  the  foot  of  Johnson's  Rapids,  where  a 
dam  across  the  river  creates  a  great  water  power,  which  is  extensively  used 
for  manufacturing  purposes.  It  was  settled  in  1836,  and  has  had  a  rapid 
growth.  Population,  in  1860,  5,800. 

PRAIRIE  DU  CHIEN,  the  county  seat  of  Crawford  county,  stands  upon 
the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  the  terminus  of  the  Milwaukie  and  Mis 
sissippi  Railroad,  about  three  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Wisconsin  River,  96 
miles  W.  of  Madison,  192  from  Milwaukie,  529  above  St.  Louis,  and  296 
below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  "It  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  dry  allu 
vial  prairie,  about  six  miles  in  length  along  the  river,  by  two  miles  wide. 
The  southern  and  widest  portion  of  the  prairie  is  gently  undulating,  and  so 
high  above  the  river  as  never  to  be  subject  to  inundation^  and  it  is  one  of  the 
best  sites  for  a  town  on  the  river.  The  water  is  deep,  affording  natural  and 
spacious  harbors.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  bluffs  rise  directly 
from  the  water,  are  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  forest  trees,  and  are  only 
broken  by  ravines,  which  afford  roadways  into  the  country  west  from  the 
river.  There  is  no  room  for  any  considerable  town  to  be  built  on  the  river 
elsewhere,  nearer  than  Dubuque,  seventy  miles  south  of  this  place,  and  for 
a  distance  of  nearly  one  hundred  miles  north,  on  account  of  the  high  bluffs 
which  rise,  like  the  highlands  of  the  Hudson,  from  the  water's  edge.  Prairie 


WISCONSIN.  3^9 

du  Chien  can  never  have  a  competitor  for  the  western  trade  between  those 
limits." 

There  are  two  landings  here,  one  at  the  terminus  of  the  Milwaukie  and 
Mississippi  Railroad,  on  the  slough  around  the  eastern  side  of  an  island  in 
the  Mississippi,  the  other,  McGregor's  landing,  about  1J  miles  northward  of 


South-western  view  of  Fort  Crawford,  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  % 

The  Hospital  is  situated  on  the  right.  The  high  grounds  seen  back  from  the  fort,  with  the  horizontal 
ranges  of  stone  cropping  out  from  the  surface,  is  characteristic  of  the  appearance  of  the  bluffs  on  this 
aide  of  the  Mississippi. 

the  railroad  depot.  Fort  Crawford,  now  occupied  by  several  laborers  and 
their  families,  is  delightfully  situated  on  a  gentle  elevation  of  the  prairie, 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  shore.  Water  is  obtained  within  the  walls  of  the 
fort  from  a  well  65  feet  deep.  Population  is  about  5,000. 

According  to  tradition,  Prairie  du  Chien  was  named  from  an  Indian  chief 
by  the  name  of  Chien,  or  Dog,  who  had  a  village  on  the  prairie,  near  where 
Fort  Crawford  now  stands — Chien,  or  Dog,  is  a  favorite  name  among  the  In 
dians  of  the  north-west.  About  the  year  1737,  the  French  established  a 
trading  post  at  this  place,  and  built  a  stockade  around  their  dwellings  to 
protect  them  from  the  Indians,  and  from  that  day  to  modern  times  it  con 
tinued  to  bo  a  trading  and  military  post,  though  occasionally  a  worn  out  voy- 
ageur  got  married  and  settled  down  upon  the  spot.  The  land  at  this  point 
was  not  purchased  from  the  Indians,  and  none  surveyed  except  the  private 
claims  on  the  prairie,  for  many  years  after  the  government  took  possession 
of  it  as  a  military  post.  There  were  not,  until  1835,  any  Americans  that 
emigrated  to  the  prairie  for  settlement. 

In  1819,  Lewis  Cass,  the  governor  of  Michigan  Territory,  sent  blank  com 
missions  for  the  different  officers  of  the  counties,  to  be  filled  up  by  the  in 
habitants.  These  were  taken  by  Lieut;  Col.  Leavenworth,  then  on  his  way, 
with  the  fifth  regiment,  to  occupy  Forts  Crawford  and  Armstrong,  and  to 
build  a  fort  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Peters.  Two  companies  of  this  regiment, 
under  Maj.  Muhlenberg,  were  detached  to  Prairie  da  Chien.  Soon  after  re 
ceiving  the  blank  commissions,  the  principal  inhabitants  assembled  at  the 
house  of  Nicholas  Boilvin,  and  appointed  John  W.  Johnson,  U.  S.  factor,  as 
chief  justice  of  the  county  court;  Wilfred  Owens,  judge  of  probate;  N. 
Boilvin,  J.  W.  Johnson,  and  James  H.  Lockwood,  justices  of  the  peace;  J, 
S.  Findley,  clerk;  J.  P.  Gates,  register;  and  Thomas  McNair,  sheriff. 


330  WISCONSIN. 

The  following  extracts  are  copied  from  vol.  2  of  the  "  Collections  of  the 
State  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin,"  from  an  article  entitled  "Early  Times, 
and  Events  in  Wisconsin"  by  Hon.  James  H.  Lockwood: 

"In  the  year  1820-'21,  the  county  authorities  of  Crawford  erected  a  jail 
in  the  old  village  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  in  the  rear  of  village  lot  No.  17  of 
that  village,  made  of  hewn  oak  logs  of  about  one  foot  square;  the  house 
was  25  by  16  feet,  and  divided  by  the  same  kind  of  logs  into  a  debtors'  and 
criminals'  apartments. 

There  is  a  tract  of  land  nearly  opposite  the  old  village  of  Prairie  du  Chien 
in  Iowa,  which  was  granted  by  the  Spanish  lieut.  governor  of  Louisiana  to 
one  Bazil  Girard,  and  running  through  it  was  a  small  stream  or  brook,  usually 
called  Girard's  creek;  but,  in  1823,  the  commandant  of  Fort  Crawford  had 
a  body  o'f  men  detailed  to  cultivate  a  public  garden  on  the  old  farm  of  Gi 
rard,  on  said  creek,  and  Martin  Scott,  then  a  lieutenant  of  the  fifth  infantry, 
and  stationed  at  Fort  Crawford,  was  directed  to  superintend  the  party.  Fond 
of  shooting,  and  a  great  shot  generally,  he  took  his  dogs  and  gun  every 
morning,  got  into  his  little  hunting  canoe,  and  spent  the  day  in  shooting 
woodcocks  which  were  plenty  in  the  marshes  about  there,  and  returning  in 
the  evening  would  boast  of  the  number  that  had  bled  that  day.  After  a 
while  he  gave  the  creek  the  name  of  Bloody  Run,  which  name  it  still  bears. 
The  name  generally  suggests  to  strangers  the  idea  of  some  bloody  battle 
having  been  fought  there,  and  I  have  been  frequently  questioned  as  to  the 
tAdition  relative  to  it.  and  a  few  years  since  the  editor  of  our  village  paper 
had  somewhere  picked  up  the  same  romantic  idea,  and  published  a  long  tra 
ditionary  account  of  a  bloody  battle  pretended  to  have  been  fought  there 
years  ago.  But  the  creek  is  indebted  for  its  name  to  the  hunting  exploits  of 
Major  Martin  Scott,  when  a  lieutenant,  and  stationed  at  Fort  Crawford. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1816,  I  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  a  traders' 
village  of  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  houses,  situated  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi,  on  what,  in  high  water,  is  an  island.  The  houses  were  built 
by  planting  posts  upright  in  the  ground  with  grooves  in  them,  so  that  the 
sides  could  be  filled  in  with  split  timber  or  round  poles,  and  then  plastered 
over  with  clay,  and  white-washed  with  a  white  earth  found  in  the  vicinity, 
and  then  covered  with  bark,  or  clapboards  riven  from  oak. 

The  village,  now  called  the  old  village  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  was  designated 
by  Lyons  as  the  main  village,  as  it  was  so  at  the  time  he  surveyed  the  private 
land  claims  of  Prairie  du  Chien. 

There  were  on  the  prairie  about  forty  farms  cultivated  along  under  the 
bluffs,  where  the  soil  was  first  rate,  and  inclosed  in  one  common  field,  and 
the  boundaries  generally  between  them  marked  by  a  road  that  afforded  them 
ingress  and  egress  to  their  fields ;  the  plantations  running  from  the  bluffs  to 
the  Mississippi,  or  to  the  slough  of  St.  Freole,  and  from  three  to  five  arpents 
wide.  The  owners  did  not  generally  live  immediately  on  their  farms,  but 
clustered  together  in  little  villages  near  their  front,  and  were  much  the  same 
description  of  inhabitants  as  those  of  Green  Bay,  except  that  there  were  a 
number  of  families  of  French  extraction,  entirely  unmixed  with  the  natives, 
who  came  from  the  French  villages  of  Illinois.  The  farmers'  wives  instead 
of  being  of  the  Indian  tribes  about,  were  generally  of  the  mixed  blood. 
They  were  living  in  Arcadian  simplicity,  spending  a  great  part  of  their  time 
in  fishing,  hunting,  horse  racing  or  trotting,  or  in  dancing  and  drinking. 
They  had  little  or  no  ambition  for  progress  and  improvement,  or  in  any  way 
bettering  their  condition,  provided  their  necessities  were  supplied,  and  they 


WISCONSIN.  331 

could  often  collect  together  and  dance  and  frolic.  With  these  wants  grati 
fied,  they  were  perfectly  satisfied  to  continue  he  same  routine  and  habits  of 
their  forefathers  before  them.  They  had  no  aristocracy  among  them  except 
the  traders,  who  were  regarded  as  a  privileged  class. 

It  was  said,  that  about  1809  or  1810,  a  trader,  an  Irishman  by  birth,  of 
the  name  of  Campbell,  was  appointed  by  the  U.  S.  government  sub-Indian 
agent  atJPrairie  du  Chien,  and  by  the  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Illinois 
a  justice  of  the  peace.  The  currency  of  Prairie  du  Chien  was  at  that  time 
flour,  and  Campbell  charged  for  celebrating  the  rites  of  matrimony  100 
pounds  of  flour,  and  for  dissolving  it  200  pounds,  alleging  that  when  people 
wanted  to  get  unmarried,  they  would  willingly  give  double  what  they  would 
originally  to  form  the  matrimonial  connection. 

In  speaking  of  the  courts  of  justice  of  the  country,  and  of  their  county 
seats,  Mr.  Brisbois  related  to  me,  that  sometime  previous  to  the  war  of  1812, 
he  and  Mr.  Campbell  had  a  dispute  about  a  heifer  that  was  worth  at  the 
time  perhaps  eight  dollars ;  and  as  each  believed  it  to  be  his  property,  they 
applied  to  the  lawyer  at  Cahokia  to  assist  them  in  finding  out  who  was  the 
real  owner.  The  mode  of  traveling  in  those  days  was  in  a  canoe,  manned 
with  six  or  eight  men  to  paddle,  and  taking  with  them  some  flour,  tea,  and 
sugar  for  the  Burgeois;  and  some  hulled  corn  and  deer  tallow,  enough  to 
season  the  soup,  for  the  men,  depending  upon  shooting  game  by  the  way,  or 
buying  wild  fowl  or  venison  from  the  Indians.  The  parties  litigant  were 
obliged  to  take  their  witnesses  with  them,  paying  them  for  their  time  and  ex 
penses,  from  their  departure  until  their  return  home.  The  parties  were  also 
obliged  to  take  a  bundle  of  beaver  skins,  and  dispose  of  them  at  St.  Louis  to 
pay  the  expenses  of  lawyers,  etc.;  and  the  lawyers,  as  usual,  were  disposed 
to  oblige  the  parties  by  putting  over  the  case  from  time  to  time,  and  the 
parties  continued  the  suit  in  this  manner  until  it  had  cost  them  about  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  each,  when  they  took  it  out  of  court  and  settled  it.  But 
which  retained  the  heifer,  if  I  ever  heard,  I  do  not  now  recollect. 

The  coutume  de  Paris  so  far  prevailed  in  this  country  generally,  that  a  part 
of  the  ceremony  of  marriage  was  the  entering  into  a  contract  in  writing,  gen 
erally  giving,  if  no  issue,  the  property  to  the  survivor;  and  if  they 'desired 
to  be  divorced,  they  went  together  before  the  magistrate,  and  made  known 
their  wishes,  and  he,  in  their  presence,  tore  up  the  marriage  contract,  and 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  they  were  then  divorced.  I  was 
once  present  at  Judge  Abbott's  at  Mackinaw,  when  a  couple  presented  them 
selves  before  him,  and  were  divorced  in  this  'manner.  When  the  laws  of 
Michigan  were  first  introduced  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
the  justice  of  the  peace  could  persuade  them  that  a  written  contract  was  not 
necessary,  and  some  of  them  believed  that  because  the  contract  of  marriage 
gave  the  property  to  the  survivor,  that  they  were  not  obliged  to  pay  the  debts 
which  the  deceased  owed  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

There  was  an  instance  of  this  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  A  man  by  the  name 
of  Jean  Marie  Quen  (de  Lamouche),  who  had  been  married  by  contract,  died 
without  issue,  leaving  a  widow,  some  personal  property,  and  a  good  farm,  but 
was  indebted  to  Joseph  Kolette  about  $300,  which  his  widow  refused  to  pay, 
alleging  that  the  contract  of  marriage  gave  her  all  the  property;  nor  could 
she  be  convinced  to  the  contrary,  until  I  had  brought  a  suit  against  her  and 
obtained  a  judgment." 

"  In  speaking  of  the  early  settlers,  and  their  marriage  connections,  1  should  per 
haps  explain  a  little.  In  the  absence  of  religious  instructions,  and  it  becoming  so 


332  ,  WISCONSIN 

common  to  see  the  Indians  use  so  little  ceremony  about  mairiage,  the  idea  of  a 
verbal  matrimonial  contract  became  familiar  to  the  early  French  settlers,  and  they 

fenerally  believed  that  such  a  contract  was  valid  without  any  other  ceremony, 
lany  of  the  women,  married  in  this  way,  believed,  in  their  simplicity  and  igno 
rance,  that  they  were  as  lawfully  the  wives  of  the  men  they  lived  with,  as  though 
they  had  been  married  with  all  the  ceremony  and  solemnity  possible.  A  woman 
of  Prairie  du  Chieo,  respectable  in  her  class,  told  me  that  she  was  attending  a  ball 
in  the  place,  and  that  a  trader,  who  resided  on  the  Lower  Mississippi,  had  his 
canoe  loaded  to  leave  as  soon  as  the  ball  was  over,  proposed  to  marry  her;  and  as 
he  was  a  trader  and  ranked  above  her,  she  was  pleased  with  the  offer,  arid  as  his 
janoe  was  waiting,  he  would  not  delay  for  further  ceremony.  She  stepped  from 
the  ball-room  on  board  his  canoe,  and  went  with  him  down  the  Mississippi,  and 
they  lived  together  three  or  four  years,  and  she  had  two  children  by  him.  She 
assured  me  that  she  then  believed  herself  as  much  the  wife  of  this  man  as  if  she 
had  been  married  with  all  the  ceremony  of  the  most  civilized  communities,  and 
was  not  convinced  to  the  contrary,  until  he  unfeelingly  abandoned  her  and  married 
another;  and  from  her  manner  of  relating  it,  I  believed  her  sincere." 

The  traders  in  the  British  interest,  in  the  war  of  1812,  resorted  to  Mack 
inaw  as  their  head-quarters.  In  order  to  obtain  the  whole  control  of  the 
Indian  trade,  they  fitted  out  an  expedition  under  Col.  McKay,  consisting  of 
three  or  four  companies  of  Canadians,  commanded  by  traders  and  officered 
by  their  clerks,  all  in  red  coats,  with  a  body  of  Indians.  Having  made  a 
secret  march,  they  arrived  on  the  prairie  without  being  expected.  Making 
a  formidable  show,  and  the  Americans  being  out  of  ammunition  and  provis 
ions,  they  surrendered,  and  the  British  kept  possession  during  the  war. 

"In  the  spring  of  1817,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  from  St.  Louis,  called  Pere 
Priere.  visited  Prairie  du  Chien.  He  was  the  first  that  had  been  there  for  many 
years,  and  perhaps  since  the  settlement,  and  organized  a  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  disturbed  some  of  the  domestic  arrangements  of  the  inhabitants.  He  found 
several  women  who  had  left  their  husbands  and  were  living  with  other  men;  these 
he  made  by  the  terror  of  his  church  to  return  and  ask  pardon  of  their  husbands, 
acd  to  be  taken  back  by  them,  which  they  of  course  could  not  refuse. 

Brevet  General  Smyth,  the  colonel  of  the  rifle  regiment,  who  came  to  Prairie  du 
Chien  to  erect  Fort  Crawford,  in  1816,  had  arrived  in  June,  and  selected  the  mound 
where  the  stockade  had  been  built,  and  the  ground  in  front,  to  include  the  most 
thickly  inhabited  part  of  the  village.  The  ground  thus  selected  encroached  upon 
the  ancient  burying  ground  of  the  prairie,  so  that  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to 
remove  their  dead  to  another  place. 

During  the  winter  of  1816,  or  early  in  the  spring  of  1817,  Lieut.  Col.  Talbot 
Chambers  arrived  at  Fort  Crawford,  and  assumed  the  command,  and  the  houses  in 
the  village  being  an  obstruction  to  the  garrison,  in  the  spring  of  1817,  he  ordered 
those  houses  in  front  and  about  tne  fort  to  be  taken  down  by  their  owners,  and  re 
moved  to  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  where  he  pretended  to  give  them  lots." 

l;When  I  first  came  to  the  country,  it  was  the  practice  of  the  old  traders  and 
interpreters  to  call  any  inferior  article  of  goods  American,  and  to  speak  to  the  In 
dians  in  a  contemptuous  manner  of  the  Americans  and  their  goods,  and  the  goods 
which  they  brought  into  the  country  but  too  generally  warranted  this  reproach. 
But  after  Mr.  Astor  had  purchased  out  the  South-west  Company  and  established 
the  American  Fur  Company,  he  succeeded  in  getting  suitable  kinds  of  goods  Tor 
the  Indians,  except  at  first  the  North-west  Indian  gun.  He  attempted  to  introduce 
an  imitation  of  them,  manufactured  in  Holland,  but  it  did  not  succeed,  as  the  In 
dians  soon  detected  the  difference. 

At  that  time  there,  were  generally  collected  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  by  the  traders 
and  U.  S.  factors,  about  three  hundred  packs  of  one  hundred  pounds  each  of  furs 
and  peltries,  mostly  fine  furs.  Of  the  different  Indian  tribes  that  visited  and  traded 
more  or  less  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  there  were  the  Menomonees,  from  Green  Bay, 
who  frequently  wintered  on  the  Mississippi;  the  Chippewas,  who  resided  on  the 
head  waters  of  the  Chippewa  and  Black  Rivers ;  the  Foxes,  who  had  a  large  village 


WISCONSIN.  333 

where  Cassville  now  stands,  called  Penah,  i.  e.  Turkey;  the  Sauks,  who  resided 
about  Galena  and  Dubuque;  the  Winnebagoes,  who  resided  on  the  Wisconsin 
River;  the  lowas,  who  then  had  a  village  on  the  Upper  Iowa  River;  Wabashaw's 
band  of  Sioux,  who  resided  on  a  beautiful  prairie  on  the  Iowa  side  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  above  Prairie  du  Chien,  with  occasion 
ally  a  Kickapoo  and  Pottawatomie. 

The  Sauks  and  Foxes  brought  from  Galena  a  considerable  quantity  of  lead, 
molded  in  the  earth,  in  bars  about  two  feet  long,  and  from  six  to  eight  inches  wide, 
and  from  two  to  four  inches  thick,  being  something  of  an  oval  form,  and  thickest 
in  the  middle,  and  generally  thinning  to  the  edge,  and  weighing  from  thirty  to  forty 
pounds.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  Fox  Indian  arrive  at  Prairie  du 
Chien,  with  a  hand  sled,  loaded  with  twenty  or  thirty  wild  turkies  for  sale,  as  they 
were  very  plenty  about  Cassville,  and  occasionally  there  were  some  killed  opposite 
Prairie  du  Chien." 

"In  the  year  1828,  Gen.  Joseph  M.  Street  was  appointed  Indian  agent  at  Prairie 
du  Chien,  and  arrived  alone  in  the  fall  of  that  year  to  assume  the  duties  of  his 
office;  and,  in  the  winter,  returned  to  Illinois,  and  brought  his  family  to  Prairie 
du  Chien  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year,  being  the  first  family  who  settled  in 
Prairie  du  Chien  that  made  a  profession  of  the  Protestant  faith  of  any  of  the  dif 
ferent  sects." 

"In  1830,  the  present  Fort  Crawford  was  commenced,  and  in  1831,  it  was  occu 
pied  with  a  part  of  the  troops,  leaving  the  sick  in  the  old  hospital,  and  the  surgeon 
in  the  old  fort.  The  fort,  1  think,  was  finished  in  1832.  In  1833,  the  authorities 
of  Crawford  county  concluded  to  build  a  court  house  and  jail,  and  commenced 
raising  funds  by  increasing  the  taxes;  and,  in  1836,  constructed  a  stone  building 
of  sufficient  size  to  have  on  the  ground  floor  a  room  each  for  criminals  and  debtors, 
and  two  rooms  for  the  jailer,  with  a  court  room  and  two  jury  rooms  on  the  second 
floor.  The  taxable  inhabitants  then  in  the  county  were  confined  to  the  prairie. 
We  were  then  attached  to  Michigan  Territory,  and  so  well  were  our  county  affairs 
managed,  that  the  taxes  were  nottraised  more  than  five  mills  on  a  dollar  to  pay  for 
thia  improvement;  and  this  was  the  first  court  house  erected  in  Wisconsin. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  a  small  grave 
yard,  in  a  grove  of  locust  trees,  a  short  distance  north  of  Fort  Crawford: 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of-  CAPT.  EDGAR  M.  LACY,  5th  Reg.  IT.  S.  Inft.,  who  died  at  Fort 
Crawford,  April  2,  1839,  aged  33  years.  He  awaits  the  last  REVIEW.  Erected  by  the  5th 
Infantry. 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  WILLOUGHBY  MORGAN,  Col.  1st  Infy,  U.  S.  Army,  who  died  at 
Fort  Crawford,  April  4,  1832.  Erected  by  the  5th  Infantry. 


EACINE  is  on  the  "W.  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  at  the  mouth  of  Root  River, 
73  miles  E.S.E.  from  Madison,  23  S.E.from  Milwaukee,  and  62  N.  from  Chi 
cago.  The  Chicago  and  Milwaukie  Railroad,  connecting  with  the  Racine  and 
Mississippi  Railroad,  here  opens  a  vast  extent  of  prairie  country  to  its  trade. 
The  outlet  of  Root  River  at  this  place  gives  it  great  commercial  advantages ; 
the  average  width  in  the  city  being  230  feet,  -and  for  more  than  half  a  mile 
it  is  12  feet  deep.  Lake  Michigan  is  70  miles  wide  opposite  Racine;  the 
harbor  is  one  of  the  most  commodious  on  the  entire  chain  of  lakes.  The 
city  is  finely  located  upon  the  high  banks  of  the  lake  and  river.  Its  broad, 
straight,  and  beautifully  shaded  avenues  extend  along  the  lake  for  miles.  It 
contains  several  splendid  buildings,  18  churches,  among  which  are  4  German, 
3  Welsh,  and  1  Scandinavian;  4  newspapers  are  published  here.  Population, 
in  1840,  300;  in  1850,  5,111;  in  1860,  7,600. 

The  Racine  College  buildings  are  located  in  a  delightful  grove,  overlook 
ing  a  lake  front  of  uncommon  beauty.  The  college  was  founded  by  the  citi 


334 


WISCONSIN. 


zens  of  Racine,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Rrotestant  Episcopal  Diocese  of 
Wisconsin,  at  the  instance  of  the  Rt.  Rev.  Jackson  Kern  per,  D.D.  The  site 
on  which  the  college  stands,  comprising  ten  acres  of  valuable  land,  was  given 
by  Charles  S.  and  Truman  Gr.  Wright.  The  college  was  incorporated  in  1852. 
The  first  Episcopal  clergyman  who  preached  in  Racine  was  Rev.  Lemuel  B. 
Hull,  of  Milwaukie,  in  the  spring  of  1840. 


Northern  view  of  Racine. 

The  above  shows  the  appearance  of  the  central  part  of  Racine,  as  entered  from  the  west.  The  swing 
bridge  over  Root  River  is  in  the  central  part.  The  eastern  terminus  of  the  Racine  and  Mississippi  Rail 
road  appears  on  the  left.  The  lake  is  a  few  rods  beyond  the  buildings  in  the  distance. 

In  1834,  Antoine  Ouilmette  came,  with  his  Indian  family,  from  Grosse 
Point,  and  located  himself  one  mile  from  Racine.  In  November,  of  the  same 
year,  the  east  fractional  half  of  section  9,  was  claimed  by  Capt.  Knapp,  of 
Racine.  Gr.  S.  Hubbard,  of  Chicago,  and  J.  A.  Barker,  of  Buffalo,  surveyed 
and  laid  out  lots  in  1836.  The  Root  River  postofiice  was  established  in  the 
same  year,  but  discontinued  in  Mav,  and  the  Racine  postoffice  established, 
Dr.  B.  B.  Carey  postmaster.  The  first  regular  inhabitants  located  themselves 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  first  house  of  worship  was  erected  by  the 
Presbyterians,  on  Wisconsin-street,  and  in  a  building  lately  used  as  a  school 
house.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Foot  was  the  first  minister.  The  first  school  is  be 
lieved  to  have  been  at  the  foot  of  Main-street,  near  the  river. 

Kenosha,  the  county  .seat  of  Kenosha,  the  most  southern  lake  port  of 
Wisconsin,  is  on  the  W.  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  10  miles  S.  of  Racine. 
It  has  a  good  harbor  and  piers.  It  commands  the  trade  of  one  of  the  finest 
farming  districts  of  the  west.  Two  small  creeks  empty  into  the  lake,  one 
above,  the  other  below  the  port.  Population  is  about  4,000. 

Kenosha  was  known  at  first  by  the  name  of%  Pike  River.  In  1841,  it  was 
incorporated  a  village  by  the  name  of  Southport;  when  incorporated  a  city, 
in  1850,  it  received  the  name  of  Kenosha,  the  Indian  word  for  Pike.  In  Feb., 
1835,  a  company  was  organized  in  Hannibal,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,  under  the 
name  of  the  "Western  Emigration  Society,"  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a 
town  site  and  effecting  a  settlement  on  the  new  lands  of  the  west.  An  ex- 


WISCONSIN.  335 

ploring  committee  being  appointed,  they  proceeded  to  the  west,  and  on  the 
6th  of  June  arrived  at  Pike  Creek,  where  they  selected  a  site  for  settlement. 
As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  selection  reached  Oswego  county,  about  fifteen 
families,  mostly  from  the  town  of  Hannibal,  came  on  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1835.  "  Eight  families,  members  of  the  company,  settled  at  Pike 
Creek,  viz:  David  Doolittle,  Waters  Towslee,  I.  G.  Wilson,  Hudson  Bacon, 
David  Crossit,  Amos  Grattan,  Samuel  Resique,  and  Michael  Van  De  Bogart. 
These,  with  the  members  of  their  households,  thirty-two  persons  in  all,  com 
prised  the  population  of  Pike  Creek  during  the  fir«t  winter  of  its  settlement. 
Their  habitations  were  rude  shanties,  built  of  logs  and  covered  with  bark. 
N.  R.  Allen  and  John  Bullen  erected  a  frame  building  in  the  fall  of  1835, 
being  the  first  frame  building  in  the  place ;  this  building,  however,  was  not 
completed  until  the  following  year;  it  was  located  on  the  lake  shore,  near 
the  south  pier  of  the  harbor." 

Janesville,  capital  of  Rock  county,  is  on  both  sides  of  Rock  River,  45 
miles  S.E.  of  Madison,  at  the  intersection  of  the  Milwaukie  and  Mississippi 
with  the  Fond  du  Lac  and  Rock  River  Railroad.  It  is  one  of  the  most  im 
portant  cities  in  the  state,  and  is  built  principally  on  a  level  plain  between 
the  river  and  the  bluffs,  which  are  about  100  feet  high.  It  has  several  large 
mills,  for  which  the  falls  of  the  river  at  this  point  afford  excellent  sites.  It 
is  the  center  of  an  active  and  increasing  trade.  It  was  settled  about  the  year 
1836,  and  incorporated  a  city  in  1853.  It  has  8  churches,  the  State  Institu 
tion  for  the  Blind,  and,  in  1860,  7,500  inhabitants. 

JBeloit,  a  few  miles  below  Janesville,  in  Rock  county,  on  the  railroad  from 
Chicago  to  Madison,  near  the  Illinois  state  line,  is  also  on  Rock  River,  which 
affords  power  for  manufactories  and  mills  of  every  description.  The  town 
was  incorporated  in  1845,  and  is  adorned  with  fine  churches  and  dwellings, 
spacious  streets,  and  is  the  seat  of  that  well  known  and  popular  institution, 
Beloit  College.  Population  about  5,000. 

Mineral  Point,  the  capital  of  Iowa  county,  is  4.7  miles  W.  S.W.  of  Madi 
son,  and  40  from  Galena,  Illinois.  It  stands  on  a  point  of  land  between  two 
small  streams,  and  is  in  the  heart  of  the  rich  lead  region.  Immense  quan 
tities  of  lead  are  exported  from  this  place,  which  is  a  point  of  active  busi 
ness,  and  has  about  3,000  inhabitants.  The  following  places  in  this  section, 
are  also  connected  with  mining  operations :  Dodgeville,  Platteville,  Hazel 
Green,  Lancaster,  Highland,  Mifflin  and  Potosi.  The  last  named,  Potosi,  is 
on  Grant  River,  near  its  mouth,  15  miles  above  Dubuque,  and  is  the  princi 
pal  mineral  depot  of  Wisconsin,  large  quantities  of  lead  being  shipped  from 
here  in  steamboats.  Cassville,  28  miles  above  Dubuque,  on  the  Mississippi, 
is  another  important  shipping  point  for  lead. 

This  whole  region  is  rich  in  lead,  and  numerous  smelting  furnaces  are  in 
operation.  Many  lodes  of  mineral  have  been  worked  that  have  produced 
$100,000  clear  of  all  expenses.  The  price  of  mineral  in  1838  averaged 
about  $30  per  1,000  Ibs.  It  has  been  sold  as  high  as  $40,  and  as  low  as  $6. 
These  fluctuations  are  not  frequent,  and  a  fair  estimate  may  be  made  that 
mineral  will  not,  for  any  length  of  time,  be  less  than  $25. 

The  great  lead  region  of  the  north-west  lies  principally  in  this  state,  in 
cluding,  in  Wisconsin,  62  townships  of  its  south-western  corner,  about  10  in 
the  north-western  corner  of  Illinois,  and  about  8  in  Iowa.  Dr.  Owen,  in 
his  Report  of  the  Geology  of  Wisconsin,  says : 

"This  lead  region  is,  in  general,  well  watered;  namely,  by  the  Pekatonica,  Apple, 
Fever,  Platte  and  Grand  Rivers,  the  head-waters  of  the  Blue  River  and  Qiigar 


336  WISCONSIN. 

Creek:  all  these  streams  being  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi.  The  northern  boun 
dary  of  the  Wisconsin  lead  region  is  nearly  coincident  with  the  southern  boundary 
line  of  the  blue  limestone,  where  it  fairly  emerges  to  the  surface.  No  discoveries 
of  any  importance  have  been  made  after  reaching  that  formation ;  and  when  a 
mine  is  sunk  through  the  cliff  limestone  to  the  blue  limestone  beneath,  the  lodes 
of  lead  shrink  into  insignificance,  and  no  longer  return  to  the  miner  a  profitable 
reward  for  his  labor. 

All  the  valuable  deposits  of  lead  ore,  which  have  as  yet  been  discovered,  occur 
either  in  fissures  or  rents  in  the  cliff  rock,  or  else  are  found  imbedded  in  the  recent 
deposits  which  overlie  these  rocks.  These  fissures  vary  in  thickness  from  a  wafer 
to  even  fifty  feet;  and  many  of  them  extend  to  a  very  great,  and  at  present  un 
known  depth.  Upon  the  whole,  a  review  of  the  resources  and  capabilities  of  this 
lead  region,  taken  in  connection  with  its  statistics  (in  so  far  as  it  was  possible 
to  collect  these),  induces  me  to  say,  with  confidence,  that  ten  thousand  miners 
could  find  profitable  employment  within  its  confines.  If  we  suppose  each  of  these 
to  raise  daily  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  ore,  during  six  months  of  each  year 
only,  they  would  produce  annually  upward  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions 
pounds  of  lead — more  than  is  now  furnished  by  the  entire  mines  of  Europe,  those 
of  Great  Britain  included.  This  estimate,  founded  upon  reasonable  data,  presents 
in  a  striking  point  of  view,  the  intrinsic  value  and  commercial  importance  of  the 
country  upon  which  I  am  reporting — emphatically  the  lead  region  of  northern 
America.  It  is,  so  far  as  my  reading  or  experience  extends,  decidedly  the  richest 
in  the  known  world." 

In  the  Reports  of  the  State  Historical  Society,  Mr.  Stephen  Taylor  has 
given  some  interesting  items  upon  the  origin  of  lead  mining  by  the  first  set 
tlers  of  the  country,  with  a  sketch  of  the  state  of  society  among  the  early 
miners.  Says  he : 

"For  some  time  prior  to  the  settlement  of  the  lead  mines,  the  miners,  under  the 
regulations  of  the  war  department,  were  licensed  to  explore  and  occupy  the  min 
eral  lands  in  that  region,  though  in  consequence  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians  to 
the  explorations  and  encroachments  of  the  whites,  they  seldom  ventured  far  be 
yond  that  protection  which  numerical  strength  and  the  defensive  organizations 
near  Galena  secured. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1827,  upon  the  cessation  of  the  Winnebago  disturbances, 
that  the  more  daring  and  enterprising,  prompted  by  the  hope  of  discovering  vast 
mineral  treasures,  the  existence  of  which  over  a  wide  extent  of  territory,  the  many 
flattering  accounts  had  so  truthfully  pictured,  banded  together  in  well  armed 
squads,  overrun  the  country  prospecting  in  all  directions.  They  were  usually,  in 
those  times,  governed  by  certain  surface  indications,  the  most  infallible  of  which 
were  the  old  Indian  diggings,  which  were  found  in  almost  every  direction,  and 
their  locations  were  marked  by  the  many  small  aspen  groves  or  patches  indigenous 
to  the  upturned  clay  of  the  prairies  in  the  lead  region.  By  the  rude  and  super 
ficial  mode  of  excavation  by  the  red  men,  much  mineral  remained  in  the  diggings, 
as  well  as  among  the  rubbish;  mining  in  these  old  burrows,  therefore,  not  only  at 
once  justified  the  labor,  but  frequently  led  to  the  discovery  of  productive  mines. 
'Gravel  mineral,' carbonized  so  as  to  be  scarcely  distinguished  from  water-worn 
pebbles,  and  occasionally  lumps  weighing  several  pounds,  were  exciting  evidences 
of  the  existence  of  larger  bodies  upon  the  highlands  in  the  vicinity.  The  amorpha 
canescens,  or  'masonic  weed/  peculiar  to  the  whole  country,  when  found  in  a  clus 
ter  of  rank  growth,  also  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Indian  as  well  as  the  more 
experienced  miner,  as  it  was  supposed  to  indicate  great  depth  of  clay  or  the  exist 
ence  of  crevices  in  the  rock  beneath.  By  such  means  were  the  mineral  resources 
of  Wisconsin  explored  and  developed,  and  thus  was  the  manner  of  the  discovery 
of  the  productive  mines  at  Mineral  Point — a  piece  of  land  elevated  about  two 
hundred  feet,  narrowing  and  descending  to  a  point,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  val 
ley,  as  it  were — a  ravine  bounding  the  same  both  eastward  and  westward,  through 
which  tributaries  of  the  Pekatonica  River  flow,  uniting  in  a  wider  valley  to  the 
southward.  It  was  upon  this  point  that  the  'leads  were  struck,'  the  fame  of  which 
Bpread,  and  so  quickly  became  the  center  of  attraction,  the  miners  flocking  to  them 


WISCONSIN.  337 

from  every  quarter.  Tt  was  customary,  upon  the  discovery  of  new  diggings,  to  dis 
tinguish  them  by  some  appellation,  so  this  locality,  on  account  of  its  peculiar  posi 
tion  and  shape,  was  formerly  called  'Mineral  Point,'  and  hence  the  name  of  the 
present  village,  the  nucleus  of  which  was  formed  by  the  erection  of  a  few  log 
cabins,  and  huts  built  with  square  cut  sods,  covered  in  with  poles,  prairie  grass 
and  earth.  These  very  comfortable  though  temporary  shelters  were  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  intersection  of  what  are  now  called  Commerce  and  High-streets,  at 
the  margin  of  the  westerly  ravine,  and  in  view  from  the  diggings  on  the  point. 

Females,  in  consequence  of  the  dangers  and  privations  of  those  primitive  times, 
were  as  rare  in  the  diggings  as  snakes  upon  the  Emerald  Isle,  consequently  the 
bachelor  miner,  from  necessity  performed  the  domestic  duties  of  cook  and  washer 
man,  and  the  preparation  of  meals  was  indicated  by  appending  a  rag  to  an  upright 
pole,  which,  fluttering  in  the  breeze,  telegraphically  conveyed  the  glad  tidings  to 
his  hungered  brethren  upon  the  hill.  Hence,  this  circumstance,  at  a  very  early 
date,  gave  the  provincial  sobriquet  of  'Shake  Rag]  or  'Shake  Rag  tinder  the  Hill,' 
which  that  part  of  the  now  flourishing  village  of  Mineral  Point,  lying  under  the 
hill,  has  acquired,  and  which  in  all  probability  it  will  ever  retain.  So  much  for 
the  origin  of  Mineral  Point.  I  will  now  venture  a  few  remarks  regarding  the 
manners  and  customs  of  its  inhabitants  in  days  of  yore. 

The  continued  prosperity  of  the  mines,  in  a  comparatively  brief  period,  increased 
the  population  of  the  village  to  several  hundred,  comprised,  as  is  usual  in  mineral 
regions,  of  representatives  from  every  clime  and  country,  and  in  such  conglomera 
tion,  it  is  fair  to  presume,  of  every  stripe  of  character.  This  increase  of  popula 
tion,  including  many  of  those  expert  in  the  'profession,'  warranted  the  establish 
ment  of  numerous  gambling  saloons,  groceries — a  refined  name  for  groggeries — 
and  other  like  places  of  dissipation  and  amusement,  where  the  unwary,  and  those 
flushed  with  success  in  digging,  could  be  '  taken  in  and  done  for,'  or  avail  them 
selves  of  opportunities  voluntarily  to  dispose  of  their  accumulated  means,  either 
in  drowning  their  sorrows  in  the  bowl,  or  'fighting  the  tiger'  in  his  den. 

Notwithstanding  such  were  the  practices  almost  universally,  more  or  less,  in 
dulged  in  by  the  denizens,  yet  the  protracted  winters  in  this  then  secluded,  uncul 
tivated  and  sparsely  populated  country,  and,  for  that  reason,  the  absence  of  those 
more  reputable  enjoyments  which  mellow  and  refine  sociality  in  other  regions,  in 
a  measure  justified  a  moderate  participation  in  this  mode  of  driving  dull  cares 
away.  These  congenial  customs,  peculiarly  western,  were  as  firmly  based  as  the 
laws  which  governed  the  Medes  and  Persians,  and  wo  to  those,  from  lands  of 
steadier  habits,  who  would  endeavor  to  introduce  innovations  adverse  to  the  estab 
lished  policy  of  those  days !  Hence  the  propriety  and  necessity  of  harmonizing 
with,  and  following  in  the  trail  of  the  popular  will.  But  such,  T  am  happy  in  the 
conviction,  is  not  now  the  case — virtue,  in  'the  progress  of  events,  h'ias  naturally 
succeeded  profligacy,  and  Mineral  Point,  freed  from  contamination,  stands  re 
deemed  of  her  former  errors."* 

La  Crosse,  the  capital  of  La  Crosse  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on  the 
Mississippi,  at  the  mouth  of  La  Crosse  River,  200  miles  N.W.  of  Milwaukie 
by  railroad,  and  303  miles  below  St.  Paul,  by  the  river.  It  contains  a  large 


*"  Among  the  most  distinguished  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Mineral  Point,  are  Col.  Robtr. 
C.  Hoard,  Col.  Robert  S.  Black  (now  of  Dodgeville),  Col.  Henry  M.  Billings,  Col.  Daniel 
M.  Parkison,  Col.  Abner  Nichols,  Francis  Vivian,  Parley  Eaton,  Levi  Sterling,  Edward 
Beouchnrd,  Josiah  Tyack,  James  James,  Samuel  Thomas,  Mrs.  Hood,  Amzi  W.  Comfort, 
0.  P.  Williams  (now  of  Portage  City),  M.  V.  B.  Burris,  Milton  Bevans,  Peter  Hartman, 
John  F.  O'Neill,  William  Sublett,  John  Phillips,  John  Milton,  George  Cubbage,  James 
Hitchins,  John  Caserly,  Edward  Coode,  and  William  Tregay.  And  the  following,  who 
have  since  paid  the  debt  of  nature,  viz :  Col.  John  D.  Ansley,  Col.  John  McNair,  Robert 
Dougherty,  Capt.  William  Henry,  Stephen  Terrill,  Mark  Terrill,  Dr.  Edward  McSherry,  Dr. 
Richard  G.  Ridgley,  Nicholas  Uren,  Richard  Martin,  James  S.  Bowden,  John  Hood,  Lord 
Blaney,  Joseph  Sylvester,  Matthew  G.  Fitch,  Thomas  McKnight,  Stephen  B.  Thrasher, 
Robert  W.  Gray,  Joseph  Morrison,  James  Hugo,  Hugh  R.  Hunter,  Edward  James  (late  U. 
S.  Marshal),  William  Prideaux,  Joseph  James,  Benjamin  Salter,  and  "  Cadvallader,  the 
keg-maker." 

22 


338  WISCONSIN. 

number  of  saw  mills,  and  considerable  quantities  of  pine  lumber  are  manu 
factured.  It  is  a  place  of  rapid  increase  and  prosperity,  and  its  merchants 
transact  a  heavy  business  with  the  adjacent  country,  which  is  rapidly  filling 
up.  Population,  in  1853,  300  ;  and  in  1860,  about  4,000. 

The  place  possesses  peculiar  advantages  from  being  the  terminus  of  the 
Milwaukee  and  La  Crosse  Railroad.  "It  is  probably  the  most  northerly  east 
and  west  road  that  will  be  built  in  the  state  for  many  years,  and  has,  conse 
quently,  as  tributaries,  all  northern  Wisconsin,  west  of  Lake  Winnebago, 
with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  strip  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior,  and 
the  greater  portion  of  Minnesota,  extending  far  away  to  the  Red  River  of 
the  North,  the  Sascatchawine,  and,  ultimately,  the  North  Pacific  Railroad." 

About  60  miles  above  La  Crosse  is  that  beautiful  expansion  of  the  Mississippi, 
known  to  all  travelers  as  Lake  Pepin.  For  about  25  miles  the  river  is  expanded 

to  a  width  of  from  two  to  three 
miles,  with  majestic  blutfs  of  lime 
stone  on  each  shore.  On  the  Wis 
consin  shore,  rising  about  two  hun 
dred  feet  above  the  water,  is  the 
noted  Maiden's  Rock,  the  scene 
of  the  Indian  legend  of  Winona, 
the  daughter  of  an  Indian  chief. 
She  was  betrothed  by  her  father 
to  a  favorite  warrior;  but  her  af 
fections  were  fixed  on  one  younger 
though  not  less  brave.  On  the 
day  appointed  for  her  wedding,  she 
THE  MAIDEN'S  ROCK,  wandered  from  the  gay  assemblage 

under  pretense  or    searching  for 

On  Lake  Pepin,  an  expansion  of  the  Mississippi.  Some  berries  that  grew  ill  profu 

sion  on  this  bluff,  when  her  com 
panions,  to  their  surprise,  heard  from  her  lips  a  low,  plaintive  sound :  it  was  the 
death  song,  and  in  a  moment  more,  ere  they  could  interfere,  she  cast  herself  head 
long  from  the  rock,  and  was  buried  in  the  deep,  cold  waters  below. 

Prescott  and  Hudson  are  two  flourishing  towns  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
The  first  is  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Croix  River,  with  the  Mississippi — the 
Jast  on  that  expansion  of  the  St.  Croix,  called  Lake  St.  Croix. 

The  St.  Croix  River  which  separates  Wisconsin  from  Minnesota,  is  cele 
brated  for  its  pineries,  the  value  of  its  trade  in  lumber  exceeding  three  mil 
lions  of  dollars  per  annum. 

"The  lumbermen  of  the  St.  Croix,  during  the  sessions  of  the  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota  legislatures  of  1850-1,  procured  the  incorporation  of  the  'St.  Croix 
Boom  Company,'  with  a  capital  of  $10,000.  This  work  was  considered  absolutely 
necessary,  to  facilitate  the  business  of  driving,  assorting,  and  rafting  logs.  The 
stock  was  speedily  taken ;  and  by  the  following  season  the  boom  was  built  and 
ready  for  service.  The  work  is  substantial  and  permanent.  Piers  of  immense 
size  are  sunk  at  proper  distances,  from  the  Minnesota  shore  to  the  foot  of  a  large 
island  near  the  center  of  the  stream,  and  again  from  the  head  of  the  island  to  the 
Wisconsin  shore.  The  boom  timbers  are  hung  from  pier  to  pier,  and  the  whole 
river  is  entirely  commanded,  with  no  possibility  of  scarcely  a  single  log  escaping. 
The  charter  of  the  company  compels  them,  however,  to  give  free  passage  to  all 
boats,  rafts,  etc.,  ascending  or  descending  the  river.  This  duty  is  rather  difficult 
to  perform  at  certain  times,  particularly  when  the  logs  are  running  into  the  boom 
briskly,  and  hands  are  not  to  be  had  to  raft  and  run  them  out:  sometimes  a  barrier 
of  three  or  four  miles  intervene,  and  thus  temporarily  closes  navigation.  With  a 
full  complement  of  men  the  boom  can  always  be  kept  clear  at  the  point  where  it 
crosses  the  main  channel  of  the  river.  The  importance  of  the  lumber  business  of 
the  St.  Croix  River  would  hardly  be  estimated  by  a  stranger.  Large  quantities  are 


WISCONSIN.  339 

floated  down  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Louis.  The  business  of  getting  out  the  timber 
is  carried  on  in  the  winter,  and  affords  employment  to  large  numbers  of  young 
men. 

Fond  du  Lac,  the  capital  of  Fond  du  Lac  county,  is  72  miles  N.N.W.  of 
Milwaukie,  with  which  it  has  railroad  connections.  It  stands  at  the  southern 
extremity  of  Lake  Winnebago,  the  largest  of  the  inland  lakes  of  the  state, 
being  about  30  miles  long  and  10  broad,  forming  a  link  in  the  chain  of  nav 
igable  waters  which  connect  the  Great  Lakes  with  the  Mississippi.  The 
Portage  Canal,  on  this  water  way,  between  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  Rivers,  was 
opened  in  1856,  and  steamers  pass  from  the  lake  to  the  Wisconsin  River. 
Anciently  it  was  a  French  trading  post,  established  here  for  the  purpose  of 
traffic  with  the  Winnebagoes,  who  had  a  village  where  Taychudah  now  is, 
three  miles  east  of  the  site  of  the  place.  The  town  has  grown  up  within  a 
very  few  years.  Population  1860,  5,450. 

A  traveler  here  in  the  fall  of  1859,  discourses  thus  agreeably  upon  the 
town  and  country: 

"I  like  the  west,  and  especially  Wisconsin.  The  country  has  captivated  me — 
the  prairies,  the  pure  air,  clear  sky,  fine  farms,  the  perfectly  rural  air  of  the  whole 
and  the  hospitality  of  the  people.  What  splendid  farming  land  around  Fond  du 
Lac — how  easy  to  till  to  a  IS ew  England  farmer;  smooth  fields  without  a  rock, 
scarce  a  stone,  that  when  first  cultivated  yield  40  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  and 
afterward  18  or  20;  garden  ground  unequaled  for  vegetables,  and  a  good  market  in 
the  city  for  all  that  is  for  sale.  Corn  planted  in  June  ripens  before  the  last  of 
August.  Apples,  pears,  grapes  and  plums  thrive  well,  and  all  the  small  fruits  yield 
abundantly.  Here  is  a  wild  plum  of  fine  flavor,  and  much  used  to  make  a  sauce 
for  meat,  with  spices  added.  All  the  fruit  trees  1  saw  looked  healthy  and  vigorous, 
and  free  from  the  ravages  of  insects. 

The  winters  are  longer  than  ours,  and  the  thermometer  indicates  greater  cold, 
but  residents  say  the  cold  is  not  so  severe  as  at  the  east,  from  the  absence  of  wind. 
Long  storms  are  very  uncommon,  and  a  clear  air  and  bright  sun  belong  to  their 
winter,  and  the  dry,  pure  atmosphere  render  this  climate  advantageous  to  those 
afflicted  with  pulmonary  complaints.  It  seemed  to  me  especially  good  for  nervous 
people  and  those  troubled  with  neuralgic  pains.  Fever  and  ague  are  not  known 
here;  accounts  of  its  good  effects  in  consumptive  cases  are  authenticated. 

Pond  du  Lac,  the  city  of  fountains,  named  from  the  Artesian  wells  which  supply 
it  with  water,  bears  the  promise  of  a  great  city.  The  site  is  part  prairie  and  part 
woodland,  a  river  dividing  it.  Twelve  years  ago  it  had  but  one  chimney,  and  the 
pockets  of  most  of  its  early  settlers,  were  as  deficient  in  means  as  the  houses  of 
this  most  necessary  appurtenance;  now  it  has  a,  population  of  thousands,  churches 
of  various  kinds,  some  fine  stores,  and  one  especially  fine  block,  containing  a  hall 
which  is  said  to  be  the  handsomest  in  the  west,  and  capable  of  accommodating 
three  thousand  people.  The  hall  has  a  center  dome  of  stained  glass,  and  the  effect 
is  very  pleasing.  From  the  top  of  the  building  an  incomparable  view  is  to  be  had 
of  the  city,  lake,  prairie,  river  and  woods.  The  foreign  element  here  is  German, 
and  an  intelligent  class  of  people,  obedient  to  law,  and  comprehending  the  oppor 
tunities  a  free  country  offers  to  them  and  their  children.  The  people  look  heaithy 
and  happy,  and  there  is  an  appearance  of  comfort  and  thrift  about  them  and  their 
dwellings.  There  are  no  showy  houses,  but  neat,  well-arranged  buildings,  with 
yards,  in  which  stand  the  forest  trees  found  there,  and  enlivened  by  flowers  and 
shrubs.  The  settlers  have  shown  a  taste  and  respect  for  the  forest  trees  leaving 
them  unmolested,  and  clumps  of  oaks  and  hic.kories  in  the  cultivated  fields  :ire 
pleasant  to  look  upon,  and  their  shade  must  delight  the  cattle  in  summer.  The 
beauty  of  this  country  is  indescribable,  the  whole  having  the  appearance  of  a  well 
cared  for  park. 

A  ridge  of  limestone  runs  from  Green  Bay  to  the  end  of  Lake  Michigan,  numer 
ous  streams  run  from  this,  and  vast  quantities  of  limestone  slabs  ready  for  use  can 
be  taken  from  the  quarries  and  furnished  to  the  city  at  two  cents  a  square  foot, 


340  WISCONSIN. 

Gravel  is  abundant  and  accessible,  and  the  city  is  removing  the  planks  from  the 
road,  laying  on  gravel,  and  will  in  time  have  fine  sidewalks  and  good  roads.  On 
this  ridge  are  some  fine  farms,  and  the  aspect  of  the  country  reminds  me  of 
Dutchess  county,  New  York.  From  the  high  peaks,  views  of  the  city,  prairie  and 
lake  are  to  be  had,  and  in  the  clear  air  everything  is  so  distinct  that  the  eye  seeks 
in  vain  for  the  horizon." 

Oshkosh,  is  named  from  an  Indian  chief  of  the  Menomonee  tribe,  the  word 
signifying  "brave."  It  is  a  thriving  city,  with  great  facilities  for  trade, 
where  but  a  few  years  since  all  was  a  dense  wilderness.  It  stands  on  the 
western  bank  of  Lake  Winnebago,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Fox  River,  and 
has  railroad  connections  with  the  east,  west  and  south.  The  city  con 
tains  6  churches,  4  newspapers,  a  large  number  of  grist  and  other  mills, 
manufactures  annually  about  30  millions  of  feet  of  lumber,  and  has  about 
6,000  inhabitants. 

When  the  Fox  River  Improvement  is  completed,  this  city  will  be  on  the 
direct  line  of  steamboat  navigation  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Missis 
sippi.  This  enterprise  is  described  as  follows  in  Ritchie's  work  on  the  state : 

"The  Fox  River,  or,  as  it  is  called  by  the  Indians,  Neenah,  is  one  of  the  most 
important  rivers  in  the  state.  It  rises  in  Marquette  county,  and  flows  nearly  south 
west,  toward  the  Wisconsin;  when  within  one  and  a  half  miles  of  that  river,  it 
changes  its  direction  to  the  north;  after  flowing  a  few  miles,  it  passes  through  Lake 
Winnebago,  and  falls  into  Green  Bay.  Its  whole  length  is  estimated  at  two  hun 
dred  miles. 

The  whole  length  of  canal  necessary  to  secure  a  steamboat  communication  from 
Green  Bay  to  Lake  Winnebago,  is  about  five  miles.  It  is  100  feet  wide  on  the  bot 
tom,  and  120  at  the  top  (two  feet  wider  than  the  famous  Welland  Canal).  The 
locks  are  40  feet  wide,  by  160  long,  and  built  in  the  most  permanent  manner,  of 
solid  stone  masonry,  and  in  a  style  that  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  any 
similar  work  in  the  eastern  states.  It  is  calculated  that  with  the  improved  manner  of 
working  these  locks,  a  steamer  can  pass  each  in  the  short  space  of  three  minutes. 
This  will  afford  a  rapid  transit  for  the  vast  amount  of  freight  that  must  and  will 
seek  an  outlet  through  this  thoroughfare  to  an  eastern  market.  The  capacity  of 
the  river  for  all  purposes  of  navigation  is  undoubted ;  at  no  season  of  the  year  can 
there  be  any  failure  of  water. 

Twelve  miles  above  Oshkosh,  westward,  is  the  mouth  of  the  Wolf  River,  a  trib 
utary  of  the  Fox,  and  navigable  for  steamers  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
Forty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Wolf  River  is  the  town  of  Berlin;  sixty  miles 
further  is  Portage  City  and  the  town  of  Fort  Winnebago;  above  which  places,  for 
sixty  miles,  and  below  for  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles,  the  Wisconsin  is  now 
navigable  for  steamers. 

Through  these,  a  ready  communication  will  be  secured  with  the  Mississippi  and 
its  tributaries;  and  it  is  confidently  calculated  that,  at  no  distant  day,  steam  tugs, 
with  between  200  and  500  tuns  burden  in  tow,  each,  from  St.  Peter's  River,  from 
St.  Paul,  and  other  places  in  that  direction,  will  land  their  cargoes  at  Green  Bay, 
to  be  shipped  to  an  eastern  market.  The  objection  to  be  urged  to  this  route,  from 
so  remote  a  locality,  is,  that  it  will  take  too  long  to  make  the  transit.  To  this  we 
have  to  reply,  that  it  is  estimated  by  those  who  know  better  than  we,  that  this 
great  distance  can  and  will  be  overcome  by  just  these  kinds  of  crafts  in  from  four 
to  six  days,  and  by  passenger  boats  in  much  less  time.  This  improvement  will 
open  about  1,000  miles  to  steam  navigation,  between  Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mis 
sissippi  River,  including  the  navigable  streams  in  the  interior  of  northern  Wiscon 
sin,  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  This  stupendous  work,  when  completed,  will  do  far 
more  for  the  prosperity  and  advancement  of  the  vast  regions,  opened  to  the  ad 
vantages  of  connection  with  the  Atlantic  market,  than  any  other  improvement  con 
templated." 

PORTAGE  CITY  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Wisconsin  River,  about 
200  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  on  the  ship  canal  one  and  a  half  miles  long, 


WISCONSIN. 

connecting  it  with  the  Fox  or  Neenah  River.  It  is  a  flourishing  town,  and 
is  a  great  depot  for  pine  lumber.  By  means  of  the  Wisconsin  and  Missis 
sippi  Rivers,  there  is  now  uninterrupted  steamboat  navigation  between  this 
place  and  New  Orleans.  The  Wisconsin  is  the  largest  river  that  intersects 

the  state.  Its  whole  length  is 
estimated  at  600  miles,  and  in 
ij!|  its  upper  portion  it  is  bordered 
by  immense  forests  of  pine. 
Fort  Winnebago,  which  stood 
on  or  near  the  site  of  Portage 
City,  was  commenced  in  1828. 
under  the  superintendence  of 
Major  Twiggs  and  Captain  Har- 
ney.  This  Twiggs  was  the 
Gen.  David  Twiggs  who  reaped 

Four  WINS,™  IK  1831.  6ternal    infalliy   bJ  his   baSe  SUf- 

render  of  the  American  army, 

in  Texas,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Rebellion.  It  was  an  important  post  at  an 
early  day,  affording  protection  to  emigrants.  Another  officer,  here  at  that 
period,  was  a  young  lieutenant,  Jefferson  Davis  of  Mississippi,  who  after 
ward  became  the  president  of  the  so-called  Confederate  States  of  America. 

Mrs.  John  H.  Kinzie,  in  "  Wan-bun,  the  'Early  Day5  in  the  North-west," 
gives  a  graphic  narrative  of  her  experiences  at  Fort  Winnebago,  where  she 
passed  the  winter  of  1830-31,  the  first  months  of  her  wedded  life.  This 
winter  was  one  of  unusual  severity,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  par 
ticularly  the  lead  mining  district,  the  snow  was  of  an  unheard  of  depth — 
five  or  six  feet  upon  a  level.  Toward  the  beginning  of  March  the  weather 
moderated,  and  Mrs.  Kinzie  prepared  to  make  a  journey  on  horseback  to 
Chicago  with  her  husband.  This  was  then  through  a  wilderness  country,  and 
the  undertaking  so  perilous  that  the  commandant,  Major  Twiggs,  endeavored 
to  dissuade  them  from  it:  but  the  brave-hearted,  high  spirited  young 
woman  remained  resolute.  The  story  of  their  experience  by  the  way,  we 
abridge  from  Mrs.  Kinzie's  narrative.  The  route  selected  was  south  by 
Dixon's,  then  called  Ogie's  Ferry,  where  was  to  be  found  the  only  means  of 
crossing  the  broad  and  rapid  stream  of  Rock  River ;  and  it  was  calculated 
that  the  entire  distance  would  be  traveled  over  in  six  days : 

The  morning  of  the  8th  of  March,  having  taken  a  tender  leave  of  their  friends, 
they  mounted  and  were  ready  for  the  journey.  The  party  consisted  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kinzie  and  two  French  Canadians,  Pierre  Roy  and  Plante,  the  latter  to  act 
as  a  guide,  on  the  assurance  that  he  "  knew  every  mile  of  the  way,  from  the  Portage 
to  Ogie's  Ferry,  and  from  Ogie's  Ferry  to  Chicago. 

Some  of  the  young  officers  escorted  them  as  far  as  Duck  Creek,  four  miles  dis 
tant.  In  attempting  to  cross  this  stream  in  a  canoe,  a  couple  of  favorite  grey 
hounds  sprang  in  upon  Mrs.  Kinzie,  and  the  canoe  balanced  a  moment — then 
yielded — and  quick  as  thought,  dogs  and  lady  were  in  deepest  of  water.  That  even 
ing  the  party  camped  out  on  the  edge  of  the  timber,  under  the  shelter  of  a  tent; 
but  so  intense  was  the  cold  that,  although  Mrs.  Kinzie's  riding  habit  was  placed  to 
dry  over  against  the  log  on  which  their  fire  was  made,  it  was  in  a  few  minutes 
frozen  so  stiff  as  to  stand  upright,  giving  "  the  appearance  of  a  dress  out  of  which 
a  lady  had  vanished  in  some  unaccountable  manner."  Says  Mrs.  Kinzie: 

"At  break  of  day  we  are  aroused  by  the  shout  of  '  the  bourgeois,' 

'How!  how!  how!' 


342  WISCONSIN. 

All  start  from  their  slumbers.  The  fire  which  has  been  occasionally  replenished 
through  the  night,  is  soon  kindled  into  a  flame.  The  horses  are  caught  and  saddled 
while  a  breakfast  is  preparing — the  tent  is  struck — the  pack-horse  loaded — '  tout 
demanche,'  as  the  Canadian  says. 

Our  journey  this  day  led  us  past  the  first  of  the  Four  Lakes.  Scattered  along 
its  banks  was  an  encampment  of  Winnebagoes.  How  beautiful  the  encampment 
looked  in  the  morning  sun!  The  matted  lodges,  with  the  blue  smoke  curling  from 
their  tops — the  trees  and  bushes  powdered  with  a  light  snow  which  had  fallen 
through  the  night — the  lake,  shining  and  sparkling,  almost  at  our  feet — even  the 
Indians,  in  their  peculiar  costume,  adding  to  the  picturesque  ! 

Our  road,  after  leaving  the  lake,  lay  over  a  '  rolling  prairie,'  now  bare  and  deso 
late  enough.  The  hollows  were  filled  with  snow,  which,  being  partly  thawed,  fur 
nished  an  uncertain  footing  for  the  horses,  and  I  could  not  but  join  in  the  ringing 
laughter  of  our  Frenchmen,  as  occasionally  Brunet  and  Souris,  the  two  ponies, 
would  flounder,  almost  imbedded,  through  the  yielding  mass.  It  was  about  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  'Blue  Mound.'  I  rejoiced  much  to 
have  got  so  far,  for  I  was  sadly  fatigued,  and  every  mile  now  seemed  two  to  me. 
It  was  my  first  journey  on  horseback,  and  I  had  not  yet  become  inured  to  the  ex 
ercise.  When  we  reached  Morrison's  I  was  so  much  exhausted  that,  as  my  hus 
band  attempted  to  lift  me  from  the  saddle,  I  fell  into  his  arms.  '  This  will  never 
do,'  said  he.  'To-morrow  we  must  turn  our  faces  toward  Fort  Winnebago  again.' 

The  door  opened  hospitably  to  receive  us.  We  were  welcomed  by  a  lady  with 
a  most  sweet,  benignant  countenance,  and  by  her  companion,  some  years  younger. 
The  first  was  Mrs.  Morrison — the  other,  Miss-  Elizabeth  Dodge,  daughter  of  Gen. 
Dodge. 

My  husband  laid  me  upon  a  small  bed,  in  the  room  where  the  ladies  had  been 
sitting  at  work  They  took  off  my  bonnet  and  riding-dress,  chafed  my  hands,  and 
prepared  me  some  warm  wine  and  water,  by  which  I  was  soon  revived.  A  half 
hour's  repose  so  refreshed  me  that  I  was  able  to  converse  with  the  ladies,  and  to 
relieve  my  husband's  mind  of  all  anxiety  on  my  account.  Tea  was  announced  soon 
after,  and  we  repaired  to  an  adjoining  building,  for  Morrison's,  like  the  establish 
ment  of  all  settlers  of  that  period,  consisted  of  a  group  of  detached  log-houses  or 
cabins,  each  containing  one  or  at  most  two  apartments. 

The  table  groaned  with  good  cheer,  and  brought  to  mind  some  that  I  had  seen 
among  the  old-fashioned  Dutch  residents  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson. 

I  had  recovered  my  spirits,  and  we  were  quite  a  cheerful  party.  Mrs.  Morrison 
told  us  that  during  the  first  eighteen  months  she  passed  in  this  country,  she  did 
not  speak  with  a  white  woman,  the  only  society  she  had  being  that  of  her  husband 
and  two  black  servant  women. 

The  next  morning,  after  a  cheerful  breakfast,  at  which  we  were  joined  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Kent,  of  Galena,  we  prepared  for  our  journey.  I  hatd  reconciled  my  hus 
band  to  continuing  our  route  toward  Chicago,  by  assuring  him  that  I  felt  as  fresh 
and  bright  as  when  T  first  set  out  from  home. 

We  had  not  proceeded  many  miles  on  our  journey,  however,  before  we  discovered 
that  Monsieur  Plante  was  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  country,  so  that  Mr.  Kinzie 
was  obliged  to  take  the  lead  himself,  and  make  his  way  as  he  was  best  able,  accord 
ing  to  the  directions  he  had  received.  We  traveled  the  live-long  day,  barely  making 
a  halt  at  noon  to  bait  our  horses,  and  refresh  ourselves  with  a  luncheon.  The  ride 
was  as  gloomy  and  desolate  as  could  well  be  imagined.  A  rolling  prairie,  unvaried 
by  forest  or  stream — hillock  rising  after  hillock,  at  every  ascent  of  which  we  vainly 
hoped  to  see  a  distant  fringe  of  '  timber.'  But  the  same  cheerless,  unbounded  pros 
pect  ever3rwhere  met  the  eye,  diversified  only  here  and  there  by  the  oblong  open 
ings,  like  gigantic  graves,  which  marked  an  unsuccessful  search  for  indications  of 
a  lead  mine. 

Just  before  sunset  we  crossed,  with  considerable  difficulty,  a  muddy  stream, 
which  was  bordered  by  a  scanty  belt  of  trees,  making  a  tolerable  encamping-ground ; 
and  of  this  we  gladly  availed  ourselves,  although  we  knew  not  whether  it  was  near 
or  remote  from  the  place  we  were  in  search  of. 

We  had  ridden  at  least  fifty  miles  since  leaving  'Morrison's,'  yet  I  was  sensible 
of  very  little  fatigue ;  but  there  was  a  vague  feeling  of  discomfort  at  the  idea  of 


WISCONSIN.  343 

being  lost  in  this  wild,  cold  region,  altogether  different  from  anything  I  had  ever 
before  experienced. 

The  exertions  of  the  men  soon  made  our  'camp'  comfortable,  notwithstanding 
the  difficulty  of  driving  the  tent-pins  into  the  frozen  ground,  and  the  want  of  trees 
sufficiently  large  to  make  a  rousing  fire.  The  wind,  which  at  bed  time  was  suf 
ficiently  high  to  be  uncomfortable,  increased  during  the  night.  It  snowed  heavily 
and  we  were  every  moment  in  dread  that  the  tent  would  be  carried  away;  but  the 
matter  was  settled  in  the  midst  by  the  snapping  of  the  poles,  and  the  falling  of  the 
whole,  with  its  superincumbent  weight  of  snow,  in  a  mass  upon  us. 

The  next  morning  the  horses  were  once  more  saddled  for  our  journey.  The 
prospect  was  not  an  encouraging  one.  Around  us  was  an  unbroken' sheet  of  snow. 
We  had  no  compass,  and  the  air  was  so  obscured  by  the  driving  sleet,  that  it  was 
often  impossible  to  tell  in  what  direction  the  sun  was.  1  tied  my  husband's  silk 
pocket  handkerchief  over  my  veil,  to  protect  rny  face  from  the  wind  and  icy  parti 
cles  with  which  the  air  was  filled,  and  Avhich  cut  like  a  razor;  but  although  shielded 
in  every  way  that  circumstances  rendered  possible,  I  suffered  intensely  from  the 
cold.  We  pursued  our  way,  mile  after  mile,  entering  every  point  of  woods,  in 
hopes  of  meeting  with,  at  least,  some  Indian  wigwam,  at  which  we  could  gain  in 
telligence.  Every  spot  was  solitary  and  deserted,  not  even  the  trace  of  a  recent 
fire,  to  cheer  us  with  the  hope  of  human  beings  within  miles  of  us.  Suddenly,  a 
shout  from  the  foremost  of  the  party  made  each  heart  bound  with  joy. 

{Une  cloture!  line  cloture!' — (a  fence,  a  fence.) 

It  was  almost  like  life  to  the  dead.  We  spurred  on.  and  indeed  perceived  a  few 
straggling  rails  crowning  a  rising  ground  at  no  great  distance.  IS  ever  did  music 
sound  so  sweet  as  the  crowing  of  a  cock  which  at  this  moment  saluted  our  ears. 
Following  the  course  of  the  inclosure  down  the  opposite  slope,  we  came  upon  a 
group  of  log-cabins,  low,  shabby,  and  unpromising  in  their  appearance,  but  a  most 
welcome  shelter  from  the  pelting  storm.  'Whose  cabins  are  these?'  asked  Mr. 
Kinzie  of  a  man  who  was  cutting  wood  at  the  door  of  one.  'Hamilton's,'  was  the 
reply;  and  he  stepped  forward  at  once  to  assist  us  to  alight,  hospitality  being  a 
matter  of  course  in  these  wild  regions. 

We  were  shown  into  the  most  comfortable  looking  of  the  buildings.  A  large 
fire  was  burning  in  the  clay  chimney,  and  the  room  was  of  a  genial  warmth,  not 
withstanding  the  apertures,  many  inches  in  width,  beside  the  doors  and  windows. 
A  woman  in  a  tidy  calico  dress,  and  shabby  black  silk  cap,  trimmed  with  still 
shabbier  lace,  rose  from  her  seat  beside  a  sort  of  bread-trough,  which  fulfilled  the 
office  of  cradle  to  a  fine,  fat  baby. 

Before  dinner  Mr.  Hamilton  came  in  and  was  introduced  to  me,  and  was  as 
agreeable  and  polite  as  the  son  of  Alexander  Hamilton  would  naturally  be.  The 
housekeeper,  who  was  the  wife  of  one  of  the  miners,  prepared  us  a  plain  comfort 
able  dinner.  The  blowing  of  a  horn  was  the  signal  for-the  entrance  of  ten  or 
twelve  miners,  who  took  their  places  below  us  at  the  table.  They  were  the  rough 
est  looking  set  of  men  1  ever  beheld,  and  their  language  was  as  uncouth  as  their 
persdns.  They  wore  hunting  shirts,  trowsers,  and  moccasins  of  deerskin,  the  for 
mer  being  ornamented  at  the  seams  with  a  fringe  of  the  same,  while  a  colored  belt 
around  the  waist,  in  which  was  stuck  a  large  hunting-knife,  gave  each  the  appear 
ance  of  a  brigand. 

Mr.  Hamilton  passed  most  of  the  afternoon  with  us,  for  the  storm  raged  so  with 
out  that  to  proceed  on  our  journey  was  out  of  the  question.  He  gave  us  many 
pleasant  anecdotes  and  reminiscences  of  his  early  life  in  New  York,  and  of  his  ad 
ventures  since  he  had  come  to  the  western  wilderness.  When  obliged  to  leave  us 
for  a  while,  he  furnished  us  with  some  books  to  entertain  us,  the  most  interesting 
of  which  was  the  biography  of  his  father. 

The  next  day's  sun  rose  clear  and  bright.  Refreshed  and  invigorated,  we  looked 
forward  with  pleasure  to  a  recommencement  of  our  journey,  confident,  of  meeting 
no  more  mishaps  by  the  way.  Mr.  Hamilton  kindly  offered  to  accompany  us  to 
his  next  neighbor's,  the  trifling  distance  of  twenty-five  miles.  The  miner  who  owned 
the  wife  and  baby,  and  who,  consequently,  was  somewhat  more  humanized  than 
his  comrades,  in  taking  leave  of  us  '  wished  us  well  out  of  the  country,  and  that 
we  might  never  have  occasion  to  return  to  it!  I  pity  a  body,'  said  he,  'when  I 


344  WISCONSIN. 

zee  them  making  such  an  awful  mistake  as  to  come  out  this  way,  for  comfort  never 
touched  this  western  country.' 

There  was  no  halting  upon  the  route,  and  as  we  kept  the  same  pace  until  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  beyond  a  question  that  when  we  reached  '  Kellogg's,' 
we  had  traveled  at  least  thirty  miles.  'Kellogg's'  was  a  comfortable  mansion,  just 
within  the  verge  of  a  pleasant  'grove  of  timber,'  as  a  small  forest  is  called  by  west 
ern  travelers.  We  found  Mrs.  Kellogg  a  very  respectable  looking  matron,  who  soon 
informed  us  she  was  from  the  city  of  New  York.  She  appeared  proud  and  de 
lighted  to  entertain  Mr.  Hamilton,  for  whose  family,  she  took  occasion  to  tell  us, 
she  had,  in  former  days,  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  needle-work.  We  had  intended 
to  go  to  Dixon's  the  same  afternoon,  but  the  snow  beginning  again  to  fall,  obliged 
us  to  content  ourselves  where  we  were.  In  the  meantime,  finding  we  were  jour 
neying  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Kellogg  came  to  the  determination  to  accompany  us,  hav 
ing,  as  he  said  some  business  to  accomplish  at  that  place. 

No  great  time  was  required  for  Mr.  Kellogg's  preparations.  He  would  take,  he 
said,  only  two  days'  provisions,  for  at  his  brother-in-law  Dixon's  we  should  get  our 
supper  and  breakfast,  and  the  route  from  there  to  Chicago  could,  he  well  knew,  be 
accomplished  in  a  day  and  a  half.  Although,  according  to  this  calculation,  we  had 
sufficient  remaining  of  our  stores  to  carry  us  to  the  end  of  our  journey,  yet  Mr. 
Kinzie  took  the  precaution  of  begging  Mrs.  Kellogg  to  bake  us  another  bag  of  bis 
cuits,  in  case  of  accidents,  and  he  likewise  suggested  to  Mr.  K.  the  prudence  of 
furnishing  himself  with  something  more  than  his  limited  allowance;  but  the  good 
man  objected  that  he  was  unwilling  to  burden  his  horse  more  than  was  absolutely 
necessary.  It  will  be  seen  that  we  had  reason  to  rejoice  in  our  own  foresight. 

It  was  late  on  the  following  day,  when  we  took  leave  of  our  kind  hostess.  We 
journeyed  pleasantly  along  through  a  country,  beautiful  in  spite  of  its  wintry  ap 
pearance.  Just  at  sunset,  we  reached  the  dark,  rapid  waters  of  the  Rock  River. 
All  being  safely  got  across,  a  short  walk  brought  us  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Dixon. 
We  were  ushered  into  Mrs.  Dixon's  sitting-room;  and  seated  by  a  glowing  fire, 
while  Mrs.  Dixon  busied  herself  in  preparing  us  a  nice  supper,  I  felt  that  the  coin- 
fort  overbalanced  the  inconvenience  of  such  a  journey. 

A  most  savory  supper  of  ducks  and  venison,  with  their  accompaniments,  soon 
smoked  upon  the  board,  and  we  did  ample  justice  to  it.  Traveling  is  a  great  sharp 
ener  of  the  appetite,  and  so  is  cheerfulness,  and  the  latter  was  increased  by  the 
encouraging  account  Mr.  Dixon  gave  us  of  the  remainder  of  the  route  yet  before 
us.  '  'There  is  no  difficulty,tsaid  he,  'if  you  keep  a  little  to  the  north,  and  strike 
the  great  Sank  trail.  If  you  get  too  far  to  the  south,  you  will  come  upon  the  Win- 
nebago  Swamp,  and  once  in  that,  there  is  no  telling  when  you  will  ever  get  out 
again.  As  for  the  distance,  it  is  nothing  at  all  to  speak  of 

The  following  morning,  which  was  a  bright  and  lovely  one  for  that  season  of  the 
year,  we  took  leave  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dixonr  in  high  spirits.  We  traveled  for  the 
first  few  miles  along  the  beautiful,  undulating  banks  of  Rock  River,  always  in  an 
easterly  direction,  keeping  the  beaten  path,  or  rather  road,  which  led  to  Fort  Clark 
or  Peoria.  The  Sauk  trail,  we  had  been  told,  would  cross  this  road,  at  the  distance 
of  about  six  miles.  After  having  traveled,  as  we  judged,  fully  that  distance,  wo 
came  upon  a  trail,  bearing  north-east,  which  we  followed  till  it  brought  us  to  the 
great  bend  of  the  river  with  its  bold  rocky  bluffs,  when,  convinced  of  our  mistake, 
we  struck  off  from  the  trail,  in  a  direction  as  nearly  east  as  possible.  The  weather 
had  changed  and  become  intensely  cold,  and  we  felt  that  the  detention  Ave  had  met 
with,  even  should  we  now  be  in  the  right  road,  was  no  trifling  matter.  But  we 
were  buoyed  up  by  the  hope  that  we  were  in  the  right  path  at  last,  and  we  jour 
neyed  on  until  night,  when  we  reached  a  comfortable  '  encampment,'  in  the  edge 
of  a  grove  near  a  small  stream. 

We  were  roused  at  peep  of  day  to  make  preparations  for  starting.  We  must 
find  the  Sauk  trail  this  day  at  all  hazards,  What  would  become  of  us  should  we 
fail  to  do  so  ?  It  was  a  question  no  one  liked  to  ask,  and  certainly  one  that  none 
could  have  answered.  On  leaving  our  encampment,  we  found  ourselves  entering 
a  marshy  tract  of  country.  Myriads  of  wild  geese,  brant,  and  ducks  rose  up 
screaming  at  our  approach.  The  more  distant  lakes  and  ponds  were  black  with 
them,  bat  the  shallow  water  through  which  we  attempted  to  make  our  way  was 


WISCONSIN.  345 

frozen  by  the  severity  of  the  night,  to  a  thickness  not  sufficient  to  bear  the  horses, 
but  just  such  as  to  cut  their  feet  and  ankles  at  every  step  as  they  broke  through  it. 
Sometimes  the  difficulty  of  going  forward  was  so  great  that  we  were  obliged  to  re 
trace  our  steps  and  make  our  way  round  the  head  of  the  marsh. 

This  swampy  region  at  length  passed,  we  came  upon  more  solid  ground,  chiefly 
the  open  ptairie.  But  now  a  new  trouble  assailed  us.  The  weather  had  moderated, 
and  a  blinding  snow  storm  came  on.  Without  a  trail  that  we  could  rely  upon,  and 
destitute  of  a  compass,  our  only  dependence  had  been  the  sun  to  point  out  our  di 
rection;  but  the  atmosphere  was  now  so  obscure  that  it  was  impossible  to  tell  in 
what  quarter  of  the  heavens  he  was.  We  pursued  our  way,  however,  and  a  devious 
one  it  must  have  been.  After  traveling  in  this  way  many  miles,  we  came  upon  an 
Indian  trail,  deeply  indent.ed,  running  at  right  angles  with  the  course  we  were 
pursuing.  The  snow  had  ceasedv  and  the  clouds  becoming  thinner,  we  were  able 
to  observe  the  direction  of  the  sun,  and  to  perceive  that  the  trail  ran  north  and 
south.  What  should  we  do?  Was  it  safest  to  pursue  our  easterly  course,  or  was 
it  probable  that  by  following  this  new  path  we  should  fall  into  the  direct  one  we 
had  been  so  long  seeking?  If  we  decided  to  take  the  trail,  should  we  go  north  or 
south?  Mr.  Kinzie  was  for  the  latter.  He  was  of  opinion  that  we  were  still  too 
far  north.  Finding  himself  in  the  minority,  my  husband  yielded,  and  we  turned 
our  horses'  heads  north,  much  against  his  will.  After  proceeding  a  few  miles, 
however,  he  took  a  sudden  determination.  'You  may  go  north,  if  you  please/  said 
he,  '  but  I  am  convinced  that  the  other  course  is  right,  and  I  shall  face  about — fol 
low  who  will.'  So  we  wheeled  round  and  rode  south  again,  and  many  a  long  and 
weary  mile  did  we  travel.  The  road,  which  had  continued  many  miles  through  the 
prairie,  at  length,  in  winding  round  a  point  of  woods,  brought  us  suddenly  upon 
an  Indian  village.  A  shout  of  joy  broke  from  the  whole  party,  but  no  answering 
shout  was  returned — not  even  a  bark  of  friendly  welcome — as  we  galloped  up  to 
the  wigwams.  All  was  silent  as  the  grave.  We  rode  round  and  round,  then  dis 
mounted  and  looked  into  several  of  the  spacious  huts.  They  had  evidently  been 
long  deserted. 

Our  disappointment  may  be  better  imagined  than  described.  With  heavy  hearts 
we  mounted  and  once  more  pursued  our  way,  the  snow  again  falling  and  adding  to 
the  discomforts  of  our  position.  At  length  we  halted  for  the  night.  We  had  long 
been  aware  that  our  stock  of  provisions  was  insufficient  for  another  day,  and  here 
we  were — nobody  knew  where — in  the  midst  of  woods  and  prairies — certainly  far 
from  any  human  habitation,  with  barely  enough  food  for  a  slender  evening's  meal. 

The  poor  dogs  came  whining  around  us  to  beg  their  usual  portion,  but  they  were 
obliged  to  content  themselves  with  a  bare  bone,  and  we  retired  to  rest  with  the 
feeling  that  if  not  actually  hungry  then,  we  should  certainly  be  so  to-morrow. 

The  morrow  came.  Plante  and  Hoy  had  a  bright  fire  and  a  nice  pot  of  coffee 
for  us.  It  was  our  only  breakfast,  for  on  shaking  the  bag  and  turning  it  inside  out. 
we  could  make  no  more  of  our  stock  of  bread  than  three  crackers,  which  the  rest 
of  the  party  insisted  I  should  put  in  my  pocket  for  my  dinner.  We  still  had  the 
trail  to  guide  us,  and  we  continued  to  follow  it  until  about  nine  o'clock,  when,  in 
emerging  from  a  wood,  we  came  upon  a  broad  and  rapid  river.  A  collection  of 
Indian  wigwams  stood  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and  as  the  trail  led  directly  to  the 
water,  it  was  fair  to  infer  that  the  stream  was  fordable.  We  had  no  opportunity 
of  testing  it,  however,  for  the  banks  were  so  lined  with  ice,  which  was  piled  up 
tier  upon  tier  by  the  breaking-up  of  the  previous  week,  that  we  tried  in  vain  to 
find  a  path  by  which  we  could  descend  the  bank  to  the  water.  The  men  shouted 
again  and  again  in  hopes  some  straggling  inhabitant  of  the  village  might  be  at 
hand  with  his  canoe.  No  answer  was  returned  save  by  the  echoes.  What  was  to 
be  done  ?  I  looked  at  my  husband  and  saw  that  care  was  on  his  brow,  although 
he  still  continued  to  speak  cheerfully.  'We  will  follow  this  cross-trail  down  the 
bank  of  the  river,'  said  he.  '  There  must  be  Indians  wintering  near  in  some  of 
these  points  of  wood.'  I  must  confess  that  I  felt  somewhat  dismayed  at  our  pros 
pects,  but  I  kept  up  a  show  of  courage,  and  did  not  allow  my  despondency  to  be 
Been.  All  the  party  were  dull  and  gloomy  enough. 

We  kept  along  the  bank,  which  was  considerably  elevated  above  the  water,  and 
bordered  at  a  little  distance  with  a  thick  wood.  All  at  once  my  horse,  who  was  mor- 


346  WISCONSIN. 

tally  afraid  of  Indians,  began  to  jump  and  prance,  snorting  and  pricking  up  his 
ears  as  if  an  enemy  were  at  hand.  1  screamed  with  delight  to  my  husband,  who 
was  at  the  head  of  the  file,  'Oh  John!  John!  there  are  Indians  near — look  at 
Jerry ! '  At  this  instant  a  little  Indian  dog  ran  out  from  under  the  bushes  by  tho 
roadside,  and  began  barking  at  us.  Never  were  sounds  more  welcome.  We  rode 
directly  into  the  thicket,  and  descending  into  a  little  hollow,  found  two  squaws 
crouching  behind  the  bushes,  trying  to  conceal  themselves  from  our  sight. 

They  appeared  greatly  relieved  when  Mr.  Kinzie  addressed  them  in  the  Potto- 
watornie  language. 

The  squaw,  in  answer  to  Mr.  K.'s  inquiries,  assured  him  that  Chicago  was  '  close 

by-' 

'  That  means,'  said  he,  '  that  it  is  not  so  far  off  as  Canada.  We  must  not  be  too 
sanguine.' 

The  men  sat  about  unpacking  the  horses,  and  I  in  the  meantime  was  paddled 
across  the  river.  The  old  woman  immediately  returned,  leaving  the  younger  one 
with  me  for  company.  I  seated  myself  on  the  fallen  trunk  of  a  tree,  in  the  midst 
of  the  snow,  and  looked  across  the  dark  waters.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess  my 
weakness — for  the  first  time  on  my  journey  I  shed  tears.  The  poor  little  squaw 
looked  into  my  face  with  a  wondering  and  sympathizing  expression. 

'What  would  my  friends  at  the  east  think,'  said  1  to  myself,  'if  they  could  see 
me  now  ?  What  would  poor  old  Mrs.  Wrelsh  say  ?  She  who  warned  me  that  if  I 
came  away  so  far  to  the  ivest,  I  should  break  my  heart  f  Would  she  not  rejoice  to 
find  how  likely  her  prediction  was  to  be  fulfilled?' 

These  thoughts  roused  me.  I  dried  up  my  tears,  and  by  the  time  my  husband 
with  his  party,  and  all  his  horses  and  luggage,  were  across,  I  had  recovered  my 
cheerfulness," and  was  ready  for  fresh  adventures. 

We  followed  the  old  squaw  to  her  lodge,  which  was  at  no  great  distance  in  the 
woods.  The  master  of  the  lodge,  who  had  gone  out  to  shoot  ducks,  soon  returned. 
He  was  a  tall,  finely  formed  man,  with  a  cheerful,  open  countenance,  and  he  lis 
tened  to  what  his  wife  in  a  quiet  tone  related  to  him,  while  he  divested  himself  of 
his  accoutrements  in  the  most  unembarrassed,  well-bred  manner  imaginable.  Soon 
my  husband  joined  us.  He  had  been  engaged  in  attending  to  the  comfort  of  his 
horses,  and  assisting  his  men  in  making  their  fire,  and  pitching  their  tent,  which 
the  rising  storm  made  a  matter  of  some  difficulty.  From  the  Indian  he  learned 
that  we  were  in  what  was  called  'the  Big  Woods,'  or  '  Piche's  Grove,'*  from  a 
Frenchman  of  that  name  living  not  far  from  the  spot — that  the  river  we  had  crossed 
was  the  Fox  River — that  he  could  guide  us  to  PicKJs,  from  which  the  road  was 
perfectly  plain,  or  even  into  Chicago  if  we  preferred — but  that  we  had  better  re 
main  encamped  for  that  day,  as  there  was  a  storm  coming  on,  and  in  the  mean 
time  he  would  go  and  shoot  some  ducks  for  our  dinner  and  supper.  He  was  ac 
cordingly  furnished  with  powder  and  shot,  and  set  off  again  for  game  without  de 
lay. 

The  tent  being  all  in  order,  my  husband  came  for  me,  and  we  took  leave  of  our 
friends  in  the  wisrwam  with  grateful  hearts.  The  storm  was  raging  without.  The 
trees  were  bending  and  cracking  around  us,  and  the  air  was  completely  filled  with 
the  wild-fowl  screaming  and  quacking  as  they  made  their  way  southward  before 
the  blast.  Our  tent  was  among  the  trees  not  far  from  the  river.  My  husband  took 
me  to  the  bank  to  look  for  a  moment  at  what  we  had  escaped.  The  wind  was 
sweeping  down  from  the  north  in  a  perfect  hurricane.  The  water  was  filled  with 
masses  of  snow  and  ice,  dancing  along  upon  the  torrent,  over  which  were  hurry 
ing  thousands  of  wild-fowl,  making  the  woods,  resound  to  their  deafening  clamor. 
Had  we  been  one  hour  later,  we  could  not  possibly  have  crossed  the  stream,  and 
there  seems  to  have  been  nothing  for  us  but  to  have  remained  and  starved  in  the 
wilderness.  Could  we  be  sufficiently  grateful  to  that  kind  Providence  that  had 
brought  us  safely  through  such  dangers  ? 

The  storm  raged  with  tenfold  violence  during  the  night.     We  were  continually 

*  Probably  at  what  is  now  Oswego.  The  name  of  a  portion  of  the  wood  is  since  corrupted 
into  Specie's  Grove. 


WISCONSIN.  347 

startled  by  the  crashing  of  the  falling  trees  around  us,  and  who  could  tell  but  that 
the  next  would  be  upon  us  ?  Spite  of  our  fatigue,  we  passed  an  almost  sleepless 
night.  When  we  arose  in  the  morning,  we  were  made  fully  alive  to  the  perils  by 
which  we  had  been  surrounded.  At  least  fifty  trees,  the  giants  of  the  forest,  lay 
prostrate  within  view  of  the  tent.  When  we  had  taken  our  scanty  breakfast,  and 
were  mounted  and  ready  for  departure,  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could  thread  our 
way,  so  completely  was  it  obstructed  by  the  fallen  trunks. 

Our  Indian  guide  had  joined  us  at  an  early  hour,  and  after  conducting  us  care 
fully  out  of  the  wood,  about  nine  o'clock  brought  us  to  Piche's,  a  log-cabin  on  a 
rising  ground,  looking  off  over  the  broad  prairie  to  the  east.  We  had  hoped  to 
get  some  refreshment  here,  Piche  being  an  old  acquaintance  of  some  of  the  party; 
but  alas  !  the  master  was  from  home.  We  found  his  cabin  occupied  by  Indians 
and  travelers — the  latter  few,  the  former  numerous. 

There  was  no  temptation  to  a  halt,  except  that  of  warming  ourselves  at  a  bright 
fire  that  was  burning  in  the  clay  chimney.  A  man  in  Quaker  costume  stepped  for 
ward  to  answer  our  inquiries,  and  offered  to  become  our  escort  to  Chicago,  to  which 
place  he  was  bound — so  we  dismissed  our  Indian  friend,  with  a  satisfactory  remu 
neration  for  all  the  trouble  he  had  so  kindly  taken  for  us. 

The  weather  was  intensely  cold.  The  wind,  sweeping  over  the  wide  prairie,  with 
nothing  to  break  its  force,  chilled  our  very  hearts.  I  beat  my  feet  against  the  sad 
dle  to  restore  the  circulation,  when  they  became  benumbed  with  cold,  until  they 
became  so  bruised  I  could  beat  them  no  longer.  Not  a  house  or  wigwam,  not  even 
a  clump  of  trees  as  a  shelter,  offered  itself  for  many  a  weary  mile.  At  length  we 
reached  the  west  fork  of  the  Du  Page.  It  was  frozen,  but  not  sufficiently  so  to 
bear  the  horses.  Our  only  resource  was  to  cut  a  way  for  them  through  the  ice. 
It  was  a  work  of  time,  for  the  ice  had  frozen  to  several  inches  in  thickness,  during 
the  last  bitter  night.  Plante  went  first  with  an  axe,  and  cut  as  far  as  he  could 
reach,  then  mounted  one  of  the  hardy  little  ponies,  and  with  some  difficulty  broke 
the  ice  before  him,  until  he  had  opened  a  passage  to  the  opposite  shore. 

How  the  poor  animals  shivered  as  they  were  reined  in  among  the  floating  ice ! 
And  we,  who  sat  waiting  in  the  piercing  wind,  were  not  much  better.  We  were 
all  across  at  last,  and  spurred  on  our  horses,  until  we  reached  Hawley's* — a  large, 
commodious  dwelling,  neai>the  east  fork  of  the  river. 

The  good  woman  welcomed  us  kindly,  and  soon  made  us  warm  and  comfortable. 
We  felt  as  if  we  were  in  a  civilized  land  once  more.  We  found,  upon  inquiry, 
that  we  could,  by  pushing  on,  reach  Lawton's,  on  the  Aux  Plaines,  that  night — we 
should  then  be  within  twelve  miles  of  Chicago.  Of  course  we  made  no  unneces 
sary  delay,  but  set  off  as  soon  after  dinner  as  possible.  The  crossing  of  the  east 
fork  of  the  Du  Page  was  more  perilous  than  the  former  one  had  been. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  we  reached  Lawton's.  The  Aux  Plainesf  was  frozen, 
and  the  house  was  on  the  other  side.  By  loud  shouting,  we  brought  out  a  man 
from  the  building,  and  he  succeeded  in  cutting  the  ice,  and  bringing  a  canoe  over 
to  us;  but  not  until  it  had  become  difficult  to  distinguish  objects  in  the  darkness. 
A  very  comfortable  house  was  Lawton's,  after  we  did  reach  it — carpeted,  and  with 
a  warm  stove — in  fact,  quite  in  civilized  style.  Mrs.  Lawton  was  a  young  woman, 
and  not  ill-looking.  She  complained  bitterly  of  the  loneliness  of  her  condition,  and 
having  been  'brought  out  there  into  the  woods;  which  was  a  thing  she  had  not 
expected,  when  she  came  from  the  east.'  We  could  hardly  realize,  on  rising  the 
following  morning,  that  only  twelve  miles  of  prairie  intervened  between  us  and 
Chicago  le  Desire,  as  I  could  not  but  name  it. 

Soon  the  distance  was  traversed,  and  we  were  in  the  arms  of  our  dear,  kind 
friends.  A  messenger  was  dispatched  to  '  the  garrison  '  for  the  remaining  mem 
bers  of  the  family,  and  for  that  day  at  least,  I  was  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
the  whole  circle,  '  for  the  dangers  1  had  seen.'  " 

*  It  was  near  this  spot  that  the  brother  of  Mr.  Hawley,  a  Methodist  preacher,  was  killed 
by  the  Sauks,  in  1832,  after  having  been  tortured  by  them  with  the  most  wanton  barbarity. 

f  Riviere  Aux  Plaines  was  the  original  French  designation,  now  changed  to  Desplaines, 
pronounced  as  in  English. 


348  WISCONSIN. 

North  of  Milwaukie,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  are  several  thriving 
city-like  towns,  containing  each  several  thousand  inhabitants.  They  aro 
Ozankee,  Slieboygan,  Manitowoc,  and  Two  Rivers. 

City  of  Superior  is  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  on  the  Bay  of  Superior 
and  Nemadji  River.  It  was  laid  out  in  1854,  by  a  company  of  gentlemen 
who  judged  from  its  site  that  it  must  eventually  be  a  large  city.  It.  has  a 
splendid  harbor,  six  miles  long  and  one  broad,  admirably  sheltered  from  storms, 
and  capable  of  containing  the  shipping  of  the  entire  chain  of  lakes.  In 
three  years,  its  population  had  increased  to  1,500  souls,  and  many  buildings 
had  been  constructed. 

La  Pointe,  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  north-west,  was  first  occupied 
by  the  French  Jesuits  and  traders,  in  1680.  It  is  on  Madeline  Island  of 
Lake  Superior,  which  is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  narrow  channel. 
It  has  an  air  of  antiquity,  in  its  ruined  port,  dilapidated  pickets,  that  form 
erly  inclosed  the  place,  and  the  old  Fur  Company's  buildings,  some  of  which 
are  still  standing.  Here  was  the  scene  of  the  labors  of  Fathers  Claude 
Allouez  and  Jean  Marquette,  and  of  an  Indian  battle  between  the  warlike 
Dacotahs  and  Algonquins,  in  which  the  chapel  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  erected 
by  these  devoted  missionaries,  was  destroyed.  Near  it,  on  the  mainland,  is 
the  newly  laid  out  town  of  Bayfield. 


MINNESOTA, 


MINNESOTA  derives  its  name  from  the  Minnesota  River.  The  water  of  this 
river  is  clear,  but  has  a  blneish  hue,  owing  to  the  peculiar  colored  clay  of  its 

bed.  The  name,  Minnesota,  indicates 
this  peculiarity,  and  signifies  "  sky- 
tinted  water."  .  In  1679,  Father  Hen- 
nepin,  a  Dutch  Franciscan  friar,  and 
two  others,  of  La  Salle's  expedition, 
accompanied  the  Indians  to  their 
villages,  180  miles  above  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony.  "He  was  the  first 
European  who  ascended  the  Missis 
sippi  above  the  mouth  of  the  Wis 
consin  ;  the  first  to  name  and  describe 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony;  the  first 
to  present  an  engraving  of  the  Falls 
of  Niagara  to  the  literary  world.* 
The  first  white  man  who  visited 
the  soil  of  Minnesota  was  a  French 
man,  Daniel  Greysolon  du  Luth,  who 
in  1678  left  Quebec  to  explore  the 
country  of  the  Assineboines.  On  the 
2d  of  July,  of  the  next  year,  he  planted  the  king's  arms  in  Kathio,  the  great 
village  of  the  Dakotahs,  and,  in  the  succeeding  September,  convened  a  coun 
cil  of  the  Indian  nations  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior.  He  built  a  fort,  a 
trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  Pigeon  River,  and  advanced  as  far  as  Mille  Lac. 
In  June,  1680,  leaving  his  post,  he  met  Hennepin  among  the  Dakotahs,  and 
descended  the  Mississippi  with  him.  Before  the  termination  of  that  century, 
other  Frenchmen  also  visited  Minnesota. 

In  1689,  Perrot,  accompanied  by  Le  Sueur,  Father  Marest,  and  others,  took 
formal  possession  of  Minnesota,  in  the  name  of  the  French  king.  They  also 
built  a  fort  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Pepin,  just  above  its  entrance — the 


ARMS  or   MINNESOTA. 
MOTTO — Leloile  du  Nord — The  Star  of  the  North. 


*From  "  The  History  of  Minnesota,  from  the  Earliest  French  Exploration  to  the  Present 
Time;  by  Edward  Duffield  Neill,  Secretary  of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society.  Phila 
delphia,  T.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  1858." 

349 


350  MINNESOTA. 

first  French  establishment  in  Minnesota.  Le  Sueur,  in  1695,  built  a  second 
post,  on  an  island  below  the  St.  Croix. 

At  this  period,  Le  Sueur  discovered,  as  he  supposed,  a  copper  mine  on 
Blue  Earth  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Minnesota.  He  returned  in  1700,  built 
a  fort  on  the  Minnesota,  remained  during  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  de 
scended  the  Mississippi,  with  one  hundred  tuns  of  blue  and  green  earth 
destined  for  France:  but  it  is  not  known  that  he  ever  returned. 

Within  the  next  60  years,  Minnesota  was  visited  by  the  French  fur  traders. 
In  1763,  Capt.  Jonathan  Carver,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  visited  the  country, 
and  subsequently  published  his  travels  in  England,  in  which  he  first  called 
the  attention  of  the  civilized  world  to  the  existence  of  the  ancient  monu 
ments  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  which  lio>  dis'^ver^d  v  the  vicinity  of  Lake 
Pepin,  and  described.  He  also  described  a  cave  neav  St.  Paul,  which  bears 
his  name  to  this  day.  He  designed  to  have  returned  to  the  country,  with 
which  he  was  greatly  delighted:  but  the  American  Revolution  intervening 
prevented. 

"After  the  French  came  the  British  fur  traders.  The  British  North-west  Fur  Company 
occupied  trading  posts  ;it  Sandy  Lake,  Leech  Lake,  and  other  central  points  within  the 
limits  of  Minnesota.  That  at  Sandy  Lake  was  built  in  1794,  the  year  of  Wa^re's  v;cto- 
rv.  It  was  a  large  stockade,  and  contained  two  rows  of  buildings  used  MS  dwellings,  pro 
vision  store,  and  workshops.  Fort  William,  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  Superior,  eventu 
ally  became  their  principal  depot.  This  fort  was  on  so  large  a  scale  as  to  accommodate 
forty  partners,  with  their  clerks  and  families.  About  these  posts  were  many  hall-breeds, 
whose  members  were  constantly  increasing  by  the  intermarriages  of  the  French  traders 
with  the  Indian  women.  Their  goods,  consisting  principally  of  blankets-,  cutlery,  printed 
calicoes,  ribbons,  glass  beads,  and  other  trinket-,  were  forwarded  to  the  posts  from  Mon 
treal,  in  packages  of  about  90  pounds  each,  and  exchanged  in  winter  for  furs,  which  in 
the  summer  were  conveyed  to  Montreal  in  canoes,  carrying  each  about  65  packages  and  10 
men.  The  Mackinaw  Company,  also  English  merchants,  had  their  headquarters  at  Mack 
inaw,  while  their  trading  posts  were  over  a  thousand  miles  distant,  on  the  head  waters  of 
the  Mississippi.  Between  the  North-west  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  a  powerful  ri 
valry  existed.  The  boundaries  of  the  latter  not  being  established,  desperate  collisions 
often  took  place,  and  the  posts  of  each  were  frequently  attacked.  When  Lieut.  Pike 
ascended  the  upper  Mississippi  in  1805,  he  found  the  fur  trade  in  the  exclusive  possession 
of  the  North-west  Company,  which  was  composed  wholly  of  foreigners.  Although  the 
lake  posts  were  surrendered  to  our  government  in  1796,  American  authority  was  not  felt 
in  that  quarter  until  after  the  war  of  1812,  owing  to  the  influence  the  English  exercised 
over  the  Indians.  It  was  from  fear  of  American  rivalry  that  the  British  fur  traders  insti 
gated  the  Indians  to  border  wars  against  the  early  settlements.  In  1816,  congress  passed 
a  law  excluding  foreigners  from  the  Indian  trade." 

In  1800,  when  the  Territory  of  Indiana  was  organized,  that  part  of  Minnesota  east  of 
the  Mississippi  was  included  within  it;  and  in  1«03,  when  Louisiana  was  purchased,  that 
part  of  Minnesota  west  of  the  Mississippi  for  the  first  time  became  United  States  territory. 
The  first  American  officer  who  visited  Minnesota  on  public  business,  was  Zebulon  Mont 
gomery  Pike,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  then  a  young  lieutenant  in  the  army.  His  errand 
was  to* explore  the  country,  form  alliances  with  the  Indians,  and  expel  the  British  traders 
found  violating  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  He  was  well  treated  by  them;  but  as  soon 
as  he  had  departed,  they  disregarded  the  regulations  he  had  established.  Pike  purchased 
the  site  of  Fort  Snelling,  where,  in  1819,  barracks  were  erected,  and  a  garrison  stationed 
by  the  United  States,  which  was  the  first  American  establishment  in  the  country.  Further 
explorations  were  made  in  1820,  by  Gov.  Cass;  in  1823,  by  Major  Long,  and  in  1832,  by 
Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  last  of  whom  discovered  the  source  of  the  Mississippi. 

From  1836  to  1839,  M.  Nicollet  (under  whom  was  John  C.  Fremont),  was  engaged  in 
making  geographical  surveys  in  this  region,  and  ten  years  later,  a  scientific  corps  under 
Dr.  Dale  Owen,  by  their  explorations,  revealed  much  additional  information  respecting  the 
topography  and  geology  of  this  northern  country:  as  also  have  the  published  journals  of 
Stansburyi  Pope  and  Marcy,  officers  of  the  U.  S.  corps  of  topographical  engineers.  All 
these  surveys  and  explorations  were  by  order  of  government. 

The  first  settlers  in  Minnesota,  aside  from  the  missionaries,  fur  traders,  and  military, 
were  a  few  Swiss  emigrants  from  Pembina,  the  colony  of  Lord  Selkirk,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Red  River,  upward  of  60(>  miles  north  of  Fort  Snelling.  In  the  years  of  1837  and  1838, 


MINNESOTA. 


351 


they  opened  farms  on  the  site  of  St.  Paul  and  vicinity.     At  this  time  the  American  emi 

?  rants  had  made  no  settlements  on  the  Mississippi  above  Prairie  du  Chien.  In  October, 
833,  Rev.  W.  T.  Boutwell  established,  at  Leech  Lake,  the  first  Protestant  mission  in 
Minnesota  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In  May,  1835,  the  first  church  in  Minnesota  was  organ 
ized  in  the  garrison  at  Fort  Snelling,  by  Rev.  Thos.  S.  Williamson  and  Rev.  J.  D.  Stevens, 
missionaries  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  to  the  Dakotahs.  In  184'J,  a 
settlement  was  begun  on  the  site  of  Stillwater,  a  mill  and  other  improvements  commenced. 
The  next  year  the  first  mill  in  Minnesota,  above  Fort  Snelling,  was  built  by  B.  Gervais, 
five  miles  north-east  of  St.  Paul,  at  a  point  later  known  as  Little  Canada.  In  the  year 
1842.  a  store  and  some  other  trading  shops  were  opened  at  St.  Paul,  which  made  it  the 
nucleus  of  a  settlement. 

Previous  to  the  organization  of  Wisconsin  as  a  state,  that  part  of  Minne 
sota  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  included  within  it,  and  that  part  west  in  the 
Territory  of  Iowa. 

"  On  the  3d  of  March,  1849,  a  bill  was  passed  organizing  the  Territory  of  Minnesota, 
whose  boundary  on  the  west  extended  to  the  Missouri  River.  At  the  time  of  the  passage 
of  the  bill,  organizing  the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  the  region  was  little  more  than  a  wild 
erness.  The  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  from  the  Iowa  line  to  Lake  Itasca,  was  unceded 
by  the  Indians. 

At  Wapashaw  was  a  trading  post  in  charge  of  Alexis  Bailly,  and  here  also  resided  the 
ancient  vovageur,  of  fourscore  years,  A.  Rocque.  At  the  foot  of  Lake  Pepin  was  a  store 
house  kept  by  Mr.  F.  S.  Richard?.  On  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  lived  the  eccentric 
Wells,  whose  wife  was  a  bois  brule — a  daughter  of  the  deceased  trader,  Duncan  Graham. 
The  two  unfinished  buildings  of  stone,  on  the  beautiful  bank  opposite  the  renowned  Maid 
en's  Rock,  and  the  surrounding  skin  lodges  of  his  wife's  relatives  and  friends,  presented  a 
rude  but  picturesque  scene.  Above  the  lake  was  a  cluster  of  bark  wigwams,  the  Dakotah 
village  of  Raymneecha,  now  Red  Wing,  at  which  was  a  Presbyterian  mission  house.  The 
next  settlement  was  Kaposia,  also  an  Indian  village,  and  the  residence  of  a  Presbyterian 
missionary,  the  Rev.  T.  S.  Williamson,  M.D. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  the  first  settlement,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix, 
was  Point  Douglas,  then,  as  now,  a  small  hamlet.  At  Red  Rock,  the  site  of  a  former 
Methodist  mission  station,  there  were  a  few  farmers.  St.  Paul  was  just  emerging  from  a 
collection  of  Indian  whisky  shops,  and  birch-roofed  cabins  of  half-breed  voyageurs.  Here 
and  there  a  frame  tenement  was  erected;  and,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Hon.  H.  M.  Rice, 
who  had  obtained  an  interest  in  the  town,  some  warehouses  were  being  constructed,  and 
the  foundations  of  the  American  House  were  laid.  In  1849,  the  population  had  increased 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred  inhabitants,  for  rumors  had  gone  abroad  that  it 
might  be  mentioned  in  the  act,  creating  the  territory,  as  the  capital.'' 

The  officers  appointed  by  President  Taylor  for  the  territory  were,  Alex.  Ramsay,  of  Pa., 
governor;  C.  K.  Smith,  of  Ohio,  secretary;  A.  Goodrich,  of  Tenn.,  chief  justice;  B.  B. 
Meeker,  of  Ky  ,  and  David  Cooper,  of  Pa.,  associate  judges;  H.  L.  Moss,  U.  S.  district 
attorney;  and  A.  M.  Mitchell,  of  Ohio,  mtu-sha!.  The  governor  and  other  officers  soon 
after  arrived  at  St.  Paul,  and  on  the  1st  of  June  the  territorial  government  was  organized. 
Henry  H.  Sibley,  of  Mich.,  was  shortly  after  elected  the  first  delegate  to  congress.  The 
territorial  legislature  met  on  the  3d  of  September,  and  elected  David  Olmsted  president 
of  the  council,  and  Joseph  W.  Furber  as  speaker  of  the  house.  The  next  day  they  assem 
bled  in  the  dining  room  of  the  town  hotel,  and,  after  a  prayer  by  Rev.  E.D.  Neill,  the  gov 
ernor  delivered  his  message.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  body  was  to  incorporate  "  the 
Historical  Society  of  Minnesota."  The  total  population  of  the  territory,  on  the  llth  of 
June,  1849,  was  4,049. 

On  the  33d  of  Feb.,  1856,  the  U.  S.  senate  authorized  the  people  of  Minnesota  to  form 
a  state  constitution,  preparatory  to  admission  into  the  Union.  This  was  effected  in  the 
sucreeding-  October,  and  on  the  7th  of  April,  1858,  the  senate  passed  the  bill  admitting 
Minnesota  into  the  Union.  Henry  M.  Rice  and  James  Shields  were  the  first  representa 
tives  of  the  new  state  in  the  national  senate.  In  a  census  taken  in  1857,  preliminary  to 
admission,  the  population  was  ascertained  to  be  150,037. 

Like  all  new  states,  Minnesota  has  been  injured  by  the  spirit  of  speculation  in  land, 
especially  in  town  sites.  Prior  to  the  commercial  revulsion  of  1857,  it  was  estimated  that 
868  town  sites  had  been  recorded,  enough  to  accommodate  a  town  population  of  over  two 
million. 

Minnesota  extends  from  latitude  43°  30'  to  48°,  and  in  longitude  from 
80°  29'  to  91°  12':  it  is  bounded  on  the  E.  by  Lake  Superior  and  Wiscon- 


352 


MINNESOTA. 


sin;  on  the  N.  by  the  British  Possessions;  on  the  W.  by  Dakotah  Terri 
tory,  and  on  the  S.  by  Iowa:  its  greatest  length  north  and  south  is  380  miles, 
and  it  has  a  breadth  varying  from  183  to  358  miles:  total  area  81,259  square 
miles. 

Minnesota  occupies  the  elevated  plateau  of  North  America.  At  the  "highth  of 
land,"  or  Hauteurs  des  Tcrres,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  lat.  47  deg.  7  min. 
and  long.  95  deg.,  "are  the  sources  of  the  three  great  river  systems  of  the  conti 
nent.  The  slopes  of  the  adjacent  valleys,  meeting  upon  this  central  ridge,  give  to 
the  surface  of  Minnesota,  with  the  general  aspect  of  an  undulating  plain,  the  shape 
of  a  pyramidal  roof,  down  whose  opposite  sides  the  waters  descend  to  their  ocean 
outlets."  Two  thirds  of  this  surface  feeds  the  Mississippi  with  its  waters,  which 
thus  find  their  way  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  while  the  remainder  of  the  surface  con 
tributes  in  about  equal  proportions  to  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  flowing  into 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  to  Lake  Superior,  whose  final  outlet  to  the  ocean  is  through  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  Highth  of  Land  is  about  1,500  feet  above  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  is  the  only  hilly  region,  excepting  the  trap  summits  north  of  Lake 
Superior. 

The  majestic  Mississippi  takes  its  rise  among  the  hills  of  Lake  Itasca,  and  flows 
for  797  miles  through  the  state.  The  Minnesota,  470  miles  long,  empties  into  the 
Mississippi  five  miles  above  St.  Paul,  and  is  now  navigable  for  steamers  for  238 
miles,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Medicine.  The  Red  River  has  a  length  of  379 
miles,  to  the  British  line.  The  St.  Croix  River,  so  valuable  for  its  pineries,  is  nav 
igable  for  52  miles.  Lake  Superior  washes  167  miles  of  the  border  of  the  state, 
and  the  St.  Louis  River,  at  its  extreme  west  end,  is  navigable  21  miles. 

Hon.  B.  B.  Meeker,  a  ten  years'  resident  in  Minnesota,  writing  in -I860,  gives  a 
description  of  its  climate,  soil  and  general  resources,  which  we  copy  in  an  abridged 
form; 

The  climate  of  Minnesota  is  already  proverbially  good.  Its  complete  exemption  from 
all  those  diseases  and  maladies  local  to  most  new  countries,  and  so  justly  a  terror  to  all  new 
comers,  is  conceded  by  all  who  have  tested  it  by  actual  residence.  There  is  hardly  a  town, 
or  city,  or  neighborhood  in  the  state,  that  is  not  able  to  bear  testimony  to  more  than  one 
complete  restoration  from  chronic  disease  of  the  lungs  or  some  of  the  varied  types  of  con 
sumption  assumed  by  that  most  subtile  of  all  the  agents  of  the  fell  destroyer. 

Perhaps  no  locality  on  our  continent  has  less  of  fever  and  ague.  Indeed,  if  there  be  any 
cases  of  this  kind,  their  origin  is  readily  traced  to  some  other  states  or  territories,  and  but 
a  short  residence  is  necessary  to  eradicate  it  entirely.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  families 
are  annually  driven  from  other  western  states  to  take  up  their  residence  in  Minnesota,  to 
escape  this  offensive  and  troublesome  foe  to  the  emigrant  and  his  family.  This  is  not  only 
true  of  one,  but  of  every  portion  of  the  state  ;  and  what  is  very  remarkable,  it  is  just  as 
healthy  around  the  lake  shores  and  along  the  valleys  of  our  water  courses,  as  upon  the 
prairies  and  table  lands  of  the  interior.  In  no  part  of  America  are  the  seasons  better  de 
fined  or  more  emphatically  marked. 

We  will  commence  with  the  spring.  This  season  usually  begins  about  the  middle  of 
March,  when  the  snow  begins  to  melt  and  disappear  suddenly.  April  is  fickle  and  fluctu 
ating — May  tranquil,  warm,  and  genial.  The  latter  part  of  April  the  farmers  plant  pota 
toes  and  sow  their  spring  wheat.  About  the  first  of  May  they  sow  their  oats,  and  about 
the  tenth  plant  their  corn.  After  the  first  of  May  frosts  rarely  ever  appear,  certainly  not 
to  the  same  extent  they  do  in  states  further  south  and  east.  This  is  a  very  remarkable  fact, 
and  is  demonstrated  yearly.  I  was  informed  by  an  aged  missionary,  in  the  spring  of  1849, 
that  he  had  lived  in  the  country  then  sixteen  years,  and  that  he  had  observed  the  appear 
ance  of  frost  averaged  two  weeks  earlier  in  northern  Illinois  than  in  Minnesota.  Why  this 
difference  in  favor  of  a  more  northern  state,  is  an  interesting  problem  for  philosophers  and 
geologists,  with  whom  I  leave  the  solution — the  fact,  however,  is  incontestable. 

Summer  in  this  state  is  indeed  hot,  sometimes  even  overpowering;  but  always  succeeded 
by  cool,  breezy,  delicious  nights.  Sleep  here  is  repose  indeed,  and  not  exhaustion,  as  in 
more  southern  states.  In  no  part  of  the  world  do  crops  grow  more  rapidly  than  in  Minne 
sota,  owing  chiefly  to  two  causes,  the  intense  heat  of  summer  days  and  the  warm  nature  of 
the  soil.  This  peculiarity  of  the  soil  and  climate  explains  the  hurried  and  swift  maturity 
of  the  various  species  of  corn,  that  many  who  have  not  witnessed  the  fact,  believe  can  not 
ripen  with  any  degree  of  certainty  north  of  Ohio  or  Illinois.  This  quick  action  of  the  sun 
and  soil  on  vegetation  and  grain,  is  necessarily  a  spur  to  the  farmer,  who  is  hurried  from 
one  department  of  his  labor  to  another  without  much  time  for  rest  or  relaxation.  At  first 
he  will  be  apt  to  conclude  that  the  planting  of  corn  is  too  close  on  the  sowing  of  wheat, 
oats,  and  barley  ;  and  the  weeding  of  the  former  too  near  the  harvesting  of  the  latter.  But 


MINNESOTA.  353 

he  will  soon  learn  by  observation  and  experience  to  keep  them  separate  and  apart  by  taking 
time  by  the  forelock. 

The  autumns  of  Minnesota  are  bright,  clear,  and  dry — well  adapted  to  the  cutting  and 
curing  of  hay,  and  the  in-gathering  of  the  crops.  It  is  also  the  best  season  for  sport,  as 
hunting/Sshing,  and  driving.  No  state  in  the  Union  has  better  natural  roads  and  thorough 
fares,  and  at  this  season  you  can  safely  drive  a  carriage  to  the  Red  River — thence  down 
that  rich  valley  of  land  to  the  British  interior — or  westward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or 
southerly  to  Iowa  or  Missouri.  A  good  team  road  you  can  find  at  this  season  in  almost 
any  direction,  and  perfect  health  by  the  way. 

The  winter  here  is  cold,  dry,  and  severe.  Snow  falls  for  sleighing  generally  about  the 
twentieth  of  November,  and  from  that  time  to  Christmas.  After  that  but  little  snow  falls, 
and  it  is  uniform  winter  till  spring  comes,  when  it  makes  its  exit  rather  unceremoniously. 
But  let  no  one  suppose  that  winter  here  is  cheerless  and  void  of  social  interest.  In  no  part 
of  the  country  are  there  more  social  appliances  and  social  pleasures  than  in  Minnesota. 
Lyceums,  lecture-rooms,  social  and  dancing  parties,  sleighing  excursions  by  day  and  by 
moonlight,  are  common  sources  of  pleasure  from  the  capitol  to  the  country  hamlet.  This, 
too,  is  the  season  for  harvesting  the  pine  forest — an  employment  half  business  and  half  • 
pleasure — a  crop  gathered  in  the  winter  and  manufactured  and  sold  in  the  spring  and 
summer. 

Minnesota,  like  all  the  other  states,  has  more  or  less  of  poor  or  indifferent  soil;  at  the 
same  time  few  states  in  the  Union  have  more  productive  or  remunerating  lands  than  Min 
nesota,  and  these  are  admirably  distributed  so  as  ultimately  to  equalize  the  population 
through  the  several  important  districts  marked  by  the  physical  geography  of  the  country. 
The  great  natural  subdivisions  of  the  state  are: 

I.  The  Lake  Superior  region  or  the  region  extending  some  sixty  miles  around  the  head 
of  the  great  lake  that  bears  that  name.     This  district  is  for  the  most  part  woodland.    Most 
of  the  soil  is  thin,  low,  and  wet,  with  here  and  there  a  fertile  locality  of  hard  wood,  as  ash, 
sugar  maple,  and  elm,  having  a  clay  or  hard-pan  subsoil.      But  little  of  this  region  is  at 
present  settled,  and  it  is  generally  unknown  to  the  emigrating  public,  as  no  road  has  yet 
been  completed — from   Superior  City  to  the  Mississippi — a  distance  of  eighty  miles  only. 
It  is  to  be  regretted,  and  the  government  is  to  be  blamed,  that  it  has  never  constructed  this 
road  either  for  military  or  postal  purposes,  as  well  as  for  calling  into  requisition  and  settle 
ment  a  large  tract  of  the  public  domain,  thus  uniting,  by  a  comparatively  small  expense, 
the  two  great  valleys  of  the  continent,  the  Lake   and  Mississippi.     It  would  be  essentially 
a  national  highway,  and  would  speedily  force  into   settlement  all  the  cultivable  lands  be 
tween  the  two  mighty  waters.     This,  too,  is   the  mineral,  the  copper  and  iron   district  of 
Minnesota — the  only  region  in  America  where  copper  is  found  in  massive  purity.     When  the 
slumbering  wealth  of  this  region  shall  be  appreciated,  and  capital  and  operatives  shall  have 
found  a  lodgment  in  this  portion  of  Minnesota,  agriculture  in  this  vicinity  will  find  an  in 
exhaustible  market  and  a  rich  reward  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 

II.  In  the  north-west  of  the  state,  heads  the  great  valley  or  basin  of  the  Red  River  of 
the  North.     This  is  almost  a  distinct  region  of  country,  and  has  many  peculiarities  in  soil 
and  population.     The  valley  proper,  is  about  thirty  miles  in  width,  being  timbered  and 
prairie  and  of  the  very  richest  soil,  composed  of  a  deep  black  loam,  resting  upon  a  clayey 
foundation.     This  is  a  vast  luxuriant  grass  region — the  ancient  paradise  of  the  buffalo  herds 
— from  which  they  have  just  been  driven  by  the  vanguard  and  outpost  of  our  progressiva 
.population.     This  great  valley  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  hemp,  barley, 
inaize,  wheat,  oats,  and  potatoes. 

III.  The  Upper  Mississippi.     By  this  I  mean  so  much  of  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Mis 
sissippi  as  lies  north  of  the  Falls   of  St.  Anthony.     On  the  east  side  or  left  hand  of  this 
river,  from  its  source  to  the  falls,  the  soil  is  generally  inferior,  and  yet  there  are  many  por 
tions  of  it  are   good  and  yield  well.     On  the  west  side,  however,  the  soil  is  not  only  good 
but  generally  excellent.     The  Sank  River  valley,  the  Crow  River  valley  and  its  branches, 
are  not  surpassed  in  fertility  and  productiveness  in  any  western  state.     This  region  is  not 
only  well  settled  but  populous,  and  is  very  productive  in  wheat,  rye,  oats,  command,  pota 
toes,  which  are  shipped  in  large  quantities  from  the  falls  to  St.  Louis,  the  most  accessible 
and  best  market. 

IV.  The  St.  Peter's  or  Minnesota  valley.     This  is  an  immense  district  of  agricultural  and 
grazing  lands,  stretching  south-westerly  first,  and  then  north-westerly,  embracing  a  tract 
of  some  five  hundred  miles,  fertile  in  corn,  wheat,  barley,  oats,  and  potatoes,  all  of  which 
are  easily  and  cheaply  floated  to  the  Mississippi,  thence  south  to  the  best  market. 

V.  Lower  Minnesota,  or  all  that  country  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  the 
St.  Peter's  or  Minnesota  River,  including  the  very  rich  and  fertile  country  drained  by  the 
Blue  Earth.     This  whole  country  is  well  settled,  and  very  fertile  in  corn  and  wheat. 

The  crops  that  d&  best  in  Minnesota  are  wheat,  rye,  barley,  oats,  potatoes,  and  corn — 
the  latter  not  always  a  certain  crop.  The  average  yield  of  wheat  this  year  is  supposed  to 
be  twenty-five  bushels  to  the  acre,  the  largest  average  of  any  state  of  the  Union. 

There  is  no  mineral  coal  in  Minnesota,  but  the  country  is  otherwise  well  supplied  with 
fnel  and  means  for  manufacturing.  For  a  prairie  state,  it  is  by  far  the  best  wooded  and 

23 


354 


MINNESOTA. 


timbered  of  them  all.  All  the  region  between  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  the  Great  Lake  it 
a.  wilderness  of  wood,  except  a  nanow  belt  of  prairie  along  the  river.  All  the  great  val 
leys  above  described  have  an  abundance  of  wood  for  fuel,  fencing,  and  building  purposes. 

I  think  it  is  the  best  watered  country  in  the  world.     A  settler  can  hardly  select  him  a 
farm  in  any  part  of  the  state  that  will  not  be  near  a  spring,  a  creek,  or  lake.     Cascades  and 


St.  Paul 

waterfalls,  too,  are  to  be  found  all  over  the  state,  and  are  valued  for  their  beauty  and  util 
ity.  Water-power,  as  it  is  called,  is  inexhaustible  in  Minnesota,  and  is  rapidly  being  ap 
propriated  to  various  branches  of  manufacturing.  Flour  and  lumber  have  already  become 
important  staples,  and  command  high  and  cash  prices,  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  to 
New  Orleans.  Other  manufacturing  will  soon  spring  up,  and  make  Minnesota,  in  this  re 
spect,  the  New  England  of  the  north-west. 

The  more  intense  periods  of  cold  in  the  winter  of  Minnesota,  are  shorn 
of  their  severity,  by  the  absence  of  winds  and  the  peculiar  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  which  imparts  an  elasticity  and  buoyancy  to  the  spirits.  It  has 
been  ascertained  by  theometrical  observations,  continued  for  many  years  at 
Fort  Snelling,  that  its  spring  temperature  is  identical  with  that  of  Massa 
chusetts;  its  summer  with  that  of  northern  Ohio;  its  autumn  with  that  of 
northern  Vermont,  and  its  winter  is  like  that  of  Montreal.  The  population 
of  Minnesota,  in  1850,  was  6,075,  and  in  1860,  176,535:  and  farms  under 
cultivation,  19,075. 


ST.  PAUL,  the  capital  of  Minnesota,  derives  its  name  from  the  Catholic 
church  which  had  been  organized  there  six  years  previous  to  the  laying  out 
of  the  town.  St.  Paul  stands  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi; 
but  at  this  particular  point  the  course  of  the  river  is  from  south-west  to 
north-east:  the  town  is  8  miles  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  and  5  below 
Fort  Snelling  and  the  mouth  of  the  Minnesota:  distance,  by  the  Mississippi, 
above  New  Orleans,  1,900  miles;  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  860;  above 
St.  Louis,  688;  above  Galena,  280;  above  La  Crosse,  114;  and  about  400 


MINNESOTA.  ^  355 

from  Chicago  by  the  usual  route  of  travel.  The  main  part  of  St.  Paul  stands 
upon  a  plain  of  land  about  80  feet  above  the  river,  and  800  above  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  on  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  commanding  of  sites.  "  Com 
mercially,  it  is  the  key  to  all  the  vast  region  north  of  it,  and,  by  the  Minne 
sota  River,  to  the  immense  valley  drained  through  that  important  tributary 
to  the  Mississippi.  The  approach  to  it  from  below  is  grand  and  imposing. 
The  traveler,  after  leaving  Dubuque  nearly  300  miles  below,  sees  nothing  to 
remind  him  of  a  city  until  he  rounds  the  bend  in  the  river  below  St.  Paul, 
when  her  tall  spires,  substantial  business  houses,  and  neat  dwellings  burst 
upon  his  view."  St.  Paul  is  near  the  geographical  center  of  the  continent, 
and  is  the  prominent  business  point  of  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  fertile, 
and  healthy  of  countries.  Population  1860,  10,401. 

The  first  settlers  at  St.  Paul  were  the  Swiss,  originally  from  Pembina,  Lord  Selkirk's 
colony,  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North.  In  the  spring  of  1825,  the  colonists  there  were  driven 
from  their  homes  by  a  terrible  freshet  in  the  river,  consequent  upon  the  melting  of  the 
snows.  "After  the  flood,  they  could  no  longer  remain  in  the  land  of  their  adversity,  and 
they  became  the  pioneers  in  emigration  and  agriculture  in  the  state  of  Minnesota.  At  one 
time  a  party  of  243  departed  for  the  United  States,  who  found  homes  at  different  points  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Before  the  eastern  wave  of  emigration  had  ascended  be 
yond  Prairie  du  Chien,  the  Swiss  had  opened  farms  on  and  near  St.  Paul,  and  should  be 
recognized  as  the  first  actual  settlers  in  the  country."  They  first  located  on  the  land  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  between  St.  Paul  and  Fort  Snelling,  and  commenced  im 
provements.  In  March,  1838,  the  commander  at  the  fort  selected  this  land  as  a  part  of 
a  military  reservation.  It  was,  therefore,  withheld  from  sale.  The  settlers,  who  were 
principally  the  Swiss,  were  ordered  to  be  removed  by  the  war  department.  On  the  6th  and 
7th  of  May,  1840,  the  troops  from  the  fort,  with  undue  haste,  removed  these  unfortunate 
people,  and  destroyed  their  cabins:  they  then  removed  to  the  site  of  St.  Paul:  among 
them  were  Messrs.  Massey,  Perry,  Garvis  and  Pierrie. 

"  The  year  [1838]  that  the  Dakotahs  ceded  the  land  east  of  the  Mississippi,"  says  Neill 
in  his  History  of  Minnesota,  "  a  Canadian  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Parant,  the  ideal 
of  an  Indian  whisky  seller,  erected  a  shanty  at  what  is  now  the  principal  steamboat  land 
ing  in  St.  Paul.  Ignorant  and  overbearing,  he  loved  money  more  than  his  soul.  Desti 
tute  of  one  eye,  and  the  other  resembling  that  of  a  pig,  he  was  a  good  representative  of 
Caliban. 

In  the  year  1842,  some  one  writing  a  letter  in  his  groggery,  for  the  want  of  a  more 
euphonious  name,  designated  the  place  as  '  Pig's  Eye,'  referring  to  the  peculiar  appearance 
of  the  whisky  seller.  The  reply  to  the  letter  was  directed  in  good  faith  to  '  Pig's  Eye,' 
and  was  received  in  due  time. 

In  1842,  the  late  Henry  Jackson,  of  Mahkato,  settled  at  the  same  spot,  and  erected  the 
first  store  on  the  hight  just  above  the  lower  landing;  and  shortly  after,  Roberts  and  Simp 
son  followed,  and  opened  small  Indian  trading  shops.  In  the  year  1846,  the  site  of  St. 
Paul  was  chiefly  occupied  by  a  few  shanties,  owned  by  '  certain  lewd  fellows  of  the  baser 
sort,"  who  sold  rum  to  the  soldier  and  Indian.  It  was  despised  by  all  decent  white  men, 
and  known  to  the  Dakotahs  by  an  expression  in  their  tongue,  which  means,  the  place 
where  they  sell  minne-wakan."  * 

St.  Paul  was  laid  off  as  a  town  into  lots  in  July,  1847,  by  Ira  B.  Brunaon,  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  in  the  employment  of  residents.  "The  iMmes  of  those  who  were  then  sole  pro 
prietors,  barring  Uncle  Sam's  prior  lien,  were  Vetal  Guerin,  Alex.  R.  M'Leod,  Henry 
Jackson,  Hartshorn  &  Randall,  Louis  Roberts,  Benj  Gervais,  David  Farribault,  A.  L.Lar 
penteur,  J.  W.  Simpson,  and  J.  Demarrais."  For  a  year  or  two  the  place  showed  no  signa 
of  a  promising  future,  until  the  Hon.  Henry  M.  Rice  bought  in,  and  by  his  energy  and 
reputation  for  forecast,  "infused  new  life  into  the  place."  When  the  territorial  bill  for 
the  organization  of  Minnesota  was  passed,  St.  Paul,  through  the  exertions  of  Hon.  Henry 
H.  Sibley,  was  named  as  the  temporary  capital.  The  act  was  signed  on  the  3d  of  March, 
184'K  Says  Neill: 

"More  than  a  month  after  the  adjournment  of  congress,  just  at  eve,  on  the  9th  of  April, 
amid  terrific  peals  of  thunder  and  torrents  of  rain,  the  weekly  steam  packet,  the  first  to 
force  its  way  through  the  icy  barrier  of  Lake  Pepin,  rounded  the  rocky  point,  whistling 
loud  and  long,  as  if  the  bearer  of  glad  tidings.  Before  she  was  safely  moored  to  the  land 
ing,  the  shouts  of  the  excited  villagers  announced  that  there  was  a  Territory  of  Minnesota, 


*  Supernatural  Water. 


356  MINNESOTA. 

and  thut  St.  Paul  was  the  seat  of  government.  Every  successive  steamboat  arrival  poured 
out  on  the  landing  men  big  with  hope,  and  anxious  to  do  something  to  mold  the  future  of 
the  new  state. 

Nine  days  after  the  news  of  the  existence  of. the  Territory  of  Minnesota  was  received, 
there  arrived  James  M.  Goodhue  with  press,  types,  and  printing  apparatus.  A  graduate 
of  Amherst  College,  and  a  lawyer  by  profession,  he  wielded  a  sharp  pen,  and  wrote  edito 
rials,  which,  more  than  anything  else,  perhaps,  induced  emigration.  Though  a  man  of 
some  glaring  faults,  one  of  the  counties  properly  bears  his  name.  On  the  28th  of  April,  he 
issued  the  first  number  of  the  '  Pioneer.' 

On  the  27th  of  May,  Alexander  Ramsey,  the  governor,  and  family  arrived  at  St.  Paul, 
but,  owing  to  the  crowded  state  of  the  public  houses,  immediately  proceeded  in  the  steamer 
to  the  establishment  of  the  fur  company  known  as  Mendota,  at  the  junction  of  the  Minne 
sota  and  Mississippi,  and  became  the  guest  of  the  Hon.  H.  H.  Sibley. 

For  several  weeks  there  resided,  at  the  confluence  of  these  rivers,  four  individuals  who, 
more  than  any  other  men,  have  been  identified  with  the  public  interests  of  Minnesota,  and 
given  the  state  its  present  character.  Their  names  are  attached  to  the  thriving  counties  of 
Ramsey,  Rice,  Sibley,  and  Steele. 

« As  unto  the  bow,  the  cord  is, 

80  unto  the  man  is  the  woman. 

Though  she  bends  him,  she  obeys  him, 

Though  she  draws  him,  yet  she  follows, 

Useless  each  without  the  other.1  " 


Fort  Snelling,  originally  called  Fort  St.  Anthony,  is  a  noted  point  in  the 

history  of  Minnesota.  It 
stands  on  a  lofty  bluff,  5  miles 
above  St.  Paul,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Minnesota,  and 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  lat 
ter.  It  is  composed  of  large 
barracks  and  numerous  edifices, 
surrounded  by  thick  walls. 
Previous  to  the  organization 
of  Minnesota,  in  1849,  it  was 
the  only  important  point  north 
FORT  SWELLING.  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  was 

for  years  the  rendezvous  of  missionaries,  of  scientific  explorers,  and  of  mer 
cantile  adventurers,  on  their  way  to  the  Dakotahs.  The  scenery  at  this 
point,  up  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota,  is  surpassingly  beautiful.  The  fort 
was  named  from  Col.  Snelling.  He  was  a  brave  officer  of  the  war  of  1812, 
and  particularly  distinguished  himself  at  Tippecanoe  and  Brownstown.  He 
died  in  1828. 

In  Feb.,  1819,  the  war  department  ordered  the  5th  regiment  of  infantry  to  concentrate 
at  Detroit,  for  the  purpose  of  transportation  to  the  Mississippi,  to  garrison  Prairie  du  Chien 
and  Rock  Island,  and  to  establish  a  post  as  the  head-quarters  of  the  corps  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Minnesota. 

Col.  Leavenworth  ascended  the  Mississippi  with  his  soldiers  in  keel  boats,  and  erected 
temporary  barracks  above  the  present  village  of  Mendota,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
where  they  wintered.  'Col.  Snelling  subsequently  assumed  command  of  the  garrison.  On 
the  10th  of  September  of  the  next  year  (182U),  the  corner  stone  of  Fort  Snelling  was 
laid. 

The  wife  of  Oolonel  Snelling,  "  a  few  days  after  her  arrival  at  the  post,  gave  birth  to 
the  first  infant  of  white  parents  in  Minnesota,  which,  after  a  brief  existence  of  thirteen 
months,  departed  to  a  better  land.  The  dilapidated  monument  which  marks  the  remains 
of  the  '  little  one,'  is  still  visible  in  the  graveyard  of  the  fort.  Beside  Mrs.  Snelling,  the 
rrife  of  the  commissary,  and  of  Captain  Gooding,  were  in  the  garrison,  the  first  American 
ladies  that  ever  wintered  in  Minnesota." 

The  Minne-Jia-ha  Falls,  the  existence  of  which  the  genius  of  Longfellow 


MINNESOTA. 


357 


has  perpetuated  in  living  lines,  is  within  a  few  minutes  drive  from  Fort  Snel- 
ling,  or  St.  Anthony,  being  between  these  two  points. 

"  Waterfalls,  in  the  Dakotah  tongue,  are  called  ha-ha.  The  'A,  has  a  strong  gut 
tural  sound,  and  the  word  is  ap 
plied  because  of  the  curling  or 
laughing  of  the  waters.  The 
ver>b  I-ha-ha  primarily  means  to 
curl;  secondarily  to  laugh,  be 
cause  of  the  curling  motion  of 
the  mouth  in  laughter.  The 
noise  of  Ha-ha  is  called  by  the 
Dakotahs  1-ha-ha,  because  of  its 
resemblance  to  laughter.  A 
small  rivulet,  the  outlet  of  Lake 
Harriet  and  Calhoun,  gently 
gliding  over  the  bluff  into  an  am 
phitheater,  forms  this  graceful 
waterfall.  It  has  but  little  of 
'  the  cataract's  thunder.'  Niaga 
ra  symbolizes  the  sublime ;  St. 
Anthony  the  picturesque;  Ha-ha 
the  beautiful.  The  fall  is  about 
sixty  feet,  presenting  a  parabolic 
curve,  which  drops,  without  the 
least  deviation,  until  it  has  reach 
ed  its  lower  level,  when  the 
stream  goes  on  its  way  rejoicing, 
curling  along  in  laughing,  child 
ish  glee  at  the  graceful  feat  it  has 
performed  in  bounding  over  the 
precipice." 

St.  Anthony  is  beautifully 
situated,  on  a  gently  rising  prairie,  on  the  left  or  east  bank  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  8  miles  by  land  above  St.  Paul,  2  miles 
further  north,  and  12  by  the  windings  of  the  river,  and  also  7  miles  by  the 
latter  above  Fort  Snelling.  "  The  first  dwelling  was  erected  in  this  city  in 
the  autumn  of  1847,  and  Mrs.  Ard  Godfrey  claims  the  honor  of  having  given 
birth  to  the  first  of  the  fair  daughters  of  St.  Anthony."  Here  is  located-the 
University  of  the  State.  "Minnesota  seems  determined  to  be  in  advance  of 
other  states  in  education,  for  two  sections  in  every  township  have  been  appro 
priated  for  the  support  of  common  schools,  no  other  state  having  previously 
obtained  more  than  one  section  in  each  of  its  townships  for  such  a  purpose." 
The  celebrated  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  were  named,  in  1680,  by  their  dis 
coverer,  Louis  Hennepin,  in  honor  of  his  patron  saint. 

"They  are  only  twenty  feet  in  hight;  but  the  scenery  does  not  derive  its  inter 
est  from  their  grandeur,  but  from  the  perfect  grouping  of  rock  and  wood  and  water 
on  a  magnificent  scale.  The  Mississippi  is  upward  of  six  hundred  yards  wide 
above  the  falls.  These  are  quite  perpendicular,  and  the  water  drops  in  beautiful 
single  sheets  on  either  side  of  a  huge  mass  of  white  sandstone,  of  a  pyramidal 
form,  which  splits  the  stream.  The  rapids  below  extend  for  several  hundred  yards, 
and  are  very  broad,  divided  into  various  channels  by  precipitous  islands  of  sand 
stone,  gigantic  blocks  of'which  are  strewn  in  grotesque  confusion  at  the  base  of 
lofty  walls  of  stratification  of  dazzling  whiteness.  These  fantastically-shaped 
islands  are  thickly  wooded,  and  birch  and  maple  cling  with  desperate  tenacity  to 
nooks  and  crannies  in  the  perpendicular  cliffs.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  of  a 
character  similar  to  the  islands  in  its  stream.  The  snowy-white  houses  of  St.  An 
thony  are  almost  hidden  by  the  thick  foliage  of  the  left  bank." 


MINNI:-UA-HA   FALLS. 

'  Here  the  Falls  of  Minne-lia-ha 
Flush  and  gleam  among  the  oak  trees, 
Laugh  and  leap  into  the  valley." 


358  MINNESOTA. 

Situated  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Mississippi,  with  an  unlimited 
water  power,  St.  Anthony  has  a  fine  prospect  of  becoming  an  important  man 
ufacturing  and  commercial  city.  It  has  abundance  of  building  stone,  is  in  a 
rich  agricultural  region,  and  with  abundance  of  lumber  in  its  vicinity. 

Immediately  opposite  St.  Anthony  is  the  thriving  town  of  Minneapolis. 
An  elegant  suspension  bridge  connects  the  two  places.  "As  a  work  of 
beauty  and  art  it  can  hardly  be  surpassed,  while  it  has  the  appearance  of 
great  solidity;  its  massive  cables  being  firmly  anchored  on  either  side  in  the 
solid  rock.  The  work  was  undertaken  in  the  spring  of  1854,  and  finished 
the  next  year,  at  an  expense  of  over  $50,000,  being  the  first  suspension 
bridge  ever  built  in  a  territory,  and  the  first  to  span  the  Father  of  Waters." 
The  two  places,  St.  Anthony  and  Minneapolis,  have  unitedly  about  7,000 
inhabitants. 

Travelers  visiting  this  region  are  apt  to  be  eloquent  in  their  descriptions.  Part 
of  this  is  no  doubt  to  be  attributed  to  the  pure,  dry,  bracing  atmosphere,  which  not 
only  imparts  a  wondrous  distinctness  to  the  whole  landscape,  lending  unwonted 
charms  to  the  skies  above,  and  to  the  earth  beneath,  but  so  braces  up  the  system 
with  the  sensation  of  high  health,  that  the  stranger  looks  upon  all  things  around 
him  with  most  pleasing  emotions.  The  effect  of  this  elastic,  life-giving  atmosphere 
has,  indeed,  been  described  by  some,  as  at  times  producing  in  them  a  buoyancy 
of  feeling,  that  they  could  compare  to  nothing  but  the  exhilaration  occasioned  by  a 
slight  indulgence  in  ardent  spirits !  Here  the  weak  man  feels  a  strong  man,  and 
the  strong  man  a  giant !  The  enthusiastic  Bond,  in  his  work  on  Minnesota,  says 
that,  owing  to  the  strengthening  nature  of  the  climate,  the  labor  of  one  man  will 
produce  more,  and  yield  a  larger  surplus  above  his  necessities,  than  in  any  other 
western  state  or  territory.  "We  have,"  says  he,  "none  of  the  languor,  and  debil 
ity,  and  agues,  that  turn  men  into  feeble  women  in  the  harvest  field,  as  they  have 
south  of  us.  Labor  here  stands  firmly  on  its  legs,  the  year  round,  and  drives  things 
through  I" 

Among  the  travelers  in  this  region,  who  have  spoken  in  its  praise,  is  the 
celebrated  savant  Maury,  superintendent  of  the  National  Observatory,  at 
Washington.  Says  he: 

At  the  small  hours  of  the  night,  at  dewy  eve  and  early  morn,  I  have  looked  out 
with  wonder,  love,  and  admiration  upon  the  steel-blue  sky  of  Minnesota,  set  with 
diamonds,  and  sparkling  with  brilliants  of  purest  ray.  The  stillness  of  your  small 
hours  is  sublime.  I  feel  constrained,  as  I  gaze  and  admire,  to  hold  my  breath,  lesi 
the  eloquent  silence  of  the  night  should  be  broken  by  the  reverberations  of  the 
sound,  from  the  seemingly  solid  but  airy  vault  above. 

Herschell  has  said,  that  in  Europe,  the  astronomer  might  consider  himself  highly 
favored,  if  by  patiently  watching  the  skies  for  one  year,  he  shall,  during  that  period 
find,  all  told,  one  hundred  hours  suitable  for  satisfactory  observations.  A  teles 
cope,  mounted  here,  in  this  atmosphere,  under  the  skies  of  Minnesota,  would  have 
its  powers  increased  many  times  over  what  they  would  be  under  canopies  of  a 
heaven  less  brilliant  and  lovely. 

Col.  F.  A.  Lumsden,  of  the  New  Orleans  Picayune,  writing  from  St.  An 
thony,  two  weeks  before  his  death  and  that  of  his  family  by  shipwreck,  on 
the  ill-fated  steamer  Lady  Elgin,  on  Lake  Michigan,  thus  gives  vent  to  his 
admiration : 

I  have  missed  much  by  not  having  visited  this  section  of  country  before,  and  one  can 
have  no  correct  idea  of  this  region  by  anything  they  may  h.ear  or  read  about  it.  The 
scenery — the  country — the  lakes  and  the  rivers — the  crops  and  the  climate  are  the  finest 
in  the  world. 

Such  scenery  as  the  Upper  Mississippi  presents  I  have  never  beheld:  its  beauties,  its 
romantic  grandeur  can  never  be  justly  described.  On  either  shore  of  this  vast  river,  for 
miles  ou  miles,  stand  the  everlasting  hills,  their  slopes  covered  with  the  emerald  carpeting 
of  spring. 


MINNESOTA.  359 

As  a  place  of  summer  resort,  abounding  in  all  the  requisites  of  pleasure  and  health,  St. 
Anthony  excels  all  the  watering  places  of  the  iashionable  and  expensive  east.  As  for 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  they  are  ruined  by  Yankee  enterprise,  and  all  their  beauty,  has 
departed.  Mills,  foundries,  dams  and  lumber  rafts  have  spoilt  all  of  nature's  romantic 
loveliness  by  their  innovations,  and  you  would  be  astonished  to  see  the  hundreds  of  houses 
recently  erected  here,  some  of  which  are  beautiful  and  costly  specimens  of  architecture, 
that  would  prove  ornaments  to  any  city.  The  Winston  House,  at  St.  Anthony,  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  elegant  hotels  of  the  north-west,  built  of  stone  at  a  cost  of  $110,000, 
and  furnished  in  princely  style.  It  is  now  filled  with  southern  people. 

This  is  my  fourth  day  here,  and  I  already  begin  to  experience  the  fine  effects  of  the  in 
vigorating  climate  and  stimulating  atmosphere.  I  have  been  hunting  and  fishing,  and 
found  the  sport  excellent.  There  are  plenty  of  deer  in  the  neighborhood,  but  I  have  seen 
none  of  them  yet.  The  chief  shooting  is  the  prairie  chicken,  and  they  are  in  abundance 
in  the  plains  and  stubble  fields.  For  fishing  one  can  hardly  go  arniss.  Within  a  range  of 
from  six  to  twenty  miles  from  the  town,  are  several  magnificent  lakes.  In  all  of  these, 
the  greatest  quantity  of  fish  is  to  be  found,  such  as  perch,  of  various  kinds,  pickerel,  bass, 
trout,  etc.,  while  in  numerous  small  streams,  hundreds  of  trout — the  regular  speckled  trout 
— are  taken  daily.  A  gay  and  joyous  party  of  us  yesterday  visited  Lake  Minnetonka, 
where  we  got  up  a  very  handsome  picnic,  and  had  a  good  time.  A  party  of  six  gentle 
men,  all  from  the  south,  are  to  start  to-morrow  for  the  buffalo  grounds  of  the  Red  River 
of  the  North,  on  a  grand  hunting  expedition. 

The  Minnesota  River  and  Fort  Snelling,  as  well  as  the  pretty  little  Falls  of  Minne-ha- 
ha,  lie  betxv'een  St.  Paul  and  this  place.  From  the  hights  of  Fort  Snelling  a  most  en 
chanting  View  of  the  rich  valley  of  the  Minnesota  is  had;  and  the  traveler  looks  out  upon 
the  vast  plain,  stretching  away  beneath  his  vision,  with  emotions  of  surprise — almost  of 
bewilderment — at  the  stupendous  scene.  What  wealth,  what  richt'S  have  the  United  States 
not  acquired  in  the  possession  of  this  great  domain  of  the  north? 

Winona,  is  on  the  Mississippi  River,  150  miles  below  Saint  Paul, 
and  has  4,000  inhabitants.  It  was  named  from  the  Indian  maiden 
Winona,  who,  according  to  the  legend,  threw  herself  from  a  cliff  into  Lake 
Pepin,  and  found  a  grave  in  its  waters,  rather  than  wed  an  uncongenial 
brave.  Red  Winy  and  Hastings  are  smaller  towns,  on  the  Mississippi,  the 
first  the  seat  of  Hamlin  University,  a  methodist  institution,  and  on  that 
beautiful  expansion  of  the  Mississippi,  Lake  Pepin:  Hastings  is  25  miles  be 
low  St.  Paul. 

Mendota  is  on  a  beautiful  island,  at  the  junction  of  the  Minnesota  with 
the  Mississippi.  It  possesses  great  advantages  in  position,  and  was  for  a 
long  time  a  noted  trading  post  of  the  American  Fur  Company.  Immedi 
ately  in  the  rear  of  Mendota  rises  the  lofty  Pilot  Knob,  which  is  much 
visited. 

Beside  the  above  there  are  numerous  other  rising  towns  in  Minnesota,  of 
•which  we  have  not  descriptions  at  han^,  as  Wabashaw,  Shakopee,  Le  Sueur, 
NicoUet,  Stillwater,  Lake  City,  etc.  Whatever  descriptions  may  be  given 
of  the  rising  towns  in  the  west  are  of  doubtful  value,  excepting  as  a  matter 
of  history,  for  often  is  the  rapidity  of  their  increase  so  great,  that  the  sta 
tistics  of  one  season  are  of  no  reliability  as  a  basis  of  knowledge  a  few  seasons 
later. 


360 


MINNESOTA. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 


Nicholas  Perrot  was  one  of  those  master  minds  whose  enterprises  mark  the  his 
tory  of  their  times.  He  was  by  birth  a  Canadian,  bred  to  the  excitements  of  a 
frontier  life.  Educated  by  service  to  the  Jesuits,  he  became  familiar  with  the  cus 
toms  and  languages  of  the  savages  of  the  lakes  of  the  far  west.  Years  before  La 
Salle  launched  the  Griffin  on  Lake  Erie,  he  was  sent  by  government  on  an  errand 
to  the  tribes  of  the  north-west,  and  penetrated  even  as  far  south  as  Chicago.  He 
was  the  first  man  known  to  have  built  a  trading  post  on  the  Upper  Mississippi, 
which  he  did  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Pepin.  According  to  the  Dakotah  tradition, 
he  gave  seed  and  corn  to  their  people,  through  the  influence  of  which  the  Dakotahs 
began  to  be  led  away  from  the  rice  grounds  of  the  Mille  Lac  region. 

Louis  Ifennepin  was  born  in  Ath,  Netherlands.  He  was  bred  a  priest  of  the 
Recollect  branch  of  the  Franciscans.  From  his  youth  he  had  a  passion  for  travel 
and  adventure,  and  sought  out  the  society  of  strangers,  "  who  spent  their  time  in 
nothing  else  but  either  to  tell  or  hear  some  new  thing."  Jn  1676,  he  welcomed 
with  joy  the  order  from  his  superior  to  embark  for  Canada.  He  accompanied  La 
Salle  in  his  celebrated  expedition  to  explore  the  far  west.  In  Feb.,  1680,  he  was 
dispatched  by  La  Salle,  with  two  voyageurs  in  a  canoe,  on  a  voyage  of  discovery 
up  the  unknown  regions  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  It  was  on  this  journey  that 
he  discovered  and  named  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  In  1683,  he  published,  at 
Paris,  a  tolerably  correct  account  of  his  travels  in  Minnesota.  In  1698,  he  issued 
an  ,  enlarged  edition,  dedicated  to  King  William,  in  which  he  falsely  claimed  to 
have  descended  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth.  His  descriptions  were  stolen  from 
the  works  of  other  travelers.  Wishing  to  return  to  Canada,  the  minister  of  Louis 
XIV  wrote,  "As  his  majesty  is  not  satisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the  friar,  it  is  his 
pleasure  that  if  he  return  thither,  that  they  arrest  and  send  him  to  the  intendant 
at  Rochefort."  "In  the  year  1701,  he  was  still  in  Europe,  attached  to  a  convent 
in  Italy.  He  appears  to  have  died  in  obscurity,  unwept  and  unhonored." 

'Jean  N.  Nicollet  was  born  in  1790,  in  Cluses,  Savoy.  So  poor  were  his  parents 
that  he  was  obliged,  at  the  early  age  of  nine  years,  to  gain  a  subsistence  by  piny- 
ing  upon  the  flute  and  violin.  'When  ten  years  old,  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  watch- 
inaker,  and  turned  his  leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  mathematics.  He  eventually 
moved  to  Paris  and  entered  the  normal  school,  later  became  a  college  professor, 
and  gained  distinction  as  an  astronomer,  receiving  the  decoration  of  the  Legion 
of  Honor.  In  1832,  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  poor  and  honest.  In  the 
summer  of  1836,  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  explored  the  sources  of  the  Upper  * 
Mississippi,  with  scientific  exactness.  Soon  after  he  received  a  commission  from 
the  United  States  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Minnesota,  and  at  this  time  was 
assisted  by  John  C.  Fremont.  "The  map  which  he  constructed,  and  the  astro 
nomical  observations  which  he  made,  were  invaluable  to  the  country."  Hon.  II. 
H.  Sibley,  in  his  notice  of  Nicollet,  says^ 

"  His  health  was  so  seriously  affected  after  his  return  to  Washington  in  1839,  that  from 
that  time  forward  he  was  incapacitated  from  devoting  himself  to  the  accomplishment  of 
his  work  as  exclusively  as  he  had  previously  done.  Still  he  labored,  but  it  was  with  de 
pressed  spirits  and  blighted  hopes.  He  had  long  aspired  to  a  membership  in  the  Academy 
of  Sciences  of  Paris.  His  long  continued  devotion  and  valuable  contributions  to  the  cau^e 
of  science,  and  his  correct  deportment  as  a  gentleman,  alike  entitled  him  to  such  a  distinc 
tion.  But  his  enemies  were  numerous  and  influential,  and  when  his  name  was  presented 
in  accordance  with  a  previous  nomination,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  he  was  black-balled  and  re 
jected.  This  last  blow  was  mortal.  True,  he  strove  against  the  incurable  melancholy 
which  had  fastened  itself  upon  him,  but  his  struggles  waxed  more  and  more  faint,  until 
death  put  a  period  to  his  sufferings  on  the  18th  of  September,  1844. 

Even  when  he  was  aware  that  his  dissolution  was  near  at  hand,  his  thoughts  reverted 
back  to  the  days  when  he  roamed  along  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  River.  It  was  my 
fortune  to  meet  him  for  the  last  time,  in  the  year  1842,  in  Washington  City.  A  short  time 
before  his  death,  I  received  a  kind  but  mournful  letter  from  him,  in  which  he  adverted  to 
the  fact  that  his  days  were  numbered,  but  at  the  same  time  he  expressed  a  hope  that  he 
would  have  strength  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  make  his  way  to  our  country,  that  he  might 
yield  up  his  breath  and  be  interred  on  the  banks  of  his  belo'ved  stream. 

It  would  have  been  gratifying  to  his  friends  to  know  that  the  soil  of  the  region  which 
had  employed  so  much  of  his  time  and  scientific  research,  had  received  his  mortal  remains 


MINNESOTA. 


361 


into  his  bosom,  but  they  were  denied  this  melancholy  satisfaction.  He  sleeps  beneath  the 
sod  far  away,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  capital  of  the  nation,  but  his  name  will  continue  to  be 
cherished  in  Minnesota  as  one  of  its  early  explorers,  and  one  of  its  best  friendvS.  The  as 
tronomer,  the  geologist,  and  the  christizfrn  gentleman,  Jean  N.  Nicollet,  will  long  be  re 
membered  in  connection  with  the  history  of  the  north-west. 

«  Time  shall  quench  full  many 
A  people's  records,  ajid  a  hero's  acts, 
Sweep  empire  after  empire  into  nothing; 
But  even  then  shall  spare  this  deed  of  thine. 
And  hold  it  up,  a  problem  few  dare  imitate. 
And  none  despise.'  " 


Lake  Itasca  is  one  of  the  multitude  of  those  clear,  beautiful  sheets  of  water 
which  do  so  abound  in  Minnesota,  that  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  were  called,  by 

the  early  French  voyageurs, 
the  '''People  of  the  Lakes.'1 
It  is  estimated  by  Schooleraft, 
that  within  its  borders  are  ten 
thousand  of  these,  and  it  is 
thought,  i.t  is  measurably  to 
them  that  the  husbandman  of 
Minnesota  is  so  blessed  with 
abundance  of  summer  rains. 
The  waters,  pure,  sweet,  and 
cold,  abound  with  fish  of  de 
licious  flavor.  The  Indians 
often  reared  their  habitations 
on  the  margins  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  picturesque. 
T  h  e  greater  number  are 
isolated  and  destitute  of  out 
lets  ;  usually  of  an  oval  form, 
and  from  one  to  two  and  three 
miles  in  diameter,  "  with  clear 
white  sandy  shores,  gentle, 
grassy  slopes,  or  rimmed  with 
walls  of  rock,  their  pebbly 
beaches,  sparkling  with  cor 
nelians  and  agates,  while  the 
oak  grove  or  denser  wood 
which  skirts  its  margin,  completes  the  graceful  outline." 

Among  all  these  sheets  of  water  that  by  day  and  by  night  reflect  the  glories  of 
this  northern  sky,  the  lake  named  Itasca,  from  an  Indian  maiden,  is  especially 
honored.  P'or  here,  from  the  lap  of  encircling  hills,  in  latitude  47  deg.  13  min. 
35  sec.,  1,575  feet  above  the  ocean,  and  2,527  miles  from  it,  by  its  own  meander- 
ings,  the  Mississippi,  the  Father  of  Waters,  finds  his  birth-place. 

Lake  Hasca  was  first  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  civilized  world  as  the  source 
of  the  Mississippi,  by  Mr.  Henry  K.  Schoolcraft,  Indian  agent  at  Sault  Ste.  Marie. 
In  the  silmmer  of  1832,  he  was  given  charge  of  an  expedition  to  visit  the  Indiana 
toward  the  source  of  the  Mississippi.  Attached  to  the  expedition  was  a  military 
escort,  under  Lieut.  James  Allen,  Dr.  Houghton,  geologist  of  Michigan,  and  Rev. 
W.  T.  Boutwell,  who  w<is  sent  out  by  the- American  Board,  preliminary  to  estab 
lishing  missions  among  the  Indians.  They  crossed  over  from  the  west  end  of  Lake 
Superior,  and  at  two  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  13th  of  July,  reached  the 
Elk  Lake,  named  Itasca  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft.  "  With  the  exception  of  traders,  no 
white  men  had  ever  traced  the  Mississippi  so  far.  The  lake  is  about  eight  miles 
in  length,  and  was  called  Elk  by  the  Ojibways,  because  of  its  regularities,  resem 
bling  the  horns  of  that  animal.  Lieut.  Allen,  the  commander  of  the  military  de 
tachment,  who  made  the  first  map  of  this  lake,  thus  speaks : 

'From  these* hills,  which  were  seldom  more  than  two  or  three  hundred  feet  high 


LAKE  ITASCA. 
The  Source  of  the  Mississippi. 


3(52  MINNESOTA 

we  came  suddenly  down  to  the  lake,  and  passed  nearly  through  it  to  an  island  near 
its  west  end,  where  we  remained  one  or  two  hours.  We  were  sure  that  we  had 
reached  the  true  source  of  the  great  river,  and  a  feeling  of  great  satisfaction  waa 
manifested  by  all  the  party.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  hoisted  a  flag  on  a  high  staff  on  the 
island,  and  left  it  flying.  The  lake  is  about  seven  miles  long,  and  from  one  to 
three  broad,  but  is  of  an  irregular  shape,  conforming  to  the  bases  of  pine  hills, 
which,  for  a  great  part  of  its  circumference,  rise  'abruptly  from  its  shore.  It  is 
deep,  cold,  and  very  clear,  and  seemed  to  be  well  stocked  with  fish.  Its  shores 
show  some  bowlders  of  primitive  rock,  but  no  rock  in  place.  The  island,  the  only 
one  on  the  lake,  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  long,  fifty  yards  broad  in  the  high 
est  part,  elevated  twenty  or  thirty  feet,  overgrown  with  elm,  pine,  spruce,  and  wild 
cherry.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  true  source  and  fountain  of  the 
longest  and  largest  branch  of  the  Mississippi.'  " 


THE   INDIANS   OF   MINNESOTA. 

"Minnesota,  from  its  earliest  discovery,  has  been  the  residence  of  two  powerful 
tribes,  the  Chippewaa  or  Ojibways,  and  the  Sioux — pronounced  Sooz — or  Dah 
kotahs.*  The  word  Chippewa  is  a  corruption  of  the  term  Ojibway,  and  that  of 
Dahkotah  signifies  the  allied  tribes.  The  Winnebago  from  Iowa,  and  the  Menon- 
omies  from  Wisconsin,  have  recently  been  removed  to  Minnesota.  They  are  both 
small  tribes  compared  to  the  above. 

The  Dahkotahs  claim  a  country  equal  in  extent  to  some  of  the  most  powerful 
empires  of  Europe,  including  the  greater  part  of  the  country  between  the  Upper 
Mississippi  and  the  Missouri.  The  country  from  Rum  River  to  the  River  De  Cor- 
beau  has  been  alike  claimed  by  them  and  the  Ojibways,  and  has  been  the  source 
of  many  bloody  encounters  within  the  last  two  hundred  years.  The  Dahkotahs 
have  destroyed  immense  numbers  of  their  race,  and  are  one  of  the  most  warlike 
tribes  of  North  America.  They  are  divided  into  six  bands,  comprising  in  all, 
28,000  souls.  Besides  these,  a  revolted  band  of  the  Sioux,  8,000  strong,  called 
Osinipoilles,  reside  just  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  upon  Saskatchawan  River 
of  British  America. 

The  Dahkotahs  subsist  upon  buffalo  meat  and  the  wild  fruits  of  their  forests. 
The  former  is  called  pemmican,  and  is  prepared  in  winter  for  traveling  use  in  the 
following  manner:  The  lean  parts  of  the  buffalo  are  cut  into  thin  slices,  dried  over 
a  slow  tire  in  the  sun,  or  by  exposing  it  to  frost — pounded  fine,  and  then  with  a 
portion  of  berries,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  fat  from  the  hump  and  brisket, 
or  with  marrow  in  a  boiling  state,  and  sowed  up  tightly  in  sacks  of  green  hide,  or 
packed  closely  in  baskets  of  wicker-work.  This  '  pemmican  '  will  keep  for  several 
years. 

They  also  use  much  of  the  wild  rice,  which  grows  in  great  abundance  in  the 
lakes  and  head  streams  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  country.  The  rivers  and  lakes 
of  the  Dahkotah  and  Ojibway  country  are  said  to  produce  annually  several  mil 
lions  of  bushels  of  it  It  is  said  to  be  equally  as  nutritious  and  palatable  as  the 
Carolina  rice.  It  grows  in  water  from  four  to  seven  feet  deep,  which  has  a  muddy 
bottom.  The  plant  rises  from  four  to  eight  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
about  the  size  of  the  red  cane  of  Tennessee,  full  of  joints  and  of  the  cblor  and 
texture  of  bulrushes.  The  stalks  above  the  water,  and  the  branches  which  bear 
the  grain,  resemble  oats.  To  these  strange  grain  fields,  wild  ducks  and  geese  resort 
for  food  in  the  summer;  and  to  prevent  it  being  devoured  by  them,  the  Indians  tie 

*"  The  Dahkotahs  in  the  earliest  documents,  and  even  until  the  present  day,  are  called 
Sioux,  Scioux,  or  Soos.  The  name  originated  with  the  early  '  voyageurs.'  For  centuries 
the  Ojibways  of  Lake  Superior  waged  war  against  the  Dahkotahs ;  and,  whenever  they 
spoke  of  them,  called  them  Nadoway«towx,  which  signifies  enemies.  The  French  traders, 
to  avoid  exciting  the  attention  of  the  Indians,  while  conversing  in  their  presence,  were 
accustomed  to  designate  them  by  names  which  would  not  be  recognized.  The  Dahkotahs 
were  nicknamed  Sioux,  a  word  composed  of  the  two  last  syllables  of  the  Ojrbway  word  for 
foes.;' — Ncill's  Minnesota. 


MINNESOTA. 


363 


it,  when  in  the  milky  state,  just  below  the  head,  into  large  bunches.  This  arrange 
ment  prevents  these  birds  from  pressing  the  heads  down  when  within  their  reach. 
When  ripe,  the  Indians  pass  among  it  with  canoes  lined  with  blankets,  into  which 
they  bend  the  stalks  and  whip  off  the  grain  with  sticks ;  and  so  abundant  is  it 


DOG  DANCE  OF  THE  DAHKOTAHS. 


n 


in     in  CTT?  B    O    O      OOO^ 

»»•    nj  i.i    MI      in    in    in 


m 


J 


OJIBWAY  SCALP  DANCE. 


J  Jij-J'J  J 


/fcuP     I       \\-\ 
tffl      J>  J  cK 


The  notes  marked  with  accents  are  performed  with  a  tremulous  voice, 
sounded  High-yi-yi,  $c. 


that  an  expert  squaw  will  soon  fill  a  canoe.  After  being  gathered  it  is  dried  and 
put  into  skins  or  baskets  for  use.  They  boil  or  parch  it,  and  eat  it  in  the  winter 
season  with  their  pemmican.  Beside  the  pemmican  and  wild  rice,  the  country 
abounds  in  sugar-maple,  from  which  the  Indians  make  immense  quantities  of  sugar. 
Their  country  abounds  with  fine  groves,  interspersed  with  open  plains  clothed  with 
rich  wild  grasses — their  lakes  and  rivers  of  pure  water  are  well  stored  with  fish, 
and  their  soil  with  the  whortleberry,  blackberry,  wild  plum,  and  crab  apple ;  so 
that  this  talented  and  victorious  race  possess  a  very  desirable  and  beautiful  terri 
tory. 


354  MINNESOTA. 


Ojibways  inhabit  the  head-waters  of  the  Mississippi,  Ottertail  and  Leach, 
rbeau  and  Red  Rivers,  and  Winnipeg  Lake.     They  arc  a  powerful  tribe,  al- 


The 

De  Corbeau 

most  equaling  the  Dahkotahs  in  numbers:  they  speak  a  copious  language,  and  are 
of  low  stature  and  coarse  features.  The  women  have  an  awkward  side-at-a-time 
gait;  which  proceeds  from  their  being  'accustomed,  nine  months  of  the  year,  to 
wear  snow-shoes,  and  drag  sledges  of  a  weight  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred 
pounds.  No  people  are  more  attentive  to  comfort  in  dress  than  the  Ojibways.  It 
is  composed  of  deer  and  fawn-skins,  dressed  with  the  hair  on  for  winter,  and  with 
out  the  hair  for  summer  wear. 

They  are  superstitious  in  the  extreme.  Almost  every  action  of  their  lives  is  in 
fluenced  by  some  whimsical  notion.  They  believe  in  the  existence  of  a  good  and 
an  evil  spirit,  that  rule,  in  their  several  departments,  over  the  fortunes  of  men  ; 
and  in  a  state  of  future  rewards  and  punislynents." 


EFFECT   OF   THE   CLIMATE   OF    MINNESOTA   ON    LUNG  DISEASES. 
[From  the  Letters  of  the  TCev.  Dr.  Horace  Bushnell.] 

I  went  to  Minnesota  early  in  July,  and  remained  there  until  the  latter  part  of 
the  May  following.  I  had  spent  a  winter  in  Cuba  without  benefit.  I  had  spent 
also  nearly  a  year  in  California,  making  a  gain  in  the  dry  season,  and  a  partial 
loss  in  the  wet  season,  returning,  however,  sufficiency  improved  to  resume  my  la 
bors.  Breaking  down  again  from  this  only  partial  recovery,  I  made  the  experi 
ment  now  of  Minnesota ;  and  submitting  myself,  on  returning,  to  a  very  rigid  ex 
amination,  by  a  physician  who  did  not  know  at  all  what  verdict  had  been  passed 
by  other  physicians  before,  he  said,  in  accordance  with  their  opinion,  "  You  have 
had  a  difficulty  in  the  right  'lung,  but  it  is  healed."  1  had  suspected  from  my 
symptoms  that  it  might  be  so,  and  the  fact  appears  to  be  confirmed  by  the  further 
fact  that  I  have  been  slowly,  though  irregularly  gaining  all  the  summer. 

This  improvement,  or  partial  recovery,  1  attribute  to  the  climate  of  Minnesota. 
But  not  to  this  alone — other  things  ha*ve  concurred.  First,  I  had  a  naturally  firm, 
enduring  constitution,  which  had  only  given  way  under  excessive  burdens  of  labor, 
and  had  no  vestige  of  hereditary  disease  upon  it.  Secondly,  I  had  all  my  burdens 
thrown  off,  and  a  state  of  complete,  uncaring  rest.  Thirdly,  I  was  in  such  vigor 
as  to  be  out  in  the  open  air,  on  horseback  and  otherwise,  a  good  part  of  the  time. 
It  does  not  follow,  by  any  means,  that  one  who  is  dying  under  hereditary  con 
sumption,  or  one  who  is  too  far  gone  to  have  any  power  of  endurance,  or  spring 
of  recuperative  energy  left,  will  be  recovered  in  the  same  manner. 

A  great  many  such  go  there  to  die,  and  some  to  be  partially  recovered  and  then 
die :  for  I  knew  of  two  young  men,  so  far  recovered  as  to  think  themselves  well,  or 
nearly  so,  who  by  overviolent  exertion  brought  on  a  recurrence  of  bleeding,  and 
died,  one  of  them  almost  instantly,  and  the  other  in  about  twenty-four  hours ;  both 
in  the  same  week.  The  general  opinion  seemed  to  be  that  the  result  was  attributa 
ble,  in  part,  to  the  overtonic  property  of  the  atmosphere.  And  I  have  known  of 
very  remarkable  cases  of  recovery  there  which  had  seemed  to  be  hopeless.  One 
of  a  gentleman  who  was  carried  ashore  on  a  litter,  and  became  a  robust,  hearty 
man.  Another  who  told  me  that  he  had  even  coughed  up  bits  of  his  lung,  of  the 
si/e  of  a  walnut,  and  was  then,  seven  or  eight  months  after,  a  perfectly  sound- 
looking,  well-set  man,  with  no  cough  at  all.  1  fell  in  with  somebody  every  few 
days  who  had  come  there  and  been  restored ;  and  with  multitudes  of  others  whose 
disease  had  been  arrested,  so  as  to  allow  the  prosecution  of  business,  and  whose 
lease  of  life,  as  they  had  no  doubt,  was  much  lengthened  by  their  migration  to 
that  region  of  the  country.  Of  course  it  will  be  understood  that  a  great  many  are 
sadly  disappointed  in  going  thither,  and  that  as  the  number  of  consumptives 
making  the  trial  increases,  the  funerals  of  the  consumptive  strangers  are  becoming 
sadly  frequent. 

The  peculiar  benefit  of  this  climate  appears  to  be  from  its  dryness.  There  is  as 
much,  or  even  a  little  more  of  rain  there  than  elsewhere,  in  the  summer  months; 
but  it  comes  more  generally  in  the  night,  and  the  days  that  follow  brighten  out  in 
a  fresh,  tonic  brilliancy,  as  dry  almost  as  before.  The  winter  climate  is  intensely 


MINNESOTA.  355 

cold,  and  yet  so  dry,  and  clear,  and  still,  for  the  most  part,  as  to  create  no  very 
great  suffering.  One  who  is  properly  dressed  finds  the  climate  much  more  enjoy 
able  than  the  amphibious,  half-fluid,  half-solid,  sloppy,  grave-like  chill  of  the  east. 
The  snows  are  light;  a  kind  of  snow-dew  that  makes  an  inch,  or  sometimes  three, 
in  a  night.  Real  snow-storms  are  rare ;  there  were  none  the  last  winter.  A  little 
more  snow  to  make  better  sleighing  would  be  an  improvement.  As  to  rain  in  the 
winter,  it  is  almost  unknown.  There  was  no  drop  of  rain  the  last  winter,  from  the 
latter  part  of  October  to  the  middle,  or  about  the  middle  of  March,  except  a  slight 
drizzle  on  thanksgiving  day.  And  there  was  not  snow  melting  enough  for  more 
than  about  eight  or  ten  days  to  wet  a  deerskin  moccasin  (which  many  gentlemen 
wear  all  the  winter).  The  following  statement  will  show  the  comparative  rain-fall, 
whether  in  the  shape  of  rain  or  snow,  for  three  different  points,  that  may  be  taken 
to  represent  the  whole  country;  being  on  the  two  coasts,  and  St.  Paul  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  continent:  San  Francisco,  spring,  8  inches;  summer,  0;  autumn,  3; 
winter,  10;  mean,  21.  St.  Paul,  spring,  6  inches;  summer,  12;  autumn,  6;  win 
ter,  2;  mean,  26.  Hartford,  spring,  10  inches;  summer,  11;  autumn,  10;  winter, 
10;  mean,  41. 

The  San  Francisco  climate  stands  first,  here,  in  dryness,  it  will  be  observed;  but 
it  requires  to  be  noted,  in  the  comparison,  that  while  there  is  no  rain-fall  there  for 
a  whole  six  months,  there  is  yet  a  heavy  sea  fog  rolling  in  every  day,  which  makes 
the  St.  Paul  climate  really  the  driest  of  the  two.  The" beautiful  inversion,  too,  of 
the  California  water-season,  at  St.  Paul,  will  be  noticed;  the  water  falling  here  in 
the  summer,  when  it  is  wanted,  and  ceasing  in  the  winter,  when  it  is  not 


IOWA, 


IOWA  derived  its  name  from  the  Iowa  Indians,  who  were  located  on  the 
Iowa  River.     They  at  last  became  incorported  with  other  tribes,  principally 

among  the  Sauks,  or  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
These  tribes  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  best  hunters  of  any  on  the 
borders  of  the  Mississippi  or  Missouri. 
At  the  time  the  first  white  traders 
went  among  them,  their  practice  was 
to  leave  their  villages  as  soon  as  their 
corn  and  beans  were  ripe  and  secured, 
to  go  on  to  their  wintering  grounds,  it 
being  previously  determined  in  coun 
cil  on  what  particular  ground  each 
party  should  hunt.  The  old  men, 
women,  and  children  embarked  in 
canoes ;  the  young  men  went  by  land 
with  their  horses ;  and  on  their  arri 
val,  they  commenced  their  winter's 
hunt,  which  lasted  -about  three 
months.  In  the  month  of  April, 
they  returned  to  their  villages  to  cul 
tivate  their  lands.  Iowa  was  origin 
ally  a  part  of  the  French  province  of  Louisiana.  The  first  white  settlement 
was  made  at  Dubuque.  As  early  as  1800,  there  were  mines  of  lead  worked 
at  this  place  by  the  natives,  assisted  by  Julien  Dubuque,  an  Indian  trader, 
who  had  adopted  their  habits,  married  into  their  tribe,  and  became  a  great  chief 
among  them.  In  1830,  a  war  among  the  Indians  themselves  was  carried  on  with 
savage  barbarity.  Some  10  or  12  Sac  and  Fox  chiefs,  with  their  party,  were 
going  to  Prairie  du  Chien  from  Dubuque,  to  attend  a  treaty  conference  with 
the  U.  S.  commissioners,  when  they  were  attacked  at  Cassville  Island  by  a 
large  war  party  of  the  Sioux,  and  literally  cut  to  pieces,  only  two  of  all  their 
number  escaping.  The  tribe,  now  in  great  confusion  and  alarm,  left  Du 
buque,  mostly  never  to  return,  leaving  the  mines  and  this  part  of  the  coun 
try  vacant,  and  open  to  settlement,  as  when  occupied  by  them,  they  would 
allow  no  one  to  intrude  upon  their  lands.  In  June  of  this  year,  Mr.  L.  H. 
Langworthy,  accompanied  by  his  elder  brother,  crossed  the  Mississippi  in  a 

367 


ARMS  OF  IOWA. 

MOTTO — Our  liberties  \ve  prize,  and  our  rights  we 
will  maintain. 


368  IOVVA- 

canoe,  swimming  their  horses  by  its  side,  and  landed  for  the  first  time  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  stream.  Soon  after  this,  a  number  of  miners  crossed  over 
the  river,  possessed  themselves  of  these  vacant  lands,  and  commenced  suc 
cessful  mining  operations.  "  This  was  the  first  flow  or  the  first  tide  of  civ 
ilization  in  Iowa."  The  miners,  however,  were  soon  driven  off  by  Capt. 
Zachary  Taylor,  then  commanding  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  a  military  force 
stationed  at  Dubuque  till  1832,  when  the  "Black  Hawk  War"  commenced. 
After  the  Indians  were  defeated  the  miners  returned. 

Until  as  late  as  the  year  1832,  the  whole  territory  north  of  the  state 
of  Missouri  was  in  undisputed  possession  of  the  Indians.  After  the 
Indians  were  defeated  at  the  battle  of  the  Bad  Ax,  in  Wisconsin,  Aug., 
1832,  partly  to  indemnify  the  government  for  the  expenses  of  the  war,  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  ceded  to  the  United  States  a  strip  of  country  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  extending  nearly  300  miles  N.  of  Missouri,  and  50  miles  wide, 
commonly  called  the  '•  Black  Hawk  Purchase."  Further  purchases  were 
?nade  in  1836  and  1837;  and  in  1842,  by  a  treaty  concluded  by  Gov.  Cham 
bers,  a  tract  of  about  fifteen  million  acres  was  purchased  of  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes,  for  one  million  of  dollars.  This  tract,  comprising  some  of  the  finest 
counties  of  the  state,  is  known  as  the  "  New  Purchase." 

The  Pottowatomies,  who  inhabited  the  south-western  corner  of  the  state, 
and  the  Winnebagoes,  who  occupied  the  "Neutral  Ground,"  a  strip  of  coun 
try  on  the  northern  borders,  have  been  recently  peaceably  removed,  and  the 
Indian  title  has  thus  become  extinct  within  the  limits  of  Iowa.  The  terri 
tory  now  comprised  within  the  limits  of  the  state  was  a  part  of  the  Missouri 
Territory  from  1804  to  1821,  but  after  that  was  placed  successively  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  Territories.  The  following  conclud 
ing  details  of  its  history  are  from  Monette : 

"The  first  white  settlement  in  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase  was  made  near 
the  close  of  the  year  1832,  at  Fort  Madison,  by  a  colony  introduced  by 
Zachariah  Hawkins,  Benjamin  Jennings,  and  others. 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  the  town-plat  of  'Fort  Madison'  was  laid  off  by 
Gen.  John  H.  Knapp  and  Col.  Nathaniel  Kriapp,  the  first  lots  in  which  were 
exposed  to  sale  early  in  the  year  1836.  The  second  settlement  was  made 
in  1833,  at  Burlington,  seventy-nine  miles  below  Hock  Island.  About  the 
same  time  the  city  of  Dubuque,  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  above 
St.  Louis,  received  its  first  Anglo-American  population.  Before  the  close  of 
the  year  1833,  settlements  of  less  note  were  commenced  at  many  other  points 
near  the  western  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  within  two  hundred  miles  of  the 
northern  limits  of  the  state  of  Missouri.  It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1834, 
that  Aaron  Street,  a  member  of  the  'Society  of  Friends,'  and  son  of  the 
Aaron  Street  who  emigrated  from  Salem,  in  New  Jersey,  founded  the  first 
Salem  in  Ohio,  and  subsequently  the  first  Salem  in  Indiana,  on  a  tour  of  ex 
ploration  to  the  Iowa  country,  in  search  of  'a  new  home,'  selected  the  'beau 
tiful  prairie  eminence '  south  of  Skunk  River  as  the  site  of  another  Salem  in 
the  'Far  West.'  In  his  rambles  thirty  miles  west  of  Burlington,  over  the 
uninhabited  regions,  in  all  their  native  loveliness,  he  was  impressed  with  the 
great  advantages  presented  by  the  'beautiful  and  fertile  prairie  country, 
which  abounded  in  groves  of  tall  forest  trees,  and  was  watered  by  crystal 
streams  flowing  among  the  variagated  drapery  of  the  blooming  prairies.' 
Transported  with  the  prospect,  the  venerable  patriarch  exclaimed,  '  Now  have 
mine  eyes  beheld  a  country  teeming  with  every  good  thing,  and  hither  will 
I  come,  with  my  children  and  my  children's  children,  and  my  flocks  and 


IOWA.  36g 

herds  ;  and  our  dwelling-place  shall  be  called  '  Salem,'  after  the  peaceful  city 
of  our  fathers.' 

Next  year  witnessed  the  commencement  of  the  town  of  Salem,  on  the 
frontier  jegion  of  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase,  the  first  Quaker  settlement  in 
Iowa.  Five  years  afterward  this  colony  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem  numbered 
nearly  one  thousand  souls,  comprising  many  patriarchs  bleached  by  the 
snows  of  seventy  winters,  with  their  descendants  to  the  third  and  fourth  gen 
erations.  Such  was  the  first  advance  of  the  Anglo-American  population 
west  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  within  the  'District  of  Iowa,'  which,  before 
the  close  of  the  year  1834,  contained  nearly  five  thousand  white  inhabitants. 
Meantime,  for  the  convenience  of  temporary  government,  the  settlements 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  extending  more  than  one  hundred  miles  north  of  the 
Des  Moines  River,  had  been  by  congress  erected  into  the  'District  of  Iowa,' 
and  attached  to  the  District  of  Wisconsin,  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Michigan  Territory. 

The  District  of  Iowa  remained,  with  the  District  of  Wisconsin,  attached 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  Michigan  Territory,  until  the  latter  had  assumed  an 
independent  state  government  in  1836,  when  the  District  of  Wisconsin 
was  erected  into  a  separate  government,  known  as  the  Wisconsin  Territory, 
exercising  jurisdiction  over  the  District  of  Iowa,  then  comprised  in  two 
large  counties,  designated  as  the  counties  of  Des  Moines  and  Dubuque.  The 
aggregate  population  of  these  counties  in  1836  was  10,531  persons.  It  was 
not  long  before  the  District  of  Iowa  became  noted  throughout  the  west  for 
its  extraordinary  beauty  and  fertility,  and  the  great  advantages  which  it  af 
forded  to  agricultural  enterprize. 

Already  the  pioneer  emigrants  had  overrun  the  first  Black  Hawk  Purchase, 
and  were  advancing  upon  the  Indian  country  west  of  the  boundary  line. 
Settlements  continued  to  extend,  emigration  augmented  the  population,  and 
land- offices  were  established  at  Dubuque  and  Burlington  for  the  sale  of  such 
lands  as  were  surveyed. 

Meantime,  the  District  of  Iowa,  before  the  close  of  the  year  1838,  had 
been  subdivided  into  sixteen  counties,  with  an  aggregate  population  of  22,860 
souls,  distributed  sparsely  over  the  whole  territory  to  which  the  Indian  title 
had  been  extinguished.  The  same  year,  on  the  4th  of  July,  agreeably  to 
the  provisions  of  an  act  of  congress,  approved  June  12,  1838,  the  District 
of  Iowa  was  erected  into  an  independent  territorial  government,  known  as 
the  '  Territory  of  Iowa.'  The  first  '  territorial  governor  and  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  '  was  Robert  Lucas,  formerly  governor  of  Ohio,  with  James 
Clark  secretary  of  the  territory.  Charles  Mason  was  chief  justice  of  the 
superior  court,  and  judge  of  the  first  judicial  district;  Joseph  Williams  was 
judge  in  the  second  district;  and  Thomas  S.  Wilson  in  the  third.  The  first 
delegate  elected  by  the  people  to  represent  them  in  congress  was  Augustas 
C.  Dodge. 

The  Iowa  Territory,  as  first  organized,  comprised  'all  that  region  of  coun 
try  north  of  Missouri,  which  lies  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  of  a 
line  drawn  due  north  from  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  to  the  northern 
limit  of  the  United  States.' 

The  first  general  assembly  of  the  Iowa  Territory  made  provision  forthe 
permanent  seat  of  government,  On  the  first  of  May,  1839,  the  beautiful 
spot  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  'City  of  Iowa1  was  selected. 

During  the  year  1839,  emigration  from  New  England,  and  from  New  York 
by  way  of  the  lake  route  from  Buffalo  to  the  ports  on  the  western  shore  of 

24 


370  IOWA- 

Lake  Michigan,  and  from  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  began  to  set  strongly 
into  the  Iowa  Territory,  and  numerous  colonies  advanced  to  settle  the  beau 
tiful  and  fertile  lands  on  both  sides  of  the  Des  Moines  River  and  its  numer 
ous  tributaries,  as  well  as  those  upon  the  small  tributaries  of  theJMississippi 
for  two  hundred  miles  above. 

Population  increased  in  a  remarkable  manner;  aided  by  the  unbounded 
facilities  of  steam  navigation,  both  on  the  great  lakes  and  upon  the  large 
tributaries  of  the  Mississippi,  the  emigration  to  the  Iowa  and  Wisconsin  Ter 
ritories  was  unprecedented  in  the  history  of  western  colonization.  The  cen 
sus  of  1840  exhibited  the  entire  population  of  Iowa  Territory  at  43,017  per 
sons,  and  that  of  the  Wisconsin  Territory  at  30,945  persons. 

Such  had  been  the  increase  of  emigration  previous  to  1843,  that  the  legis 
lature  of  Iowa  made  formal  application  for  authority  to  adopt  a  state  consti 
tution.  At  the  following  session  of  congress,  an  act  was  passed  to  '  enable 
the  people  of  the  Iowa  Territory  to  form  a  state  government.'  A  conven 
tion  assembled  in  September,  and  on  the  7th  of  October,  1844,  adopted  a 
constitution  for  the  proposed  'state  of  Iowa;'  it  being  the  fourth  state  organ 
ized  within  the  limits  of  the  province  of  Louisiana. 

By  the  year  1844,  the  population  of  Iowa  had  increased  to  81,921  persons; 
yet  the  people  were  subjected  to  disappointment  in  the  contemplated  change  of 
government.  The  constitution  adopted  by  the  convention  evinced  the  pro 
gress  of  republican  feeling,  and  the  strong  democratic  tendency  so  prominent 
in  all  the  new  states.  The  constitution  for  Iowa  extended  the  right  of  suf 
frage  to  every  free  white  male  citizen  of  the  United  States  who  had  resided 
six  months  in  the  state,  and  one  month  in  the  county,  previous  to  his  appli 
cation  for  the  right  of  voting.  The  judiciary  were  all  to  be  elected  by  the 
people  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  all  other  officers,  both  civil  and  milita 
ry,  were  to  be  elected  by  the  people  at  stated  periods.  Chartered  monopolies 
were  not  tolerated,  and  no  act  of  incorporation  was  permitted  to  remain  in 
force  more  than  twenty  years,  unless  it  were  designed  for  public  improve 
ments  or  literary  purposes ;  and  the  personal  as  well  as  the  real  estate  of  the 
members  of  all  corporations  was  liable  for  the  debts  of  the  same.  The  leg 
islature  was  prohibited  from  creating  any  debt  in  the  name  of  the  state  ex 
ceeding  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  unless  it  were  for  defense  in  case  of 
war,  invasion,  or  insurrection  ;  and  in  such  case,  the  bill  creating  the  debt 
should,  at  the  same  time,  provide  the  ways  and  -means  for  its  redemption. 
Such  were  some  of  the  prominent  features  of  the  first  constitution  adopted 
for  the « state  of  Iowa.  Yet  the  state  was  not  finally  organized  under  this 
constitution,  and  the  people  of  Iowa  remained  under  the  territorial  form  of 
government  until  the  close  of  the  year  1846. 

The  constitution  of  Iowa  having  been  approved  by  congress,  an  act  was 
passed  March  3, 1845,  for  the  admission  of  the  'state  of  Iowa'  into  the  Fed 
eral  Union  simultaneously  with  the  'state  of  Florida,'  upon  the  condition  that 
the  people  of  Iowa,  at  a  subsequent  general  election,  assent  to  the  restricted 
limits  imposed  by  congress,  in  order  to  conform  with  the  general  area  of 
other  western  states;  but  the  people  of  Iowa  refused  to  ratify  the  restricted 
limits  prescribed  for  the  new  state,  a  majority  of  nearly  two  thousand  in  the 
popular  vote  having  rejected  the  terms  of  admission.  Hence  Iowa  remained 
under  the  territorial  government  until  the  beginning  of  1846,  when  the  peo 
ple,  through  their  legislature,  acquiesced  in  the  prescribed  limits,  and  con 
gress  authorized  the  formation  of  another  constitution,  preparatory  to  the 
admission  of  Iowa  into  the  Union. 


IOWA.  371 

The  people  of  Iowa,  in  1846,  assented  to  the  restriction  of  limits,  and  the 
formation  of  a  territorial  government  over  the  remaining  waste  territory  lying 
north  and  west  of  the  limits  prescribed  by  congress.  Petitions,  with  numer 
ous  signatures,  demanded  the  proposed  restriction  by  the  organization  of  a 
separate  territory,  to  be  designated  and  known  as  the  'Dacotah  Territory,' 
comprising  the  Indian  territory  beyond  the  organized  settlements  of  Iowa. 
Congress  accordingly  authorized  a  second  convention  for  the  adoption  of 
another  state  constitution,  and  this  convention  assembled  in  May,  1846,  and 
adopted  another  constitution,  which  was  submitted  to  congress  in  June  fol 
lowing.  In  August,  1846,  the  state  of  Iowa  was  formally  admitted  into  the 
Union,  and  the  first  state  election  was,  by  the  proclamation  of  Gov.  Clarke, 
to  be  held  on  the  26th  day  of  October  following.  In  the  ensuing  December, 
the  first  state  legislature  met  at  Iowa  City." 

Iowa  is  bounded  N.  by  Minnesota  and  Dacotah  Territory,  W.  by  Missouri 
River,  S.  by  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  E.  by  Mississippi  River.  It  is  situ 
ated  between  40°  30'  and  43°  30'  N.  Lat.,  and  between  90°  20'  and  96°  50' 
W.  Long.  Its  greatest  width,  from  E.  to  W.,  is  307  miles,  and  186  from  N. 
to  S.;  included  within  its  limits  is  an  area  of  50,914  square  miles. 

The  face  of  Iowa  is  moderately  uneven,  without  any  mountains  or  very 
high  hills.  There  is  a  tract  of  elevate'd  table  land,  which  extends  through 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  state,  dividing  the  waters  which  fall  into  the  Mis 
sissippi  from  those  falling  into  the  Missouri.  The  margins  of  the  rivers  and 
creeks,  extending  back  from  one  to  ten  miles,  are  usually  covered  with  tim 
ber,  while  beyond  this  the  country  is  an  open  prairie  without  trees.  The 
prairies  generally  have  a  rolling  surface,  not  unlike  the  swelling  of  the  ocean, 
and  comprise  more  than  two  thirds  of  the  territory  of  the  state:  the  tim 
bered  lands  only  one  tenth.  The  soil,  both  on  the  prairie  and  bottom  lands, 
is  generally  excellent  having  a  deep  black  mold  intermingled  with  a  sandy 
loam,  sometimes  of  red  clay  and  gravel.  It  is  watered  by  streams  of  the 
clearest  water,  and  its  inland  scenery  is  very  beautiful.  It  is  studded  in  parts 
with  numerous  little  lakes  of  clear  water,  with  gravelly  shores  and  bottoms. 

In  the  north-eastern  part  of  the  state  are  very  extensive  lead  mines,  being 
continuations  of  those  of  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  Vast  coal  beds  exist,  extend 
ing,  it  is  stated,  upward  of  two  hundred  miles,  in  the  direction  of  the  valley 
of  the  Des  Moines  River  alone,  which  centrally  intersects  the  state.  The 
entire  area  of  the  coal  fields  in  this  state,  is  estimated  to  be  not  less  than 
35,000  square  miles,  nearly  two  thirds  of  the  entire  state.  The  beds  of  coal 
are  estimated  by  geologists  to  be  of  the  average  thickness  of  100  feet.  Iron 
ore,  zinc  and  copper  are  also  found.  Iowa  is  also  rich  in  agricultural  re 
sources,  its  fertile  soil  producing  all  kinds  of  fruit  and  grains  raised  in  north 
ern  climates.  "As  a  general  rule,  the  average  .quantity  of  snow  and  rain  in 
Iowa  is  much  less  than  in  New  York  and  New  England.  There  are  much 
fewer  clouds.  The  cold  weather  in  winter  is  about  the  same  as  in  similar 
latitudes  in  the  east;  winter  commences  about  the  same  time,  but  the  spring 
generally  opens  much  earlier.  The  intense  cold  weather  is  comparatively 
short.  For  a  period  of  years  the  spring  will  average  from  two  to  four  weeks 
earlier  than  in  central  New  York.  This  difference  is  due  to  several  causes. 

In  the  east  the  proximity  of  large  bodies  of  water  gives  rise  to  an  im 
mense  number  of  very  dense  clouds,  that  prevent  the  spring  sun  from  hav 
ing  the  same  effect  as  is  experienced  in  the  west.  The  altitude  of  the  Coun 
try,  and  the  warm  quick  nature  of  the  Iowa  soil,  are  circumstances  going  far 
toward  accounting  for  this  difference.  The  heat  of  summer  is  much  greater 


372 


IOWA. 


than  in  the  same  latitude  in  New  York  and  New  England,  though  a  person 
may  work  in  the  open  sun  in  Iowa  when  the  thermometer  is  100  degrees 
above  zero  more  comfortably  than  he  can  when  it  is  at  90  degrees  in  New 
York.  An  atmosphere  saturated  with  water  is  more  sultry  and  disagreeable 
with  the  thermometer  at  90,  than  a  dry  atmosphere  with  the  thermometer  at 
100." 

Iowa  is  blessed  with  abundance  of  water  power,  and  the  noblest  of  rivers ; 
the  Mississippi  is  on  the  east,  the  Missouri  on  the  west,  while  numerous  streams 
penetrate  it,  the  finest  of  which  is  the  Des  Moines,  the  great  central  artery 
of  the  state,  which  enters  it  from  the  north  and  flows  south-east  through  it 
for  400  miles:  it  is  a  beautiful  river,  with  a  rocky  bottom  and  high  banks, 
which  the  state  is  making  navigable,  for  small  steamers,  to  Fort  Des  Moines, 
200  miles  from  its  mouth. 

By  the  census  of  1856,  the  number  of  paupers  was  only  132  out  of  a  pop 
ulation  of  more  than  half  a  million.  Population,  in  1836,  10,531 ;  in  1840 
42,017;  in  1850,  192,214;  in  1856,  509,000;  in  1860,  674;948. 


Eastern  view  of  Dubugue,  from  Dunleiih,  111. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Dubuque,  as  seen  from  the  terminus  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroan 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Mississippi.  On  the  left  is  the  terminus  of  the  Pacific  and  Dubuque  Railroad. 
On  the  right  the  Shot  Tower.  Back  of  the  principal  part  of  the  city  are  the  bluffs,  rising  to  a  hight  of 
about  200  feet. 

DUBUQUE,  the  largest  city,  and  the  first  settled  place  in  the  state,  is  on  the 
right  or  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  1,638  miles  above  New  Orleans, 
426  above  St.  Louis,  and  306  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  The  city 
proper  extends  two  miles  on  a  table  area,  or  terrace,  immediately  back  of 
which  rise  a  succession  of  precipitous  bluffs,  about  200  feet  high.  A  small 
marshy  island  is  in  front  of  the  city,  which  is  being  improved  for  business 
purposes.  The  beautiful  plateau  on  which  the  city  was  originally  laid  out, 
being  too  limited  for  its  growth,  streets  have  been  extended  up  and  over  the 
bluffs,  on  which  many  houses  have  been  erected  of  a  superior  order,  among 
which  are  numerous  elegant  residences.  The  Dubuque  Female  College  is 


IOWA.  373 

designed  to  accommodate  500  scholars.  The  Alexander  College,  chartered 
in  1853,  is  located  here,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Synod  of  Iowa.  Sev 
eral  important  railroads  terminate  at  this  place,  which  is  the  head-quarters 
and  principal  starting  place  for  steamboats  on  the  northern  Mississippi. 
Nearly  one  third  of  the  inhabitants  speak  the  German  language.  Popula 
tion  1860,  13,021. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Langworthy,  a  native  of  Vermont,  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
first  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  who  erected  a  dwelling,  and  smelted  the  first 
lead  westward  of  the  Mississippi.  He  first  came  here  in  1827.  The  first 
act  resembling  civil  legislation,  within  the  limits  of  Iowa,  was  done  in  Du- 
buque.  Mr.  Langworthy,  with  four  others,  H.  P.  Lander,  James  McPhee- 
ters,  and  Samuel  H.  Scales,  having  obtained  permission  to  dig  for  mineral, 
entered  into  an  agreement,  dated  July  17.  1830,  by  which  each  man  should 
hold  200  yards  square  of  ground,  by  working  on  said  ground  one  day  in  six, 
and  that  a  person  chosen  by  a  majority  of  the  miners  present,  should  hold 
the  agreement,  "and  grant  letters  of  arbitration.  '  It  appears,  from  an  in 
dorsement  on  the  paper,  that  Dr.  Jarrote  held  the  articles,  and  was  the  first 
person  chosen  by  the  people  in  the  territory  to  be  clothed  with  judicial 
powers.  In  Oct.,  1833,  Mr.  Langworthy  and  his  brothers,  with  a  few  neigh 
bors,  erected  the  first  school-house  built  in  Iowa.  It  stood  but  a  few  rods 
from  the  Female  College.  The  first  brick  building  erected  in  Dubuque  was 
in  the  "summer  of  1837,  by  Le  Hoy  Jackson,  from  Kentucky.  This  house 
is  now  standing  on  the  corner  of  Iowa  and  Eleventh-streets,  and  is  owned 
and  occupied  by  William  llebman,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  to 
Dubuque  in  1836,  when  a  lad  of  14  years,  and  acted  as  hodman  to  the  ma 
sons  who  erected  the  building.  When  Mr.  R.  came  to  this  place,  there  were 
some  30  or  40  dwellings,  many  of  them  log  cabins.  The  first  religious  ser 
vices  were  held  in  a  log  structure,  used  by  various  denominations.  The  first 
school  was  kept  by  llev.  Nicholas  S.  Bastion,  a  Methodist  preacher;  the 
school  house  stood  on  the  public  square,  near  the  Centennial  Methodist 
Church.  It  is  said  that  the  first  lead  discovered  here  was  by  Peosta,  an  In 
dian  chieftain  or  the  wife  of  one,  who  presented  it  to  Capt.  Dubuque. 

The  site  of  Dubuque  was  anciently  known  as  the  cornfields  and  place  of 
mounds  of  the  "Little  Fox  Village."  It  was  named,  in  1834,  after  Julian 
DuLuque,  an  Indian  trader,  who  settled  here  in  1788,  and  is  generally 'con 
sidered  as  the  first  white  settler  in  Iowa.  He  is  said  to  have  been  of  French 
and  Spanish  parentage.  He  married  into  the  Indian  tribe,  adopted  their 
habits  and  customs,  and  became  a  great  chief  among  them.  He  was  of  small 
stature,  addicted  to  the  vices  incident  upon  the  commingling  of  Spanish  and 
Indian  races  in  America,  and  a  great  medicine  man.  "He  would  take  live 
snakes  of  the  most  venomous  kind  into  his  arms  and  bosom,  and  was  conse 
quently  regarded  by  the  Indians  with  superstitious  veneration.  He  died  a 
victim  to  his  vices,  and  was  buried  on  a  high  bluff  that  overlooks  the  river, 
near  the  Indian  village  at  the  mouth  of  Catfish  Creek."  When  his  grave 
was  visited  by  L.  H.  Langworthy,  Esq.,  in  1830,  a  stone  house,  surmounted 
by  a  cedar  cross,  with  a  leaden  door,  stood  over  the  spot.  The  remains  of 
two  Indian  chiefs  were  also  deposited  within.  The  cross  had  a  French  in 
scription,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation : 

"Julien  Dubuque,  miner,  of  the  mines  of  Spain.  Died  this  24th  day  of  March,  1810, 
aged  45  years  6  rno." 

The  Indians,  being  instructed  by  Dubuque,  worked  the  mines  of  lead  here 
as  early  as  1800.  About  the  year  1830,  an  Indian  war,  between  the  Sioux 


374  IOWA. 

and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  caused  the  latter  to  forsake  their  village  here. 
Upon  this  the  whites  entered  upon  these  lands,  and  several  made  their  for 
tunes  in  a  single  day,  by  striking  upon  a  large  lode.  They  were,  however, 
soon  ordered  to  recross  the  river  by  Zachary  Taylor,  commanding  the  United 
States  forces  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  as  the  territory  had  not  yet  been  purchased 
of  the  Indians.  After  the  Black  Hawk  purchase,  the  west  side  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  was  opened  for  settlement.  By  1834,  several  stores  were  erected ; 
the  mines  increased  in  richness,  and  emigration  rapidly  advanced.  For  a 
time  "  Lynch  Law  "  was  the  only  one  recognized.  The  first  execution  for 
murder  was  that  of  a  man  who  shot  his  partner.  "  Upon  this  event  a  court 
was  organized,  jury  impanneled,  trial  had,  criminal  found  guilty,  and  after  a 
short  time  being  allowed  the  prisoner  to  prepare  for  death,  he  was  executed. 
The  gallows  was  erected  upon  the  south-west  corner  of  White  and  Seventh- 
streets,  upon  a  mound,  which  was  only  removed  for  the  large  block  that  now 
fills  its  place.  The  population,  at  that  time,  amounted  to  over  1,000.  nearly 
the  whole  of  which  were  witnesses  to  the  final  act  of  that  dreadful  tragedy." 

The  first  newspaper  issued  here  was  by  John  King,  Esq.,  under  the  fol 
lowing  title : 

"  DUBUQUE  VISITOR,  Truth  our  Guide — the  public  good  our  aim.  Duluque 
Lead  Mines,  Wisconsin  Territory,  May  16,  1836." 

In  1838,  some  attention  was  paid  to  agricultural  pursuits.  The  soil  prov 
ing  good,  the  prosperity  of  the  place  greatly  increased.  The  exportations  of 
lead  that  year  exceeded  6,000,000  Ibs.  In  1846,  the  lands  adjoining  Du- 
buque  were  brought  into  market,  and  the  next  year  Dubuque  was  reincor- 
porated  under  its  present  charter.  The  population  at  that  time  was  less  than 
3,000. 

"  Below  the  'Little  Fox  village,'  is  the  bluff  where  the  Sioux  made  their  last  and 
final  stand  against  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  It  stands  close  upon  the  shore  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  with  its  perpendicular  walls  about  two  hundred  feet  in  hight,  and  sloping 
back  toward  a  low  prairie,  by  which  it  is  surrounded  and  terminates  with  an  ab 
rupt  descent  to  tjiis  prairie.  Here  and  there,  scattered  around  it,  are  castellated 
rocks,  which  make  it  one  of  nature's  fortifications.  The  Sioux  were  encamped  on 
the  summit  of  this  bluff.  In  the  night  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  commenced  ascending, 
and  when  near  their  enemy,  by  a  fierce  encounter,  they  secured  the  outposts,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  had  so  reduced  the  number  of  the  Sioux,  that  those  remaining, 
rather  than  have  their  scalps  hang  at  their  enemies'  girdles,  threw  themselte? 
headlong  from  the  precipice  and  were  dashed  to  pieces.  At  the  present  time,  a 
few  of  the  bones  of  those  devoted  warriors  may  be  found  in  this  their  last  resting 
place;  and  of  late  years,  when  the  Indians  visit  this  spot,  they  cast  pebbles  and 
twigs  from  the  summit  upon  the  remains  of  those  below." 

To  the  foregoing  outline  we  annex  these  details  from  the  Lectures  of  Lu 
cius  H.  Langworthy,  Esq.,  upon  the  History  of  Dubuque: 

In  1827,  the  speaker  came  to  the  mines,  in  company  with  a  brother  and  two 
sisters,  together  with  Mr.  Meeker,  on  his  return  from  Cincinnati,  Maj.  Hough, 
Capt.  Donney  and  lady,  and  five  or  six  others. 

We  embarked  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  in  a  pirogue,  and  were  thirty  days  on  the  voy 
age.  A  pirogue  is  a  kind  of  intermediate  craft,  between  a  canoe  and  a  keel  boat. 
The  name  is  French,  and  signifies  the  kind  of  boats  used  by  the  early  voyageurs 
to  transport  their  furs  and  effects  over  the  shoal  waters  and  rapid  streams  of  the  west 
ern  wilderness.  I  mention  the  time  occupied  in  our  journey  hither,  in  order  to  show 
some  of  the  difficulties  of  settling  this  new  country  at  that  early  period.  Think 
of  a  boat's  crew,  witlf  several  ladies  on  board,  all  unaccustomed  to  the  river,  being 
compelled  to  work  a  boat  up  with  poles  and  oars,  against  the  swollen  current  of 
this  mighty  stream,  in  the  hot  weather  of  June,  sleeping  on  sand  bars,  or  anchored 


IOWA.  375 

out  in  the  river  at  night,  to  avoid  the  musquitoes,  or  lurking  Indians,  living  upon 
salt  pork  and  dry  biscuit,  coffee  without  cream  or  sugar,  and  withal  making  only 
about  eight  miles  average  per  day.  But  this  was  then  the  land  of  promise,  as  Cal 
ifornia  has  since  beeo"  In  July  of  that  year,  the  Winnebago  war  commenced. 
Much  alarm  was  spread  over  the  country,  and  the  people  erected  forts  and  block 
houses  for  defense,  abandoning  all  other  employments  for  the  time.  Col.  Henry 
Dodge  led  a  company  of  miners  against  the  Indians,  at  their  town  on  Hock  River. 
The  village,  hoAvever,  was  found  deserted,  and  they  returned  after  taking  one  lad 
prisoner. 

We  crossed  over  the  Mississippi  at  this  time,  swimming  our  horses  by  the  side 
of  a  canoe.  Jt  was  the  first  flow,  or  the  first  tide  of  civilization  on  this  western 
shore..  There  was  not  a  white  settler  north  of  the  Des  Moines,  and  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  to  Astoria,  on  the  Columbia  lliver,  with  the  exception  of  Indian  traders. 
The  Indians  had  all  along  guarded  this  mining  district  with  scrupulous  care.  They 
would  not  allow  the  white  people  to  visit  the  place,  even  to  look  at  the  old  grass- 
grown  diggings  of  Dubuque,  which  were  known  to  exist  here,  much  less  would 
they  permit  mining  to  be  done,  or  settlements  to  be  made. 

The  country  had  just  been  abandoned  by  the-  red  men,  their  moccasin  tracks 
were  yet  fresh  in  the  prairie  trails  along  which  the  retiring  race  had  fled  on  their 
mysterious  mission  westward,  and  the  decaying  embers  were  yet  cooling  on  their 
deserted  hearths  within  their  now  lonely  and  silent  wigwams.  Where  Dubuque 
now  stands,  cornfields  stretched  along  the  bluffs,  up  the  ravines  and  the  Coule  val 
ley,  and  a  thousand  acres  of  level  land  skirting  the  shore,  was  covered  with  tall 
grass,  as  a  field  of  waving  grain.  But  the  stalks  of  the  corn  were  of  the  last  year's 
growth,  the  ears  hail  been  plucked,  and  they  were  withered  and  blighted,  left 
standing  alone  mournful  representatives  of  the  vanished  race.  A  large  village  was 
then  standing  at  the  mouth  of  Catfish  Creek,  silent,  solitary,  deserted — nothing  re 
mained  to  greet  us,  but  the  mystic  shadows  of  the  past.  About  seventy  buildings, 
constructed  with  poles  and  the  bark  of  trees,  remained  to  tell  of  those  who  had  so 
recently  inhabited  them.  Their  council  house,  though  rude,  was  ample  ip.  its  di 
mensions,  and  contained  a  great  number  of  furnaces,  in  which  kettles  had  been 
placed  to  prepare  the  feasts  of  peace  or  war.  But  their  council  fires  had  gone  out. 
On  the  inner  surface  of  the  bark  there  were  paintings  done  with  considerable 
artistic  skill,  representing  the  buffalo,  elk,  bear,  panther,  and  other  animals  of  the 
chase ;  also  their  wild  sports  on  the  prairie,  and  even  their  feats  in  wars,  where 
chief  meets  chief  and  warriors  mix  in  bloody  fray.  Thus  was  retained  a  rude 
record  of  their  national  history.  It  was  burned  down  in  the  summer  of  1830,  by 
some  visitors  in  a  spirit  of  vandalism,  much  to  the  regret  of  the  new  settlers. 

When  the  Indians  mined,  which  was  on  special  occasions,  there  were  often  fifty 
or  a  hundred  boys  and  squaws  at  work  on  one  vein.  They  would  dig  down  a 
square  hole,  covering  the  entire  width  of  the  mine,  leaving  one  side  not  perpendic 
ular,  but  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  then  with  deer  skin  sacks  attached  to 
a  bark  rope  they  would  haul  out  along  the  inclining  side  of  the  shaft  the  rock  and 
ore.  Their  mode  of  smelting  was  by  digging  into  a  bank  slightly,  then  put  up  flat 
rocks  in  a  funnel  shape,  and  place  the  ore  within,  mixed  with  wood;  this  all  burnt 
together,  and  the  lead  would  trickle  down  into  a  small  excavation  in  the  earth,  of 
any  shape  they  desired,  and  slowly  cool  and  become  fit  for  exportation. 

The  lead  manufactured  here  in  early  times,  by  Dubuque  and  the  natives,  found 
its  way  to  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  Mackinaw,  and  other  trading  ports,  and  some  even 
into  the  Indian  rifle  in  the  war  of  1812,  in  the  woods  of  Indiana  and  Michigan. 
The  mode  of  smelting  adopted  at  first,  by  the  white  people,  was  by  building  a  fur 
nace  somewhat  like  two  large  chimney  places,  set  in  a  bank  of  earth,  leaving  an 
aperture  in  the  lower  side,  for  a  circulation  of  air.  In  these,  large  logs  of  wood 
were  placed  like  back-logs,  back-sticks  and  fore-sticks  all  fitting  together,  then  the 
mineral  was  placed  on  the  logs,  covered  With  finer  wood,  and  the  whole  set  on  fire. 
Thus,  in  twenty-four  hours,  the  lead  would  be  extracted  and  run  into  cast-iron 
molds.  About  fifty  per  cent,  of  lead  was  obtained  in  this  way,  leaving  scorise  and 
a  waste  of  small  pieces  of  ore  to  be  run  over  in  another  furnace  differently  con 
structed.  In  this  last  process,  about  fifteen  per  cent,  was  added  to  the  first  pro 
duct.  Now,  by  the  improved  mode,  of  blast  furnaces,  about  eighty-five  per  cent,  ia 


376 


IOWA. 


obtained,  showing  that  the  ore  is  nearly  pure,  except  only  the  combination  of  sul 
phur  with  it,  which  is  the  inflammable  material,  and  assists  in  the  process  of  sepa 
ration. 

AKs  I  have  said,  the  speaker  and  an  elder  brother,  in  June  of  1827,  crossed  the 
Mississippi  in  a  canoe,  swimming  their  horses  by  its  side,  landed  for  the  first  time 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  stream,  and  stood  upon  the  soil  of  this  unknown  land. 
Soon  after  this,  a  number  of  miners  crossed  over  the  river,  and  possessed  them 
selves  of  these  lands,  thus  left  vacant;  their  mining  operations  proved  eminently 
successful. 

About  the  fourth  of  July,  Zachary  Taylor,  then  commanding  at  Prairie  du  Chien, 
called  upon  the  miners,  in  a  formal  and  public  manner,  forbade  their  settlement, 
and  ordered  them  to  recross  the  river.  This  land  was  not  yet  purchased  of  the 
Indians,  and,  of  course,  came  under  the  control  of  the  war  department.  Captain 
Taylor,  as  he  was  then  called,  told  the  miners  that  it  was  his  duty  as  a  government 
officer,  to  protect-  the  lands ;  that  such  were  the  treaty  stipulations,  and  that  they 
must  be  off  in  one  week.  They  declined  doing  this,  telling  the  captain  that  he 
must  surrender  this  time.  They  urged  that  they  had  occupied  a  vacant  country, 
had  struck  some  valuable  lode's,  that  the  land  would  soon  be  purchased,  and  that 
they  intended  to  maintain  possession;  to  which  Zachary  Taylor  replied,  "  We  shall 
see  to  that,  my  boys." 

Accordingly  a  detachment  of  United  States  troops  was  dispatched,  with  orders 
to  make  the  miners  at  Dubuque  walk  Spanish.  Anticipating  their  arrival,  they  had 
taken  themselves  off,  for  at  that  early  day  they  believed  that  "rough"  would  be 
''ready"  at  the  appointed  time.  The  miners  were  anxiously  peering  from  the  high 
bluffs  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  as  the  steamer  came  in  sight  bringing  the  sol 
diers,  who  were  landed  on  the  west  shore.  Three  of  the  men,  who  had  lingered 
too  long,  were  taken  prisoners.  They  were,  however,  soon  released,  or  rather  took 
themselves  off.  It  is  said  that  one  of  them,  a  large,  fat  man,  by  the  name  of  Lem 
ons,  made  his  escape  from  the  soldiers  while  at  Galena,  and  taking  the  course  of 
the  high  prairie  ridge  leading  northerly,  exhibited  such  astonishing  speed,  that  the 
race  has  long  been  celebrated  among  the  miners,  as  the  greatest  feat  ever  performed 
in  the  diggings. 

The  military  force  was  stationed  permanently  at  Dubuque,  and  the  Indians,  ven 
turing  back  to  the  place,  sure  of  safety  and  protection  against  their  inveterate  ene 
my,  the  Sioux,  and  other  intruders,  were  encouraged  to  mine  upon  the  lodes  and 
prospects  which  the  white  people  had  discovered.  From  one  mine  alone  the  In 
dians  obtained  more  than  a  million  pounds  of  ore,  in  which  they  were  assisted  by 
the  traders  and  settlers  along  the  river,  with  provisions,  implements,  and  teams. 
While  the  discoverers,  those  who  had  opened  these  mines  again,  after  they  were 
abandoned  by  them  and  the  Spanish  miners  more  than  twenty  years,  were  com 
pelled  to  look  across  the  water  and  see  the  fruits  of  their  industry  and  enterprise 
consumed  by  the  Indians.  We  lost,  in  this  manner,  more  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  mineral,  which  was  taken  from  one  lode  by  them. 

In  September,  1832,  a  treaty  was  held  at  Kock  Island,  by  General  Scott  and 
others,  on  the  part  of  the  government,  and  the  Black  Hawk  purchase  was  agreed 
to.  It  included  all  the  country  bordering  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
comprising  the  eastern  portion  of  our  state.  About  this  time,  those  who  felt  an 
interest  in  the  mines  of  Dubuque,  returned  to  take  possession  of  their  former  dis 
coveries. 

Many  fine  lodes  and  prospects  were  discovered,  and  considerable  lead  manufac 
tured  up  to  about  January  25,  1833.  I  could  here  name  many  others  who  settled 
during  this  fall:  Thomas  McCraney,  Whitesides,  Camps,  Hurd,  Kiley,  Thomas 
Kelly,  etc.  In  fact  there  were  more  than  two  hundred  allured  here  by  the  flatter 
ing  prospects  of  the  country  during  this  fall.  But,  in  January,  the  troops  were 
again  sent  down  from  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  removed  the  settlers  the  second  time, 
merely  because  the  treaty  by  which  the  land  was  acquired  had  not  been  ratified 
bv  the  United  States  senate,  a  formal  act  that  every  one  knew  would  take  place  at 
the  earliest  opportunity.  This  was  a  foolish  policy  on  the  part  of  the  government, 
and  operated  peculiarly  hard  upon  the  new  settlers,  who  were  thus  obliged  to  leave 
their  cabins  in  the  cold  winter  of  1832-3,  and  their  business  also  until  spring. 


IOWA 


377 


In  June,  1833,  Mr.  John  P.  Sheldon,  arrived  with  a  commission  from  the  depart 
ment  at  Washington,  as  superintendent  of  the  mines,  the  military  force  having 
b'ien  previously  withdrawn,  and  the  treaty  confirmed.  He  proceeded  to  grant 
written  permits  to  miners,  and  licenses  to  smelters.  These  permits  entitled  the 
holder  to  the  privilege  of  staking  off  two  hundred  yards  square  of  land  wherever 
he  chose,  if  not  occupied  by  others,  and  have  peaceful  possession,  by  delivering  his 
mineral  to  a  licensed  smelter,  while  the  smelter  was  required  to  give  a  bond  to  the 
agent,  conditioned  to  pay,  for  the  use  of  the  government,  a  fixed  per  centage  of  all 
the  lead  he  manufactured.  Mr.  Sheldon  continued  to  act  in  this  capacity  only 
about  one  year,  for  he  could  not  be  the  instrument  of  enforcing  this  unjust  and  un 
wise  policy.  He  saw  that  these  men,  like  all  other  pioneers,  who,  by  their 
enterprise  were  opening  up  a  new  country,  and  fitting  it  for  the  homes  of  those 
who  follow  their  footsteps,  should  be  left,  by  a  wise  and  judicious  system,  to  the 
enjoyment  of  their  hard  earnings.  The  hidden  wealth  of  the  earth,  its  pine  for 
ests  and  surface  productions,  should  alike  be  offered  freely  to  all  those  who  pene 
trate  the  wilderness,  and  thus  lay  the  foundation  of  future  societies  and  states. 

It  has  been  the  policy  of  our  government,  at  various  times,  to  exact  rent  for  all 
mineral,  or  pine  lumber,  taken  from  the  public  lands ;  which  policy  is  wrong  and 
should  be  forever  abandoned ;  for  the  early  settlers  have  privations  atnd  hardships 
enough,  without  encountering  the  opposition  of  their  own  government,  especially 
these  miners,  many  of  whom  had  labored  for  years  on  the  frontiers,  cut  off  from 
khe  enjoyments  of  home'and  all  the  endearments  of  domestic  life.  Your  speaker 
yas,  himself,  one  of  these,  being  thrown  in  early  life  upon  the  crest  of  the  wave 
..if  western  emigration,  often  beyond  the  furthest  bounds  of  civilization,  and  not 
unfrequently  amid  the  tragical  scenes  of  border  strife.  Twenty-three  years  he  la 
bored,  mostly  in  the  mines,  in  different  capacities,  and  during  about  half  that  pe 
riod  he  has  toiled  in  the  deep,  narrow  caves  and  crevices,  in  the  cold,  damp  ground, 
working  upon  his  knees,  sometimes  in  the  water,  and  living  like  many  other  miners 
in  "Bachelor's  Hall,"  cooking  his  own  food,  and  feeling  secluded  from  society  and 
far  from  the  circle  and  associations  of  youthful  friendship.  Under  such  privations, 
he  felt  the  demand  of  a  heavy  tax,  by  the  government,  to  be  oppressive  indeed,  and 
he  would  be  wanting  in  consistency  and  spirit,  if  he  had  not,  on  all  proper  occa 
sions,  protested  against  a  system  that  seems  much  more  regal  than  republican,  and 
which  degrades  the  western  pioneer  to  the  condition  of  a  tenant  at  will  of  the  gen 
eral  government. 

In  1833-4,  the  town  of  Dubuque  continued  to  improve.  It  now  first. received  its 
name  by  a  public  meeting  held  for  that  purpose,  and  began  to  assume  the  appear 
ance  of  a  prosperous  businevss  place. 

At  this  time  there  were  but  very  few  men  in  the  whole  country  who  did  not  in 
dulge  in  drinking  and  gambling.  "Poker"  and  "brag"  were  games  of  common, 
pastime,  while  the  betting  often  run  up  to  hundreds  of  dollars  in  a  single  sitting. 
It  pervaded  all  classes;  the  merchants  and  other  passengers,  to  and  from  St.  Louis, 
while  on  the  steamboats  occupied  their  time  chiefly  in  this  way,  and  it  was  consid 
ered  no  disgrace  to  gamble.  Balls  and  parties  were  also  common,  and  it  was  not 
an  unfrequent  occurrence  for  one  to  treat  his  partner  in  the  dance  at  the  bar,  if  he 
^id  not,  he  generally  performed  that  delicate  and  flattering  attention  to  himself, 
'-he  Sabbath  was  regarded  as  a  holiday,  and  vice  and  immorality  were  prevalent  in 
every  form.  Yet  amidst  all  this  there  were  occasional  gleams  of  moral  sunshine 
breaking  through  the  clouds  of  dissipation,  and  a  brighter  future  lay  before  us. 
Upon  the  establishing  of  courts  here,  first  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Michigan, 
then  under  that  of  Wisconsin  Territory,  matters  assumed  a  more  peaceful  and  quiet 
aspect. 

But  there  were  even  then  occasions  of  turbulence  and  bloodshed,  in  quarrels 
about  lands  find  claims.  Mr.  Woodbury  Massey  lost  his  life  in  one  of  these  diffi 
culties.  There  were  no  courts  of  competent  jurisdiction  to  try  cases  of  crime,  or 
rights  to  property.  A  long  time  intervened  between  the  withdrawal  of  the  gov 
ernment  protection  and  the  establishment  of  civil  laws  by  local  authority. 

No  survey  of  the  public  lands  had  yet  been  made,  and'in  the  transition  from  the 
old  to  the  new  state  of  things,  misunderstandings  naturally  arose.  Under  the  gov 
ernment  rules  and  regulations  for  the  control  of  the  mines,  it  was  necessary  to 


378 

work  and  have  mining  tools  almost  continually  on  the  land  claimed,  in  order  to  se 
cure  possession;  under  the  new  order  of  things  there  were  no  uniform  customs  pre 
vailing,  regarding  possession  of  property;  each  man  formed  his  own  standard  and 
was  governed  by  his  own  opinions.  It  was  not  surprising,  then,  that  difficulties 
should  arise.  He  who  has  passed  through  all  the  scenes  and  trials  incident  to  the 
settlement  of  a  new  country,  will  not  readily  seek  another  distant  frontier  as  a 
home.  c 

Woodhury  Massey  was  the  eldest  of  several  brothers  and  a  sister,  all  left  orphans 
in  early  life.  Himself  and  family  were  members  and  the  chief  founders  of  the 
first  Methodist  Church  erected  in  this  city;  a  man  of  fine  education,  polite  and 
amiable  in  his  disposition,  one  of  our  first  merchants,  and  possessing  a  large  share 
of  popular  favor.  He  was  enterprising  in  business,  and  upright  in  all  his  dealings. 
Had  he  lived,  he  would  no  doubt  have  proved  a  main  pillar  and  support  in  our 
young  community.  But  in  an  evil  hour  he  became  the  purchaser  of  a  lot  or  lode, 
called  the  Irish  lot,  near  where  Mr.  McKenzie  now  lives. 

It  appeared  that  a  Mr.  Smith,  father  and  son,  had  some  claim  on  this  lot  or  lode. 
They  were  the  exact  opposite  to  Mr.  Massey,  in  character  and  disposition.  A  suit 
before  a  magistrate  grew  out  of  this  claim,  and  the  jury  decided  the  property  to 
belong  to  Mr.^Massey.  It  being  a  case  of  forcible  entry  and  detainer,  the  sheriff, 
as  was  his  duty,  went  with  the  latter  to  put  him  again  in  possession  of  the  pre 
mises. 

When  they  arrived  upon  the  ground,  the  two  Smiths,  being  secreted  among  the 
diggings,  rose  up  suddenly,  and  firing  their  guns  in  quick  succession,  Mr.  Massey 
was  shot  through  the  heart  His  family,  living  near  by,  saw  him  fall,  thus  early 
cut  down  in  the  prime  of  his  life  and  usefulness,  a  victim  to  the  unsettled  state  of 
the  times,  and  the  urigoverned  passions  of  turbulent  men.  The  perpetrators  of 
this  deed  were  arrested  and  held  in  confinement  until  the  session  of  the  circuit 
court,  at  Mineral  Point,  Judge  Irving  presiding.  Upon  the  trial,  the  counsel  for 
the  defense  objected  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court,  which  was  sustained  by  the 
judge,  and  accordingly  the  prisoners  were  discharged  and  let  loose  upon  society 
They,  however,  left  this  part  of  the  country  for  a  time. 

One  of  the  younger  brothers  of  Mr.  Massey,  highly  exasperated  by  this  transac 
tion,  that  no  trial  could  be  obtained  for  such  offenders,  had  determined,  it  seems, 
that  should  the  elder  Smith  ever  come  in  his  way,  he  would  take  the  punishment 
for  the  murder  of  his  brother  into  his  own  hands.  One  day,  while  sitting  in  his 
shop  at  Galena,  he  chanced  to  see  Smith  walking  the  public  streets  of  the  place, 
when,  instantly  snatching  a  pistol  and  hastening  in  the  direction,  he  fired  upon 
him  with  fatal  aim.  Thus  Smith  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  life  by  intruding  again 
among  the  friends  of  the  murdered  man,  and  in  the  community  which  had  wit 
nessed  the  scenes  of  his  violence. 

For  this  act  of  the  younger  brother,  there  seems  to  have  been  the  broadest  char 
ity  manifested.  He  was  never  tried,  or  even  arrested,  and  still  lives  in  the  coun 
try,  a  quiet  man,  and  greatly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 

The  death  of  the  father,  of  course,  soon  brought  the  younger  Smith  to  the  mines. 
It  was  understood  privately  that  he  determined  to  shoot  one  or  the  other  of  the 
surviving  brothers  at  the  very  first  opportunity.  He  was  known  to  be  an  excellent 
shot  with  a  pistol,  of  imperious  disposition  and  rash  temper.  These  rumors  finally 
reached  the  ears  of  the  fair  haired,  blue  eyed  sister,  who  was  thus  made  to  believe 
that  he  would  carry  his  threats  into  execution.  She  was  just  verging  into  woman 
hood,  with  fresh  susceptibilities,  and  all  of  her  deep  affections  awakened  by  the 
surrounding  difficulties  of  the  family.  One  day,  without  consulting  others,  she  de 
termined,  by  a  wild  and  daring  adventure,  to  cut  off  all  chances  of  danger  in  that 
direction.  Disguising  herself  for  the  occasion,  and  taking  a  lad  along  to  point  out 
the  person  she  sought,  having  never  seen  him  herself,  she  went  into*  the  street 
Passing  a  store  by  the  way  side,  the  boy  saw  Smith  and  designated  him  from  the 
other  gentlemen  in  the  room  by  his  clothing.  On  seeing  him  thus  surrounded  by 
other  men,  one  would  suppose  that  her  nerves  would  lose  their  wonted  firmness. 
He  was  well  armed  and  resolute  in  character,  this  she  knew;  yet  stepping  in 
amidst  them  all,  in  a  voice  tremulous  with  emotion  and  ominous  in  its  tones,  she 
exclaimed,  "If  you  are  Smith,  defend  yourself."  In  an  instant,  as  he  arose,  she 


IOWA.  379 

pointed  a  pistol  at  his  breast  and  fired;  he  fell,  and  she  retired  as  suddenly  as  she 
appeared.  It  was  all  done  so  quickly,  and  seemed  so  awful  that  the  specta 
tors  stood,  bewildered  at  the  tragical  scene,  until  it  was  too  late  to  prevent  the  dis 
aster. 

It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Smith  had,  at  the  time,  a  large  wallet  filled  with  papers 
in  his  breast  pocket.  The  ball  striking  about  its  center  did  not  of  course  pene 
trate  all  of  the  folded  leaves,  and  thus  providentially  his  lifb  was  spared. 

Smith,  soon  recovering  from  the  stunning  effects,  rushed  into  the  street  to  meet 
his  assailant;  but  she  had  fled  and  found  shelter  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Johnson,  a 
substantial  merchant  of  the  town,  and  was  subsequently  sent  away,  by  her  friends 
here,  to  some  relatives  in  Illinois,  where  she  was  afterward  married  to  a  Mr.  Wil 
liamson,  formerly  of  this  place.  Her  name,  Louisa,  has  been  given  to  one  of  the 
counties  in  our  State.  Smith  lived  several  years,  but  the  wounds  probably  has 
tened  his  death.  She  is  also  dead,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  God's  mercy  has  fol 
lowed  them  beyond  earth's  rude  strifes,  and  that  they  dwell  in  peace  in  a  purer 
and  better  world. 


Ituins  of  Camanche,  Clinton  county. 

After  the  Great  Tornado  of  June  3,  1860.    Engraved  from  a  view  taken  by  photograph. 

The  west  has,  at  various  periods  of  its  history,  been  subject  to  severe  tor 
nadoes,  which  have  carried  ruin  and  devastation  in  their  course.  The  most 
terrible  ever  known,  was  that  which  swept  over  eastern  Iowa  and  western  Illi 
nois,  on  the  evening  of  Sunday,  June  3,  1860.  It  commenced  about  five 
miles  beyond  Cedar  Rapids,  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  and  stopped  near  Elgin, 
Illinois,  thus  traversing  a  distance  of  nearly  200  miles.  It  varied  in  width 
from  half  a  mile  to  two  miles.  It  was  of  the  nature  of  a  whirlwind,  or  a&  some 
eye  witnesses  aver  of  two  whirlwinds,  moving  in  the  same  direction  and  near 
each  other,  which  in  shape  resembled  a  funnel.  The  larger  villages  between 
Cedar  Rapids  arid  the  Mississippi,  were  out  of  the  course  of  this  fearful  de 
stroyer;  but  much  property  was  damaged,  and  more  than  fifty  lives  lost  be 
fore  reaching  the  river.  The  town  of  Camanche,  on  the  Mississippi,  in  Clin 
ton  county,  about  70  miles  below  Dubuque,  was  utterly  destroyed,  and  New 
Albany,  opposite  it  on  the  Illinois  side,  nearly  ruined.  It  was  stated  in  the 

33 


380  IOWA- 

prints  of  the  time,  that,  by  this  terrible  calamity,  2,500  persons  had  been 
rendered  houseless  and  homeless,  and  about  400  killed  and  wounded.  The 
account  of  this  event  is  thus  given  in  the  Fulton  Courier : 

The  storm  reached  Camanche  at  7.30  P.M.,  with  a  hollow,  rumbling  noise  her 
alding  its  approach,  which  sounded  like  a  heavy  train  of  cars  passing  over  a  bridge. 
Moving  with  the  velocity  of  lightning,  it  struck  the  devoted  town,  and  the  fearful 
work  of  havoc  commenced.  The  scene  that  followed,  as  given  by  eye  witnesses, 
can  neither  be  imagined  nor  described.  Amidst  the  roar  of  the  tempest,  the  rust 
ling  of  the  wind,  the  reverberating  peals  of  thunder,  the  vivid  flashes  of^  lightning, 
the  pelting  of  the  rain,  the  crash  of  falling  buildings,  the  agonizing  shrieks  of  ter 
ror  stricken  women  and  children,  the  bewildered  attempts  to  escape,  and  the 
moans  of  the  dying,  but  little  opportunity  was  left  to  observe  the  general  appear 
ance  of  the  blow. 

Parents  caught  their  children  in  their  arms  and  rushed  frantic  for  any  place  that 
seemed  to  promise  safety.  Many  found  refuge  in  cellars,  which  to  others  proved 
graves.  So  sudden  was  the  shock  that  many  in  the  upper  parts  of  buildings  wero 
left  no  time  to  flee  to  other  parts. 

To  go  outside  was  as  hazardous  as  to  remain  within.  The  turbulent  air  was  filled 
with  fragments  of  lumber,  furniture,  and  trees,  flying  in  every  direction,  with  the 
force  of  cannon  balls. 

Amidst  such  intense  excitement,  attended  with  such  fatal  consequences,  moments 
seem  years.  But  from  statements,  that  beyond  doubt  are  correct,  the  storm  did  not 
rage  less  than  two  and  a  half,  nor  more  than  five  minutes.  It  would  seem  impos 
sible,  on  looking  at  the  devastation,  to  suppose  it  the  work  of  so  short  a  time. 
Darkness  immediately  closed  over  the  scene,  and  left  a  pall  over  the  town  only 
equaled  by  the  darker  gloom  that  draped  the  hearts  of  the  survivors  of  the 
disaster. 

At  Albany,  heavy  warehouses  were  lifted  entire,  and  removed  some  considerable 
distance,  strong  brick  and  stone  buildings  entirely  demolished,  while  the  lighter 
frame  dwelling  houses  were,  in  most  cases,  entirely  swept  away.  We  could  not 
estimate  the  whole  number  of  buildings  injured,  but  could  learn  of  not  over  three 
houses  in  the  whole  town  that  were  not  more  or  less  damaged — most  of  them  de 
stroyed.  The  ground  was  strewed  with  fragments  of  boards.  The  hotel  kept  by 
Captain  Barnes  was  not  moved  from  its  foundation,  but  part  of  the  roof  and  inside 
partitions  were  carried  away.  The  brick  (Presbyterian)  church  was  leveled  to 
the  ground,  and  the  Congregational  much  injured.  The  brick  and  stone  houses 
seemed  to  afford  but  little  more  protection  than  the  frame,  and  when  they  fell  gave, 
of  course,  less  chance  of  escape.  But  one  place  of  business  (Mr.  Pease  s)  was  left 
in  a  condition  to  use.  The  buildings,  household  furniture,  provisions,  and  every- 
thingrin  fact,  in  most  instances,  were  swept  beyond  the  reach  of  recovery.  The 
ferry-boat  was  lifted  from  the  water  and  laid  upon  the  shore.  Cattle,  horses,  and 
hogs,  were  killed  or  driven  away  by  the  irresistible  .element.  The  loss  of  life,  how 
ever,  was  far  less  than  could  have  been  expected.  But  five  persons  were  killed,  and 
perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  injured. 

Camanche  was  almost  completely  destroyed.  A  very  few  buildings  were,  as  if 
by  miracle,  left  standing,  but  even  these  were  more  or  less  injured.  ~  The  ground 
was  covered  with  splinters,  boards,  furniture,  etc.,  completely  shivered  to  pieces. 
Nothing  perfect  or  whole  was  to  be  seen,  but  everything  looked  as  though  it 
had  been  riven  by  lightning.  The  larger  trees  were  blown  down :  while  on  the 
smaller  ones  that  would  yield  to  the  wind,  were  to  be  seen  tattered  pieces  of  cloth 
ing,  carpets,  pillows,  and  even  mattresses,  nearly  torn  to  shreds.  The  river  below 
was  covered  with  marks  of  the  storm,  and  much  property  was  lost  by  being  swept 
into  the  water.  The  general  appearance  of  the  ground  was  much  like  the  traces 
left  by  a  torrent  where  flood-wood  is  left  lying  in  its  path.  Where  buildings  once 
stood  is  now  a  mass  of  unsightly  ruins.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  the  lines  of  the 
former  streets  can  be  traced.  Frame  houses  were  swept  away  or  turned  into  every 
conceivable  variety  of  positions.  Dead  animals  were  left  floating  in  the  river  or 
lying  among  the  ruins.  The  feathers  on  the  poultry  were  even  stripped  from  their 
bodies.  Everything  was  so  completely  scattered  and  destroyed  that  it  was  useless 


IOWA.  381 

to  attempt  to  recover  anything,  and  the  citizens  could  only  sit  down  in  despair. 
Until  12  M.  of  Monday,  the  work  of  exhuming  the  bodies  from  the  fallen  ruins  was 
still  progressing.  In  one  room  that  we  visited,  the  bodies  of  children  and  females 
were  lying  (ten  or  twelve  in  number),  clothed  in  their  white  winding  sheets.  It 
was  a  sight  that  we  pray  may  never  again  be  ours  to  witness.  The  little  children, 
in  particular,  had  but  few  face  injuries,  and  lay  as  if  sleeping. 

In  all,  thirty-eight  persons  were  reported  missing  at  Camanche,  and  thirty-two 
bodies  have  been  found.  About  eighty  were  reported  as  wounded,  some  of  whom 
have  since  died.  Information  has  been  received  which  furnishes  us  with  reliable 
accounts  of  139  deaths  caused  by  the  tornado  along  the  line  of  the  Iowa  and  Ne 
braska  road,  including  Camanche.  On  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river  the  loss  of 
life  has  not  been  quite  so  great,  but  we  think  we  are  safe  in  putting  the  total  num 
ber  of  killed  at  175.  The  wounded  are  by  far  more  numerous,  while  the  loss  of 
property  can  not  be  definitely  estimated.  We  hear  of  150  cattle  in  one  yard  in 
Iowa  that  were  all  destroyed.  Farm  houses,  fences,  crops,  railroad  cars,  and  all 
property  that  fell  in  the  path  of  the  tornado,  were  left  in  total  ruin.  There  were 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  property  destroyed,  much  of  which  will 
never  be  reported. 

The  tornado  commenced  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  and  stopped,  as  near  as  we  can 
learn,  in  the  vicinity  of  Elgin,  Illinois.  It,  of  course,  would  carry  objects  some 
times  in  opposite  directions,  moving  as  it  did  with  the  motion  of  a  whirlwind.  We 
saw  one  house  that  had  been  lifted  from  its  foundation,  and  carried  two  hundred 
feet  in  a  course  directly  contrary  to  the  regular  course  of  the  tornado. 

The  escapes  in  all  the  places  where  the  storm  passed,  were  often  truly  miracu 
lous.  In  Albany,  Mr.  Slaymaker  had  repaired  to  the  church  for  the  purpose  of 
ringing  the  bell  for  worship,  but  seeing  the  appearance  of  a  heavy  rain  approach 
ing,  concluded  not  to  ring  it.  Had  the  congregation  been  called  together  it  would 
have  been  certain  death  to  all,  as  the  walls  of  the  church,  being  built  of  brick,  fell 
on  the  inside.  We  saw  a  small  house  that  had  been  carried  several  rods  with  three 
persons  in  it,  and  set  down  without  damage  to  the  house  or  inmates.  A  little 
daughter  of  Mr.  Swett  was  lying  on  a  bed,  and  was  blown  with  it  twenty  rods  into 
a  grove,  from  whence  it  came  unharmed,  calling  for  its  mother.  An  infant  son  of 
Mrs.  Joseph  Riley  was  buried  beneath  her,  and  it  is  thought  that  her  own  weight 
upon  it  was  the  cause  of  its  death.  One  family  took  refuge  in  a  meal  chest,  which, 
fortunately,  proved  strong  enough  to  protect  them  from  a  mass  of  rubbish  that 
covered  them.  Mrs.  Oliver  M'Mahan  fell  in  a  place  where  the  floor  of  the  first 
story  had  been  previouslv  partly  broken,  producing  a  sag  or  bend.  The  joists  fell 
over  her,  but  were  long  enough  to  reach  over  the  bend,  and  thus  saved  her  life. 
Mr.  Effner  had  at  one  time  been  safely  secure  in  his  cellar,  but  going  up  for  some 
thing  to  shield  his  child  from  the  cold,  was  killed  instantly.  We  saw  two  children 
who  were  killed  in  the  arms  of  their  mothers.  At  Camanohe,  the  first  story  of  a 
hardware  store,  with  its  contents,  was  carried  into  the  river  and  lost,  while  the  up 
per  part  of  the  building  dropped  down  square  upon  the  foundation  as  though 
placed  there  by  mechanics.  A  child  was  blown  from  fifteen  miles  west  of  Camanche 
to  that  place  and  landed  uninjured.  One  man  in  Iowa  was  taken  up  200  feet.  A 
family  on  a  farm  took  refuge  in  a  "potato  hole,"  where  they  remained  secure;  but 
the  house  they  left  was  completely  demolished.  Pieces  of  boards  were  picked  up 
eight  and  ten  miles  from  Albany,  in  both  north  and  south  directions.  A  wagon 
was  lifted  into  the  air,  broken  to  pieces,  and  the  tire  of  one  of  the  wheels  twisted 
out  of  all  shape.  Nine  freight  cars,  standing  on  the  track  at  Lisbon,  were  blown 
some  distance  from  the  place  they  were  standing.  The  tornado  raised  immediately 
over  the  house  of  Mr.  Minta,  in  Garden  Plain,  and  descended  to  strike  the  next 
house  beyond.  We  noticed  that  those  living  in  frame  houses  met  with  less  loss  of 
life  than  the  inmates  of  brick  or  stone  houses. 

A  passenger  from  the  west  informs  us  that  a  small  boy  was  blown  across  Cedar 
River,  and  his  mangled  body  left  in  the  forks  of  a  tree.  In  one  family  all  that 
was  left  were  three  little  girls,  the  father  and  mother  and  two  children  having  been 
instantly  killed.  We  saw  where  a  fence  board  had  been  forced  clear  through  the 
side  of  a  house,  endwise,  and  hundreds  of  shingles  had  forced  themselves  clear 
through  the  clapboards  of  a  house. 


382  IOWA. 

Another  eye  witness  says:  A  chimney,  weighing  about  two  tuns,  was  broken  off 
at  its  junction  with  the  roof,  lifted  into  the  air,  and  hurled  down  into  the  front 
yard,  burying  itself  in  the  ground  a  depth  of  three  feet,  without  breaking  or  crack 
ing  a  single  brick.  A  light  pine  shingle  was  driven  from  the  outside  through  the 
clapboards,  lath  and  plaster,  and  projects  two  inches  from  the  inside  wall  of  a  dwell 
ing  house.  No  other  known  force  could  have  accomplished  this.  A  common  trowel, 
such  MS  is  used  by  masons,  was  driven  through  a  pine  knot  in  the  side  of  a  barn, 
projecting  full  two  inches.  In  one  spot  was  found  a  large  pile  of  book  covers, 
every  leaf  from  which  was  gone,  and  t\visted  into  a  thousand  shapes.  Leaves  were 
stripped  of  their  tissue,  leaving  the  fibers  clean  and  bare  as  if  a  botanist  had 
neatly  picked  it  off.  Tree  trunks  were  twisted  several  times  round  until  they  were 
broken  off.  The  Millard  House,  a  three  story  brick  structure,  fronting  north,  was 
lifted  up  from  its  foundation  and  turned  completely  round,  so  that  the  front  door 
faced  the  south.  It  then  collapsed,  and  seemed  to  fall  outwardly  as  if  in  a  vacuum, 
and,  strange  to  relate,  out  of  seventeen  persons  in  the  house,  only  two  were  killed. 
One  house  upon  the  bank  was  lifted  from  its  foundation  and  whirled  into  the  river, 
crushing  as  it  fell  and  drowning  three  persons,  the  inmates.  . 

A  piano  was  taken  out  of  a  house  in  the  center  of  the  town,  and  carried  some 
distance  to  the  river  bank  without  breaking  it. 

The  effects  upon  some  of  the  houses  near  Camanche,  which  were  in  the  outer 
edge  of  the  tornado,  were  very  curious.  Upon  some  roofs  the  shingles  were 
stripped  off  in  faciful  shapes,  a  bare  spot  upon  one  roof  exactly  resembling  a  fig 
ure  8.  iSome  roofs  were  entirely  unshingled,  and  in  some  cases  every  clapboard 
was  torn  off.  The  sides  of  some  houses  were  literally  perforated  with  boards, 
splintered  timbers  and  sharp  stakes.  In  some  parts  of  Camanche,  where  houses 
stood  thickly  clustered  together,  there  is  not  a  vestige  of  one  left.  Another  tract 
of  about  forty  acres  is  covered  with  splinters  about  two  feet  in  length.  The  lower 
stories  of  some  houses  were  bloAvn  out  entirely,  leaving  the  upper  story  upon  the 
ground.  The  town  is  entirely  ruined,  and  we  do  not  see  how  it  can  ever  be  re 
built.  There  are  whole  blocks  of  lots  that  are  vacant  entirely,  with  nothing  but 
the  cellar  to  indicate  that  a  house  ever  stood  there. 

The  whole  atmosphere  around  the  place  is  sickening,  and  a  stench  is  pervading 
the  whole  path  of  the  storm  that  is  almost  impossible  to  endure. 


DAVENPORT,  a  flourishing  city,  the  county  seat  of  Scott,  is  beautifully 
situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  the  foot  of  the  upper  rapids, 
opposite  the  town  of  Hock  Island,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  most  mag 
nificent  railroad  bridge,  the  first  ever  built  over  the  Mississippi.  The  great 
railroad  running  through  the  heart  of  the  state,  and  designed  to  connect  the 
Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers,  has  its  eastern  terminus  at  Davenport.  The 
city  is  330  miles  above  St.  Louis,  and  100  below  Galena.  The  rapids  ex 
tend  20  miles  above  this  place,  and  the  navigation  of  the  river  is  somewhat 
obstructed  by  them  during  the  time  of  low  water.  The  city  is  built  on 
ground  which  rises  gradually  from  the  water,  with  a  chain  of  rounded  hills 
in  the  back  ground.  Pop- 1860, 11,268. 

The  city  derived  its  name  from  Col.  George  Davenport,  who  was  born  in 
England,  in  1783.  He  came  to  this  country  when  a  young  man,  entered 
the  U.  S.  army  as  sergeant,  and  saw  considerable  service,  on  the  frontier,  in 
the  war  of  1812.  After  the  war,  he  settled  on  Hock  Island,  opposite  this 
town,  and  engaged  in  trading  with  the  Indians.  That  vicinity  was  densely 
settled  by  them.  The  village  of  Black  Hawk  was  there  in  the  forks  of 
Rock  River  and  the  Mississippi.  He  carried  on  the  fur  trade  very  exten 
sively  for  many  years,  establishing  trading  posts  at  various  points.  On  the 
4th  of  July,  1845,  a  band  of  robbers  entered  his  beautiful  residence  in  the 
middle  of  the  day,  in  the  absence  of  his  family,  and  in  robbing,  accidentally 


IOWA. 


383 


shot  him.  He  died  the  same  night.  All  of  the  murderers  were  taken,  three 
were  hung  and  two  escaped.  Mr.  Davenport  was  of  a  very  free  and  gener 
ous  disposition,  jovial  and  fond  of  company.  Wherever  he  went  a  crowd 
assembled  around  him  to  listen  to  his  anecdotes  and  stories.  He  never  sued 


Southern  view  of  Davenport,  from  the  Rock  Island  Ferry. 

The  Steamboat  Landing  and  Flouring  Mill  is  seen  in  the  central  part.  The  Railroad  Dopot  and  A.  Le- 
Claire's  residence,  ou  an  elevation  in  the  distance,  on  the  right.  The  Iowa  College  building  on  the  left. 

any  one  in  his  life,  and  could  not  bear  to  see  any  one  in  distress  without  try 
ing  to  relieve  them.  The  biographer  of  Col.  Davenport  gives  these  inci 
dents: 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  Mr.  Davenport  received  a  commission  from  Gov. 
lleynolds,  appointing  him  acting  quartermaster  general,  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 
In  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1832,  the  cholera  broke  out  among  the  troops 
on  the  island,  and  ranged  fearfully  for  about  ten  days;  one  hundred  died  out  of  a 
population  of  four  hundred;  every  person  was  dreadfully  alarmed.  An  incident 
occurred  during  this  time  which  will  show  the  state  of  feeling.  Mr.  Davenport, 
Mr.  LeClaire,  and  a  young  officer  were  standing  together  in  front  of  the  store  one 
morning.  The  officer  had  been  giving  them  an  account  of  the  number  of  deaths 
and  new  cases,  when  an  orderly  came  up  to  them  with  a  message  from  Gen.  Scott 
to  Mr.  LeClaire.  reqviesting  him  to  come  down  to  the  fort  as  soon  as  possible.  Mr. 
LeClaire  looked  at  Mr.  Davenport  to  know  what  excuse  to  make.  Mr.  Davenport, 
after  a  moment,  replied  to  the  orderly  to  tell  Gen.  Scott  that  Mr.  LeClaire  could 
not  come,  as  he  was  quite  sick.  The  officer  and  orderly  laughed  heartily  at  Mr. 
Davenport  and  Mr.  LeClaire  being  so  much  alarmed ;  but  next  morning  the  first 
news  they  received  from  the  fort,  was,  that  these  two  men  were  dead. 

At  the  time  the  cholera  broke  out  at  Fort  Armstrong,  there  were  two  Fox  chiefs 
confined  in  the  guard-house  for  killing  the  Menornonies  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
had  been  given  up  by  their  nation  as  the  leaders,  on  the  demand  of  our  govern 
ment,  and  were  awaiting  their  trial.  Mr.  Davenport  interceded  for  them  with  the 
commanding  officer,  to  let  them  out  of  their  prison,  and  give  them  the  range  of 
the  island,  with  a  promise  that  they  should  be  forthcoming  when  they  were  wanted. 
The  Indians  were  released,  and  they  pledged  their  word  not  to  leave  the  island 


384  IOWA- 

until  permitted  to  do  so  by  the  proper  authorities.  During  all  the  time  the  fearful 
epidemic  raged  on  the  island,  and  every  person  was  fleeing  from  it  that  could  get 
away,  these  two  chiefs  remained  on  the  island,  hunting  and  fishing,  and  when  the 
sickness  had  subsided,  they  presented  themselves  at  the  fort  to  await  their  trial, 
thus  showing  how  binding  a  pledge  of  this  kind  was  with  this  tribe  of  Indians. 
Mr.  Davenport,  for  many  years,  was  in  the  habit  of  crediting  the  chiefs  of  the  dif 
ferent  villages  for  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods  annually, 
having  nothing  but  their  word  pledged  for  the  payment  of  them,  which  they 
always  faithfully  performed. 

The  following  extracts  relative  to  the  early  history  of  Davenport,  are  from 
"Wilkie's  History  of  the  city: 

"  In  the  year  1833,  there  were  one  or  two  claims  made  upon  the  lands  now 
occupied  by  the  lower  part  of  the  city.  The  claim  upon  which  the  city  was 
first  laid  out  was  contended  for  by  a  Dr.  Spencer  and  a  Mr.  McCloud.  The 
matter  was  finally  settled  by  Antoine  LeClaire  buying  them  both  out:  giv 
ing  them  $150.  .  .  .  Having  fenced  in  this  portion,  Mr.  LeClaire  cul 
tivated  it  until  it  was  sold  to  a  company  in  1835.  In  the  fall  of  this  year,  a 
company  was  formed  for  the  purchasing  and  laying  out  a  town  site.  They 
met  at  the  house  of  Col.  Davenport,  on  Rock  Island,  to  discuss  the  matter. 
The  following  persons  were  present:  Maj.  Wm.  Gordon,  Antoine  LeClaire, 
Col.  Geo.  Davenport,  Maj.  Thos.  Smith,  Alex.  McGregor,  Levi  S.  Colton,  and 
Philip  Hambaugh.  These  gentlemen,  with  Capt.  James  May,  then  in  Pitts- 
burg,  composed  the  company  which  secured  the  site 

In  the  spring  of  the  next  year,  the  site  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  by  Maj. 
Gordon,  U.  S.  surveyor,  and  one  of  the  stockholders.  The  cost  of  the  en 
tire  site  was  $2,000  or  $250  per  share.  In  May  the  lots  were  offered  at  auc 
tion.  A  steamboat  came  up  from  St.  Louis,  laden  with  passengers  to  attend 
the  sale,  which  continued  for  two  days.  Some  50  or  60  lots  only  were  sold, 
mostly  to  St.  Louis  speculators,  at  from  $300  to  $600  each.  The  remaining 
portion  of  the  site  was  divided  among  the  proprietors.  The  emigra 
tion  this  year  was  small,  only  some  half  dozen  families  coming  in.  The  first 
tavern  was  put  up  this  year  and  opened  by  Edward  Powers,  on  the  corner 
of  Front  and  Ripley-streets.  It  was  built  by  Messrs.  Davenport  and  Le 
Claire,  and  was  called  "Davenport  Hotel."  A  log  shanty  drinking  saloon  was 
also  put  up,  which  stood  on  Front-street,  below  the  Western-avenue.  It  was 
long  a  favorite  resort  of  the  politician  and  thirsty.  .  .  . 

James  Mackintosh  opened  the  first  store,  and  commenced  business  in  a 
log  house  near  the  U.  S.  House,  corner  of  Ripley  and  Third-streets.  .  .  . 
Lumber  at  that  time  was  brought  from  Cincinnati,  and  almost  everything 
else  from  a  distance.  Flour  at  $16  per  barrel;  pork  at  16  cents  per  pound, 
were  brought  from  that  city.  Corn  was  imported  from  Wabash  River,  and 

brought  $2  per  bushel The  ferry  dates  its  existence  from  this 

year — it  being  a  flat  bottomed  craft,  technically  called  a  "  mud-boat."  This, 
in  1841,  was  superseded  by  a  horse-boat,  which  in  time  gave  way  to  steam.  . 

The  first  child  born  in  Davenport,  was  in  1841,  a  son  of  L.  S.  Colton.  .  . 
The  first  law  office  was  opened  by  A.  McGregor.  The  first  religious  dis 
course  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Mr.  Gavitt,  a  Methodist,  at  the  house  of  D.  C. 
Eldridge.  Preaching  also  from  an  Episcopalian  the  same  spring.  Reli 
gious  services  were  held  occasionally,  in  which  a  priest  from  Galena 
officiated.  .  .  .  The  pioneer  ball  was  held  at  Mr.  LeClaire's,  Jaji.  8, 
1836.  Some  forty  couples  were  present,  consisting  of  frontier  men,  officers 
from  the  island,  and  others.  The  music  was  furnished  by  fiddles,  from  which 


IOWA.  335 

no  contemptible  strains  were  occasionally  drawn  by  Mr.  LeClairc  himself.  .  . 
The  party  danced  till  sunrise,  then  broke  up — the  gentlemen  being,  as  a 
general  thing,  as  genial  as  all  the  "  punches  "  they  could  possibly  contain, 
would  make  them. 

In  the  summer  of  1836,  Mr.  A.  LeClaire  was  appointed  postmaster.  Mails  came 
once  a  week  from  the  east,  and  once  in  two  weeks  from  Dubuque.  The  postmas 
ter  used  to  carry  the  mail  across  the  river  in  his  pocket,  and  the  per  centage  for 
the  first  three  months  was  seventy-five  cents.  In  September,  a  treaty  was  held  at 
East  Davenport,  between  Gov.  Dodge,  U.  S.  commissioner,  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
The  object  of  the  treaty  was  to  secure  possession  of  the  land  bordering  on  the 
Iowa  River,  and  known  as  "Keokuk's  Reserve."  About  one  thousand  chiefs  and 
warriors  were  present,  and  were  encamped  during  the  time  just  above  Renwick's 

mill This  was  the  last  treaty  ever  held  in  this  vicinity.  There  were 

seven  houses  at  the  close  of  this  year.  There  was  a  frame  dwelling  partly  finished 
and  owned  by  a  Mr.  Shields.  It  has  been  since  known  as  the  "Dillon  House" 
(of  which  a  gentleman,  since  governor  of  the  state,  was  once  hostler).  The  year 
(1836)  closed  with  a  population  of  less  than  one  hundred.  Stephenson  (now  Rock 
Island)  which  had  been  laid  out  in  1834,  had  at  this  time  a  population  of  nearly 
five  hundred 

The  first  duel  "on  record"  in  Iowa,  was  fought,  in  the  spring  of  1837,  between 
two  Winnebago  Indians.  These  young  men,  in  a  carousal  at  Stephenson,  com 
menced  quarreling,  and  finally  resorted  to  the  code  of  honor.  One  had  a  shot  gun, 
the  other  a  rifle.  On  the  Willow  Island,  below  the  city,  at  the  required  distance 
they  fired  at  each  other.  The  one  with  the  shot  gun  fell,  and  was  buried  not  far 
from  the  graveyard  below  the  city.  The  survivor  fled  to  his  home  in  the  Rock 
River  country.  The  friends  and  relations  of  the  slain  clamored  for  the  blood  of 
the  slayer,  arid  the  sister  of  the  latter  went  for  the  survivor.  She  found  him — en 
treated  him  to  coine  back  to  Rock  Island  and  be  killed,  to  appease  the  wrathful 
manes  of  the  deceased.  He  came — in  a  canoe  paddled  by  his  own  sister — singing 
his  death  song.  A  shallow  grave  was  dug,  and  kneeling  upon  its  brink,  his  body 
tumbled  into  it,  and  his  death  song  was  hushed,  as  the  greedy  knives  of  the  exe 
cutioners  drank  the  blood  of  his  brave  heart. 

Dr.  A.  E.  Donaldson,  from  Pennsylvania,  came  in  July,  1837,  and  was,  it  is  stated, 
the  first  regular  physician.  The  religious  services,  for  this  year,  and  for  a  year  or 
two  afterward,  were  held  in  a  house  belonging  to  D.  C.  Eldridge.  Clergymen  of 
various  denominations  officiated.  In  1838,  during  the  summer,  the  first  brick  house 
was  erected  by  D.  C.  Eldridge,  standing  on  the  S.E.  corner  of  Main  and  Third- 
streets.  Nearly  at  the  same  time,  the  brick  building  now  used  by  the  Sisters,  in 
Catholic  block,  was  completed  as  a  church.  A  long  controversy  between  Rocking- 
ham  and  Davenport,  respecting  the  location  of  the  county-seat,  was  terminated  in 
favor  of  the  latter,  in  1840,  by  the  citizens  of  Davenport  agreeing  to  construct  the 
court  house  and  jail,  free  of  expense  to  the  county. 

The  celebrated  "  Missouri  War  "  is  ascribed  to  about  this  date.  It  arose  from  a 
dispute  in  regard  to  boundary — two  lines  having  been  run.  The  northern  one  cut 
off  a  strip  of  Iowa  some  six  or  eight  miles  in  width,  and  from  this  portion  Mis 
souri  endeavored  to  collect  taxes.  The  inhabitants  refused  to  pay  them,  and  the 
Missouri  authorities  endeavored,  by  sending  a  sheriff,  to  enforce  payment.  A  fight 
ensued,  and  an  lowan  was  killed,  and  several  taken  prisoners.  The  news  spread 
along  the  river  counties,  and  created  intense  excitement.  War  was  supposed  to  be 
impending,  or  to  have  actually  begun. 

Col.  Dodge,  an  individual  somewhat  noted  as  the  one  who,  in  connection  with 
Theller,  had  been  imprisoned  by  the  Canadian  authorities  for  a  participation  in 
the  "  Patriot  War,"  had  lately  arrived  here,  after  breaking  jail  in  Canada.  His 
arrival  was  opportune — a  call  for  volunteers  to  march  against  Missouri  was  circu 
lated,  and  was  responded  to  by  some  three  hundred  men,  who  made  Davenport 
their  rendezvous  on  the  proposed  day  of  marching.  A  motley  crowd  was  it!  Arms 
were  of  every  kind  imaginable,  from  pitchforks  to  blunderbusses,  and  Queen  Anne 
muskets.  One  of  the  colonels  wore  a  common  rusty  grass  scythe  for  a  sword, 
while  Capt.  Higginson,  of  company  A,  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  find  an  old 

25  " 


386 

sword  that  an  Indian  had  pawned  for  whisky,  which  he  elegantly  belted  around 
him  with  a  heavy  log  chain. 

The  parade  ground  was  in  front  of  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Scott  House. 
Refreshments  were  plenty,  and  '•  steam  "  was  being  rapidly  developed  for  a  start, 
when  word  came  that  peace  was  restored — Missouri  having  resigned  her  claim 
to  the  disputed  ground.  The  army  was  immediately  disbanded,  in  a  style 
that  would  do  honor  to  the  palmiest  revels  of  Bacchus.  Speeches  were  made, 
toasts  drunk,  and  a  host  of  maneuvers,  not  in  the  military  code,  were  performed, 
to  the  great  amusement  of  all.  Some,  in  the  excess  of  patriotism  and  whisky, 
started  on  alone  to  Missouri,  but  lay  down  in  the  road  before  traveling  far,  and 
slept  away  their  valor.  • 

St.  Anthony's  Church,  the  first  erected,  was  dedicated  May  23,  1839,  by  Rt.  Rev. 
Bishop  Loras,  of  Dubuque.  The  Catholic  Advocate  thus  states,  "Mr.  Antoine  Le- 
Claire,  a  wealthy  Frenchman,  and  a  zealous  and  exemplary  Christian,  in  partner 
ship  with  Mr.  Davenport,  has  granted  to  the  Catholic  congregation,  in  the  very  cen 
ter  of  the  town,  a  whole  square,  including  ten  lots,  erecting,  partly  at  his  own  ex 
pense,  a  fine  brick  church  with  a  school  room  attached." The  Rev. 

Mr.  Pelamourgues,  who  first  assumed  charge  of  the  church,  still  retains  it. 

The  First  Presbyterian  Church  was  established  in  the  spring  of  1838,  pastor, 
James  D.  Mason;  the  Davenport  Congregational  Church  was  organized  July  30, 
1839,  by  Rev.  Albert  Hale;  their  present  church  building  was  erected  in  1844. 
The  first  regular  services  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  were  commenced 
here  Oct.  14,  1841,  by  Rev.  Z  H.  Goldsmith.  The  corner  stone  of  the  present 
edifice  of  Trinity  Church  was  laid,  by  Bishop  Kemper,  May  5,  1852.  The  Metho 
dist  Episcopal  Church  was  established  June  1,  1842;  the  First  Raptist  Church  was 
established  in  1839,  N.  S.  Bastion,  pastor;  the  German  Congregation  was  estab 
lished  July  19,  1857,  A.  Frowein,  pastor;  "Church  of  Christ,"  or  Disciples  Church 
established  July  28,  1839. 

The  first  newspaper  was  the  "  Iowa  Sun  and  Davenport  and  Rock  Island  News," 
issued  in  Aug.,  1838,  by  Alfred  Sanders.  It  was  continued  till  184.1,  when  it  was 
succeeded  by  the  "Davenport  Weekly  Gazette."  The  "Weekly  Banner"  was 
started  in  1848,  by  A.  Montgomery;  in  1855,  it  was  bought 'by  Messrs.  Hildreth, 
Richardson  &  West,  and  was  changed  to  the  "  Iowa  State  Democrat."  The  "  Even 
ing  News,"  daily  and  weekly,  was  started  by  Harrington  &  Wilkie,  Sept.,  1856. 
The  "Der  Demokrat"  (German)  was  established,  by  T.  Guelich,  in  1851. 


Bellevue,  the  capital  of  Jackson  county,  is  on  the  Mississippi,  12  miles 
below  Galena.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  state,  having  been  first 
settled  in  1836,  by  J.  D.  Bell.  The  location  being  a  beautiful  one,  had  long 
been  a  favorite  spot  with  the  Indians.  The  population  in  1860  was  about 
1,500. 

The  following  interesting  narrative  of  some  incidents  which  took  place 
here  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  place  is  given  to  us  by  Wm.  A. 
Warren  Esq.  He  was  the  sheriff  in  command  of  the  posse  of  citizens, 
some  of  whom  it  will  be  seen  lost  their  lives  in  their  efforts  to  restore  law 
and  order. 

In  the  year  1836,  was  organized  a  band  of  horse-thieves,  counterfeiters,  and  high 
way  robbers,  having  their  head-quarters  near  Elk  Heart,  Michigan,  and  extending 
their  ramifications  in  all  directions  from  that  point,  many  hundred  miles.  The 
Rock  River  valley,  Illinois,  and  the  settled  portions  of  what  is  now  Iowa,  were  the 
chief  points  of  their  operations,  although  the  band  extended  through  Kentucky, 
Missouri,  and  even  to  the  Cherokee  Nation. 

Their  organization  was  complete.  They  had  their  pass  words,  and  Bother  means 
of  recognition.  No  great  master  spirit  controlled  the  whole  organization,  as  is 
usually  the  case  in  criminal  associations  of  that  nature.  The  leaders  were  those 
whose  education  rendered  them  superior  to  the  instincts  of  the  half  savage  settlers 
with  whom  they  were  associated. 

Their  method  of  doing  business,  and  escaping  detection,  was  as  follows :  B.  g 


IOWA 


387 


band,  in  Iowa,  would  "spot"  certain  horses  and  other  "plunder,"  and  arrange  to 
make  a  foray  on  some  particular  night.  A.,  in  Missouri,  having  obtained  the 
knowledge  of  this,  would  start  his  band  on  a  marauding  expedition  the  same  night. 
But  those  who  were  to  do  the  plundering  would  make  a,  feint  to  go  north  or  south 
on  a  trading  expedition,  a  day  or  two  before  the  time  fixed  upon,  and  returning  at 
night,  would  be  carefully  concealed  until  the  proper  time,  when  they  would  sally 
forth  on  the  expedition  in  earnest.  The  two  bands  then  meeting  half  way,  would 
exchange  the  stolen  property,  and  returning,  dispose  of  the  plunder,  perhaps  to 
the  very  persons  whom  they  had  robbed  a  few  nights  before. 


Storming  of  the  Bellevite  Hotel,  In/  the  Citizens. 

The  engraving  illustrates  a  scene  in  tli»  early  h-Ut^rv  or  noilevne.  The  hotol  of  the  town  was  occniiicd 
by  a  hand  of  outlaws,  who  had  ln«cn  th»  terror  of  the  wh:ile  country  for  hundreds  of  miles  distant.  As 
they  defied  the.  authorities,  tlu-  citi/,-ns  \\vre  compelled  to  resort  to  arius.  Tlie  stronghold  was  carried  hy 
Storm,  in  which  several  were  slain  on  each  side. 

Those  of  the  band  who  were  merely  accomplices,  were  careful  to  be  visiting 
some  honest  neighbor  on  the  night  of  the  robbery,  and  thus  avert  suspicion  from 
themselves.  By  this  means,  it  will  be  seen,  that  detection  was  almost  impossible, 
and  suspicion  unlikely  to  rest  upon  the  real  perpetrator*1.. 

The  then  frontier  village  of  Bellevue,  wa*  a  central  point  on  this  rout<\  and  also 
the  head -quarters  of  one  of  the  most  numerous  and  powerful  of  the  bands.  Its 
leader,  William  Brown,  was  a  man  remarkable  in  many  respects.  lie  came  to 
Bellevue  in  the  spring  of  183:'),  and  soon  after  brought  out  his  family  and  opened 
a  public  house,  which  was  destined  t>  become  famous  in  the. "Village  history. 
Brown,  physically,  was  a  powerful  man.  and  in  education  superior  to  those  around 
him.  Ho  possessed  a  pleasant,  kindly  address,  and  was  scrupulously  honest  in  his 
every  day's  dealinirs  with  his  neighbors.  It  is  said  that,  none  who  reposed  confi 
dence  in  him  in  a  business  transaction  ever  regretted  it.  ITe  was  ably  seconded 
bv  hu  wife,  a  woman  of  about  24  years  of  age,  and  of  more  than  ordinar}T  natural 
iiiipac  ty.  They  had  but  one  child,  a  little  girl  of  some  four  years  of  age.  Ever 
ready  to  assist  the  destitute,  the  foremost  in  public  improvements,  this  family  soon 
bn<;amt  idolized  by  the  rude  population  of  that  early  day,  so  that  nothing  but  pos 
itive  proof  finally  fastened  suspicions  of  dishonesty  upon  them.  Having,  by  his 


388  IOWA- 

wiles,  seduced  a  larger  part  of  the  young  men  into  his  band,  and  being  daily  rein 
forced  from  other  quarters,  Brown  became  more  bold  in  his  operations,  then  threw 
off  the  mask,  and  openly  boasted  of  his  power  and  the  inability  of  the  authorities 
to  crush  him  out.  It  was  no  idle  boast.  Fully  two  thirds  of  the  able  bodied  men 
in  the  settlement  were  leagued  with  him.  He  never  participated  in  passing  coun 
terfeit  money,  stealing  horses,  etc.,  but  simply  planned. 

Any  man  who  incurred  the  enmity  of  the  "gang,"  was  very  certain  to  wake 
Borne  morning  and  find  his  crops  destroyed,  his  horses  stolen,  and  the  marks  of  his 
cattle  having  been  slaughtered  in  his  own  yard;  in  all  probability  the  hind  quar 
ters  of  his  favorite  ox  would  be  offered  for  sale  at  his  own  door  a  few  hours  there 
after.  If  one  of  his  gang  was  arrested,  Brown  stood  ready  to  defend  him,  with  an 
argument  not  now  always  attainable  by  the  legal  profession — he  could,  at  a  mo 
ment's  notice,  prove  an  alibi.  Thus  matters  went  on,  until  it  became  apparent  to 
the  honest  portion  of  the  community  that  the  crisis  had  arrived. 

As  an  instance  of  the  boldness  which  they  evinced,  now  the  band  had  become 
so  powerful,  we  give  an  incident  of  the  stealing  of  a  plow  from  a  steamboat.  In 
the  spring  of  1839,  a  steamboat  landed  at  Bellevue  to  wood ;  the  boat  was  crowded 
with  passengers,  and  the  hurricane  deck  covered  with  plows.  Jt  being  a  pleasant 
day,  the  citizens,  old  and  young,  according  to  custom,  had  sallied  forth  to  the  river 
side,  as  the  landing  of  a  steamboat  was  then  by  no  means  a  daily  occurrence.  The 
writer  of  this,  standing  near  Brown,  heard  him  remark  to  a  man,  named  Hapgood, 
and  in  the  presence  of  numerous  citizens,  "that,  as  he  (H.)  had  long  wanted  to 
join  Brown  s  party,  if  he  would  steal  one  of  those  plows,  and  thus  prove  his  qual 
ifications,  he  should  be  admitted  to  full  fellowship."  Hapgood  agreed  to  make  the 
trial,  and  thereupon,  to  our  surprise,  as  we  had  supposed  the  conversation  to  be 
merely  in  jest,  he  went  upon  the  hurricane  deck,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  cap 
tain,  passengers,  and  citizens  on  shore,  shouldered  a  plow  and  marched  off  the 
boat  and  up  the  leVee.  When  on  the  boat,  Hapgood  conversed  with  the  captain 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  the  captain  pointed  out  to  him  which  plow  to  take.  In  a 
few  moments  the  boat  was  gone,  and  Hapgood  boasted  of  the  theft.  It  was  sup 
posed  that  he  had  bought  the  plow  and  paid  the  captain  for  it,  but  the  next  day, 
when  the  boat  returned,  there  was  great  and  anxious  inquiry,  by  the  captain,  "  for 
the  man  that  took  that  plow,"  but  he  had  disappeared,  and  remained  out  of  sight 
until  the  boat  was  gone.  About  the  same  time  another  bold  robbery  occurred 
near  Bellevue,  the  incidents  of  which  so  well  illustrate  the  character  of  these 
ruffians,  that  we  can  not  forbear  recounting  them. 

One  Collins,  a  farmer,  living  about  eight  miles  from  town,  came  in  one  day  and 
sold  Brown  a  yoke  of  cattle  for  $80.  Being  a  poor  judge  of  money,  and  knowing 
Brown's  character  well,  he  refused  to  take  anything  in  payment  but  specie.  On 
his  return  home  that  evening,  he  placed  his  money  in  his  chest.  About  midnight 
his  house  was  broken  open  by  two  men,  upon  which  he  sprang  from  his  bed,  but 
was  immediately  knocked  down.  His  wife  coming  to  his  rescue  was  also  knocked 
down,  and  bothVere  threatened  with  instant  death  if  any  more  disturbance  was 
made.  The  robbers  then  possessed  themselves  of  Collins'  money  and  watch  and 
departed.  In  the  morning  he  made  complaint  before  a  justice  of  the  peace,  ac 
cusing  two  men  in  the  employment  of  Brown  with  the  crime.  They  were  arrested 
and  examined.  On  the  trial,  Collins  and  his  wife  swore  positively  to  the  men,  and 
also  identified  a  watch  found  with  them  as  the  one  taken.  In  their  possession  was 
found  $80  in  gold,  the  exact  amount  stolen.  A  farmer  living  near  Collins,  testified 
that  about  11  o'clock,  on  the  night  of  the  robbery,  the  accused  stopped  at  his 
house  and  inquired  the  way  to  Collins'.  Here  the  prosecution  closed  their  evidence, 
and  the  defense  called  three  witnesses  to  the  stand,  among  whom  was  Fox,  after 
ward  noted  as  the  murderer  of  Col.  Davenport,  all  of  whom  swore  positively  that, 
on  the  night  of  the  robbery,  they  and  the  accused  played  cards  from  dark  till  day 
light,  in  Brown's  house,  eight  miles  from  the  scene  of  the  "robbery!  In  the  face 
of  the  overwhelming  testimony  adduced  by  the  state,  the  defendants  were  dis 
charged  ! 

Another  laughable  instance,  displaying  the  shrewdness  and  villainy  of  these  fel 
lows,  occurred  early  in  the  spring  of  1838.  Godfrey  (one  of  the  robbers  of  Col 
lins)  came  into  town  with  a  fine  span  of  matched  horses,  with  halter  ropes  around 


IOWA.  389 

their  necks.  From  the  known  character  of  their  possessor,  the  sheriff  thought  best 
to  take  the  horses  into  his  custody.  Brown's  gang  remonstrated  against  the  pro 
ceedings,  but  to  no  effect.  Subsequently  a  writ  of  replevin  was  procured,  and  tho 
horses  demanded — the  sheriff  refused  to  give  them  up.  A  general  row  ensued. 
The  citizens,  being  the  stronger  party  at  that  time,  sustained  the  sheriff,  and  he 
maintained  the  dignity  of  his  office.  Handbills,  describing  the  horses  accurately, 
were  then  sent  around  the  county.  A  few  days  afterward,  a  stranger  appeared  in 
town,  anxiously  inquiring  for  the  sheriff,  and  upon  meeting  him,  he  announced  his 
business  to  be  the  recovery  of  a  fine  span  of  horses,  which  had  been  stolen  from 
him  a  short  time  before,  and  then  so  accurately  described  those  detained  by  the 
sheriff,  that  the  latter  informed  him  that  he  then  had  them  in  his  stable.  Upon 
examining  them,  the  man  was  gratified  to  find  that  they  were  his;  turning  to  the 
crowd,  he  offered  $25  to  any  one  who  would  produce  Godfrey,  remarking  that,  if  he 
met  him,  he  would  wreak,  his  vengeance  upon  him  in  a  summary  manner,  without 
the  intervention  of  a  jury.  Godfrey  was  not,  however,  to  be  found,  and  the  horses 
were  delivered  to  the  stranger. 

Imagine  the  consternation  of  the  sheriff,  when,  two  days  later,  the  true  owner 
of  the  horses  appeared  in  search  of  them!  The  other  was  an  accomplice  of  God 
frey,  and  they  had  ta,ken  that  method  of  securing  their  booty.  Similar  incidents 
could  be  detailed  to  fill  pages,  for  they  were  of  continual  occurrence. 

On  the  20th  of  Mar-ch,  18-10,  the  citizens  of  Bellevue,  not  implicated  in  the 
plans  of  the  horse-thieves  and  counterfeiters,  held  a  meeting  to  consider  the 
wrongs  of  the  community.  But  one  opinion  was  advanced,  that  the  depredators 
must  leave  the  place  or  summary  vengeance  would  be  inflicted  upon  them  all.  It 
was  resolved  that  a  warrant  should  be  procured  for  the  arrest  of  the  whole  gang, 
from  Justice  Watkins — father  of  our  present  sheriff — and,  upon  a  certain  day,  the 
sherirT,  accompanied  by  all  the  honest  citizens  as  a  posse,  should  proceed  to  serve 
the  same.  The  warrant  was  issued  upon  the  affidavit  of  Anson  Harrington,  Esq., 
one  of  our  most  respectable  citizens,  charging  about  half  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town — Brown's  men—  with  the  commission  of  crimes. 

A  posse  of  80  men  was  selected  by  the  sheriff  from  among  the  best  citizens  of 
the  county,  who  met  in  Bellevue  on  the  first  day  of  April,  1840,  at  10  o'clock,  A.M. 
Brown,  in  the  mean  time,  had  got  wind  of  the  proceedings,  and  had  rallied  a  party 
of  23  men,  whose  names  were  on  the  warrant,  and  proceeded  to  fortify  the  Bellevue 
Hotel,  and  prepare  for  a  vigorous  defense.  On  the-sheriff's  arriving  in  Bellevue 
with  his  party,  he  found  a  red  flag  streaming  from  the  hotel,  and  a  portion  of 
Brown's  men  inarching  to  and  fro  in  front  of  their  fort,  armed  with  rifles,  present 
ing  a  formidable  appearance. 

A  meeting  of  the  citizens  was  then  convened  to  consult  upon  the  best  method 
of  securing  the  ends  of  justice,  of  which  Major  Thos.  S.  Parks  was  chairman.  It 
was  resolved  that  the  sheriff  should  go  to  Brown's  fort,  with  two  men,  and  demand 
their  surrender,  reading  his  warrant,  and  assuring  them  that  they  should  be  pro 
tected  iu  their  persons  and  property.  It  was  also  resolved,  if  they  did  not  surren 
der,  to  storm  the  house,  and  that  Col.  Thos.  Cox,  then  a  representative  in  the  Iowa 
legislature,  should  assist  the  sheriff  in  the  command  of  the  party  selected  for  this 
purpose. 

The  sheriff  then  went  to  the  hotel,  accompanied  by  Messrs.  Watkins  and  Ma- 
goon.  When  near  the  house,  they  were  suddenly  surrounded  by  Brown  and  a 
party  of  his  men,  all  fully  armed.  They  captured  the  sheriff,  and  ordered  Watkins 
and  Magoon  to  return  and  inform  the  citizens,  that  at  the  first  attempt  to  storm 
the  house,  they  would  shoot  the  sheriff.  Being  conducted  into  the  house,  the  sheriff 
read  his  warrant  and  informed  them  of  the  proceedings  of  the  meeting.  Just  then 
it  was  discovered  that  Col.  Cox,  with  a  party  of  citizens,  was  rapidly  advancing 
on  the  hotel.  Upon  the  sheriff's  promise  to  stop  them  and  then  return,  he  was  re 
leased  by  Brown.  He  met  the  party,  and  accosting  Cox,  requested  him  to  delay 
the  attack  one  hour,  and  if  he  (the  sheriff)  did  not  return  by  that  time,  for  them 
to  come  on  and  take  the  house. 

Cox  was  determined  the  Sheriff  should  not  return,  saying  that  he  should  not 
keep  his  word  with  such  a  band  of  ruffians.  Better  counsels,  however,  prevailed, 
and  the  sheriff  went  back.  On  his  return  he  found  that  Brown's  men  had  been 


390 

drinking  freely  to  keep  up  their  courage.  After  some  parleying,  Brown  deter 
mined  n<  t  to  surrender,  commanding  the  sheriff  to  return  to  his  men  and  tell  them 
to  come  <  n,  and  if  they  succeeded  in  carrying  the  hotel,  it  should  only  be  over  their 
dead  bodies. 

The  sheriff  returned  and  disclosed  the  result  of  his  interview.  Mrs.  Brown,  in 
the  mean  time,  and  a  fellow  called  Buckskin,  paraded  the  streets  with  a  red  flag. 
The  citi/.cns  were  then  addressed  by  Cox  and  Wntkins,  and  it  was  finally  deter 
mined  that  a  body  of  forty  men  should  be  selected  to  make  the  attack,  upon  which 
the  posse  started  and  charged  upon  the  house  at  a  full  run.  As  our  men  entered 
the  porch,  the  garrison  commenced  tiring,  but  we  being  so  near  they  generally  over 
shot  their  mark.  At  the  first  fire  one  of  our  best  men.  Mr.  Palmer,  was  killed,  and 
another,  Mr.  Vaughn,  badly  wounded.  Brown  opened  the  door  and  put  out  his 
gun  to  shoot,  when  he  was  immediately  shot  down  by  one  of  our  men.  The  battle 
then  became  desperate  and  hand  to  hand.  After  considerable  hard  fighting,  the 
"balance"  of  the  gang  commenced  their  retreat  through  the  back  door  of  the 
house.  They  were  surrounded  and  all  captured  but  three.  The  result  of  the 
fight  was,  on  the  part  of  the  counterfeiters  the  loss  of  five  killed  and  two  badly 
wounded;  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  four  killed  and  eleven  Avounded. 

The  excitement  after  the  fight  was  intense.  Many  of  the  citizens  were  in  favor 
of  putting  all  the  prisoners  to  death.  Other  counsels,  however,  prevailed,  and  a 
citizens'  court  was  organized  to  try  them. 

During  the  fight,  Capt.  Harris  anchored  his  boat  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  and 
remained  there  until  the  result  was  known,  when  the  passengers  ascended  to  the 
upper  deck  and  gave  three  hearty  cheers.  .Doctors  Finley,  of  Dubuque,  and  Cross- 
man,  of  Galena,  were  sent  for,  and  wrere  soon  in  attendance  on  the  Abounded  of 
both  parties. 

Much  joy  was  manifested  by  the  citizens  at  the  breaking  up  of  one  of  the  most 
desperate  gangs  of  housebreakers,  murderers  and  counterfeiters,  that  ever  infested 
the  western  country.  The  next  morning  a  vote  of  the  citizens  was  taken  as  to  the 
disposal  of  the  prisoners. 

As  the  district  court  was  not  to  meet  for  three  months,  and  there  being  no  jail 
in  the  count}1-,  and  in  fact  none  in  the  territory  that  was  safe,  and  surrounded  as 
we  were  on  all  sides,  by  offshoots  of  the  same  band,  who  could  muster  200  men  in 
a  day's  time  to  rescue  them,  it  was  deemed  the  merest  folly  to  attempt  to  detain 
them  as  prisoners,  and  it  was  resolved  to  execute  summary  justice  upon  them. 
The  question  was  then  put,  whether  to  hang  or  whip  them.  A  cup  of  red  and 
white  beans  was  first  passed  around,  to  be  used  as  ballots,  the  red  for  hanging,  and 
the  white  for  whipping. 

A  breathless  silence  was  maintained  during  the  vote.  In  a  few  moments  the 
result  was  announced.  It  stood  forty  two  white  and  thirty-eight  red  beans.  The 
resolution  to  whip  them  was  then  unanimously  adopted.  Fox,  afterward  the  mur 
derer  of  Davenport,  and  several  others  made  full  confessions  of  many  crimes,  in 
which  they  had  been  engaged.  The  whole  crowd  of  prisoners  was  then  taken 
Dut  and  received  from  twenty-five  to  seventy  five  lashes  apiece,  upon  their  bare 
backs,  according  to  their  deserts.  They  were  then  put  into  boats  and  set  adrift  in 
the  river,  without  oars,  and  under  the  assurance  that  a  return  would  insure  a 
speedy  death. 

Animated  by  the  example  of  Bellevue,  the  citizens  of  Hock  River,  111.,  Linn, 
Johnson,  and  other  counties,  in  Iowa,  arose  en,  masse,  and  expelled  the  gangs  of 
robbers  from  their  midst,  with  much  bloodshed. 

Thus  ended  the  struggle  for  supremacy  between  vice  and  virtue  in  Bellevue, 
which,  from  this  day  forth,  has  been  as  noted,  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  for  the 
morality  of  its  citizens,  as  it  was  once  rendered  infamous  by  their  crimes. 


BURLINGTON,  a  flourishing  commercial  city,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Des 
Moines  county,  is  on  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi,  45  miles  above 
Keokuk,  248  above  St.  Louis,  and  1,429  above  New  Orleans.  The  city  was 
organized  under  a  charter  from  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin,  in  1838.  It  is 


IOWA. 


391 


regularly  laid  out  and  beautifully  situated.  Part  of  the  city  is  built  on  the 
high  grounds  or  bluffs,  rising  in  some  places  about  200  feet  above  the 
river,  affording  a  beautiful  and  commanding  view  of  the  surrounding  coun 
try:  with  the  river,  and  its  woody  islands,  stretching  far  away  to  the 


South-eastern  view  of  Burlington. 

The  view  shows  tlie  appearance  of  the  city,  as  seen  from  near  the  South  Bluff:  the  eastern  term  inns  of 
the  Burlington  and  Missouri  Railroad,  th's  Court,  House,  an  I  other  public  buildings,  on  the  elevated  ground 
in  the  distance,  appear  in  the  central  part ;  the  North  Bluff  and  Steamboat  Landing  on  the  right 

north  and  south.  It  has  a  variety  of  mechanical  and  manufacturing  estab 
lishments.  The  pork  packing  business  is  carried  on  extensively.  It  is  the 
seat  of  the  Burlington  University,  and  contains  12  churches,  in  1860,  6,706. 
inhabitants. 

The  country  for  sixty  miles  around  Burlington,  sometimes  called  the  "gar 
den  of  Iowa,"  is  very  fertile.  Near  the  city  are  immense  quantities  of  gray 
limestone  rock,  suitable  for  building  purposes. 

The  first  white  person  who  located  hmiself  in  Burlington,  appears  to  have 
been  Samuel  S.  White,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  built  a  cabin  here,  in  1832, 
close  to  the  river  at  the  foot  of  the  upper  bluff.  The  United  States,  accord 
ing  to  the  treaty  with  the  Indians,  not  being  then  entitled  to  the  lands  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  the  dragoons  from  Fort  Armstrong  came  down,  burnt 
White  out,  and  drove  him  over  to  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river.  He  re 
mained  on  Honey  Creek  till  the  1st  of  the  next  June,  when,  the  Indian  title 
being  extinguished,  he  returned  and  rebuilt  his  cabin  near  its  former  site. 

Mr.  White  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  Amzi  Doolittle,  and  in  1834,  they 
laid  out  the  first  part  of  the  town  on  the  public  lands.  The  survey  of  White 
arid  Doolittle  was  made  by  Benjamin  Tucker  and  Dr.  Wm.  R.  Ross.  Their 
bounds  extended  down  to  Hawkeye  Creek.  White  and  Doolittle  afterward 
sold  out  all  their  lands  and  removed.  The  first  addition  to  this  tract  was 
made  by  Judge  David  Rorer,  a  native  of  Virginia,  in  April,  1836,  who  had 
emigrated  the  month  previous.  In  July  of  this  year,  he  built  the  first  brick 
building  ever  erected  in  Iowa,  Judge  R.  laid  the  first  brick  with  his  own 
hands.  This  building  stood  on  what  is  now  lot  438,  the  next  corner  north 


392  IOWA. 

of  Marion  Hall.  This  dwelling  was  taken  down  by  Col.  Warren,  in  1854  or 
'55.  The  first  location  made  outside  the  town,  was  by  a  settler  named  To- 
thero,  whose  cabin  was  about  three  miles  from  the  river;  this  was  previous 
to  June,  1833.  He  was  consequently  driven  off  by  the  dragoons,  and  his 
cabin  destroyed. 

The  town  was  named  by  John  Gray,  a  native  of  Burlington,  Vermont,  and 

brother-in-law  to  White,  the  first  set 
tler.  The  Flint  Hills  were  called  by 
the  Indians  Shokokon,  a  word  in  their 
language  signifying  "flint hills; "  these 
bluffs  are  generally  about  150  feet 
above  the  river.  Burlington  became 
the  county  seat  of  Des  Moines  in 
1834,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Michi 
gan.  In  1836  it  was  made  the  seat  of 
government  of  Wisconsin  Territory, 
arid  in  the  fall  of  1837,  the  legislature 
of  that  territory  first  met  at  Burling 
ton.  When  Iowa  Territory  was  formed 
in  1838.  Burlington  became  the  seat 
of  government.  The  building  in  which 
the  legislative  assembly  first  met  stood 
JUDGE  BORER'S  HOUSE.  on  the  river  bank,  just  north  of  Colum 

bia-street.     It  was   burnt    down    soon 

The  first  brick  building  erected  in  Iowa.  .        n     . 

afterward.     At  the  first  court  he,d  in 

Burlington,  three  divorces  were  granted,  one  conviction  for  assault  and  bat 
tery,  and  one  fine  for  contempt  of  court.  The  record  does  not  show  the 
grounds  of  contempt,  but  from  other  sources  we  learn  i£  was  a  rencounter  in 
open  court,  in  which  the  tables  of  the  judges,  being  dry  goods  boxes  and 
barrels  with  planks  laid  across,  were  overturned.  The  hero  of  the  occasion 
was  afterward  taken  prisoner  in  the  Santa  Fe  expedition  from  Texas. 

Dr.  Ross  and  Maj.  Jeremiah  Smith,  who  came  to  Burlington  in  1833,  were 
the  first  merchants.  The  first  church  (the  Methodist  Old  Zion)  was  erected 
the  same  year,  and  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  house  of  worship  erected 
in  Iowa.  In  this  venerable  structure,  which  is  still  standing,  the  legislative 
body  have  met  and  courts  have  been  held.  The  "Iowa  Territorial  Gazette," 
the  first  newspaper,  was  issued  in  the  summer  of  1837,  by  James  Clarke, 
from  Pennsylvania,  who  was  subsequently  governor  of  the  territory.  The 
second  paper  was  the  "Iowa  Patriot,"  afterward  the  "Hawkeye,"  by  James 
G.  Edwards,  of  Boston.  The  Iowa  Historical  and  Geological  Society  was  or 
ganized  in  1843,  and  is  the  oldest  literary  society  in  the  state. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  from  monuments  in  the  Aspen  Grove  Cem 
etery,  at  the  N.W.  border  of  the  city: 

Here  lie  the  mortal  remains  of  JAS.  CLARKE,  founder  of  the  first  Newspaper  in  Burling 
ton,  Member  of  the  first  Constitutional  Convention,  Secretary  and  Governor  of  the  Territo 
ry  of  Iowa.  Born  July  5,  1812;  died  July  28,  1850 


My  Husband  and  our  Father,  ABXER  LEONARD,  minister  of  the  Gospel,  born  Dec.  13,1787, 
in  Washington  Co.,  Pa.;  died  Oct.  30, 1856. 

Now  with  my  Savior,  Brother,  Friend, 
A  blest  Eternity  I'll  spend, 
Triumphant  in  his  grace. 


IOWA. 


393 


In  memory  of  REY.  HORACE  HUTCHIXSON,  late  Pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church,  of 
Burlington.  He  was  born  at  Sutton,  Mass.,  Aug.  10,  1817.  Graduated  at  Amherst  College 
183U,  and  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary  in  1843.  He  died  March  7,  1846. 


Steered  to  the  memory  of  REV.  SAMUEL  PAYNE,  Missionary,  native  of  New  Jersey,  who 
departed  this  life,  Jan.  8,  1845,  aged  38  years,  6  mo.  and  17  days.  Blessed  are  the  dead 
which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth :  yea  saith  the  spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their 
labors  ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them.  Rev.  xiv,  13. 


In  memory  of  REV.  THOMAS  SCHULTZ,  German  Missionary  of  the  Methodist  Church  ;  born 
July  11,  1S21 ;  died  March  18,  1818.     *Christus  ist  mein  Leben  und  sterben  ist  mein  Gewin. 


In  memory  of  REV.  WILLIAM  HEMMINGHAUS,  German  Missionary  of  the   M.E.  Church  • 
bom  Jan.  26,  1808;  died  Jan.  24,  1848. 

Wo  ich  bin  da  soil  mein,  diener  auch  sein. 
Where  I  am,  there  shall  be  my  servant.     Jan.  12,  1826. 


East  mew  of  Keokuk. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Keokuk,  as  seen  from  the  bights  above  the  Ferry  landing,  on  the 
Illinois  side  of  the  Mississippi.  The  Keokuk,  Fort  Des  Moines  and  Minnesota  Railroad' is  oil  the  extreme 
left ;  the  Keokuk,  Mount  Pleasant  and  Muscatine  Hail  road  on  the  right. 

KEOKUK,  and  semi-capital  of  Lee  county,  is  a  short  distance  above 
the  confluence  of  the  Des  Moines  with  the  Mississippi,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  200  miles  above  St.  Louis,  1,400  above  New  Orleans,  and 
about  150  from  Des  Moines,  the  capital.  It  is  at  the  S.E.  corner  of  the 
state,  at  the  foot  of  the  "Lower  liapids,"  and  being  the  only  city  of  Iowa 
having  uninterrupted  communication  with  all  the  great  tributaries  of  the 
"Father  of  Waters,"  it  has  not  inaptly  been  called  the  "Gate  City"  of  Iowa. 
The  site  of  Keokuk  is  remarkably  fine.  It  covers  the  top  and  slopes  of  a 
large  bluff,  partially  around  which  the  Mississippi  bends  with  a  graceful 
curve,  commanding  a  fine  prospect  to  the  south  and  north.  The  city  stands 


394 


IOWA. 


upon  an  inexhaustible  quarry  of  limestone  rock,  forming  ample  material  for 
buildings.  A  portion  of  the  great  water  power  at  this  point  is  used  in 
various  manufactories,  flouring  mills,  founderies,  etc.  The  Mississippi,  up 
ward  from  this  place,  flows  over  a  rocky  bed  of  limestone,  called  the  Rctfids, 
12  miles  in  extent,  falling,  in  that  distance,  24J  feet,  making  it  difficult  for 
the  larger  class  of  steamboats  to  pass.  The  city  contains  several  splendid 
public  buildings,  the  medical  department,  of  the  State  University,  hospital, 
some  eight  or  nine  churches,  and  about  13,000  inhabitants. 

The  plat  of  the  village  of  Keokuk  was  laid  out  in  the  spring  of  1837,  and 
in  the  ensuing  June  a  public  sale  of  town  lots  was  held,  and  attended  by  a 
very  large  crowd.  One  boat  was  chartered  in  St.  Louis,  and  numbers  came 
up  on  other  boats.  Only  two  or  three  lots,  the  south-west  corner  of  Main- 
street  and  the  levee,  and  one  or  two  others  lying  contiguous,  were  sold.  The 
corner  lot  went  for  $1,500,  and  a  New  York  company  still  hold  the  deed  of 
trust  on  it  to  secure  the  payment. 

In  1840,  the  main  portion  of  Keokuk  was  a  dense  forest,  and  where  Main- 
street  now  is,  were  thick  timber  and  underbrush.  It  was  so  swampy  and 
rough  between  Third  and  Fourth-streets,  as  to  be  rather  dangerous  riding 
on  horseback  after  a  heavy  rain.  About  a  dozen  cabins  comprised  all  the 
improvements.  In  the  spring  of  1847,  a  census  of  the  place  gave  a  popula 
tion  of  620.  Owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  titles,  but  little  progress 
was  made  till  1849.  From  that  time  until  the  autumn  of  1857  it  had  a 
rapid  growth. 

Keokuk  derived  its  name  from  Keokuk  (the  Watchful  Fox),  a  chieftain 
of  the  Sac  tribe,  distinguished  for  his  friendship  to  the  Americans  during 
the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  often  lost  his  popularity  with  his  tribe  by  his 
efforts  to  keep  them  at  peace  with  the  United  States,  and  nothing  but  his 
powerful  eloquence  and  tact  sustained  him.  He  was  once  deposed  by  his 
tribe,  and  a  young  chief  elected  in  his  place.  He,  however,  soon  attained 
his  former  position.  Keokuk  was  born  about  the  year  1780.  He  was  not 
a  hereditary  chief,  but  raised  himself  to  that  dignity  by  the  force  of  talent 
arid  enterprise.  He  was  a  man  of  extraordinary  eloquence;  fertile  in  re 
sources  on  the  field  of  battle;  possessed  of  desperate  bravery;  and  never  at 
a  loss  in  any  emergency.  He  had  six  wives,  was  fond  of  display,  and  on  his 
visits  of  state  to  other  tribes,  moved,  it  is  supposed,  in  more  savage  mag 
nificence  than  any  ether  chief  on  the  continent.  He  was  a  noble  looking 
man,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  hight,  portly,  and  over  200  pounds  in 
weight.  He  had  an  eagle  eye,  a  dignified  bearing,  and  a  manly,  intelligent 
expression  of  countenance,  and  always  painted  and  dressed  in  the  Indian 
costume.  He  supplanted  Black  Hawk  as  chieftain  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes. 
He  died  in  Missouri  a  few  years  since,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  chieftain 
ship  by  his  son. 

The  Des  Moines  River,  which  terminates  at  Keokuk,  is  one  of  the  noblest 
of  streams.  Keokuk  is  the  principal  port  of  its  valley,  in  which  half  the 
population  and  agricultural  wealth  of  the  state  are  concentrated.  On  the 
banks  of  the  Des  Moines  stood  the  village  of  the  celebrated  chief  Mack 
HawJe,  who  there  breathed  his  last,  Oct.  3,  1840.  He  was  buried  near  the 
banks  of  the  river,  in  a  sitting  posture,  as  is  customary  with  his  tribe.  His 
hands  grasped  his  cane,  and  his  body  was  surrounded  by  stakes,  which  united 
at  the  top. 

Iowa  is  noted  for  the  extent  and  magnificence  of  her  prairies.  These  are 
of  great  advantage  to  the  rapid  and  easy  settlement  of  a  country.  When, 


IOWA. 


395 


however,  too  extensive,  "without  a  sufficiency  of  timber,  a  prairie  country  has 
some  serious  drawbacks.  Fortunately,  in  Iowa,  the  immense  beds  of  coal 
partly  supply  the  deficiency  in  fuel,  and  the  prairie  country  there  is  remark 
ably  healthy.  It  is  generally  rolling,  often  even  hilly,  the  streams  mostly 


Prairie  Scenery. 

fresh  running  water,  with  sandy  or  gravelly  beds,  which  condition  prevents 
the  origin  of  miasma,  the  great  scourge  of  flat,  prairie  districts,  where  slug 
gish  streams,  winding  their  snaky  shaped  course  through  rich  alluvial  soils, 
generate  disease  and  death  from  their  stagnant  waters,  green  and  odious  with 
the  slime  of  a  decaying  vegetation.  The  prairie  farms  of  Iowa,  large,  smooth 
and  unbroken  by  stump  or  other  obstruction,  afford  an  excellent  field  for  the 
introduction  of  mowing  machines  and  other  improved  implements  of  agri 
culture. 

The  wonderful  fertility  of  the  prairies  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  we  have 
a  soil  "which  for  thousands  of  years  has  been  bearing  annual  crops  of  grass,  the 
ashes  or  decayed  steins  of  which  have"  been  all  that  time  adding  to  the  original  fer- 


396  IOWA. 

tility  of  the  soil.  So  long  back  as  we  have  any  knowledge  of  the  country,  it  had 
been  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to  set  fire  to  the  prairie  grass  in  autumn,  after  frost 
set  in,  the  fire  spreading  with  wonderful  rapidity,  covering  vast  districts  of  coun 
try,  and  filling  trie  atmosphere  for  weeks  with  smoke.  In  the  course  of  ages  a  soil 
somewhat  resembling  an  ash-heap  must  have  been  thus  gradually  created,  and  it 
is  no  wonder  that  it  should  be  declared  to  be  inexhaustible  in  fertility.  In  Europe 
such  tracts  of  fertile  country  as  the  plain  of  Lombardy  are  known  to  have  yielded 
crops  for  more  than  2,000  years  without  intermission,  and  yet  no  one  says  that  the 
soil  is  exhausted.  Here  we  have  a  tract  naturally  as  rich,  and  with  the  addition 
of  its  own  crops  rotting  upon  its  surface,  and  adding  to  its  stores  of  fertility  all 
that  time.  It  need  occasion  no  surprise  therefore,  to  be  told  of  twenty  or  thirty 
crops  of  Indian  corn  being  taken  in  succession  from  the  same  land,  without  ma 
nure,  every  crop,  good  or  better,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  season." 

A  distinguished  English  chemist  analyzed  some  of  the  prairie  soils  of  the  west. 
'•  His  analysis,  which  was  of  the  most  scrutinizing  character,  bears  out  completely 
the  high  character  for  fertility  which  practice  and  experience  had  already  proved 
these  soils  to  possess.  The  most  noticeable  feature  in  the  analysis  is  the  very  large 
quantity  of  nitrogen  which  each  of  the  soils  contains,  nearly  twice  as  much  as  the 
most  fertile  soils  of, Britain.  In  each  case,  taking  the  soil  at  an  average  depth  of 
ten  inches,  an  acre  of  these  prairies  will  contain  upward  of  three  tuns  of  nitrogen, 
and  as  a  heavy  crop  of  wheat  with  its  straw  contains  about  fifty-two  pounds  of  ni 
trogen,  there  is  thus  a  natural  store  of  ammonia  in  this  soil  sufficient  for  more 
than  a  hundred  wheat  crops.  In  Dr.  Yoelcker's  words,  'It  is  this  large  amount  of 
nitrogen,  and  the  beautiful  state  of  division,  that  impart  a  peculiar  character  to 
these  soils,  and  distinguish  them  so  favorably.  They  are  soils  upon  which  I 
imagine  flax  could  be  grown  in  perfection,  supposing  the  climate  to  be  otherwise 
favorable.  I  have  never  before  analyzed  soils  which  contained  so  much  nitrogen, 
nor  do  I  find  any  record  of  soils  richer  in  nitrogen  than  these.'  " 

"The  novelty  of  the  prairie  country  is  striking,  and  never  fails  to  cause  an  ex 
clamation  of  surprise  from  those  who  have  lived  amid  the  forests  of  Ohio  and 
Kentucky,  or  along  the  wooded  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  or  in  sight  of  the  rocky  bar 
riers  of  the  Allegheny  ridge.  The  extent  of  the  prospect  is  exhilarating.  The 
outline  of  the  landscape  is  undulating  and  graceful.  The  verdure  and  the  flowers 
are  beautiful;  and  the  absence  of  shade,  and  consequent  appearance  of  a  profu 
sion  of  light,  produces  a  gayety  which  animates  every  beholder. 

These  plains,  although  preserving  a  general  level  in  respect  to  the  whole  coun 
try,  are  yet,  in  themselves,  not  flat,  but  exhibit  a  gracefully  waving  surface,  swell 
ing  and  sinking  with  easy,  graceful  slopes,  and  full,  rounded  outlines,  equally  avoid 
ing  the  unmeaning  horizontal  surface,  and  the  interruption  of  abrupt  or  angular 
elevations. 

The  attraction  of  the  prairie  consists  in  its  extent,  its  carpet  of  verdure  and 
flowers,  its  undulating  surface,  its  groves,  arid  the  fringe  of  timber  by  which  it  is 
surrounded.  Of  all  these,  the  latter  is  the  most  expressive  feature.  It  is  that 
which  gives  character  to  the  landscape,  which  imparts  the  shape,  and  marks  the 
boundary  of  the  plain.  If  the  prairie  be  small,  its  greatest  beauty  consists  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  surrounding  margin  of  woodland,  which  resembles  the  shore  of  a 
lake  indented  with  deep  vistas,  like  bays  and  inlets,  and  throwing  out  long  points, 
like  capes  and  headlands. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  young  grass  has  just  covered  the  ground 
with  a  carpet  of  delicate  green,  and  especially  if  the  sun  is  rising  from  behind  a 
distant  swell  of  the  plain  and  glittering  upon  the  dewdrops,  no  scene  can  be  more 
lovely  to  the  e;ye.  The  groves,  or  clusters  of  timber,  are  particularly  attractive  at 
thi*  season  of"  the  year.  The  rich  undergrowth  is  in  full  bloom.  The  rosewood, 
dugwood,  crab-apple,  wild  plum,  the  cherry,  and  the  wild  rose  are  all  abundant,  and 
in  many  portions  of  the  state  the  ^rape-vine  abounds.  The  variety  of  wild  fruit 
and  flowering  shrubs  is  so  great,  and  such  the  profusion  of  the  blossoms  with  which 
they  are  bowed  down,  that  the  eye  is  regaled  almost  to  satiety. 

The  gayety  of!  the  prairie,  its  embellishments,  and  the  absence  of  the  gloom  and 
savage  wildriess  of  the  forest,  all  contribute  to  dispel  the.feeling  of  loneliness  which 
usually  creeps  over  the  mind  of  the  solitary  traveler  in  the  wilderness.  Though 


IOWA.  397 

he  may  not  see  a  house  or  a  human  being,  and  is  conscious  that  he  is  far  from  the 
habitations  of  men,  the  traveler  upon  the  prairie  can  scarcely  divest  himself  of  tho 
idea  that  he  is  traveling  through  scenes  embellished  by  the  hand  of  art.  The 
flowers,  so  fragile,  so  delicate,  and  so  ornamental,  seem  to  have  been  tastefully  dis 
posed  to  adorn  the  scene. 

In  the  summer,  the  prairie  is  covered  with  long,  coarse  grass,  which  soon  assumes 
a  golden  hue,  and  waves  in  the  wind  like  a  fully  ripe  harvest.  The  prairie-grass 
never  attains  its  highest  growth  in  the  richest  soil;  uut  in  low,  wet,  or  marshy  land, 
where  the  substratum  of  clay  lies  near  the  surface,  the  center  or  main  stem  of  the 
grass — that  which  bears  the  seed — shoots  up  to  the  hight  of  eight  and  ten  feet, 
throwing  out  long,  coarse  leaves  or  blades.  But  on  the  rich,  undulating  prairies, 
the  grass  is  finer,  with  less  of  stalk  and  a  greater  profusion  of  leaves.  Tne  roots 
spread  and  interweave,  forming  a  compact,  even  sod,  and  the  blades  expand  into  a 
close,  thick  grass,  which  is  seldom  more  than  eighteen  inches  high,  until  late  in 
the  season,  when  the  seed-bearing  stem  shoots  up.  The  first  coat  is  mingled  with 
rimall  flowers — the  violet,  the  bloom  of  the  wild  strawberry,  and  various  others,  of 
the  most  minute  and  delicate  texture.  As  the  grass  increases  in  hight,  these 
smaller  flowers  disappear,  and  others,  taller  and  more  gaudy,  display  their  brilliant 
colors  upon,  the  green  surface;  and  still  later,  a  larger  and  coarser  succession  arises 
with  the  rising  tide  of  verdure.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  more  infinite  diversity, 
or  a  richer  profusion  of  hues,  'from  gravo  to  gay,'  than  graces  the  beautiful  carpet 
of  green  throughout  the  entire  season  of  summer." 

"The  autumnal  months,  in  Iowa,  are  almost  invariably  clear, .warm,  and  d~y. 
The  immense  mass  of  vegetation  with  Avhieh  this  fertile  prairie  soil  loads  itself 
•luring  the  summer  is  suddenly  withered,  and  the  whole  earth  is  covered  with  com 
bustible  materials.  This  is  especially  true  of  those  portions  where  grass  grows 
from  two  to  ten  feet  high,  and  is  exposed  to  sun  and  wind,  becoming  thoroughly 
dried.  A  single  spark  of  firfc.  falling  upon  the  prairie  at  such  a  time,  instantly 
kindles  a  blaze  that  spreads  on  every  side,  and  continues  its  destructive  course  as 
long  as  it  finds  fuel.  "These  fires  sweep  along  with  great  power  and  rapidity,  and 
frequently  extend  across  a  wide  prairie  and  advance  in  a  long  line.  No  sight  can 
be  more  sublime  than  a  stream  of  fire,  beheld  at  night,  several  miles  in  breadth, 
advancing  across  the  plains,  leaving  behind  it  a  background  of  dense  black  smoke, 
throwing  before  it  a  vivid  glare,  which  lights  up  the  whole  landscape  for  miles 
with  the  brilliancy  of  noonday.  The  progress  of  the  fire  is  so  slow,  and  the  heat 
BO  intense,  that  every  combustible  in  its  course  is  consumed.  The  roots  of  the 
prairie-grass,  and  several  species  of  flowers,  however,  by  some  peculiar  adaptation 
of  nature,  are  spared." 

The  winters  on  the  prairie  are  often  terrible.  Exposed  to  the  full  sweep  of  the 
icy  winds  that  come  rushing  down  from  the  Rocky  Mountains,  without  a  single 
obstruction,  the  unlucky  traveler  that  is  caught,  unprotected  by  sufficient  clothing, 
is  in  imminent  danger  of  perishing  before  the  icy  blast.  December  and  January 
of  the  winter  of  1856-7,  were  unprecedentedly  stormy  and  cold  in  western  Iowa. 
A  writer  for  one  of  the  public  prints,  who  passed  that  winter  on  the  western  fron 
tier  of  this  state,  gives  this  vivid  picture  of  the  sufferings  of  the  frontier  settlers, 
his  communication  being  dated  at  "Jefferson's  Grove,  fifty  miles  from  a  postoflice." 

"Once  the  mercury  has  been  30  deg.  below  zero,  twice  24  deg.,  several  times  16 
deg.,  and  more  than  seven  eighths  of  the  time  at  some  point  below  zero.  Only  two 
days  in  the  whole  two  months  has  it  been  above  the  freezing  point. 

We  have  had  four  fierce  snow  storms,  in  which  one  could  not  see  an  object  four 
rods  distant,  and  I  doubt  if  such  storms  can  be  excelled  in  fury  in  any  of  the  hy 
perborean  regions.  Everybody  was  compelled  to  keep  within  doors;  cattle  were 
driven  before  the  driving  snow  until  they  found  refuge  in  the  groves;  and  most  of 
the  houses,  within  doors,  were  thoroughly  sifted  with  snow.  But  I  will  relate  a 
few  instances  of  frontier  hardships. 

Forty  miles  above  here,  at  the  very  margin  of  the  settlement,  a  family  was  caught 
by  the  first  snow  storm,  almost  without  firewood  and  food.  In  the  morning  the 
husband  made  a  fire,  and  leaving  to  seek  for  assistance  from  his  nearest  neighbors, 
distant  six  miles,  directed  his  family  to  make  one  more  fire,  and  then  retire  to  bed, 
and  there  remain  until  he  returned;  they  did  so.  After  excessive  hardships,  ho 


398 


IOWA. 


returned  on  the  second  day,  with  some  friends,  and  conveyed  his  wife  and  little 
children,  on  hand-sleds  through  the  deep  snow,  to  their  kind  neighbors. 

Last  summer  five  families  ventured  across  a  fifty  mile  prairie,  uninhabited,  of 
course,  and  commenced  making  farms  on  a  small  stream,  very  sparcely  timbered, 
culled  Boyer  River.  The  early  frost  nipped  their  late  corn,  and  left  them  with 
out  food.  Seven  of  the  men  of  this  little  detached  settlement,  started  in  the 
Fall  for  Fort  Des  Moines,  distant  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  procure  provis 
ions  and  other  necessaries.  When  on  their  return,  fifty  miles  from  Fort  Des 
M. tines,  on  the  North  Koon  River,  they  were  overtaken  by  the  severe  snow-storm 
that  commenced  on  the  first  day  of  December  and  raged  for  forty  eight  hours. 
They  then  halted,  constructed  sleds,  and  started  for  their  families,  one  hundred 
miles  distant,  across  a  trackless  prairie.  They  suffered  terribly,  and  one  of  them 
perished  with  the  cold." 


Mate   Capitol,  Des  Moines. 

Des  Moines,  which  became  in  1855  the  capital  of  Iowa,  is  at  the  head  of 
steamboat  navigation  on  Des  Moines  River,  in  the  geographical  center  of  the 
state,  about  170  miles  west  of  Davenport,  and  140  eastward  of  Council  Bluffs. 
The  line  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad  passes  through  the  city, 
as  also  will  several  others  in  contemplation.  The  city  is  situated  at  the  con 
fluence  of  Raccoon  River  with  the  Des  Moines,  the  two  streams  uniting  near 
the  corporation  limits.  The  scenery  at  this  point  is  beautiful:  a  smooth  val 
ley,  rising  on  all  sides,  by  successive  benches,  back  to  the  gently  sloping 
hills,  which  finally  attain  a  hight  of  about  200  feet. 

This  spot  was  the  council  ground  of  the  Indians.  It  was  afterward  the 
site  of  Fort  Des  Moines,  selected  by  the  officers  of  the  U.  S.  army,  on  which 
barracks  and  defenses  were  erected.  Most  of  the  town  is  laid  out  with  wide 
streets.  On  the  elevations  are  beautiful  building  sites,  commanding  views 
of  all  the  central  town,  of  both  rivers,  and  of  the  faces  of  most  of  the  other 
hills,  with  their  residences.  On  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills  is  the  pres 
ent  state  house,  and  the  square  set  apart  for  the  permanent  capital.  Some 
6  or  7  churches  are  already  erected,  and  3  newspapers  are  printed.  Popu 
lation  about  5,000. 


IOWA. 


399 


MUSCATINE,  the  county  seat  of  Muscatine  county,  is  situated  100  miles 
above  Keokuk,  and  32  below  Davenport.  Commencing  at  the  Upper  Rapids, 
the  Mississippi  runs  in  a  westerly  direction  until  it  strikes  a  series  of  rocky 
bluffs,  by  which  its  course  is  turned  due  south.  At  this  bend,  and  on  the 
summit  of  the  bluffs,  is  situated  the  city  of  Muscatine,  which  is  regularly 


mm, 


Western  view  of  Muscatine, 

laid  out,  with  fine,  wide  streets,  having  several  elegant  buildings.  It  is  a 
shipping  point  for  a  very  great  amount  of  produce  raised  in  the  adjoining 
counties.  When  the  various  railroads  are  completed  which  are  to  run  in 
various  directions  from  this  point,  Muscatine  will  have  added  to  her  natural 
advantages  fine  facilities  for  communication  with  every  part  of  the  country. 
Muscatine  was  first  settled  by  the  whites  in  1836,  previous  to  which  time 
it  was  an  Indian  trading  post,  known  by  the  name  of  Manatheka.  After 
ward  it  was  called  Bloomington.  Population  in  I860,  5,324. 

Council  Bluffs  City,  the  county  seat  of  Pottawatomie  county,  is  near  the 
geographical  center  of  the  United  States,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Missouri 
River,  about  140  miles  westward  of  Des  Moines,  the  capital  of  the  state, 
nearly  opposite  Omaha  City,  the  capital  of  Nebraska,  about  300  miles  above 
Leavenworth  City,  and  685  above  St.  Louis.  It  is  built  on  a  beautiful  ex 
tended  plain.  It  has  a  number  of  fine  stores,  and  many  elegant  private 
buildings.  This  is  a  flourishing  place,  and  here  a  portion  of  the  emigrants 
for  the  far  west  procure  their  oatfits.  It  was  for  a  long  time  an  important 
point  in  overland -travel  to  California,  being  the  last  civilized  settlement  be 
fore  entering  the  Indian  country.  Four  important  railroads  from  the  east 
are  projected  directly  to  this  place,  some  of  which  are  fast  progressing  to 
completion.  The  first  one  finished  will  be  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri, 
which,  commencing  at  Davenport,  already  extends  to  beyond  Iowa  City. 
Population  about  5,000. 

A  gentleman,  who  was  at  Council  Bluffs  in  1860,  gives  these  valuable 
items  upon  the  history  of  the  town,  and  the  condition  and  resources  of  the 
country: 

The  growth  of  Council  Bluffs  has  been  rapid  within  the  last  six  years,  and  it 
still  retains,  as  it  is  likely  to  retain,  the  position  of  the  most  important  city  of 
western  Iowa.  This  point  was  formerly  known  as  Kanesville,  and  was  for  about 


430  IOWA- 

three  years — from  1S46  to  1849 — the  residence  of  the  Mormon  hosts  oi  Brigham 
Young,  in  his  celebrated  march  to  the  great  Salt  Lake  valley.  After  the  Mormons 
•  were  driven  from  Nauvoo,  they  determined  to  build  up  a  kingdom  to  themselves  in 
the  far  west.  They  departed,  but  upon  reaching  the  borders  of  the  great  plains 
they  found  they  had  not  the  number  of  cattle  and  horses,  nor  the  provisions  that 
were  indispensable  for  so  long  and  so  distant  a  journey;  so  they  selected  a  roman 
tic  and  wooded  valley,  adjoining  the  great  bottoms  of  the  Missouri,  for  their  tem 
porary  home.  Timber  was  plenty,  and  with  it  they  soon  constructed  log  houses 
for  fifteen  thousand  people.  They  inclosed  several  hundred  acres  of  the  rich  and 
easily  cultivated  Missouri  bottoms,  and  planted  them  with  corn.  Their  cattle,  fed 
on  these  fine  pastures,  increased  in  numbers  rapidly.  They  raised  large  amounts 
of  corn — for  these  fanatics  are  hard  working,  industrious  men  and  women.  In 
three  years  they  found  themselves  so  prosperous  that  they  resumed  their  journey, 
and  in  due  time  found  themselves  at  their  destination  in  the  "Holy  Valley"  at  die 
Great  Salt  Lake. 

As  the  Mormons  left,  other  settlers  came  in.  The  name  was  changed  to  Council 
Bluffs.  This  cognomen  had  been  given  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  a  long  time  before, 
to  a  point  on  the  Missouri,  several  miles  above  the  present  town.  It  had  become 
a  historical  name,  and  it  was  wise  in  the  new-comers  to  appropriate  it  to  their  use. 
So  much  for  the  early  history  of  this  place.  The  Mormon  town  was  built  in  a  very 
pleasant  valley,  that  opens  upon  the  great  Missouri  bottom  from  the  north-east.  *]t 
is  four  miles  from  the  base  of  the  hills,  which  are  several  hundred  feet  high,  and 
very  abrupt,  to  the  river.  The  log  houses  left  by  the  Mormons  were  used  by  the 
early  settlers,  and  many  of  them  are  yet  standing. 

But  it  soon  became  manifest  that  the  business  part  of  the  future  city  must  be  on 
the  great  plain  or  bottom,  and  out  of  the  bluffs.  And  so  the  result  has  shown. 
The  best  part  of  the  city  is  on  the  plain,  though  the  finest  places  for  residences  are 
en  the  delightful  slopes  and  hillsides  of  the  valleys,  which  now  constitute  the  upper 
town. 

The  view  from  the  high  bluffs  back  of  the  city  is  very  commanding  and  beauti 
ful.  From  the  top  of  one  of  these  hills  one  can  see  six  rising  cities  in  the  fur  dis 
tance — Omaha,  Saratoga,  Florence,  Bellevue,  St.  Marys,  and  Pacific  City.  At  the 
foot  of  these  bluffs  the  Missouri  bottom  extends  four  miles  to  the  west,  to  Omaha, 
and  to  the  south  and  north  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  bottoms  are  from  four 
to  ten  miles  in  width,  and  are  mostly  dry  and  most  fertile  lands.  Strips  of  timber 
abound.  The  bluffs  facing  the  bottom  are  generally  naked,  and  very  abrupt.  The 
eastern  man  will  again  and  again  wonder  how  the  earth  can  be  made  to  remain  in 
such  fantastic  and  sharply  pointed  shapes  for  centuries,  as  he  finds  them  here. 
Back  of  the  first  range  of  bluffs,  the  country  is  covered  with  timber  for  some  miles, 
when  the  rolling  and  open  prairie  becomes  the  leading  feature  for  hundreds  of 
miles,  and  indeed  across  the  state  of  Iowa  to  the  Mississippi  Iliver. 

Council  Bluffs  claims  a  population  of  5,000,  but  the  usual  deduction  must  be 
made.  It  has  passed  through  the  usual  process  of  rapid  and  extended  inflation, 
'and  consequent  collapse  and  almost  suspension  of  vitality.  The  paper  part  of  the 
city  embraces  territory  enough  for  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  people.  The  exten 
sive  and  rich  bottoms,  instead  of  being  cultivated  as  farms,  are  all  staked  off  into 
city  lots ;  and  in  years  past,  large  numbers  of  them  were  sold  to  speculators.  So 
crazy  did  these  people  become,  that  one  man  bought  a  quarter  section  of  this  bot 
tom  land,  two  miles  from  the  present  town,  and  gave  his  notes  for  sixty  thousand 
dollars  for  the  same.  He  collapsed,  of  course,  as  the  crash  of  1857  brought  his 
air  castle  to  the  ground;  and  he  can  not  now  sell  his  land  for  twenty  dollars  per 
acre.  Here  is  another  large  four  story  monument  of  folly  in  the  shape  of  a  brick 
hotel,  some  half  a  mile  out  from  the  present  business  part  of  the  city.  A  man  by 
the  name  of  Andrews  had  sold  out  shares  in  Florence  for  large  sums.  He  had 
realized  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  hard  cash.  He  became  giddy,  bought  a 
tract  adjoining  Council  Bluffs,  laid  it  off  into  city  lots;  and,  to  show  his  faith  and 
to  sell  his  lots,  he  erected  this  large  and  costly  hotel.  But  it  was  never  completed. 
The  crash  also  caught  him  unprepared,  and.  he  went  under,  with  thousands  of 
others.  His  hotel  is  roofed,  but  not  finished;  and  it  looks  the  wreck  it  is,  of  the 
vast  inflation  which  culminated  and  exploded  three  years  ago. 


IOWA. 


401 


Still  there  are  many  evidences  of  substantial  prosperity  in  Council  Bluff's.  Sev 
eral  brick  blocks  of  stores  would  do  credit  to  older  towns,  and  they  are  well  filled 
with  stocks  of  goods,  and  held  by  substantial,  intelligent  business  men.  The  bus 
iness  portion  is  mainly  on  the  plain,  and  is  extending  from  the  base  of  the  bluffs 
toward  the  river.  The  present  steamboat  landing  is  about  four  miles  from  the 
town,  and  directly  south  of  it.  Council  Bluffs  has  the  Kanesville  land  office, 
where  a  large  portion  of  the  lands  of  western  Jowa  has  been  sold. 


IOWA  CITY,  the  first  capital  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  is  on  the  left  bank  of 
Iowa  River,  in  Johnson  county,  55  miles  from  Davenport,  by  the  Mississippi 

and  Missouri  Railroad, 
in  the  midst  of  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  and 
thriving  of  agricultural 
regions.  Population 
in  1860,  5,214. 

Annexed  we  present 
a  sketch  from  a  corres 
pondent,  giving  a  his 
tory  of  the  city  and  of 
the  University  situated 
in  it,  which  gives  pro 
mise  of  great  useful 
ness  to  the  future  of 
Iowa  : 

In  1838,  Congress  pass 
ed  an  act  to  divide  the 
Territory  of  Wisconsin, 
and  form  the  Territory 
of  Iowa  out  of  that  part 
which  lay  to  the  west  of 
the  Mississippi  River. 
The  governor  of  the  new 
territory  under  the  or 
ganic  act,  fixed  the  seat 
of  government  at  Bur 
lington.  On  the  21st  of 

January  following,  the 
territorial  legislature  ap 
pointed  commissioners  to 


STATE   UNIVERSITY,  IOWA  CITY. 
The  large  building  on  (he  right  was  originally  the  first  State  Capitol. 


locate  the  seat  of  government  and  superintend  the  erection  of  public  buildings. 
These  commissioners  selected  the  site  now  occupied  by  Iowa  City,.on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Iowa  River,  about  50  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Congress  had 
appropriated  $20,000  for  the  erection  of  the  capitol,  and  subsequently  granted  the 
section  of  land  on  which  the  capitol  was  to  be  erected.  The  corner  stone  of  the 
building  was  laid  on  the  4th  of  July,  1839.  The  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  lots  on 
the  section  granted  by  congress,  defrayed  the  main  part  of  the  expense  of  the 
erection.  The  first  session  of  the  legislature  was  held  in  Iowa  City,  in  December, 
1  841,  in  a  temporary  building  the  capitol  not  being  yet  finished.  The  building  was 
first  occupied  by  the  legislature  in  1844. 

The  location  of  the  capital  soon  collected  a  considerable  population  in  Iowa 
City.  When  the  city  was  first  laid  out,  there  was  but  one  log  cabin  on  the  ground. 
At  the  end  of  a  single  year,  the  number  of  inhabitants  was  seven  hundred,  and  it 
continued  steadily  to  increase.  In  1852,  the  population  was  3,500.  The  opening 
;>f  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad,  from  Davenport  as  far  as  Iowa  City,  in- 
1854,  and  the  rush  of  emigration  into  the  state,  gave  a  new  impetus  to  the  city. 

26 


402  IOWA. 

In  1857  the  population  had  increased  to  8,000,  and  all  kinds  of  business  were  ex 
ceedingly  active  and  profitable.  But  the  monetary  crisis  of  1857  put  a  stop  to  its 
prosperity,  and  since  that  time  has  diminished  rather  than  increased,  and  in  1860 
was  only  about  7,000.  In  1856,  the  capital  was  removed  from  Iowa  City  to  DCS 
Moines,  and  permanently  fixed  there  by  the  new  constitution  of  the  state,  adopted 
in  January.  ]  860. 

When  the  seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Des  Moines,  the  state  house  in 
Iowa  City  was  given  by  the  legislature  to  the  State  University,  together  with  the 
•  10  acres  of  land  on  which  it  stands.  The  State  University  has  for  its  foundation 
72  sections  of  land,  granted  by  congress  for  the  endowment  of  a  university.  In 
1847,  the  state  legislature  passed  a  law  organizing  the  University,  and  appointing 
trustees  to  manage  its  concerns,  put  the  institution  did  net  go  into  operation  till 
1855.  At  that  time  a  chancellor  and  several  professors  were  appointed,  and  the 
University  was  opened  in  a  building  hired  by  the  trustees  for  that  purpose.  The 
year  following  a  part  of  the  state  house  was  occupied  by  the  preparatory  depart 
ment,  and  as  lecture  rooms  for  the  professors.  The  building,  however,  was  in  a 
bad  condition,  and  required  fitting  up  in  order  to  suit  the  purposes  of  an  institu 
tion  of  learning.  The  city  was  full  of  people,  and  accommodations  for  students 
could  not  be  easily  procured,  and  in  1857,  the  pecuniary  embarrassments  of  the 
country  preventing  the  collection  of  the  interest  on  the  funds,  the  trustees  saw  fit 
to  close  the  University  for  a  time — this  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1858.  By  the 
new  constitution  of  the  state,  adopted  in  1857,  a  board  of  education  was  created, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  take  the  entire  charge  of  the  educational  institutions  of  the 
state.  This  board  at  their  first  meeting,  in  December,  1858,  passed  a  law  reorgan 
izing  the  University,  appointing  a  new  board  of  trustees,  with  the  understanding 
that  the  institution  should  be  reopened  as  early  as  practicable.  In  October,  1859, 
they  appointed  the  Rev  Silas  Totten,  D.D.,  L.L.D.,  president  of  the  University,  and 
in  .Tune  following,  proceeded  to  fill  the  professorships  of  mathematics,  languages, 
philosophy  and  chemistry,  and  natural  history.  On  the  19th  of  October,  the  Uni 
versity  was  reopened  under  the  new  organization. 

In  the  session  of  1858,  the  legislature  granted  $13,000  to  the  University,  for  re 
pairs  on  the  state  house,  and  for  the  erection  of  another  building  for  the  residence 
of  students.  A  new  roof  was  put  upon  the  state  house,  and  the  other  building  be 
gun  and  the  exterior  completed. 

A  further  grant  of  $10,000  was  made  in  1860,  $5,000  to  be  expended  on  the  old 
building  and  in  the  purchase  of  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus,  and  the 
remainder  upon  the  new  building.  The  repairs  and  alterations  of  the  state  house 
have  been  completed,  and  it  is  now  both  an  elegant  and  commodious  building  for 
the  purposes  of  a  university.  It  is  built  of  cream  colored  limestone,  and  is  120 
feet  long  by  60  broad,  and  two  stories  high,  with  a  basement.  The  walls  are  of 
massive  cut  stone,  and  the  rooms  are  spacious  and  lofty.  The  original  cost  of  the 
building  was  $160,000.  It  contains  the  chapel,  library,  cabinet,  five  lecture  rooms, 
a  room  occupied  by  the  State  Historical  Society,  and  a  spacious  entrance  hall,  sur 
mounted  by  a  dome.  The  other  building  is  of  pressed  brick,  105  feet  by  45,  three 
stories  high,  and  when  finished  will  accommodate  about  100  students.  The  build 
ings  are  situated  on  a  ridge  of  land,  the  highest  in  the  city,  in  the  middle  of  a 
park  of  ten  acres,  which  contains  many  fine  old  oak  trees  in  a  very  flourishing  con 
dition.  The  site  is  beautiful,  overlooking  the  valley  of  the  Iowa  River  on  the  west 
and  the  city  on  the  east,  while  from  the  top  of  the  dome  may  be  seen  a  vast  ex 
tent  of  rolling  country,  prairie  and  woodland,  spread  out  on  every  side. 

The  University  has  now  all  the  requisites  for  a  first  class  institution  of  learning. 
It  has  a  choice  library  of  1,500  volumes,  quite  an  extensive  mineralogical  cabinet, 
and  a  very  complete  philosophical  and  chemical  apparatus.  Provision  has  been 
made  for  the  increase  of  the  library  and  cabinet. 


Fort  Dodge,  the  county  seat  of  Webster  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on 
a  platform  of  prairie  land,  on  the  east  side  of  Des  Moines  River,  on  the  line 
^of  the  Dubii^iue  and  Pacific  Railroad.  Building  was  commenced  here  in 


IOWA. 


403 


the  fall  of  1855.  Several  fine  brick  buildings  and  business-houses  have  been 
erected.  Bituminous  coal  and  iron  ore,  of  a  superior  quality,  are  found  in 
great  abundance  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

Sioux  City,  Woodbury  county,  a  new  settlement  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Big  Sioux  River,  about  230  miles  above  Council  Bluffs,  is  well  situated  on 
a  high  bank,  and  is  the  last  place  of  importance  on  the  Missouri. 

Fort  Madison,  the  county  seat  of  Lee  county,  is  a  flourishing  town.  It 
contains  the  state-prison,  and  4000  inhabitants.  A  fortification  was  built 
here  in  1808,  as  a  defense  against  the  Indians,  who  obliged  the  garrison  to 
abandon  it.  In  the  war  of  1812,  the  fort  was  twice  attacked  by  the  Indians. 
In  November,  1813,  it  was  evacuated  and  the  buildings  burnt,  as  the  con 
tractor  failed  to  furnish  the  garrison  with  provisions. 

Grinnell  is  in  Powesheik  county,  115  miles  from  Davenport,  by  the  Mis 
sissippi  and  Missouri  Railroad,  is  a  fine  town,  and  noted  as  the  seat  .of  Iowa 
College. 

There  are  in  the  state  many  small,  city-like  towns,  as  :  Keosauqua,  in  Van 
Buren  co.;  Lyons,  in  Clinton  ;  Cedar  Rapids,  in  Linn  ;  Oskaloosa,  in  Ma- 
haska ;  Cedar  Falls,  in  Black  Hawk,  and  Mount  Pleasant,  in  Henry.  At 
the  last  named  is  the  State  Insane  Asylum  and  the  Wesleyan  University 
and  about  6000  inhabitants. 

MISCELLANIES. 


UNITED    STATES    LAND    SYSTEM. 

All  the  lands  belonging  to  the  United  States,  within  the  new  states  and  territories, 
are  surveyed  and  sold  under  one  general  system,  which,  from  its  simplicity,  has 
been  of  incalculable  benefit  in  the  settlement  of  the  west.  This  admirable  system  of 
surveys  of  lands  by  towns  kips  and  ranges,  was  first  adopted  by  Oliver  Phelps,  an  ex 
tensive  landholder  in  Genesee  county,  N.Y.,  who  opened  a  land  office  at  Canandaigua, 
in  1789.  His  was  the  model  which  was  adopted  for  surveying  all  the  new  lands  in 
the  United  States.  Col.  Jared  Mansfield,  appointed  surveyor  general  of  the  United 
States  for  the  North-western  Territory,  by  Jefferson,  in  1802,  applied  the  system 
the  government  lands,  and  greatly  improved  it.  In  brief  it  is  this: 

"Meridian  lines  are  established  and  surveyed  in  a  line  due  north  from  some 

given  point — generally  from  some  important 
water-course.  These  are  intersected  at  right 
angles  with  a  base  line.  On  the  meridians, 
the  "townships''  are  numbered  north  and 
south  from  the  base  lines ;  and,  on  the  base 
lines,  "ranges"  east  or  west  of  the  meridian. 
Township  lines  are  then  run,  at  a  distance  of 
six  miles,  parallel  to  the  meridian  and  base 
lines.  Each  township  contains  an  area  of  36 
square  miles;  each  square  mile  is  termed  a 
section,  and  contains  640  acres.  The  sections 
are  numbered  from  1  to  36,  beginning  at  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  township,  as  the  an 
nexed  diagram  illustrates. 

When  surveyed,  the  lands  are  offered  for 

sale  at  public  auction,  but  can  not  be  disposed  of  at  a  less-  price  than  one  dollar 
and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  That  portion  not  sold  at  public  auction  is  subject  to 
private  entry  at  any  time,  for  the  above  price,  payable  in  cash  at  the  time  of  entry 


6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

18 
19 
30 
31 

17 

16* 

15 

14 

13 

20 

21 

22 

23 

26 
^5 

24 

29 

28 

27 
34 

25 

32 

33 

36 

404  IOWA- 

Pre-emption  rights  give  the  improver  or  possessor  the  privilege  of  purchasing  at 
the  minimum  price." 

By  a  wise  provision  of  the  law  of  the  United  States,  every  16th  section  in  each 
township  is  appropriated  for  the  support  of  public  schools.  This  is  one  thirty 
sixth  of  all  the  public  lands,  and  in  a  state  of  36,000  square  miles  would  give  one 
thousand  to  this  object. 

Previous  to  the  adoption  of  this  system  of  surveying  the  public-lands,  great  con 
fusion  existed  for  the  want  of  a  general,  uniform  plan,  and  in  consequence  titles 
often  conflicted  with  each  other,  and,  in  many  cases,  several  grants  covered  the 
same  premises,  leading  very  frequently  to  litigation  most  perplexing  and  almost 
interminable.  Now,  the  precise  boundaries  of  any  piece  of  land  can  be  given  in 
a  very  few  lines;  and,  in  a  moment,  found  on  the  maps  in  the  government  land 
offices,  or,  if  the  land  has  been  sold  to  individuals,  in  the  recorder's  office  in  the 
county  in  which  it  may  be  situated,  and  where  it  is  entered  for  taxation.  The 
land  itself  can  be  easily  found  by  the  permanent  corner  posts  at  each  corner  of 
the  sections. 

The  form  of  description  of  government  lands  is  thus  shown  by  this  example : 
"North-East  Quarter  of  Section  No.  23;  in  Township  No.  26  of  Range  No'.  4, 
West  of  Meridian  Line,  in  White  Co.,  Ind.,  and  containing  160  acres."  It  is  usual 
to  abridge  such  descriptions,  thus:  "N.E.  \  S.  23,  T.  26,  R.  4  W.,  in  White  Co., 
Ind.,  &  cont'g  160  A." 


The  state  institutions  and  principal  educational  institutions  of  Iowa  are 
located  as  follows :  the  State  University,  Iowa  City,  a-nd  its  Medical  De 
partment  at  Keokuk ;  State  Agricultural  College,  on  a  farm  in  Story 
county ;  the  Blind  Asylum,  in  Yinton,  Benton  county ;  Deaf  and  Dumb 
Asylum,  Iowa  City ;  Insane  Asylum,  Mount  Pleasant ;  the  Penitentiary, 
Fort  Madison ;  State  Historical  Society,  Iowa  City ;  Iowa  Orphan  Asylum, 
Farmington,  Van  Buren  county./  Among  educational  institutions  are  :  the 
Iowa  College,  at  Grinnell ;  Bishop  Lee  Female  Seminary,  at  Dubuque  j 
Cornell  College,  at  Mount  Vernon ;  Upper  Iowa  University  at  Fayette; 
Iowa  Wesleyan  University,  at  Mount  Pleasant ;  and  Indianola  Male  and 
Female  Seminary,  at  Indianola. 


M  I  SS  0  U  R  1, 


MISSOURI  was  originally  included  in  the  limits  of  Louisiana,  purchased 
of  the  French  government  in  1803.  The  first  Europeans  who  visited  any 

part  of  its  territory  appear  to  have 
been  Marquette  and  Joliet,  the 
French  missionaries  from  Canada, 
who  sailed  down  the  Mississippi  in 
1673.  This  river  was  more  fully  ex 
plored  by  La  Salle,  in  1682,  who  de 
clared  all  the  region  between  the  Il 
linois  country  and  the  Gulf  of  Mex 
ico  to  be  an  appendage  of  France. 
From  this  period,  settlements  began 
to  be  made  in  the  valley  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  and  the  territory  was  pro 
tected  from  Spanish  invasion  by  a 
chain  of  fortifications,  extending  from 
the  lakes  to  the  gulf.  Among  these 
was  Fort  Orleans,  built  in  1719,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Osage,  not  far  from 
the  site  of  Jefferson  City. 

The  settlements  in  the  Mississippi 
valley  were  made  advancing  from  its 
northern  and  southern  extremities  into  the  interior.  Missouri  being  in  the 
central  part,  its  progress  was  slow.  Its  lead  mines  were  worked  as  early  as 
1720.  St.  Genevfeve,  the  oldest  town,  was  founded  in  1755;  St.  Louis  in 
1764  :  other  settlements  followed  in  quick  succession.  During  the  progress 
of  the  contest  between  France  and  Great  Britain,  many  of  the  Canadian 
French  emigrated  by  way  of  the  lakes,  and  going  southward,  located  them 
selves  in  both  Upper  and  Lower  Louisiana.  These  emigrants  gave  the  first 
important  impulse  to  the  colonization  of  Missouri. 

After  the  conquest  of  Canada,  in  1763,  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Mississippi 
passed  from  France  to  Great  Britain  and  Spain,  the  Mississippi  River  being 
the  dividing  line  between  the  possessions  of  the  two  latter  powers.  The 
whole  population  of  Spanish  Louisiana,  north  and  south,  at  the  time  of  the 
public  transfer,  in  1769,  is  stated  to  have  been  18.840  persons,  of  whom  5,556 
were  whites,  and  the  remainder  negroes.  A  river  trade  had  sprung  up  be- 

'     405 


ARMS  OF  MISSOURI. 

MOTTO — SaJus populi  snprema  lex  exto — Let  the  prop 
erty  of  the  people,  be  the  supreme  law. 


406  MISSOURI. 

tween  the  northern  and  southern  part  of  the  province,  and  the  exports  at 
this  period  amounted  to  $250,000  annually.  The  laws  of  Spain  were  now 
extended  over  this  part  of  Louisiana,  and  the  character  of  the  new  govern 
ment  was  conciliating.  The  highest  tribunal  in  Upper  Louisiana,  which  com 
prised  Missouri  within  its  limits,  was  that  of  the  lieutenant  governor,  the 
governor  having  jurisdiction  in  the  lower  province.  The  commandants  of 
the  various  posts  in  the  provinces  held  inferior  tribunals.  Lands  were 
granted  liberally  to  colonists,  and  great  facilities  were  given  to  settlers. 
Many  emigrants  from  Spain  now  came  into  the  country. 

In  1763,  Mr.  Laclede,  the  head  of  a  mercantile  company,  who  had  ob 
tained  a  monopoly  of  the  Indian  and  fur  trade  on  the  Mississippi  and  Mis 
souri  Rivers,  left  New  Orleans  on  an  expedition  to  form  establishments,  and 
open  a  commerce  with  the  natives.  Having  left  his  stores  at  Fort  Chartres, 
on  the  Kaskaskias,  Laclede  proceeded  up  the  river  to  the  bluff,  where  St. 
Louis  now  stands.  Pleased  with  the  situation,  he  determined  to  make  it  the 
central  place  of  the  company's  operations.  Laclede  was  accompanied  by 
Auguste  and  Pierre  Choteau,  two  young  Creoles  of  New  Orleans,  of  high 
respectability  and  intelligence.  In  1764,  Auguste,  the  elder  of  the  two 
brothers,  commenced  the  first  buildings  in  St.  Louis.  These  brothers  became 
at  this  place  the  heads  of  numerous  families,  whose  name  became  a  passport 
that  commanded  safety  and  hospitality  among  the  Indian  nations  in  the 
United  States,  north  and  west. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  American  revolution,  in  1775,  St.  Louis, 
originally  a  depot  for  the  fur  trade,  had  increased  to  a  population  of  about 
800,  and  St.  Genevieve  to  about  half  that  number.  In  1780,  a  body  of  En 
glish  and  Indians,  1,540  strong,  from  Michillimackinac  and  the  southern  ex 
tremity  of  Lake  Michigan,  attacked  St.  Louis.  During  the  siege,  which  lasted 
about  a  week,  some  sixty  persons  were  killed  in  the  town  and  vicinity.  While 
the  fate  of  the  garrison  remained  in  great  uncertainty,  the  timely  arrival  of 
Gen.  Clarke,  from  Kentucky,  turned  the  tide  of  fortune  against  the  enemy. 
The  general  peace  of  1783,  put  an  end  to  hostilities.  Spain  retained  her 
previous  possessions,  Great  Britain  resigned  East  Louisiana,  called  also  the 
''Illinois  Country,"  to  the  United  States,  retaining  only  Canada  and  other 
possessions  at  the  north. 

On  the  restoration  of  peace,  the  settlers  in  the  western  part  of  the  United 
States,  to  some  extent,  emigrated  and  built  their  cabins  on  the  western  or 
Spanish  side  of  the  Mississippi.  Difficulties,  as  might  have  been  expected, 
soon  arose  between  Spain  and  the  United  States.  A  dispute  relative  to  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi  occurred  in  1795,  when,  by  treaty,  Spain 
granted  to  the  United  States  free  navigation  of  that  river.  But  Spain  did 
not  act  up  to  the  spirit  of  her  agreement,  and  threw  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  the  Americans  navigating  that  stream.  An  open  warfare  seems  to  have 
been  only  prevented  by  the  cession  of  Louisiana  to  France,  in  1801,  who 
transferred  it  to  the  United  States  in  1803,  being  purchased  of  the  French 
government  for  fifteen  millions  of  dollars. 

The  new  purchase  was  immediately  divided  into  the  "  Territory  of  Orleans  " 
(since  the  state  of  Louisiana),  and  the  "District  of  Louisiana,"  erected  in 
1805  into  a  territorial  government,  administered  by  a  governor  and  judges, 
under  the  title  of  "Territory  of  Louisiana,"  having  four  districts,  St.  Charles. 
St.  Louis,  Cape  Girardeau,  New  Madrid  and  Arkansas.  When  the  present 
state  of  Louisiana  came  into  the  Union,  in  1812,  the  name  of  this  territory 
was  changed  to  "Missouri  Territory."  The  territory  extended  from  latitude 


\ 

MISSOURI.  407 

0 

33°  to  41°  N.  The  government  now  became  representative,  and  the  first 
governor  under  the  new  government  was  William  Clarke.  The  legislature 
consisted  of  a  council  of  nine  members,  appointed  by  the  president,  and  a 
house  of  representatives,  one  member  for  every  500  free  white  males,  elected 
by  the  people. 

The  limits  of  the  Missouri  Territory,  on  the  west,  were  gradually  extended 
by  treaties. with  the  Indians.  "People  from  the  western  states  began  to  move 
in  from  the  time  of  the  purchase,  so  that  in  1810,  the  population  numbered 
20,845,  of  whom  all,  but  about  1,500  belonging  to  Arkansas,  were  settled 
within  the  present  limits  of  Missouri.  The  French  settlements  were  now 
overrun  by  Americans,  from  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Ohio,  etc.,  and  American 
habits,  usages,  laws,  and  institutions  soon  became  prevalent.  The  original 
settlers  were  quickly  merged  and  almost  lost  among  the  later  and  more  active 
population,  until  at  length  the  whole  became  a  homogeneous  people.  Immi 
gration  was  so  rapid,  that  in  1817,  the  territory  contained  60,000  souls.  In 
1817,  application  was  made  by  the  assembly  to  congress,  for  authority  to 
frame  a  state  constitution,  preliminary  to  admission  into  the  Union.  A  fierce 
and  stormy  debate  arose  at  once  on  the  subject  in  congress.  A  powerful 
party  demanded  that  the  new  state  should  exclude  slavery  by  their  constitu 
tion.  The  discussion  raged  for  two  years,  threatening  to  tear  the  Union 
asunder;  at  length,  however,  the  debate  was  stopped  by  the  passage  of  the 
compromise  resolutions  of  Mr.  Clay,  by  which  it  was  agreed  that  the  institu 
tion  of  slavery  should  be  recognized  in  Missouri,  but  in  no  other  new  state 
north  of  latitude  36°  30'.  The  state  constitution,  somewhat  modified  since 
its  adoption,  was  framed  by  a  convention  of  forty  delegates,  which  met  at 
St.  Louis,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1820,  arid  was  adopted  on  the  19th  July  fol 
lowing.  The  new  state  was  found,  by  a  census  taken  the  same  year,  to  con 
tain  a  population  of  66,586,  of  whom  10.222  were  slaves."^ 

The  north-western  boundary  of  the  Missouri  was  enlarged  ip  the  session 
of  congress  of  1836—7,  by  the  addition  of  a  wedge-shaped  piece  of  terri 
tory,  measuring  on  the  east  side  about  104  miles  long,  north  and  south,  and 
about  60  miles  wide  on  the  north  end,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Mis 
souri  River.  This  territory  is  now  comprised  in  the  six  counties  of  Platte, 
Buchanan,  Andrew,  Atchison,  Nodaway,  and  Holt,  and  contains  ov,er  three 
thousand  square  miles.  Although  this  acquisition  was  in  opposition  to  the 
terms  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  it  appears  to  have  been  acquiesced  in 
with  little  or  no  opposition  from  any  source.  It  had  its  justification  in  a 
better  and  more  natural  boundary,  the  Missouri  River:  and  the  country  being 
of  remarkable  fertility,  became  filled  with  a  wealthy  and  thriving  popula 
tion. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  state  government,  there  has  been  to  the 
present  time  a  constant  tide  of  emigration  into  Missouri,  from  the  southern, 
western  and  northern  states,  and,  to  some  extent,  from  Europe.  Agriculture 
and  commerce  have  flourished  to  a  great  extent.  The  manufacturing  inter 
ests  are  considerable,  and  its  extraordinary  mineral  wealth,  is  beginning 
to  be  appreciated.  Many  of  the  Mormons,  previous  to  their  location  at  Nau- 
voo,  emigrated  to  the  north-western  section  of  the  state,  where  they  caused 
much  difficulty,  in  Ray  county,  in  which  some  were  killed  and  wounded.  In 
1838,  the  governor  of  the  state  issued  an  order,  or  proclamation,  for  the  ex 
pulsion  of  the  Mormons.  After  the  repeal  of  the  "Missouri  Compromise," 

*  Fisher's  Gazetteer  of  the  United  States. 


408  MISSOURI. 

* 

in  1854,  the  -western  border  of  the  state  became  the  theater  of  much  excite 
ment  and  many  hostile  demonstrations,  arising  from  the  contest  between  the 
free  state  men,  who  had  emigrated  into  the  adjoining  Territory  of  Kansas, 
and  the  pro-slavery  party,  principally  from  the  western  border  of  Missouri, 
who  were,  by  their  opponents,  termed  "border  ruffians."  During  the  strug 
gle  for  ascendency,  man^  outrages  were  committed,  and  many  lives  lost  on 
both  sides.  Of  late  years,  a  political  contest  has  sprung  up  between  the 
emancipation  and  pro-slavery  parties  in  this  state,  the  final  result  of  which 
remains  to  be  seen. 

Missouri  is  bounded  N.  by  Iowa,  E.  by  the  Mississippi  River,  S.  by  Ar 
kansas,  and  W.  by  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  the  Indian  territory.  It  is  situ 
ated  between  36°  and  40°  36'  N.  Lat,  and  between  89°  and  95°  36'  W. 
Long.  It  is  287  miles  long  and  230  broad,  containing  upward  of  65,000 
square  miles,  nearly  equaling  in  extent  the  six  New  England  states  together, 
and  more  than  doubling  them  all  in  agricultural  capacity.  The  surface  of 
Missouri  is  quite  varied.  Alluvial,  or  bottom  lands,  are  found  on  the  mar 
gins  of  the  rivers.  In  the  interior,  bottoms  and  barrens,  naked  hills  and 
prairies,  heavy  forests  and  streams  of  water,  may  be  often  seen  in  one  view. 
In  the  south-east  part,  near  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  Cape  Girardeau,  is 
an  extensive  marsh,  reaching  into  Arkansas,  and  comprising  an  area  nearly 
equal  to  the  entire  state  of  Connecticut.  Back  of  this  is  a  hilly  country, 
rich  in  minerals,  which  extends  to  Osagc  River.  One  of  the  richest  coal 
fields  in  the  Union  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the  state  north  of  the  Osage 
River,  and  extending  nearly  to  the  Iowa  line.  The  coal  is  bituminous  and 
much  of  it  cannel.  The  great  cannel  coal  bed  in  Calloway  county,  is  the 
largest  body  of  cannel  coal  known:  in  places  it  is  75  feet  thick.  On  distil 
lation,  it  yields  excellent  coke,  and  a  gas  that,  being  destitute  of  sulphur, 
burns  with  a  bright  and  beautiful  flame.  The  lead  region  is  at  an  average 
distance  of  seventy  miles  from  St.  Louis,  and  covers- an  area  of  3,000  square 
miles.  While  in  Wisconsin  the  lead  does  not  extend  100  feet  in  depth,  the 
lead  veins  of  Missouri  extend,  in  places,  more  than  1,000  feet.  The  mineral 
region  contains  216  localities  of  lead  ore,  90  of  iron,  and  25  of  copper.  The 
state  abounds  in  iron ;  in  fact,  no  country  in  .the  world  contains  so  much  of 
this  useful  ore  as  Missouri ;  and  her  general  mineral  wealth  is  enormous,  in 
coal,  iron,  copper,  lead,  etc.  Minerals  of  the  non -metallic  kind  are  also 
abundant,  limestone,  sandstone,  porphyries,  gypsum,  sienite,  porcelain,  pipe 
and  variegated  clays. 

The  country  north  of  the  Missouri,  and  that  which  adjoins  Kansas,  has 
been  termed  the  garden  of  the  west.  In  most  places  it  has  a  beautiful,  un 
dulating  surface,  sometimes  rising  into  picturesque  hills,  then  stretching  into 
a  sea  of  prairie,  interspersed  with  shady  groves  and  streams  of  water. 

Missouri  possesses  very  great  facilities  for  internal  intercourse  by  water, 
having  the  navigation  of  the  two  greatest  rivers  in  the  United  States,  if  not 
in  the  world.  By  means  of  the  Mississippi  River,  forming  her  eastern  boun 
dary,  she  has  commerce  with  the  most  northern  territory  of  the  Union,  with 
the  whole  valley  of  the  Ohio,  some  of  the  Atlantic  states,  and  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico;  by  the  Missouri,  which  passes  through  the  central  part  of  the  state, 
she  can  extend  her  commercial  intercourse  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
climate  is  variable,  in  winter  the  streams  are  sometimes  frozen  so  as  to  admit 
the  passage  of  heavy  loaded  vehicles;  the  summers  are  very  hot,  but  the  air  is 
dry  and  pure,  and  the  climate  may  be  classed  among  those  most  favorable  to 
health.  The  soil  of  the  state,  speaking  generally,  is  good  and  of  great  agri- 


MISSOURI 


409 


cultural  capabilities,  particularly  the  bottom  lands,  bordering  the  rivers. 
The  principal  agricultural  staples  are  Indian  corn  and  hemp.  The  southern 
highlands  are  finely  adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  grape.  In  1810.  the  pop 
ulation  was  less  than  20,000  ;  in  1830,  in  was  140,000;  in  1850,  682,244,  of 
whom  87,422  were  slaves;  in  1860,  1173,317,  including  114,965  slaves. 


Central  par  I  of  the  Levee,  at  St.  Louis. 

The  view  was  taken  from  Bloody  Island,  near  the  Railroad  Depot,  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  shows  the  steamboats  lying  at  the  Levee,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Custom  House,  and  the  Court  House, 
the  upper  portion  of  which  is  seen  in  the  distance.  The  river  front  here,  for  a  long  distance,  is  generally 
crowded  with  steamers,  lying  abreast  of  each  other,  in  tiers  of  three  and  four  deep,  indicating  the  extra 
ordinary  commerce  of  the  city. 

ST.  Louis,  the  commercial  capital  of  Missouri,  and  of  the  great  central 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  is  situated  on  the  W.  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  18 
miles  below  the  junction  of  the  Missouri.  It  is  in  38°  37'  28"  N.  Lat.,  and 
90°  15'  16"  W.  Long.,  about  1,200  miles  above  New  Orleans,  340  from  Cin 
cinnati,  822  from  St.  Paul,  274  from  Louisville,  Ky.,  180  above  Cairo,  and  125 
from  Jefferson  City,  the  capital  of  the  state.  The  compact  part  of  the  city 
stretches  about  three  miles  along  the  river,  and  two  miles  back.  The  site 
rises  from  the  river  into  two  limestone  elevations,  the  first,  twenty,  and  the 
second  forty  feet  above  the  ordinary  floods  of  the  Mississippi.  The  ascent 
to  the  first  is  rather  abrupt,  the  second*  rises  more  gradually,  and  spreads  out 
into  an  extensive  plain.  The  city  is  well  laid  out,  the  streets  being  for  the 
most  part  60  feet  wide,  and,  with  few  exceptions  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles.  Front-street,  which  extends  along  the  levee,  is  upward  of  100  feet 
broad,  built  upon  the  side  facing  the  river  with  a  massive  range  of  stone  ware 
houses,  which  make  an  imposing  appearance.  The  population  of  St.  Louia 


410 


MISSOURI. 


in  1840,  was  16,469;  in  1850,  82,774;  and  in  1860,  162,179.  About  one 
third  of  the  inhabitants  are  natives  of  Germany  or  their  descendants. 

St.  Louis  is  sometimes  fancifully  called  the  "Mound  City"  from  a  great 
mound,  at  the  base  of  which  it  was  first  settled,  and  which  is  said  by  the  In 
dians  to  have  been  the  burial  place  of  their  ancestors  for  centuries. 

The  natural  advantages  which  St.  Louis  enjoys,  as  a  commercial  emporium, 
are  probably  equal  to  any  inland  port  in  the  world.  Situated  midway  be 
tween  two  oceans,  and  near  the  geographical  center  of  the  finest  agricultural 
and  mineral  region  of  the  globe,  almost  at  the  very  focus  toward  which  con 
verge  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Illinois  Rivers,  she 
seems  destined  to  be  the  great  receiving  and  distributing  depot  for  a  vast  re 
gion  of  country.  It  is  now,  next  to  New  Orleans,  the  principal  port  on  the 
Mississippi,  and  among  the  western  cities  is  the  rival  to  Cincinnati  in  popu 
lation  and  wealth.  "In  a  circuit  of  less  than  90  nliles  from  the  city,  iron, 
coal,  lead,  and  probably  copper,  are  sufficiently  abundant  to  supply  the  Union 
for  indefinite  ages,  and  of  this  region  St.  Louis  is  the  only  outlet.  The  man 
ufactures  of  St.  Louis  embrace  a  great  variety  of  products.  Among  the 
manufacturing  establishments  may  be  mentioned,  extensive  iron  works,  flour 
ing  mills,  sugar  refineries,  manufactures  of  hemp,  rope  and  bagging  factories, 
tobacco  factories,  oil  mills,  etc.  The  city  is  supplied  with  water  from  the 
Mississippi,  drawn  up  by  two  engines,  each  of  about  350  horse  power,  and 
forced  through  a  20  inch  pipe  to  the  reservoir,  located  about  one  mile  west, 
and  capable  of  holding  thirty-two  millions  of  gallons. 

Very  few  cities  in  the  Union  have  improved  more  rapidly  in  the  style  of 
its  public  buildings,  than  St.  Louis;  among  these  is  the  magnificent  court 
house,  which  occupies  a  square,  presenting  a  front  on  four  streets :  it  is  con 
structed  of  limestone,  and  erected  at  an  expense  of  upward  of  one  million 
of  dollars.  The  custom  house,  another  noble  building,  is  fire  proof,  con 
structed  of  Missouri  marble.  The  Lindell  House  is  one  of  the  most  exten 
sive  and  beautiful  of  hotels.  The  Mercantile  Library  building  is  a  fine 
structure,  having  one  of  the  best  halls  in  the  western  states,  capable  of 
seating  2,300  persons.  The  library  connected  with  the  institution  consists 
of  upward  of  14,000  volumes.  The  Library  Association,  among  the  curios 
ities  in  their  possession,  have  the  original  model  of  John  Fitch's  steam  en 
gine,  made  about  the  year  1795;  it  is  some  two  feet  high,  with  a  copper 
boiler.  They  also  have  a  marble  slab,  about  seven  feet  square,  from  the  ruins 
of  ancient  Ninevah,  covered  with  a  figure  in  bas-relief  and  interesting  cunei 
form  inscriptions.  The  St.  Louis  University,  under  the  direction  of  the  Cath 
olics,  has  a  spacious  building  in  the  city,  with  18  instructors,  and  about  300 
students,  and  some  15,000  volumes  in  its  libraries.  This  institution  was 
founded,  in  1829,  by  members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  and  was  incorporated 
by  the  legislature  in  1832.  In  the  museum  connected  with  the  University, 
is  the  dagger  of  Cortez,  14  inches  long,  the  blade  consisting  of  two  divisions, 
with  an  apparatus  and  spring  in  the  hilt  for  containing  and  conveying  poison. 
The  Washington  University  was  founded  in  1853.  The  city  contains  various 
other  excellent  literary  institutions :  among  these  are  several  medical  colleges. 
There  are  also  hospitals,  dispensaries,  and  other  charities,  for  the  medical 
care  of  the  destitute.  Among  the  charitable  institutions,  the  most  conspic 
uous  are  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  Orphan  Asylums — the  first  under  the 
direction  of  Protestant  ladies,  and  the  latter  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity.  The 
total  value  of  the  taxable  property  of  St.  Louis,  for  1860,  was  about  100 
millions  of  dollars. 


MISSOURI. 


411 


The  subjoined  sketch  of  the  history  of  St.  Louis,  is  extracted  from  the 
London  edition  of  the  work  of  Abbe  Domenech,*  the  original  being  in 
French: 

St.  Louis,  the  Queen  of  the  West,  was  French  by  birth;  her  cradle  was  sus 
pended  in  the  forest  watered  by  the  Mississippi ;  her  childhood  was  tried  by  many 
privations;  and  her  adolescence  was  reached  amid  the  terrors  inspired  by  the  In 
dian's  cry.  Her  youth,  though  more  calm,  was  scarcely  more  happy.  Abandoned 
by  her  guardian,  the  Lion  of  Castile,  she  was  again  claimed  by  her  ancient  mother; 
but  only  to  be  forsaken  anew.  She  then  passed  under  the  protecting  wing  of  the 
American  eagle,  and  became  the  metropolis  of  the  Empire  of  the  Deserts. 


South-eastern  view  of  the  Court  House,  St.  Louis. 

M.  d'Abndie,  civil  and  military  director-general,  and  governor  of  Louisiana,  con 
ceded,  in  1762,  to  Messrs.  Pierre  Ligueste,  Laclede,  Antoine  Maxan,  and  Company, 
the  monopoly  of  the  fur  trade  with'the  Indians  of  Mississippi  and  Missouri.  M. 
Laclede,  a  man  of  remarkable  intelligence,  of  an  enterprising  character,  and  the 
principal  chief  of  the  company,  immediately  prepared  an  expedition,  with  a  view 
of  forming  a  large  establishment  in  the  north-west.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1763, 
he  started  from  New  Orleans,  and  on  the  3d  of  November  following,  he  reached 
St.  Genevieve,  situated  sixty  miles  south  of  where  St.  Louis  is  actually  built. 

At  that  epoch  the  French  colony,  established  sixty  years  before  in  Illinois,  was 
in  a  surprising  state  of  prosperity.  It  had  considerably  augmented  its  importance 
since  1732,  at  which  period  France  was  beginning  to  realize  her  great  conception 
of  uniting  Canada  to  Louisiana  by  an  extensive  line  of  military  posts,  that  were 


#"  Seven  Years  Residence  in  the  Great  Deserts  of  North  America,  by  the  Abbe  Em 
Domenech,  Apostolical  Missionary,  Canon  of  Montpellier,  Member  of  the  Pontificial  Acad 
emy  Tiberina,  and  of  the  Geographical  and  Ethnographical  Societies  of  France,  etc.:  "  in 
two  volumes. 


412 


MISSOURI. 


to  have  been  supported  by  forts,  the  strategic  positions  of  which  were  admirably 
chosen.  But  when  M.  Laclede  arrived  in  the  country,  Louis  XV  had  already  signed 
the  shameful  treaty  by  which  he  ceded  to  England,  in  a  most  blamable  and  incon 
siderate  manner,  one  of  the  finest  regions  of  the  globe,  the  possession  of  which  had 
cost  nearly  a  century  of  efforts,  discoveries,  and  combats,  besides  enormous  sums 
of  money.  By  that  treaty,  which  will  cover  with  eternal  ignominy  the  memory  of 
Louis  XV,  France  yielded  up  to  great  Britain  the  two  Canadies,  the  immense  ter 
ritory  of  the  northern  lakes,  and  the  rich  states  of  Illinois,  Kentucky,  Tennessee, 
Mississippi,  and  Western  Louisiana,  as  far  as  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

The  Britannic  frontiers,  north,  west,  and  south,  were  then  surrounded  by  that 
French  race,  so  antipathetic  to  the  Saxon  one.  It  enveloped  them  by  its  power 
and  its  immense  territory,  by  an  uinterrupted  chain  of  fertile  countries,  which  ex 
tend  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  following  the  interminable  and  rich  val 
ley  of  the  Mississippi,  which  winds  round  the  English  possessions  like  the  coiling 
serpent  whose  innumerable  folds  entwined  the  Laocoon.  Unhappily  for  France, 
the  statesmen  of  her  luxurious  court  were  short-sighted  in  this  matter;  they  did  not 
know  the  value  of  our  transatlantic  dominions,  nor  forsee  what  the  future  might 
do  for  them.  Occupied  with  miserable  palace  intrigues,  they  basely  abandoned  our 
finest  colonies,  and  merely  sought  feebly  to  prolong  their  agony.  Napoleon  him 
self  committed  a  great  fault  when  he  ceded  Louisiana  for  fifteen  millions.  He 
thought  that  a  bird  in  the  hand  was  better  than  two  in  the  bush ;  but  what  a  bush 
he  sold  for  such  a  sum!  Louisiana,  that  of  herself  contains  colossal  wealth,  did 
she  not  give  birth  to  many  powerful  states  by  dismembering  herself?  Did  she  not 
draw  toward  Texas,  Kansas,  New  Mexico,  and  California?  When  one  thinks  of 
this  great  and  irreparable  loss  which  Louis  XV  and  Napoleon  I  caused  France  to 
suffer,  one  can  not  help  sighing  at  the  blindness  of  that  fatal  policy,  which,  for  the 
sake  of  passing  difficulties,  from  pusillanimous  fear,  or  from  the  want  of  perfect 
knowledge  of  the  resources  and  importance  of  the  colonies,  forgets  the  honor  and 
interest  of  the  empire  it  rules. 

It  was  thus  that  in  the  time  of  M.  Laclede,  the  Mississippi  became  the  natural 
bo.undary  of  the  French  and  English  possessions;  St.  Genevieve  was  the  only 
French  settlement  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  all  the  others,  being  on  the  left, 
were  mad6  over  to  the  English.  After  a  short  sojourn  in  that  village,  M.  Laclede 
explored  the  country,  and  discovering,  sixty  miles  more  to  the  north,  a  table-land 
seventy-five  feet  above  the  Mississippi,  and  covered  with  forests  and  fertile  ground, 
he  took  possession  of  it  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  town,  which  he  named  St. 
Louis,  in  the  presence  of  the  French  officers  of  the  Chartres  and  of  two  young 
Creoles,  Messrs.  Auguste  and  Pierre  Chouteau.  We  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  latter  in  1847,  during  the  festival  celebrated  at  St.  Louis  in  honor  of  Laclede. 

Scarcely  was  the  rising  colony  established,  which  was  augmented  by  French, 
Creole,  and  Illinois  emigrants,  who  would  not  remain  under  the  English  dominion, 
when  it  Avas  greatly  alarmed  by  the  arrival  of  400  Indians,  who,  without  being  hos 
tile,  were  nevertheless  very  troublesome,  on  account  of  their  continual  demands 
for  provisions  and  the  daily  robberies  they  committed.  M.  Laclede  made  all  pos 
sible  haste  to  rescue  his  establishment  from  the  peril  that  menaced  it,  and  imme 
diately  acted  in  a  manner  that  showed  his  tact  and  his  profound  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  character.  The  chieftains  having  appeared  in  his  presence,  addressed  him 
in  these  terms : 

"  We  are  deserving  of  pity,  for  we  are  like  ducks  and  geese  seeking  clear  water  whereon 
to  rest,  as  also  to  find  an  easy  existence.  We  know  of  no  better  place  than  where  we  are. 
We  therefore  intend  to  build  our  wigwams  around  your  village.  We  shall  be  your  children, 
and  you  will  be  our  father." 

Laclede  put  an  end  to  the  conversation  by  promising  to  give  his  answer  the  next 
day,  which  he  did  in  the  following  manner : 

"  You  told  me  yesterday  that  you  were  like  ducks  and  geese  that  seek  a  fair  country 
wherein  to  rest  and  live  at  ease.  You  told  me  that  you  were  worthy  of  pity  ;  that  you  had 
not  found  a  more  favorable  spot  to  establish  yourselves  in  than  this  one;  that  you  would 
build  your  village  around  me,  and  that  we  could  live  together  as  friends.  I  shall  now  an 
swer  you  as  a  kind  father:  and  will  tell  you  that,  if  you  imitate  the  ducks  and  geese,  you 
follow  improvident  guides;  for,  if  they  had  any  forethought,  they  would  not  establish 


MISSOURI. 


413 


themselves  on  clear  water  where  they  may  be  perceived  by  the  eagle  that  will  pounce  on 
them.  It  would  not  have  been  so  had  they  chosen  a  retired  spot  well  shaded  with  trees. 
You,  Missourians,  will  not  be  devoured  by  birds  of  prey,  but  by  the  red  men,  who  have 
fought  so  long  against  you,  and  who  have  already  so  seriously  reduced  your  number.  At 
this  very  moment  they  are  not  far  from  us,  watching  the  English  to  prevent  them  from  tak 
ing  possession  of  their  new  territories.  If  they  find  you  here  they  will  slay  your  warriors 
and  make  your  wives  and  children  slaves.  This  is  what  will  happen  to  you,  if,  as-you  say, 
you  follow  the  example  of  the  ducks  and  geese,  instead  of  listening  to  the  counsels  of  men 
who  reflect.  Chieftains  and  warriors,  think  now,  if  it  is  not  more  prudent  for  you  to  go 
away  quietly  rather  than  to  be  crushed  by  your  enemies,  superior  to  you  in  number,  in  the 
presence  of  your  massacred  sires,  of  your  wives  and  children  torn  to  pieces  and  thrown  to 
the  dogs  and  vultures.  Remember  that  it  is  a  good  father  who  speaks  to  you ;  medifrate  on 
what  he  has  said,  and  return  this  evening  with  your  answer." 

In  the  evening  the  entire  tribe  of  the  Missourians  presented  itself  in  a  body  be 
fore  M.  Laclede,  and'announced  to  him  that  its  intention  was  to  follow  his  advice; 
the  chiefs  then  begged  of  him  to  have  pity  on  the  women  and  children,  by  giving 
them  some  provisions,  and  a  little  powder  to  the  warriors.  M.  Laclede  acceded 
liberally  to  their  request,  and  sent  them  off  next  day  well  supplied  and  happy. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1755,  M.  de  St.  Ange  de  Bellerive  resigned  the  command 
of  the  frontiers  to  the  English,  and  came  to  St.  Louis  with  his  troops  and  the  civic 
officers.  His  arrival  favored  the  definitive  organization  of  the  colony ;  St.  Louis 
became  the  capital  of  Upper  Louisiana,  and  M.  de  St.  Ange  was  appointed  gov 
ernor  of  the  place.  But  Louis  XV  had  made,  in  1763,  another  treaty,  by  which 
he  ceded  to  Spain  the  remainder  of  our  possessions  in  North  America.  This  treaty, 
kept  secret  during  a  year,  completed  the  measure  of  humiliations  and  losses  that 
France  had  to  endure  under  such  a  reign.  The  official  news  of  it  was  only  re 
ceived  at  New  Orleans  on  the  21st  of  April,  1764,  and  the  consternation  it  spread 
throughout  Upper  and  Lower  Louisiana  was  such  that  the  governor,  M.  d'Abadie, 
died  of  grief.  Serious  disturbances  were  the  consequence,  and  the  tragical  events 
which  took  place  under  the  command  of  Gen.  O'Reilly,  of  sanguinary  memory, 
caused  the  administration  of  Upper  Louisiana  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  French 
for  several  years.  It  was  only  on  the  1 1th  of  August,  1768,  that  the  Spanish  troops 
were  able  to  take  possession  of  St.  Louis  for  the  first  time,  and  even  then  they  could 
not  hold  the  position  above  eleven  months.  At  last,  peace  being  restored,  the  Span 
iards  again  became  masters  of  all  the  country  in  1770,  five  years  before  the  death 
of  M.  de  St.  Ange,  who  expired  at  St.  Louis  in  1775.  aged  seventy-six  years.  M. 
Laclede  died  at  the  Post  of  the  Arkansas  on  the  20th  of  July,  1778,  leaving  no 
children. 

In  1780,  St.  Louis  was  unsuccessfully  attacked  by  1,000  Indians  and  English- 
/nen,  from  Michillimackinac,  who  had  received  orders  to  seize  upon  the  town  on 
account  of  the  part  the  Spaniards  had  taken  in  the  war  of  American  independ 
ence. 

Spain  never  sought  to  derive  any  advantage  from  the  resources  of  Upper  Louis 
iana:  it  would  seem  as  if  she  merely  considered  that  mighty  region  as  a  barrier 
against  the  encroachments  of  her  neighbor  on  her  Mexican  possessions.  This 
policy  alone  can  explain  her  indifference  with  regard  to  the  government  of  that 
country.  When  she  took  possession  of  all  the  territory  situated  to  the  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  she  found  there  a  French  population  already  acclimated,  civilized,  and 
inured  to  fatigues,  owing  to  the  long  wars  it  sustained  against  the  English  and  the 
Indians.  The  prospect  of  a  calm  and  peaceable  existence  had  assembled  this  pop 
ulation  on  the  borders  of  Arkansas,  of  the  Mississippi,  and  of  the  Missouri,  where 
it  only  awaited  a  protecting  government,  to  enable  it  to  give  to  industry  and  agri 
culture  all  possible  development.  All  that  Spain  had  to  do  was  to  open  markets 
for  its  produce,  and  for  exchanges  with  the  southern  colonies.  This  extensive  em 
pire,  possessing  the  largest  natural  advantages,  bounded  by  the  Mississippi,  the 
Missouri,  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  might  have,  owing  to  the  preponderance  that  it 
could  have  acquired  (as  we  witness  in  our  days),  changed  the  course  of  events 
which  have  taken  place  in  Europe  since  that  epoch.  France  could  not  aspire  to 
such  power  as  long  as  she  possessed  Canada,  but  she  should  have  thought  of  it 
when  she  abandoned  that  colony.  The  immense  results  obtained  by  the  liberal 
institutions  of  the  United  States  show  clearly,  in  the  present  day,  that  the  loss  of 


414 


MISSOURI. 


Canada  would  have  turned  to  our  advantage,  and  that  by  developing  the  produce 
of  the  possessions  which  we  still  retained  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  v  e  hould 
soon  have  been  amply  compensated  for  the  sacrifices  made  in  1763,  after  the  taking 
of  Quebec.  Such  was  the  opinion  of  the  intelligent  men  of  France.  Turgot,  our 
celebrated  statesman,  in  particular,  foresaw  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  such 
a  policy,,  and  he  even  submitted  a  plan  to  the  king  by  means  of  which  that  vast  re 
gion  he  called  Equinoctial  France,  was  to  become  densely  populated  in  a  short 
time.  But,  as  M.  Nicollet  observes  in  his  essay  on  the  primitive  history  of  St. 
Louis,  he  was  treated  as  a  visionary. 

Wfyat  was  easy  for  France  was  still  much  more  so  for  Spain ;  but  instead  of  adopt 
ing  this  simple  policy — liberal  and  grand  in  its  results — Spain  contented  herself  with 
isolating  the  colonists  and  the  Indians  of  Missouri  and  of  Mississippi,  imposing  an 
arbitrary  government  upon  them,  checking  all  communicatiort  between  the  neigh 
boring  populations;  establishing  restrictions  on  importation,  prohibiting  foreign 
competition,  restricting  emigration,  granting  exclusive  privileges,  and  making, 
without  any  conditions,  concessions  of  lands,  etc.  It  is  not  surprising,  then,  that 
she  complains  that  her  colonies  cost  her  more  than  she  realized  by  them.  No 
where,  either  in  her  laws  or  in  her  decrees,  is  there  to  be  found  a  plan  adopted 
with  a  view  of  developing  the  natural  and  moral  resources  of  these  countries.  As 
the  government  appeared  only  to  occupy  itself  with  the  exigencies  of  each  day,  in 
like  manner  the  inhabitants  did  not  seem  to  think  of  the  morrow.  The  Creoles  of 
Upper  Louisiana,  who  were  the  descendants  of  a  brave  and  enterprising  nation,  not 
finding  in  this  state  of  things  any  support  for  their  physical  and  moral  faculties, 
penetrated  into  the  depths  of  the  forests,  got  amid  a  multitude  of  savage  tribes 
whom  they  had  not  heard  of  before,  began  to  explore  the  regions  situated  between 
the  Mississippi  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  created  the  fur  trade  in  that  exten 
sive  portion  of  North  America.  In  this  way  was  formed  that  class  of  intrepid  men 
called  voi/agcurs  or  engages,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken,  and  who  were  as 
necessary  in  the  plains  of  the  west  as  are  the  Canadian  voyageurs  in  the  frozen 
countries  of  the  north  and  north-west. 

Meanwhile  America  had  attained  her  independence,  and  France  was  commenc 
ing  her  revolution,  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1803,  at  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  the  inhabitants  of  St.  Louis  learned  that  Spain  had  re-ceded  Louis 
iana  to  Napoleon,  who,  in  turn  had  sold  it  to  the  United  States.  We  will  make  no 
remark  on  the  profound  sensation  produced  by  this  unexpected  news.  We  will 
merely  observe  that  the  colonists  could  scarcely  recover  from  their  astonishment 
on  hearing  that  they  had  become  republicans,  and  seeing  a  multitude  of  judges, 
lawyers,  notaries,  tax-gatherers,  etc.,  arriving  among  them.  They  were  even 
less  able  to  understand  that  liberty  which  obliged  them  to  leave  their  fcomes  to  * 
vote  at  elections,  or  to  serve  as  jurors.  They  had  allowed  civilization  to  advance 
without  taking  any  notice  of  it.  Their  existence  was  so  isolated,  so  simplified,  that 
they  lost  sight  of  the  advantages  of  social  life.  They  possessed  no  public  schools, 
and  the  missionaries,  being  too  few  in  number,  were  seldom  able  to  visit  or  in 
struct  them  in  their  religious  duties.  The  object  of  their  material  life  did  not  go 
beyond  the  domestic  circle,  the  virtue  and  honesty  of  which  were  proverbial. 
They  knew  nothing  of  notaries,  lawyers,  or  judges;  and  the  prison  remained  empty 
during  thirty  years.  To  give  an  idea  of  the  simplicity  of  the  Creoles,  we  can  not 
do  better  than  relate  an  incident  that  took  place  a  few  years  after  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  to  the  United  States. 

A  Creole  from  Missouri  was  lounging  about  a  sale  of  negro  slaves  on  the  bor 
ders  of  the  Mississippi,  in  Lower  Louisiana.  The  merchant,  who  was  from  Ken 
tucky,  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  buy  anything:  "  Yes,"  replied  the  Missourian, 
"  1  want  a  negro."  Having  made  his  choice,  he  inquired  the  price  of  the  one  he 
selected.  "Five  hundred  piastres,"  replied  the  merchant;  "but,  according  to  cus 
tom,  you  have  one  year  to  pay."  At  this  proposition  the  purchaser  became  em 
barrassed;  the  thought  of  being  liable  to  such  a  debt  during  an  entire  year 
annoyed  him  greatly.  "No,  no!'f  said  he  to  the  merchant,  "I  prefer  paying  you 
at  once  six  hundred  piastres,  and  letting  the  matter  be  ended."  "Very  well,"  said 
the  obliging  Kentuckian,  "1  will  do  anything  you  please  to  make  the  affair  con 
venient  to  you."  And  the  bargain  was  concluded. 


MISSOURI.  415 

• 

The  Spanish  troops  departed  from  Louisiana  on  the  3d  of  November,  1804 
The  American  governor,  VV.  H.  Harrison,  who  had  the  chief  command  of  the  In 
dian  territories  of  Upper  Louisiana,  organized  the  civil  and  judicial  power  of  that 
country;  and  on  the  2d  of  July,  1805,  Gen.  James  Wilkinson  established  there, 
by  order  of  congress,  a  territorial  government,  of  which  St.  Louis  was  the  capital. 


The  great  military  event  in  the  annals  of  St.  Louis  was  the  attack  upon  the 
town  by  the  English  and  Indians  from  Mackinaw,  in  1780.  The  citizens 
had  intelligence  the  previous  fall  of  the  contemplated  expedition,  and  there 
upon  fortified  the  town  with  a  rude  stockade  six  feet  high,  made  by  two  rows 
of  upright  palisades,  a  few  feet  apart,  filled  in  between  with  earth.  The  out 
line  of  the  stockade  described  a  semi-circle  around  the  place,  resting  its  ex 
tremities  upon  the  river,  above  and  below  the  town,  flanked  by  a  small  fort 
at  each  extremity.  Three  gates  gave  opening  to  the  country  in  the  rear, 
each  defended  by  a  piece  of  ordnance,  kept  well  charged.  Monette,  in  his 
History  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  gives  these  particulars : 

The  British  commandant  at  Michillimackinac,  hearing  of  the  disasters  of  the  British 
arms  in  Florida,  conceived  the  idea  of  leading  an  expedition  upon  his  own  responsibility 
against  the  Spanish  settlement  of  St.  Louis.  Early  in  the  spring  he  had  assembled  one 
hundred  and  forty  regular  British  troops  and  Canadian  Frenchmen,  and  fourteen  hundred 
Indian  warriors  tor  the  campaign.  From  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  Michigan  this 
host  of  savages,  under  British  leaders,  marched  across  to  the  Mississippi,  and  encamped 
within  a  few  miles  of  St.  Louis.  The  town  had  been  fortified  for  temporary  defense,  and 
the  hostile  host  made  a  regular  Indian  investment  of  the  place.  Skirmishes  and  desultory 
attacks  continued  for  several  days,  during  which  many  were  killed,  and  others  were  taken 
captive  by  the  Indians.  Much  of  the  stock  of  cattle  and  horses  belonging  to  the  place 
was  killed  or  carried  off. 

The  people  at  length,  believing  a  general  attack  was  contemplated,  and  having  lost  con 
fidence  in  their  commandant's  courage,  or  in  his  preparations  for  defense,  sent  a  special  re 
quest  to  Col.  Clark,  then  commanding  at  Kaskaskia,  to  come  to  their  aid  with  such  force 
as  he  could  assemble.  Col.  Clark  immediately  made  preparation  to  march  to  their  relief. 
Having  assembled  nearly  five  hundred  men  under  his  command,  he  marched  to  the  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  a  short  distance  below  the  town  of  St.  Louis.  Here  he  remained  en 
camped  for  further  observations.  On  the  sixth  of  May  the  grand  Indian  attack  was  made, 
when  Col.  Clark,  crossing  the  river,  marched  up  to  the  town  tb  take  part  in  the  engage 
ment.  The  sight  of  the  Americans,  or  the  "fang  knives,"  as  they  were  called,  under  the 
command  of  the  well-known  Col.  Clark,  caused  the  savages  to  abandon  the  attack  and 
seek  safety  in  flight.  They  refused  to  participate  in  any  further  hostilities,  and  reproached 
the  British  commandant  with  duplicity  in  having  assured  them  that  he  would  march  them 
to  fight  the  Spaniards  only,  whereas  now  they  were  brought  against  the  Spaniards  and  the 
Americans.  They  soon  afterward  abandoned  the  British  standard,  and  returned  to  their 
towns,  near  Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan. 


An  old  settler,  writing  for  the  Missouri  Republican,  in  1826,  and  the  St. 
Louis  Sketch  Book,  gives  these  historical  items: 

A  lapse  of  twenty  years  has  ensued  since  I  first  obtained  a  residence  in  this  rising 
town.  ...  It  did  not,  when  I  first  knew  it,  appear  to  possess  even  the  germ  of  the 
materials  which  have  since  been  so  successfully  used  in  making  it  the  mart  of  commerce 
and  the  seat  of  plenty.  Then,  with  some  exceptions,  it  was  the  residence  of  the  indolent 
trader  or  trapper,  or  more  desperate  adventurers.  .  .  .  Twenty  years  ago  there  were 
no  brick  buildings  in  St.  Louis.  The  houses  were  generally  of  wood,  built  in  a  fashion 
peculiar  to  the  country,  and  daubed  with  mud.  There  were,  however,  some  of  the  better 
order,  belonging  to  the  first  settlers  of  the  town,  but  whose  massive  walls  of  stone  were 
calculated  to  excite  the  wonder  of  the  modern  beholder,  giving  the  idea  of  an  antique 
fortress.  What  was  then  called  Chouteau's  Hill,  but  which  has  since  lost  that  distinctive 
appellation,  was  nothing  else  than  a  barren  waste,  over  which  the  wind  whistled  in  its  unob 
structed  course,  if  we  except  only  an  occasional  cumbrous  fortification,  intended  for  a  de 
fense,  and  evidencing  the  poverty  of  the  country  in  military  as  in  other  talent.  Then,  and 
for  a  long  while  after,  the  streets  were  intolerably  bad,  resembling  the  roads  in  Ohio,  where 


41(3  MISSOURI 

it  is  related  of  a  man  that  his  hat  was  taken  from  his  head  just  as  he  was  disappearing 
forever  in  the  regions  of  mud. 

Twenty  years  since,  and  down  to  a  much  later  period,  the  commerce  of  the  country,  on 
the  Mississippi,  was  carried  on  in  Mackinaw  batteaux  and  keel  boats.  A  voyage  performed 
in  one  of  the  latter  kind  was  a  fearful  undertaking;  and  the  return  trip  from  New  Orleans 
was  considered  an  expeditious  one  if  made  in  ninety  days.  When  an  increased  commerce 
took  place,  our  streets  were  thronged  with  noyageurs,  of  all  ages,  countries  and  complex 
ions.  They  were  a  source  of  constant  trouble  to  a  weak  and  inefficient  police,  with  whom 
they  delighted  to  kick  up  a  row.  Deprived,  by  the  introduction  of  steamboats,  of  their 
usual  means  of  living,  and  like  the  savage  averse  to  settled  life,  they  have  almost  entirely 
disappeared.  At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  the  traveler  who  made  a  journey  to  the 
Atlantic  states,  did  not  resolve  upon  it  without  mature  deliberation.  ...  It  then  required 
from  thirty  to  forty  days  to  travel  to  Philadelphia.  .  .  .  The  morals  or  religion  of  the 
people  can  not  be  denned.  They  had,  it  is  true,  vague  notions  of  such  things,  but  they 
were  of  so  quiescent  a  character  as  to  be  easily  set  aside  when  in  opposition  to  their  pleas 
ure  or  interest.  There  was  but  one  church,  and  after  a  re«ort  to  this  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the  Sabbath  evening  in  dancing  or  whist,  for  St.  Louis  then 
contained,  at  most,  but  a  few  hundred  people." 

"  Previous  to  the  year  1829."  says  the  Sketch  Book  of  St.  Louis,  "  there  was  no  Pro 
testant  church  in  St.  Louis,  but  in  that  year  the  first  Presbyterian  church  was  built,  and 
the  Rev.  Artemas  Bullard  engaged  as  the  minister.  .  .  .  There  were  places  where  the 
Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Universalists,  etc.,  held  divine  service,  but  none  of  them 
possessed  church  edifices  until  this  year. 

In  1844,  another  flood,  equaling  that  which  took  place  in  the  days  of  Crusat,  visited  the 
Mississippi.  The  river  rose  rapidly  until  the  entire  American  bottom  was  submerged. 
Steamboats  and  all  descriptions  of  water  craft  were  to  be  seen  -winding  their  way  through 
the  woods  opposite  the  city,  conveying  passengers  to  and  from  the  coal  hills  on  the  Illinois 
shore,  a  distance  of  about  twelve  miles.  This  flood  was  very  disastrous  in  its  character, 
almost  totally  destroying  Illinoistown,  which  had  become  a  village  of  several  thousand 
inhabitants.  The  damage  was  immense,  while  not  a  few  lives  were  lost,  thousands  of 
hogs,  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  fowls,  etc.,  were  drowned.  '  Many  who,  before  the  flood,  were 
in  affluent  circumstances,  found  themselves  beggared.  This  was  a  marked  event  upon  the 
trade  of  St.  Louis,  and  she  had  scarcely  recovered  from  the  effects,  when  another  calamity 
befel  her.  Late  in  the  fall  of  1848,  that  dreadful  scourge,  the  cholera,  made  its  appear 
ance;  the  approach  of  cold  weather  stayed  in  a  great  measure  the  ravages  of  disease,  but 
in  the  spring  it  developed  itself  in  full  force.  .  .  .  The  disease  now  assumed  a  more  bold 
and  formidable  appearance,  and  instead  of  stalking  through  dirty  lanes  and  filthy  alleys, 
it  boldly  walked  the  streets.  .  .  .  Funeral  processions  crowded  every  street.  .  .  The  hum 
of  trade  was  hushed.  The, levee  was  a  desert.' 

When  the  disease  was  raging  at  its  fiercest,  the  city  was  doomed  to  another  horror — May 
17,  1849.  it  was  burned — fifteen  squares  were  laid  in  ashes.  The  fire  commenced  on  the 
Bteamer  White  Cloud.  At  the  commencement  the  wind  was  blowing  stiffly,  forcing  the 
boat  directly  into  shore,  which  circumstance  contributed  seriously  to  the  marine  disaster. 
The  wind  set  into  the  wharf,  and  although  the  cables  of  all  the  boats  were  hauled  in,  and 
they  drifted  out  into  the  current,  yet  the  flaming  vessel  seemed  to  outstrip  them  all  in  the 
speed  with  which  she  traveled  down  stream.  ...  In  a  short  time,  perhaps  thirty  minutes, 
twenty-three  vessels  were  burnt.  .  .  .  Fifteen  blocks  of  houses  were  destroyed  and  in 
jured,  causing  a  loss  of  ten  millions  of  dollars.  Olive-street  was  the  commencement  in 
the  city,  and  with  the  exception  of  one  building,  the  entire  space  down  to  Market-street 
•was  laid  in  ruins.  The  progress  of  the  flames  was  stayed  by  blowing  up  a  portion  of  the 
buildings  below  Market-street  with  powder:  in  doing  this,  although  timely  warning  was 
given,  several  persons  lost  their  lives." 

In  July,  1817,  came, the  Gen.  Pike,  the  first  steamer  which  arrived  at  St.  Louis.  She 
was  commanded  by  Ca'pt.  Jacob  Reed,  and  was  built  on  Bear  Grass  Creek,  near  Louisville. 
In  1F47,  on  the  anniversary  of  the  city's  birth,  a  miniature  representation  of  the  boat  was 
exhibited,  and  became  the  most  curious  feature  of  the  celebration,  as  showing  the  changes 
in  steamboat  architecture.  "This  miniature  representation  was  about  twenty  feet  long; 
the  hull  that  of  a  barge,  and  the  cabin  on  the  lower  deck  run  up  on  the  inside  of  the  run 
ning  board.  The  wheels  were  exposed,  being  without  a  wheel-house — she  was  propelled 
by  a  low  pressure  engine,  with  a  single  chimney  and  a  large  walking  beam.  The  crew 
were  supplied  with  poles,  and  where  the  current  proved  too  strong  for  the  steam,  they  used 
the  ponies,  as  on  keel  boats,  to  help  her  along.  It  was  mounted  on  wheels,  and  drawn  by 
eight  white  horses.  The  boat  was  manned  by  a  crew  of  steamboat  captains,  who  appeared 
in  the  dress  usually  worn  by  the  officers  and  men  in  their  various  stations." 


MISSOURI. 


417 


Bloody  Island,  opposite  St.  Louis,  near  the  Illinois  shore  of  the  Missis 
sippi,  is  the  terminus  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad.  It  received  its 
name  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being  the  dueling  ground  for  this  region. 
It  is  within  the  limits  of  Illinois,  and  at  the  time  of  high  freshets  is  par 
tially  covered  with  water.  It  has  a  growth  of  large  forest  trees.  This  spot 
was  selected  by  duelists  from  its  being  neutral  ground :  the  island  was  for 

some  time  disputed  territory  between  the  states 
of  Illinois  and  Missouri.  A  fatal  contest  of 
this  kind  ensued  between  Thomas  Biddle,  of 
St.  Louis,  and  one  of  his  friends,  in  which  both 
were  killed.  The  origin  of  the  duel  seems  to 
have  been  some  jocose  remark  made  by  the 
antagonist  of  Mr.  Biddle  in  regard  to  his  (Mr. 
Biddle's)  family  affairs.  Mrs.  Biddle  foolishly 
considering  herself  insulted,  gave  her  husband 
no  rest  until  he  had  challenged  the  author  of 
the  remark  to  mortal  combat.  Having  passed 
over  to  Bloody  Island,  they  fought  at  the  dis 
tance  of  some  three  or  four  paces  apart,  and 
both  fell  mortally  wounded.  Mrs.  Biddle, 
overwhelmed  at  the  fatal  consequences  of  her 
attempt  to  avenge  her  injured  feelings,  devoted 
the  remainder  of  her  life  to  penitence,  and  her 
fortune  to  charity.  The  annexed  engraving  is 
a  view  of  a  monument  erected  in  memory  of 
husband  and  wife,  on  the  premises  of  St.  Mary's 
Orphan  Asylum,  on  Tenth-street,  under  the  charge  of  the  order  of  the 
"Daughters  of  Charity."  The  monument  is  about  20  feet  high :  the  follow- 
in^  words  are  affixed  over  the  door,  "Pray  for  the  souls  of  Thomas  and  Anne 
Biddle." 

The  following  inscriptions  are  from  monuments  within  the  city  limits: 
In  memory  of  one  whose  name  needs  no  eulogy,  JOSBPH  M.  WHITK,  late  Delegate  in  Con 
gress  from  the  Territory  of  Florida.     Born  in  Franklin  county,  Kentucky,  8th  of  Oct.,  1798, 
died  in  St.  Louis,  at  the  residence  of  his  brother,  Thomas  J.  White,  M.D.,  the  19th  day  of 
October,  1839. 

THOMAS  BARBOUB,  M.D.,  son  of  the  Hon.  P.  P.  Barbour,  of  Virginia.  Born  Aug.  2^ 
1810,  and  died  June  18,  1849.  In  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  illustrated  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  Christian  principle — ardent  affection,  generous  friendship,  and  fervent  chanty 
were  the  spontaneous  emotions  of  a  heart  imbued  with  the  holy  desire  of  glorifying;  €fod< 
and  doing  good  to  man.  As  a  practitioner  of  medicine  he  had  attained  a  distinguished: 
eminence.  With  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Missouri,  his  name  is  asso 
ciated  as  one  of  its  founders  and  most  able  and  faithful  teachers.  With  the  early  history. 
of  the  Central  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  was  an  Elder,  hie  name  is  recorded  as  on* 
wf  its  brightest  ornaments. 


BIDDLE  MONUMENT,  ST.  Louis. 

Over  the  door  are  the  words,  Pray  for 
thetouls  of  Thomas  and  Anne  Biddle. 


JEFFERSON  CITY,  the  capital  of  Missouri  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of 
Missouri  River,  on  elevated,  uneven  and  somewhat  rocky  ground,  125  miles 
W.  of  St.  Louis.  It  contains  the  state  house,  a  state  penitentiary,  the  gov 
ernor's  house,  several  schools,  5  churches,  2  banks,  and  about  3,500  inhabit 
ants,  of  whom  near  one  half  are  Germans  or  of  German  orgin.  The  state- 
house  is  built  of  stone,  at  an  expense  of  $250,000,  and  presents^  magnifi- 
eent  appearance  as  it  is  approached  sailing  up  the  river  from  theueastward; 

27 


418 


MISSOURI. 


Over  the  door  of  the  main  entrance  of  the  capitol  is  the  following  inscrip 
tion  : 

"  Erected  Anno  Domini,  1838.  L.  W.  Boggs,  Governor ;  P.  C.  Glover,  Sec'y  of  State  ;  H. 
H.  Baber,  Aucl.  Pub.  Acets ;  \V.  B.  Xapton,  Att'y  General ;  A.  McClellan,  Treasurer,  Com 
missioners.  S.  Hills,  Architect." 


East  view  <>f  Jefferson  City. 

The  view  annexed  presents  the  appearance  of  the  Capitol  and  other  buildings,  as  the  city  is  entered 
upon  the  Pacific  Railroad.  The  bluff  shown  is  80  feet  high,  and  on  its  summit  is  the  residence  of  Gen.  J. 
L.  Minor,  formerly  secretary  of  the  state.  The  Railroad  Depot  is  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff  on  the  left ;  the 
Capitol  on  Capitol  Hill  is  in  the  central  part,  at  the  base  of  \\hicb  is  the  Feiry  and  City  Landing. 

The  first  white  persons  who  located  themselves  within  the  limits  of  Jefferson  City  were 
John  Wier  and  a  Dr.  Brown.  Wier,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  squatter,  built  his  cabin 
on  the  spot  where  J.  T.  Rogers'  (late  mayor)  house  now  stands.  Wier's  Creek,  at  the  foot 
of  Capitol  Hill,  was  named  after  him.  Dr  Brown,  said  to  have  been  from  Ireland,  located 
himself  on  the  declivity  of  Capitol  Hill.  William  Jones,  a  bricklayer,  kept  the  first  ferry 
and  house  of  entertainment  at  this  pl:ice;  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Thomas  Rogers,  the 
father  of  the  mayor.  Dr.  Stephen  C.  Dorris,  father  of  Dr.  A.  P.  Don-is,  was  the  first  reg 
ular  physician:  he  was  succeeded  by  Dr.  Bolton,  and  he  in  turn  by  Dr.  Mills.  Robert  A. 
Ewing  (afterward  judge  of  the  county  court),  was  the  first  resident  lawyer.  Judge  Wells 
:was  the  next.  Robert  Jones  was. the  first  merchant:  he  had  his  store  at  the  base  of  the 
Capitol  Hill,  near  the  ferry  and  city  wharf.  Among  his  purchases  was  that  of  two  or  three 
barrels  of  coffee,  which  at  that  time  was  considered  a  bold  and  hazardous  speculation,  as 
it  was  supposed  it  would  take  a  long  period  to  sell  such  an  amount. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  Jesse  F.  Roys,  an  itinerant  teacher  from  North  Carolina; 
he  was  succeeded  by  Hiram  H.  Baber,  Esq.,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  now,  with  one  ex 
ception,  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  Jefferson  City.  The  school  house  was  about  half  way 
between  the  railroad  depot  and  the  penitentiary.  Jason  Harrison,  Esq.,  the  first  clerk  of 
Cole  county,  was  a  native  of  Maryland;  he  came  into  Missouri  in  1811 ,  and  into  Jefferson 
City  in  1831.  The  first  brick  structure  erected  was  a  one  story  building,  16  feet  square, 
built  by  Wm.  Jones,  and  occupied  as  the  state  treasury  office:  it  stood  opposite  the  Metho 
dist  Church.  The  first  state  house  was  built  of  brick,  by  Reuben  Garnett,  and  stood  in 
a  lot  adjoining  the  governor's  house.  It  was  accidentally  burnt  in  Nov.,  1837,  and  all  the 
state  papers,  except  those  in  the  auditor's  office  destroyed.  The  seat  of  government  wa3 
located  in  1P21,  l;nd  out  in  1822,  and  the  first  sale  of  lots  was  made  in  1823.  The  first 
trustees  of  the  town  were  Adam  Hope,  John  C.  Gordon,  and  Josiah  Ramsay,  jr.  The  first 
governor  resident  in  Jefferson  City,  \yas  John  Miller,  and  a  man  of  great  wealth.  He  died 
while  member  of  Congress,  and  was  buried  at  St.  Louis. 


MISSOURI.  419 

The  first  printing  press  was  started  here  in  1826,  by  Calvin  Gunn,  who,  it  is  believed, 
was  from  Connecticut.  It  was  called  the  "Jeffersonian  Republican."  The  first  house  for 
public  worship  here  was  erected  by  the  Methodists  and  Baptists:  this  was  in  1838.  The 
Episcopal  church  w;is  erected  in  1842;  the  first  resident  Episcopal  clergyman  was  Rev. 
Wm.  L.  Hommann.  The  first  Presbyterian  church  was  built  about  the  year  1845,  and  tho 
first  resident  clergyman  was  Rev.  Hiram  S.  Goodrich,  D.D.,  from  the  eastern  states,  who 
came  here  about  1843.  The  Catholics,  who  are  the  largest  religious  body  iu  the  city, 
erected  their  first  house  of  worship  in  1847:  their  present  handsome  structure  was  built  in 
1857.  The  state  penitentiary  was  opened  about  1835:  the  first  warden  was  Gen.  Lewis 
Bolton,  and  for  about  three  months  he  had  but  one  convict  under  his  charge,  who  was  put 
here  for  horse  stealing  or  some  kindred  crime.  This  prisoner  was  much  delighted  when 
the  next  convict  arrived,  for  ho  was  quite  weary  of  solitude. 

The  Missouri  River  is  about  1,000  yards  wide  at  this  place,  its  ordinary  current  three 
and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  and  its  fall  four  inches  to  the  mile.  The  ordinary  rise  of  water 
here  is  from  10  to  15  feet  above  low  water  mark.  The  highest  floods  occur  annually  in 
June,  like  the  annual  overflow  of  the  Nile  in  Egypt.  It  is  caused  by  the  melting  of  the 
snow  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  nearly  3,000  miles  distant.  One  of  the  greatest  rise  of 
waters  known  was  on  the  24th  of  June,  1844,  at  which  time  the  water  rose  thirty  feet  above 
low  water  mark. 

In  this  section  the  principal  fish  are  the  cat,  buffalo,  and  shovel  fish:  sturgeon  are  also 
taken.  The  cat  fish  ordinarily  weigh  from  3  to  25  Ibs.  In  some  instances  they  have  been 
known  to  weigh  200  Ibs.  The  method  by  which  they  are  taken  is  called  "jugging  for 
cats."  A  single  line  about  four  feet  in  length,  having  a  hook  baited  with  flesh,  is  attached 
to  the  handle  of  a  gallon  jug  and  then  thrown  into  the  middle  of  the  current  of  the  river. 
When  the  bait  is  swallowed  it  is  known  by  the  sinking  of  the  jug,  which  acts  like  a  cork: 
the  fisherman  thereupon  takes  up  the  line  and  secures  the  fish.  The  fisherman's  usual 
method  is  to  go  up  the  stream,  throw  in  his  jugs,  and  float  down  with  them,  hugging  the 
shore  with  his  boat,  so  as  to  be  in  a  position  to  closely  watch  his  jugs,  of  which  he  can 
generally  oversee  some  10  or  12  at  a  time. 

The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  Jefferson 
City  graveyard : 

Erected  by  the  State  of  Missouri  to  the  memory  of  Gov.  THOMAS  REYNOLDS,  who  died 
Feb.  9,  18-14,  aged  48  years.  He  was  born  in  Bracken  county,  Kentucky,  March  12,  1796 : 
in  early  life  he  became  a  citizen  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  and  there  filled  the  several  offices 
of  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Attorney  General,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep 
resentatives,  and  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  1829,  he  removed  to  the  State 
of  Missouri,  and  was  successively  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  Judge  of  the 
Second  Judicial  Circuit,  and  died  Governor  of  the  State.  His  life  was  one  of  honor,  virtue 
and  patriotism,  and  in  every  situation  in  which  he  was  placed,  he  discharged  hia  duty  faith 
fully. 

In  memory  of  PETER  G.  GLOVER,  born  in  Buckingham  county,  Va.,  Jan.  14,  1792;  died 
in  Osage  county,  Oct.  27,  1851,  and  lies  buried  here.  He  emigrated  to  Kentucky  in  early 
life,  then  to  Missouri,  where  he  filled  the  important  public  offices  of  the  Justice  of  the 
County  Court,  Representative  from  Callaway,  Senator  from  Cole,  Auditor  of  Public  Ac 
counts,  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools,  and  Treasurer  of  the  State,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  people.  As  a  father,  husband,  and  friend,  he  was  without  reproach. 


WM.  A.  ROBARDS,  late  Attorney  General  of  the  State  of  Missouri,  born  in  Ky.,  May  3, 
1817;  died  Sept.  3,  1851.  Erected  by  the  State  of  Missouri,  of  which  he  was  a  worthy  cit 
izen,  and  its  able  and  faithful  officer,  having  filled  several  offices  of  public  trust. 

New  Madrid,  the  seat  of  New  Madrid  county,  is  on  the  Mississippi,  1 50 
miles  below  St.  Louis,  in  the  south-eastern  corner  of  the  state,  and  has  about 
1,000  inhabitants.  This  is  one  of  the  old  towns  of  Missouri,  and  the  earliest 
American  settlement  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Through  the  diplomatic 
talents  of  Colonel  Wilkinson,  the  Spanish  governor  of  Louisiana  was  induced 
to  adopt  a  policy  of  conciliation  to  the  western  people,  in,  hopes  of  attaching 
them  to  the  Spanish  government,  and  so  forming  a  political  union  with  tho 


420  MISSOURI. 

Louisianians,  that  should  terminate  in  a  dismemberment  of  the  east  from  the 
west,  and  an  incorporation  of  the  latter  under  the  Spanish  crown.  Says 
Monette: 

The  first  step  toward  the  a  ^omplishment  of  this  desirable  object  was  the  plan  of  form 
ing  American  settlements  in  Upper  Louisiana,  as  well  as  in  the  Florida  district  of  Lower 
Louisiana.  A  large  American  settlement  was  to  be  formed  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  and  the  St.  Francis  River.  General  Morgan,  an 
American  citizen,  received  a  large  grant  of  land  about  seventy  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
tho  Ohio,  upon  which  ho  was  to  introduce  and  settle  an  American  colony.  Soon  afterward 
and  in  1788,  General  Morgan  arrived  with  his  colony,  and  located  it  about  seventy  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  upon  the  ancient  alluvions  which  extend  westward  to  the 
Whitewater  Creek,  within  the  present  county  of  New  Madrid,  in  Missouri.  Here,  upon 
the  beautiful  rolling  plains,  he  laid  off  the  plan  of  a  magnificent  city,  which,  in  honor  of 
the  Spanish  capital,  he  called  "  New  Madrid."  The  extent  and  plan  of  the  new  city  was 
but  little,  if  any,  inferior  to  the  old  capital  which  it  was  to  commemorate.  Spacious 
streets,  extensive  public  squares,  avenues,  and  promenades  were  tastefully  laid  off  to  mag 
nify  and  adorn  the  future  city.  In  less  than  twelve  months  from  its  first  location,  it  had 
assumed,  according  to  Major  Stoddart,  the  appearance  of  a  regularly  built  town,  with  nu 
merous  temporary  houses  distributed  over  a  high  and  beautiful  undulatory  plain.  Its  lati 
tude  was  determined  to  be  36  deg.  30  min.  north.  In  the  center  of  the  site,  and  about  one 
mile  from  the  Mississippi,  was  a  beautiful  lake,  to  be  inclosed  by  the  future  streets  of  the 
city. 

This  policy  was  continued  for  nearly  two  years,  in  hopes  of  gaining  over  the  western 
people  to  an  adherence  to  the  Spanish  interests.  Nor  was  it  wholly  unsuccessful.  In  the 
meantime,  many  individuals  in  Kentucky,  as  well  as  on  the  Cumberland,  had  become  fa 
vorably  impressed  toward  a  union  with  Louisiana  under  the  Spanish  crown,  and  a  very 
large  portion  of  them  had  been  highly  dissatisfied  with  the  policy  of  the  Federal  govern 
ment,  because  it  had  failed  to  secure  for  them  the  free  navigation  of  the  river,  either  by 
formal  negotiation  or  by  force  of  arms.  vBut  this  state  of  mitigated  feeling  toward  the 
Spanish  authorities  was  of  but  short  duration. 

New  Madrid  was  nearly  ruined  by  the  great  earthquakes  of  the  winter 
of  1811-12,  it  being  the  center  of  the  most  violent  shocks.  The  first 
occurred  in  the  night  of  15th  Dec.,  1811,  and  they  were  repeated  at  in 
tervals  for  two  or  three  months,  being  felt  from  Pittsburg  to  New  Orleans. 
By  them  the  Little  Prairie  settlement,  thirty  miles  below  this  place,  was  en 
tirely  broken  up,  and  Great  Prairie  nearly  ruined.  The  graveyard  at  New 
Madrid,  with  its  sleeping  tenants,  was  precipitated  into  the  river,  and  the 
town  dwindled  to  insignificance  and  decay.  Thousands  of  acres  in  this  sec 
tion  of  the  country  sunk,  and  multitudes  of  ponds  and  lakes  were  created  in 
their  places.  "The  earth  burst  in  what  are  called  sand  blows.  Earth,  sand, 
coal,  and  water  were  thrown  up  to  great  hights  in  the  air."  The  Mississippi 
was  dammed  up  and  flowed  backward ;  birds  descended  from  the  air,  and 
took  refuge  in  the  bosoms  of  people  that  were  passing.  The  whole  country 
was  inundated.  A  great  number  of  boats  that  were  passing  on  the  river 
were  sunk,  and  whole  crews  perished ;  one  or  two  that  were  fastened  to  islands 
Went  down  with  them.  The  country  being  but  sparsely  settled,  and  the  build 
ings  mostly  logs,  the  loss  of  life  was  less  than  it  otherwise  would  have  been. 
Col.  John  Shaw  gives  these  reminiscences  of  this  event.* 

While  lodging  about  thirty  miles  north  of  New  Madrid,  on  the  14th  of  December,  1811, 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  occurred  a  heavy  shock  of  an  earthquake.  The  house 
where  I  was  stopping,  was  partly  of  wood  and  partly  of  brick  structure;  the  brick  portion 
nil  fell,  but  I  and  the  family  all  fortunately  escaped  unhurt.  At  another  shock,  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  February,  1812,  I  was  in  New  Madrid,  when  nearly 
two  thousand  people,  of  all  ages,  fled  in  terror  from  their  falling  dwellings,  in  that  place 

*"  Personal  Narrative  of  Col.  John  Shaw,  of  Marquette  county,  Wisconsin/'  published 
in  the  Collections  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin. 


MISSOURI.  421 

and  the  surrounding  country,  and  directed  their  course  about  thirty  miles  north  to  Ty  wap- 
pety  Hill,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about  seven  miles  back  from  the  river 
This  was  the  first  high  ground  above  New  Madrid,  and  here  the  fugitives  formed  an  en 
campment.  It  was  proposed  that  all  should  kneel,  and  engage  in  supplicating  God's  mercy, 
and  all  simultaneously,  Catholics  and  Protestants,  knelt  and  offered  solemn  prayer  to  their 
Creator. 

About  twelve  miles  back  toward  New  Madrid,  a  young  woman  about  seventeen  years 
of  age,  named  Betsey  Masters,  had  been  left  by  her  parents  and  family,  her  leg  having 
been  broken  below  the  knee  by  the  falling  of  one  of  the  weight-poles  of  the  roof  of  the 
cabin;  and,  though  a  total  stranger,  I  was  the  only  person  who  would  consent  to  return  and 
see  whether  she  still  survived.  Receiving  a  description  of  the  locality  of  the  place,  I 
started,  and  found  the  poor  girl  upon  a  bed,  as  she  had  been  left,  with  some  water  and 
corn  bread  within  her  reach.  I  cooked  up  some  food  for  her,  and  made  her  condition  as 
comfortable  as  circumstances  would  allow,  and  returned  the  same  day  to  the  grand  en 
campment.  Miss  Masters  eventually  recovered. 

In  abandoning  their  homes,  on  this  emergency,  the  people  only  stopped  long  enough  to 
get  their  teams,  and  hurry  in  their  families  and  some  provisions.  It  was  a  matter  of  doubt 
among  them,  whether  water  or  fire  would  be  most  likely  to  burst  forth,  and  cover  all  the 
country.  The  timber  land  around  New  Madrid  sunk  five  or  six  feet,  so  that  the  lakes  and 
lagoons,  which  seemed  to  have  their  beds  pushed  up,  discharged  their  waters  over  the  sunken 
lands.  Through  the  fissures  caused  by  the  earthquake,  were  forced  up  vast  quantities  of 
a  hard,  jet  black  substance,  which  appeared  very  smooth,  as  though  worn  by  friction.  It 
seemed  a  very  different  substance  from  either  anthracite  or  bituminous  coal.* 

This  heqira,  with  all  its  attendant  appalling  circumstances,  was  a  most  heart-rending 
scene,  find  had  the  effect  to  constrain  the  most  wicked  and  profane,  earnestly  to  plead 
to  God  in  prayer  for  mercy.  In  less  than  three  months,  most  of  these  people  returned  to 
their  homes,  and  though  the  earthquakes  continued  occasially  with  less  destructive  effects, 
they  became  so  accustomed  to  the  recurring  vibration?,  that  they  paid  little  or  no  regard 
to  them,  not  even  interrupting  or  checking  their  dances,  frolics,  and  vices. 

Father  Cartwright,  in  his  autobiography,  gives  us  some  facts  to  show  that 
the  earthquakes  proved  an  element  of  strength  to  the  Methodists.  He  tells 
us: 

In  the  winter  of  1812  we  had  a  very  severe  earthquake;  it  seemed  to  stop  the  current 
of  the  Mississippi,  broke  flatboats  loose  from  their  moorings,  and  opened  large  cracks  or 
fissures  in  the  earth.  This  earthquake  struck  terror  to  thousands  of  people,  and  under  the 
mighty  panic  hundreds  and  thousands  crowded  to,  and  joined  the  different  churches. 
There  were  many  very  interesting  incidents  connected  with  the  shaking  of  the  earth  at 
this  time;  two  I  will  name.  I  had  preached  in  Nashville  the  night  before  the  second 
dreadful  shock  came,  to  a  large  congregation.  Early  the  next  morning  I  arose  and  walked 
out  on  the  hill  near  the  house  where  I  had  preached,  when  I  saw  a  negro  woman  coming 
down  the  hill  to  the  spring,  with  an  empty  pail  upon  her  head.  (It  is  very  common  for 
negroes  to  carry  water  this  way  without  touching  the  pail  with  either  hand!)  When  she 
got  within  a  few  rods  of  where  I  stood,  the  earth  began  to  tremble  and  jar;  chimneys  were 
thrown  down,  scaffolding  around  many  new  buildings  fell  with  a  loud  crash,  hundreds  of 
the  citizens  suddenly  awoke,  and  sprang  into  the  streets;  loud  screaming  followed,  for 
many  thought  the  day  of  judgment  was  come.  The  young  mistresses  of  the  above-named 
negro  woman  came  running  after  her,  and  begging  her  to  pray  for  them.  She  raised  the 
shout  and  said  to  them,  "  My  Jesus  is  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  I  can't  wait  to 
pray  for  you  now;  I  must  go  and  meet  him.  I  told  you  so,  that  he  would  come,  and  you 
would  not  believe  me.  Farewell.  Hallelujah!  Jesus  is  coming,  and  I  am  ready.  Halle 
lujah!  Jmen."  And  on  she  went,  shouting  and  clapping  her  hands,  with  the  empty  pail 
on  her  head. 

Near  Russellville,  Logan  county,  Kentucky,  lived  old  Brother  Valentine  Cook,  of  very 
precious  memory,  with  his  wife  Tabitha.  Brother  Cook  was  a  graduate  at  Cokesbury  Col 
lege  at  an  early  day  in  the  history  of  Methodism  in  these  United  States.  He  was  a  very 
pious,  successful  pioneer  preacher,  but,  for  the  want  of  a  sufficient  support  for  a  rising  and 
rapidly  increasing  family,  he  had  located,  and  was  teaching  school  at  the  time  of  the  above 

*'The  late  Hon.  Lewis  F.  Linn,  a  resident  of  St.  Genevieve,  and  for  many  years  a  mem 
ber  of  the  United  States  senate  from  Missouri,  and  a  man  of  science,  addressed  a  letter,  in 
1836,  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  commerce,  in  which  he  speaks  of  the  New  Mad 
rid  earthquakes,  and  distinctly  mentions  water,  sand,  and  coal  issuing  from  the  vast  chasmg 
opened  by  the  convulsions. 


422 


MISSOURI. 


named  earthquake.  He  and  his  wife  were  in  bed  when  the  earth  began  to  shake  and  trem 
ble.  He  sprang  out  of  bed,  threw  open  the  door,  and  began  to  shout,  and  started,  with 
nothing  on  but  his  night-clothes.  He  steered  his  course  east,  shouting  every  step,  saving, 
"  My  Jesus  is  coming."  His  wife  took  after  him,  and  at  the  top  of  her  voice  cried  out, 
"O  Mr.  Cook,  don't  leave  me." 

"O  Tabby,"  said  he,  "  my  Jesus  is  coming,  and  I  can  not  wait  for  you  ;  "  and  on  he 
•went,  shouting  at  every  jump,  "My  Jesus  is  coming;  1  can't  wait  for  you,  Tabby." 

The  years  of  the  excitement  by  these  earthquakes  hundreds  joined  the  Methodist  Epis 
copal  Church,  and  though  many  vvere  sincere,  and  stood  firm,  yet  there  were  hundreds  that 
no  doubt  had  joined  them  from  mere  fright. 

The  earthquake  gave  Tecumseh,  the  Shawnee  chieftain,  the  reputation  of 
a  prophet  among  the  Indians  of  Alabama.  A  few  months  previous  to  this 
event,  he  was  on  his  mission  to  the  southern  Indians,  to  unite  all  the  tribes 
of  the  south  with  those  of  the  north  in  his  grand  scheme  of  exterminating 
the  whole  white  race  from  the  wide  extent  of  the  Mississippi  valley — from 
the  lakes  of  the  north  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Drake,  in  his  memoir  of  Te 
cumseh,  gives  this  anecdote: 

On  his  return  from  Florida,  Tecumseh  went  among  the  Creeks  in  Alabama,  urging  them 
to  unite  with  the  Seminoles.  Arriving  at  Tuckhabatchee,  a  Creek  town  on  the  Tallapoosa 
River,  he  made  his  way  to  the  lodge  of  the  chief,  called  the  Big  Warrior.  He  explained 
his  object,  delivered  his  war  talk,  presented  a  bundle  of  sticks,  gave  a  peace  of  wampum 
and  a  hatchet;  all  which  the  Big  Warrior  took.  When  Tecumseh,  reading  the  intentions 
and  spirit  of  the  Big  Warrior,  looked  him  in  the  eye,  and  pointing  his  finger  toward  his 
face,  said:  "  Your  blood  is  white;  you  have  taken  my  talk,  and  the  sticks,  and  the  wam 
pum,  and  the  hatchet,  but  you  do  not  mean  to  fight;  I  know  the  reason;  you  do  not  be 
lieve  the  Great  Spirit  has  sent  me;  you  shall  know;  I  leave  Tuckhabatchee  directly,  and 
shall  go  straight  to  Detroit;  when  I  arrive  there,  I  will  stamp  on  the  ground  with  my  foot, 
and  shake  down  every  house  in  Tuckhabatchee."  So  saying,  he  turned  and  left  the  Big 
Warrior  in  utter  amazement,  at  both  his  manner  and  his  threat,  and  pursued  his  journey. 
The  Indians  were  struck  no  less  with  his  conduct  than  was  the  Big  Warrior,  and  began  to 
dread  the  arrival  of  the  day  when  the  threatened  calamity  would  befall  them.  They  met 
often  and  talked  over  this  matter,  and  counted  the  days  carefully,  to  know  the  time  when 
Tecumseh  would  reach  Detroit.  The  morning  they  had  fixed  upon,  as  the  period  of  Lis 
arrival,  at  last  came.  A  mighty  rumbling  was  heard — the  Indians  all  ran  out  of  their 
houses — the  earth  began  to  shake;  when  at  last,  sure  enough,  every  house  in  Tuckhabat 
chee  was  shaken  down!  The  exclamation  was  in  every  mouth,  "Tecumseh  has  got  to 
Detroit!  "  The  effect  was  electrical.  The  message  he  had  delivered  to  the  Big  Warrior 
was  believed,  arid  many  of  the  Indians  took  their  rifles  and  prepared  for  the  war.  The 
reader  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  an  earthquake  had  produced  all  this;  but  he  will 
be,  doubtless,  that  it  should  happen  on  the  very  day  on  which  Tecumseh  arrived  at  Detroit; 
and,  in  exact  fulfillment  of  his  threat.  It  was  the  famous  earthquake  of  New  Madrid. 


LEXINGTON,  the  county  seat  of  Fayette,  is  situated  for  the  most  part  on 
high  grounds,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Missouri.  The  bluffs  at  the  landing 
being  about  200  feet  above  the  river,  the  city  is  but  partially  seen  from  the 
decks  of  passing  steamers.  It  is  125  miles  above  Jefferson  City,  and  250 
from  St.  Louis.  It  contains  the  county  buildings,  8  churches,  the  Masonic 
College,  a  flourishing  institution,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Masonic  fra 
ternity  of  the  state,  and  about  5,000  inhabitants. 

Fayette,  the  county  in  which  Lexington  is  situated,  ranks  the  second  in 
wealth  in  Missouri.  Hemp  is  the  most  important  production.  Inexhausti 
ble  beds  of  bituminous  coal  are  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the  county, 
and  the  soil  is  rich  and  fertile.  The  Messrs.  McGrew's  establishment  for  the 
manufacture  of  bale  rope,  at  Lexington  landing,  is  admirably  constructed. 
The  hemp  is  unloaded  at  the  upper  story,  and  passes  through  the  various 
stages  of  its  manufacture,  till  it  comes  out  bales  of  rope,  ready  for  transpor 
tation  to  market,  in  the  warehouse  below.  The  machinery  is  moved  by 


MISSOURI.  403 

steam,  the  coal  to  produce  which  is  dug  out  of  tha  earth  a  few  feet  only  from 
the  building.     Eight  tuns  of  rope  can  be  manufactured  daily. 


View  of  Leviiiyton 

The  engraving  shows  the  appearance  of  the  steamboat  landing  as  it  appears  from  the  point  on  the 
opposire  side  of  Missouri  River.  The  Messrs.  M'Givw's  Hemp  Factory,  Flouring  Mill,  ttc.,  are  seen  in 
the  central  part;  the  road  to  the  city  back  from  the  blnfl's  appears  ou  the  left;  the  places  from  whence 
coal  is  taken  on  the  right.  > 

Lexington  was  originally  laid  out  about  a  mile  hack  from  the  river,  which,  at  that  period, 
was  hardly  considered  fit  for  navigation,  goods  being  principally  transported  by  land.  The 
present  city,  being  an  extension  of  the  old  town,  was  commenced  in  1839.  At  that  time, 
the  site  on  which  the  present  com-t  house  stands  was  a  cornfield,  owned  by  James  Aull, 
brother  to  Robert  Aull,  the  president  of  the  Bank  of  Lexington,  both  of  whom  were  na 
tives  of  New  Castle,  Del.  The  first  court  house  was  erected  in  the  ancient  part  of  Lex 
ington,  and  is  now  occupied  as  a  Female  Seminary,  a  flourishing  institution  under  the 
pa tronage  of  the  Baptists.  The  first  house  of  worship  in  Lexington,  was  erected  about 
183]  or  1832,  by  the  Cumberland  and  the  Old  School  Presbyterians.  It  was  a  small  frame 
building,  which  stood  a  few  r-;»d,s  we?t  oi'  the  old  court  house.  Rev.  John  L.  Yantis,  now 
president  of  the  Theological  College  at  Richmond,  wns  one  of  the  first  preachers.  The 
inhalntanlx  previously  attended  pu'jlic  worship  in  the  country,  back  from  the  river.  The 
Baptist  and  Methodist  churches  were  erecied  in  1840.  The  Episcopal  church  is  a  recent 
structure;  the  first  minister  who  officiated  was  Rev.  St.  Michael  Fackler,  now  a  missionary 
in  Oregon.  The  Dutch  Reformed  Chinch  bought  then- meeting  house  of  the  Christians 
or  Cumpbellite  Baptists:  in  18;">G. 

The  first  regular  public  house  in  the  modem  part  of  Lexington,  was  the  house  next  the 
residence  of  Robert  Anil,  the  president  of  the  bank,  on  the  summit  of  the  bluff.  This 
spot  commands  an  extensive  -prospect  up  and  down  the  river,  showing  Wellington,  8  miles 
distant,  also  Camden,  in  Ray  county,  some  8  o'-  10  miles  distant  in  a  direct  line,  but  18  by 
the  river.  The  first  regular"  ferry  man  was  William  Jack,  a  Methodist  class  leader  and  cx- 
horter,  a  man  much  esteemed  for  his  Christian  life  and  Conversation.  In  1827,  C.  R.  More- 
head,  cashier  of  the  Farmer's  Bank,  built  and  loaded  the  first  flatboat,  in  which  he  trans 
ported  the  first  tobacco  raised  for  export  in  the  county.  Tins  cargo,  which  consisted  of 
forty-six  hogsheads,  with  a  quantity  of  bees-wax  and  peltries,  was  sent  to  New  Orleans. 
The  first  goods  brought  by  steambo'ats  came  in  1828,  by  the  steamer  William  Duncan. 

In  1838.  at  the  period  of  the  Mormon  war,  as  it  was  called,  Lexington  contained  some  500 
inhabitants.  The  Mormons  first  1  orated  themselves  in  Jackson  county,  about  35  miles 
west.  They  afterward  effected  a  more  permanent  settlement  in  Caldwelf  county.  At  first 
they  were  enabled  to  live  peaceably  with  their  neighbors,  tn  1838,  difficulties  arising,  the 
governor  of  Missouri  gave  orders  for  their  expulsion.  A  conflict  took  place  in  Ray  county, 
in  which  Patten,  a  Mormon  leader  and  elder  was  killed,  and  a  number  wounded.  During 
this  period  it  was  quite  a  time  of  alarm  in  this  section,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Lexington 
fled  to  Richmond  for  safety. 

Win.  Downing  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  innkeeper  in  the  ancient  part  of  Lexing 
ton.  Wm.  Todd  was  the  first  judge  of  the  circuit  court;  the  present  judge,  Russ  cl  Hicks, 


424 


MISSOURI. 


who  first  came  into  the  county  about  the  year  1825,  hired  himself  out  to  a  farmer  for  about 
ten  dollars  a  month.  He  afterward  became  a  school  teacher,  and  while  studying  law,  he 
supported  himself  by  this  occupation. 


The  following  inscriptions  are  copied  from  monuments  in  the  graveyard  in 
this  place: 

In  memory  of  REV.  FINIS  EWINO,  born  in  Bedford  county,  Va.,  July  10,  1773,  died  in 
Lexington,  Mo.,  July  4,1841.  He  was  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  for  forty-five  years  ;  was 
one  of  the  fathers  and  founders  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church. 


In  memory  of  Reverend  JESSE  GRKENE,  born  Nov.  29,  A.D.  1791,  died  April  18,  A.D. 
1847.  A  pure  Christian,  a  wise  Counsellor,  a  faithful  Minister,  a  Pioneer  of  Methodism  in 
Missouri,  part  in  the  Council  and  Itinerant  labors  of  his  Church,  and  fell  at  his  post.  "I 
heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord;  Yea, 
saith  the  Spirit,  their  works  do  follow  them."  Rev.  xiv,  13.  The  members  of  the  Saint 
Louis  Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  have  erected  this  mon 
ument  over  his  remains,  A.D.  1850. 

L.  A.  GRISWOLD,  Hebe  of  Prudence  Constellation,  No.  34,  A.A.R.,  surrendered  her  crown 
on  Earth  to  be  crowned  with  immortal  glory  in  Heaven.  In  memory  of  Lockie  A.  Gris- 
wold,  wife  of  Sylvanus  A.  Griswold,  completed  her  errand  of  Mercy  here,  and  was  per 
mitted  to  behold  the  Light  of  the  Seraphic  world,  which  ever  inspired  her  with  fraternal 
excellence,  at  10  o'clock,  P.M.,  Sept.  27,  1856. 


North-eastern  view  of  Kansas  City. 

Showing  the  appearance  of  Kansas  City,  at  the  Landing,  as  seen  from  the  opposite  bank  of  tho  Missouri. 
The  forest  shown  in  the  distance,  beyond  the  point  of  the  bluff  on  the  right,  is  within  the  territorial  limits 
of  Kansas.  The  Ferry  Landing  and  the  old  Jail  or  Calaboose  appear  on  the  left. 

KANSAS  CITY  is  situated  near  the  mouth  of  Kansas  River,  at  the  western 
boundary  line  between  the  state  of  Missouri  and  Kansas,  282  miles  westward 
of  Jefferson  City,  456  from  St.  Louis,  and  109  southerly  from  St.  Joseph,  on 
the  Missouri.  It  is  the  western  terminus  of  the  line  of  the  Pacific  Railroad. 
A  bluff,  about  120  feet  above  high  water  mark,  extends  along  the  river  for 
about  a  mile  within  the  city  limits.  The  principal  part  of  the  town  is  situ 
ated  immediately  back  of  the  bluff,  through  which  roads  are  being  cut  to  the 
levee  in  front.  This  city  is  the  great  depot  for  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  and  it  is 


MISSOURI. 

estimated  that  one  fourth  of  all  the  shipments  up  the  Missouri  River,  from 
its  mouth  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  received  here.  Kansas  City  was  in 
corporated  in  1853.  Population  about  8,000. 

As  far  back  as  the  days  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  or  the  first  expeditions  of  the  vari 
ous  trapping  companies  of  the  French  and  the  old  pioneers  of  the  west,  the  site 
of  Kansas  City  has  been  a  prominent  point  for  the  business  of  the  old  trappers  and 
traders,  who  have  had  many  a  business  transaction  around  their  camp  fires  under 
the  bluffs  of  the  "Kawsmouth,"  as  this  spot  was  formerly  called. 

The  principal  portion  of  the  land  inclosed  by  the  old  city  limits  was  entered  by 
Gabriel  Prudhomme,  an  old  mountain  trader.  The  selection,  survey,  and  first  sale 
of  the  lots  was  made  in  1838.  The  survey  was  but  a  partial  one,  and  owing  to 
some  disagreement,  nothing  was  done  by  the  stockholders  except  the  erection  of  a 
few  cabins.  In  184G,  the  town  was  re-surveyed  by  J.  C.  McCoy,  Esq.,  and  the 
growth  of  the  city  may  be  dated  as  commencing  from  that  year.  Within  eighteen 
months  after  the  first  sale  of  lots,  there  was  a  population  of  about  700.  The  pro 
prietors  of  the  town  were  J.  C.  McCoy,  Wm.  Gilliss,  Robert  Campbell,  H.  Jobe, 
W.  B.  Evans,  Jacob  Ragan,  and  Fry  P.  McGee. 

The  first  house  erected  in  Kansas  City  was  a  log  cabin,  which  stood  on  the  site 
of  the  building  in  which  the  Western  Journal  of  Commerce  is  issued.  This  cabin 
was  erected  in  1839,  by  Thomas  A.  Smart,  as  a  trading  house.  The  second  build 
ing  was  erected  by  Anthony  Richers,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  was  educated  for 
the  Catholic  ministry.  Father  Bernard  Donnelly,  a  native  of  Ireland  and  a  Cath 
olic,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  clergyman  who  officiated  in  public  worship ; 
he  preached  in  a  log  building,  now  used  as  a  school  house,  near  Broadway,  about 
half  a  mile  back  from  the  steamboat  landing.  The  first  physician  was  Dr.  Benoist 
Troost,  of  Holland,  formerly  a  surgeon  under  Napoleon.  The  first  postmaster  was 
William  Chick,  who  for  a  time  kept  the  ofiice  in  the  top  of  his  hat.  "One  eyed 
Ellis"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  appears  to*  have  been  the  first  lawyer,  who,  it 
is  stated,  employed  his  leisure  time  in  "picking  up  stray  horses."  Wm.  B.  Evans 
kept  the  first  tavern,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Levee-streets.  The  first  newspapers 
were  the  "Kansas  Ledger,"  first  issued  in  1852,  and  the  "Western  Journal  cf 
Commerce,"  first  issued  in  Aug.,  1854,  under  the  name  of  the  "Kansas  City  En 
terprise." 

A  great  portion  of  the  early  trade  of  the  city  was  with  the  Indians,  mountain 
and  Mackinaw  traders,  boatmen,  etc.  Poneys,  pelts,  furs,  etc.,  were  received  in 
exchange  for  powder,  lead,  tobacco,  coffee,  etc.  The  first  and  principal  warehouses 
in  town  were  erected  in  1847.  Col.  E.  C.  McCarty,  in  company  with  Mr.  Russell, 
started  the  first  train  from  Kansas  City  to  New  Mexico;  old  Mr.  McDowell  took 
the  charge  of  it,  and  was  the  first  man  that  ever  crossed  the  American  Desert  in 
ft  wagon.  The  following  is  extracted  from  the  Annals  of  the  City  of  Kansas,  pub 
lished  in  1858: 

The  New  Mexico,  or,  as  it  is  generally  known,  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  is  said  to  have  first 
began  at  Boonville,  or  Old  Franklin,  as  early  as  the  year  1824.  Mr.  Monroe,  Philip 
Thompson,  the  Subletts  of  St.  Louis  and  Jackson  counties,  Nat.  Sernes,  and  others,  were 
among  the  first  men  ever  engaged  in  the  trade.  The  idea  of  taking  or  sending  goods  to  New- 
Mexico,  was  first  suggested  to  these  gentlemen  by  the  richness  and  thick  settlements  of  this 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  Del  Norte.  When  returned  to  the  states,  they  commenced  mak 
ing  preparations  to  forward  goods  to  this  valley.  How  to  get  their  merchandise  there, 
without  being  at  an  almost  ruinous  expense,  was  the  most  important  subject  of  considera 
tion.  Finally,  having  resolved  to  go — to  make  the  experiment  at  all  hazards,  they  started, 
taking  out  their  freight  as  best  they  could,  some  in  one  horse  wagons,  some  in  carts,  some 
on  pack-mules,  and,  on  ditt  with  packs  on  their  backs.  They  were  successful — a  better 
trade  was  tound  than  they  anticipated — more  goods  were  sent  out,  with  better  carriage  fa 
cilities,  and  in  a  few  years  large  fortunes  were  realized.  In  1845,  Messrs.  Bent  and  St. 
Vrain  landed  the  first  cargo  of  goods  at  Kansas  City,  that  was  ever  shipped  from  this 
point  to  New  Mexico  in  wagons  that  went  out  in  a  train.  This  train  consisted  of  eighteen 
wagons,  with  five  yoke  of  cattle  to  the  wagon,  and  about  5,000  Ibs.  of  freight  to  each 
team.  A  great  excitement  was  extant.  Mexican  commerce  had  given  new  life  to  border 
trade.  Gradually  the  business  with  New  Mexico  became  concentrated  at  points  on  the  river. 
From  1832  to  1848,  or  1850,  our  neighbor  city,  Independence,  had  the  whole  command  of 


426 


MISSOURI. 


this  great  trade.  Her  merchants  amassed  fortunes,  and  the  business  generated  by  this 
prosperous  intercourse,  built  up  Independence  into  one  of  the  most  flou  ishiug  and  beauti 
ful  towns  in  the  west. 

During  these  years,  from  1832  to  1848,  some  few  mountain  and  Mexican  goods  were 
landed  among  the  cottonwoods  below  our  city.  Messrs.  Bent  &  St.  Vrain  are  amor  g  the 
oldest  freighters  engaged  in  transporting  goods  over  the  Great  Plains;  in  1834,  they  landed 
a  small  shipment  of  mountain  goods  at  Mr.  Francois  Chouteau's  log  warehouse,  near  the 
island  just  east  of  the  city.  In  1846  our  citizens  then  had  what  they  thought  to  be  quite 
a  large  and  respectable  trade  with  New  Mexico,  and  the  next  year,  1847,  it  is  conceded 
that  Kansas  City  fairly  divided  this  great  trade  with  the  city  of  Independence;  and  since 
18;")!),  Kansas  City  has  had  the  exclusive  benefit  of  all  the  shipping,  commission,  storage, 
repairing  and  outfitting  business  of  the  mountains  and  New  Mexico,  save,  perhaps,  a  few 
wagons  that  have  been  loaded  and  outfitted  at  Independence  by  her  own  merchants. 


r=  -  -'.i^^^ 


A   Train  crossing  the  Great  Plains. 

From  the  most  reliable  information  we  can  obtain,  it  is  estimated  that  there  are  at  least 
three  hundred  merchants  and  freighters  now  engaged  in  the  New  Mexico  and  mountain 
commerce.  Properly,  in  this  connection,  may  be  inserted  a  few  remarks  concerning  our 
mountain  traffic  and  importations. 

Some  of  our  leading  merchants  for  years  have  had  trading  houses  established  in  tha 
mountains,  where  they  constantly  keep  a  large  stock  of  goods  to  trade  with  the  Indians, 
who  pay  for  these  goods  with  their  annuity  money*,  with  buffalo  robes,  with  furs,  pelts, 
hides,  and  Indian  ornamental  fabrics. 

This  trade  done  in  the  mountains,  creates  large  importations  of  the  above  mountain 
products  to  our  city.  In  1857,  the  following  importations  were  made:  Robes,  furs,  etc., 
$267,253  52;  Mexican  wool,  $129,600;  goat  skins,  $25,000;  dressed  buckskins,  $62,500; 
dry  hides,  $37,500;  peltries,  $36,000.  Like  the  transport  of  Mexican  goods,  these  imports 
come  to  us  as  the  cargoes  of  the  great  mountain  trains  or  caravans. 

Train  is  only  another  word  for  caravan.  These  caravans,  then,  consist  of  from  forty  to 
eighty  large  canvas  covered  wagons,  with  from*  fifty  to  sixty-five  hundred  pounds  of 
freight  to  each  wagon — also,  six  yoke  of  oxen  or  five  span  of  mules  for  every  wagon — 
two  men  as  drivers  for  every  team,  besides  supercargoes,  wagon  masters,  etc.,  who  gener 
ally  ride  on  horseback.  When  under  way,  these  wagons  are  about  one  hundred  feet  apart, 
and  as  each  wagon  and  team  occupies  a  space  of  about  ninety  or  one  hundred  feet,  a  train 
of  eighty  wagons  would  stretch  out  over  the  prairie  for  a  distance  of  a  trifle  over  three 
miles.  In  1857,  9,884  wagons  left  Kansas  City  for  New  Mexico.  Now,  if  these  wagons 
were  all  in  one  train,  they  would  make  a  caravan  223  miles  long,  with  98,840  mules  and 
oxen,  and  freighting  an  amount  of  merchandise  equal  to  59,304,000  Ibs. 


A  recent  visitor  at  Kansas  City  gives  some  valuable  items  : 

Just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas,  and  between  it  and  the  highlands  on  which  Kansas 


MISSOURI.  427 

C!*v  is  located,  is  an  extent  of  level  bottom  land,  embracing  some  fifty  acres,  and  covered 
sparsely  with  trees.  This  iri  the  camping  ground  of  the  immense  caravans  of  Russell, 
.il-jors  £  Co.  We  found  several  acres  covered  with  the  enormous  wagons  that  are  used 
in  ihe  prairie  trade.  Here  is  also  an  immense  stable  for  the  horses,  mules,  etc.,  and  a 
place  of  deposit  for  feed  for  the  thousands  of  oxen.  It  was  to  me  something  of  a  sight  to 
see  such  a  number  of  land  ships.  They  will  carry  from  seven  to  ten  thousand  pounds,  and 
are  drawn  by  from  three  to  six  yokes  of  oxen.  They  are  covered  when  loaded,  so  as  to 
protect  the  goods  from  the  rains.  1  examined  them,  and  found  them  made  many  hundreds 
of  miles  to  the  east.  I  saw  a  large  number  which  came  from  Michigan.  They  are  strong, 
heavily  ironed  and  massive  wagons. 

The  commercial  business  of  the  town  is  mostly  transacted  on  the  levee.  The  solid 
blocks  of  warehouses  receive  the  goods  from  the  steamers,  and  from  them  they  are  loaded 
into  the  immense  wagons  and  taken  to  their  final  destination.  Here  is  the  landing  and 
the  starting  place  for  the  vast  trade  to  Santa  Fe  and  New  Mexico.  One  of  the  singular 
features  in  the  streets  is  the  large  number  of  Mexicans,  or  as  every  body  here  calls  them, 
"greasers,"  with  their  trains  of  mules,  loading  for  their  far  distant  homes.  Kansas  City 
has  been  the  starting  place  for  this  trade  for  thirty  years.  Many  of  the  citizens  have  be 
come  wealthy  by  it,  and  the  evidences  of  prosperity  and  thrift  around  us  are  traceable  to 
the  effects  of  this  Santa  Fe  trade.  I  do  not  see  any  cause  that  can  disturb  this  in  the  fu 
ture.  Heavy  loads  of  goods  and  merchandise  of  all  kinds  are  brought  from  St.  Louis  and 
the  east,  on  steamers,  to  this,  the  last  and  the  nearest  point  to  the  Territory  of  New  Mex 
ico,  and  as  this  business  must  increase  with  the  settlement  of  the  country  to  the  west  and 
bout.h-west,  the  permanence  of  the  prosperity  of  this  city  seems  to  be  fixed. 

These  "  greasers  "  arc  a  hard  looking  set  of  men.  They  are  a  sort  of  compromise  be 
tween  the  Indian  and  negro,  with  now  and  then  a  touch  of  Spanish  blood.  They  are  gen 
erally  short  and  small,  quite  dark,  very  black  straight  hair,  genei ally  hanging  about  their 
faces.  Their  national  hat  is  a  low  crowned  slouch  looking  concern.*  They  wear  girdles, 
with  knives,  etc.,  convenient  for  use.  Altogether  they  look  like  an  ignorant,  sensual, 
treacherous,  thieving  and  blood-thirsty  set,  which  is  very  much  the  character  they  bear 
among  the  people  of  this  city. 

Kansas  City,  being  in  Missouri,  has  a  few  slaves,  but  they  are  fast  disappearing.  Some 
forty  were  shipped  off  in  one  gang  this  spring  for  the  southern  market.  The  original  set 
tlers  were  Southerners  and  slaveholders,  but  the  northern  element  has  been  pouring  in 
upon  them  till  a  large  proportion  of  the  business  men  are  now  from  the  free  states.  There 
is  now  no  talk  about  slavery,  all  are  engaged  in  a  more  sensible  business — building  up 
the  city. 

.  ST.  JOSEPH,  the  most  populous  and  flourishing  place  in  north-western 
Missouri,  is  situated  on  the  E.  bank  of  the  Missouri,  565  miles  N.W.  from 
St.  Louis,  391  from  Jefferson  City,  and  206,  by  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad,  from  the  Mississippi.  The  city  is  for  the  most  part  on  broken  and 
uneven  ground,  called  the  Black  Snake  Hills,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  rich 
and  fertile  country.  There  are  7  churches,  2  female  seminaries,  2  daily  and  3 
•weekly  papers  published  here.  There  are  several  steam  sawing  and  grist  mills 
and  other  extensive  manufacturing  establishments.  The  Catholic  Female 
Seminary  of  this  place  stands  on  a  commanding  elevation  back  from  the  city, 
and  is  seen  from  down  the  river  at  a  great  distance.  The  completion  of  the 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  makes  this,  at  present,  the  most  western 
point  in  the  United  States  reached  by  the  great  chain  of  railroads,  and  has 
opened  a  new  era  in  its  prosperity.  It  is  now  the  central  point  for  all  west 
ern  travel.  The  Great  Salt  Lake  mail,  the  Pike's  Peak  express,  and  the 
Pony  express,  taking  dispatches  to  San  Francisco  in  eight  days,  all  start  from 
this  place.  Population  about  10,000. 

The  city  of  St.  Joseph  was  founded  by  Joseph  Robidoux,  a  native  of  St. 
Louis,  and  of  French  descent.  Mr.  Robidoux  first  visited  this  place  in  1803, 
as  an  Indian  trader,  being  in  connection  at  that  time  with  the  American  Fur 
Company.  He  was  forty  days  in  sailing  up  the  Missouri  from  St.  Louis,  and 
camped  out  every  night  on  shore  with  his  boatmen,  about  a  dozen  in  number. 
The  Indians  lived  on  the  city  grounds  till  they  removed  to  the  opposite  bank 


MISSOURI. 

of  the  river,  about  25  miles  above.  He  erected  his  first  trading  house  I* 
1831,  about  two  miles  below  the  city.  In  1833,  he  built  a  second  trading 
house  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  City  Hotel :  and  in  1838  pre-empto'l 
the  site  of  the  city. 


South  view  of  St.  Joseph. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  the  city,  as  it  is  approached  from  the  south  by  the  Missouri  River. 
The  Court  House,  in  the  central  part,  stands  on  an  elevation  of  about  200  feet ;  the  Railroad  from  Hanr,i- 
bal  enters  the  city  on  the  rich  bottom  lands  ou  the  right.  The  sand  bank  seen  in  the  view  on  the  left,  is 
within  the  limits  of  Kansas. 

The  town  was  laid  off  in  1843.  The  first  resident  clergyman  in  the  place 
was  a  Catholic,  Rev.  Thomas  Scanlan,  and  the  first  public  worship  was  held 
in  the  house  of  Mr.  Julius  C.  Robidoux,  the  first  postmaster  in  the  place. 
Mr.  R.'s  first  office  was  west  of  the  Black  Snake  Creek,  and  he  was  the  first 
regular  merchant  in  St.  Joseph.  Rev.  T.  S.  Reeve,  the  next  minister,  first 
preached  in  a  log  house  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Francis-streets.  The 
first  settlers  were  principally  from  Indiana,  Kentucky  and  Ohio.  Among 
the  first  settlers  were  Col.  Samuel  Hall,  Capt.  Win.  H.  Hanson  and  William 
Ewing,  from  Kentucky ;  Capt.  John  Whitehead  and  James  Cargill,  from 
Virginia;  Frederick  W.  Smith,  from  St.  Louis;  and  Michael  Rogers,  from 
Ireland.  Daniel  Gr.  Keedy,  from  Maryland,  was  the  first  physician.  Jona 
than  M.  Bassett,  James  B.  Grardenhire,  and  Willard  P.  Hall,  were  among  the 
first  lawyers.  Mrs.  Stone,  a  widow  lady,  opened  the  first  school.  The  first 
tavern  was  kept  by  David  St.  Clair,  from  Indiana,  who  came  here  in  1843. 
Jeremiah  Lewis,  from  Kentucky,  was  the  first  ferryman. 

Weston,  a  flourishing  commercial  town,  on  the  Missouri  River,  about  4 
miles  above  Fort  Leavenworth,  is  the  river  port  for  Platte  county,  about  225 
miles  W.  N.W.,  by  the  road,  from  Jefferson  City,  and  upward  of  500  by 
water  from  St.  Louis.  Its  frontier  position  renders  it  a  favorable  position 
for  emigrants  starting  for  California  and  other  points  west.  It  was  first  settled 
in  1838.  The  great  emigration  westward  of  late  years,  has  much  increased 
the  activity  of  trade  at  this  point.  Two  newspapers  are  published  here. 
Population  about  3,500. 


MISSOURI.  499 

Independence,  the  county  seat  of  Jackson,  is  important  as  one  of  the  start 
ing  points  in  the  trade  to  New  Mexico,  and  other  places  westward.  It  is 
about  five  miles  back  from  the  Missouri  River,  and  165  miles  W.  by  N.  from 
Jefferson  City.  It  was  laid  out  in  1828,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  most  beau 
tiful  and  fertile  country,  abundantly  supplied  with  pure  water.  Population 
about  3,500. 


Hannibal. 

HANNIBAL,  Marion  county,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  is  15 
miles  below  Quincy,  111.,  and  153  above  St.  Louis.  It  is  a  flourishing  town 
and  the  shipping  port  of  a  large  quantity  of  hemp,  tobacco,  pork,  etc., 
raised  in  the  vicinity.  Stone  coal,  and  excellent  limestone  for  building  pur 
poses,  are  abundant.  Its  importance,  however,  is  principally  derived  from 
its  being  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  a 
line  extending  directly  across  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and  which,  at 
Ihis  point,  connects  this  great  western  railroad  with  the  system  of  railroads 
eastward  of  the  Mississippi.  Hannibal  was  laid  out  in  1819,  and  incorpor 
ated  in  1839.  It  is  one  of  the  most  thriving  towns  on  the  Mississippi,  has 
numerous  manufacturing  establishments,  an  increasing  commerce,  and  about 
8,000  people. 


Col.  John  Shaw,  in  his  personal  narrative,  relates  some  incidents  that 
occurred  in  this  section  of  Missouri  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  acted  as  a 
ftcout  on  this  frontier.  We  here  quote  from  him: 

The  Upper  Mississippi  Indians,  of  all  tribes,  commenced  depredations  on  the 
frontiers  of  Missouri  and  Illinois,  in  1811,  and  early  in  1812.  Several  persons 
wore  killed  in  different  quarters.  About  thirty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Salt 
River,  and  fully  a  hundred  above  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  was  Gilbert's  Lick, 
On  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  a  place  of  noted  resort  for  animals  and 
cattle  to  lick  the  brackish  water;  and  where  a  man  named  Samuel  Gilbert,  from 
Virginia,  had  settled  two  or  three  years  prior  to  the  spring  of  1812.  In  that  region, 
and  particularly  below  him,  were  a  number  of  other  settlers.  About  the  latter 
part  of  May,  1812,  a  party  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen  Upper  Mississippi  Indians 
descended  the  river  in  canoes,  and  fell  upon  the  scattered  cabins  of  this  upper  set 
tlement  in  the  ni^ht,  and  killed  a  dozen  or  more  people. 

This  massacre  in  the  Gilbert's  Lick  settlement,  caused  great  consternation  along 
the  Missouri  frontier,  and  the  people,  as  a  matter  of  precaution,  commenced  fort- 
ing.  Some  seven  or  eight  forts  or  stockades  were  erected,  to  which  a  portion  of 
the  inhabitants  resorted,  while  many  others  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  flee 
fchere  for  safety,  in  case  it  might  be  thought  necessary.  I  remember  the  naii*6  of 


430  MISSOURI. 

Stout's  Fort,  Wood's  Fort,  a  small  stockade  at  what  is  now  Clarksville,  Fort  HOT- 
ard,  and  a  fort  at  Howell's  settlement — the  latter  nearest  to  Col.  Daniel  Boone;  b'jt 
the  people  bordering  immediately  on  the  Missouri  River,  being  less  exposed  to  dan 
ger,  did  not  so  early  resort  to  the  erection  of  stockades. 

About  this  time,  probably  «,  little  after,  while  L  was  engaged  with  eighteen  or 
twenty  men  in  building  a  temporary  stockade  where  Clarksville  now  stands,  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  a  party  of  Indians  came  and  killed  the  entire 
family  of  one  O'Neil,  about  three  miles  above  Clarksville,  while  O'Neil  himself  was 
employed  with  his  neighbors  in  erecting  the  stockade.  Jn  company  with  O'Neil 
and  others,  1  hastened  to  the  scene  of  murder,  and  found  all  killed,  scalped,  and 
horribly  mangled.  One  of  the  children,  about  a-  year  and  a  half  old,  was  found 
literally  baked  in  a  large  pot  metal  bake  kettle  or  Dutch  oven,  with  a  cover  on ;  and 
as  there  were  no  marks  of  the  knife  or  tomahawk  on  the  body,  the  child  must  have 
been  put  in  alive  to  suffer  this  horrible  death;  the  oil  or  fat  in  the  bottom  of  the 
kettle  was  nearly  two  inches  deep. 

I  went  to  St.  Louis,  in  company  with  Ira  Cottle,  to  see  Gov.  Clark,  and  ascertain 
whether  war  had  been  actually  declared.  This  must  have  been  sometime  in  June, 
but  the  news  of  the  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain  had  not  yet  reached 
there.  On  our  return,  L  was  strongly  urged  by  the  people  to  act  as  a  spy  or  scout 
on  the  frontier,  as  1  was  possessed  of  great  bodily  activity,  and  it  was  well  known 
that  I  had  seen  much  woods  experience.  I  consented  to  act  in  this  capacity  on 
the  frontiers  of  St.  Charles  county,  never  thinking  or  troubling  myself  about  any 
pecuniary  recompense,  and  was  only  anxious  to  render  the  distressed  people  a  use 
ful  service.  1  immediately  entered  alone  upon  this  duty,  sometimes  mounted,  and 
sometimes  on  foot,  and  carefully  watching  the  river  above  the  settlements,  to  dis 
cover  whether  any  Indians  had  landed,  arid  sometimes  to  follow  their  trails,  learn 
their  destination,  and  report  to  the  settlements. 

Upon  my  advice,  several  of  the  weaker  stockades  were  abandoned,  for  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  around,  and  concentrated  at  a  place  near  the  mouth  of  Cuivre  or  Cop 
per  River,  at  or  near  the  present  village  of  Monroe;  and  there  a  large  number  of 
us,  perhaps  some  sixty  or  seventy  persons,  were  some  two  or  three  weeks  employed 
in  the  erection  of  a  fort.  We  named  it  in  honor  of  the  patriotic  governor,  Benja 
min  Howard,  and  between  twenty  and  thirty  families  were  soon  safely  lodged 'in 
Fort  Howard.  The  fort  was  an  oblong  square,  north  and  south,  and  embraced 
about  half  an  acre,  with  block  houses  at  all  the  corners  except  the  south-east  one. 

As  the  war  had  now  fairly  commenced,  an  act  of  congress  authorized  the  rais 
ing  of  six  companies  of  Rangers;  three  to  be  raised  on  the  Missouri  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  other  three  on  the  Illinois  side.  The  Missouri  companies  were 
commanded  by  Daniel  M.  Boone,  Nathan  Boone,  and  David  Musick.  The  commis 
sion  of  Nathan  Boone  was  dated  in  June,  1812,  to  serve  a  year,  as  were  doubtless 
the  others. 

The  Indians,  supplied  by  their  British  employers  with  new  rifles,  seemed  bent 
on  exterminating  the  Americans — always,  however,  excepting  the  French  and 
Spaniards,  who,  from  their  Indian  intermarriages,  were  regarded  as  friends  and 
connections.  Their  constant  attacks  and  murders,  led  to  offensive  measures. 

Of  the  famous  Sink  Hole  battle,  fought  on  the  24th  of  May,  1814,  near  Fort  How 
ard,  I  shall  be  able  to  give  a  full  account,  as  I  was  present  and  participated  in  it. 
Capt.  Peter  Craig  commanded  at  Fort  Howard  ;  he  resided  with  his  father-in-law, 
Andrew  Ramsey,  at  Cape  Girardeau,  and  did  not  exceed  thirty  years  of  ago. 
Drakeford  Gray  was  first  lieutenant.  Wilson  Able,  the  second,  and  Edward  Spears, 
third  lieutenant. 

About  noon,  five  of  the  men  went  out  of  the  fort  to  Byrne's  deserted  house  on 
the  bluff,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  fort,  to  bring  in  a  grindstone.  la 
consequence  of  back  water  from  the  Mississippi,  they  went  in  a  canoe ;  and  on 
their  return  were  fired  on  by  a  party  supposed  to  be  fifty  Indians,  who  were  under 
shelter  of  some  brush  that  grew  along  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  near  Byrne's  house, 
and  about  fifteen  rods  distant  from  the  canoe  at  the  time.  Three  of  the  whites 
were  killed,  and  one  mortally  wounded;  and  as  the  back  water,  where  the  canoe 
was,  was  only  about  knee  deep,  the  Indians  ran  out  and  tomahawked  their  vic 
tims. 


MISSOURI.  431 

The  people  in  the  fort  ran  out  as  quick  as  possible,  and  fired  across  the  back 
water  at  the  Indians,  but  as  they  were  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  it  was  of 
course  without  effect.  Capt.  Craig  with  a  party  of  some  twenty-five  men  hastened 
in  pursuit  of  the  Indians,  and  ran  across  a  point  of  the  back  water,  a  few  inches 
deep;  while  another  party,  of  whom  1  was  one,  of  about  twenty -five,  ran  to  the 
right  of  the  water,  with  a  view  of  intercepting  the  Indiana,  who  seemed  to  be  untie 
ing  toward  the  bluff  or  high  plain  west  and  north-west  of  the  fort.  The  party  with 
which  1  had  started,  and  Capt.  Craig's  soon  united. 

Immediately  on  the  bluff  was  the  cultivated  field  and  deserted  residence  of  Ben 
jam  in  Allen,  the  field  about  forty  rods  across,  beyond  which  was  pretty  thick  tim 
ber.  Here  the  Indians  made  a  stand,  and  here  the  fight  commenced.  Both  parties 
treed,  and  as  the  firing  waxed  warm,  the  Indians  slowly  retired  as  the  whites  ad 
vanced.  After  this  fighting  had  been  going  on  perhaps  some  ten  minutes,  the  whites 
were  reinforced  by  Capt.  David  Musick,  of  Cape  au  Gris,  with  about  twenty  men. 
Capt.  Musick  had  been  on  a  scout  toward  the  head  of  Cuivre  River,  and  had  re 
turned,  though  unknown  at  Fort  Howard,  to  the  Crossing  of  Cuivre  River,  about  a 
mile  from  the  fort,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  scene  of  conflict;  and  had 
stopped  with  his  men  to  graze  their  horses,  when  hearing  the  firing,  they  instantly 
remounted  and  dashed  toward  the  place  of  battle,  and  dismounting  in  the  edge  of 
the  timber  on  the  bluff,  and  hitching  their  horses,  they  rushed  through  a  part  of 
the  Indian  line,  and  shortly  after  the  enemy  fled,  a  part  bearing  to  the  right  of  the 
Sink  Hole  toward  Bob's  Creek,  but  the  most  of  them  taking  refuge  in^the  Sink 
Bole,  which  was  close  by  where  the  main  fighting  had  taken  place.  About  the 
time  the  Indians  were  retreating.  Capt.  Craig  exposed  himself  about  four  feet  be 
yond  his  tree,  and  was  shot  through  the  body,  and  fell  dead;  James  Putney  was 
killed  before  Capt.  Craig,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  others.  Before  the  Indians  re 
tired  to  the  Sink  Hole,  the  fighting  had  become  animated,  the  loading  was  done 
quick,  and  shots  rapidly  exchanged,  and  when  one  of  our  party  was  killed  or 
wounded,  it  was  announced  aloud. 

This  Sink  Hole  was  about  sixty  feet  in  length,  and  about  twelve  to  fifteen  feet 
wide,  and  ten  or  twelve  feet  deep.  Near  the  bottom  on  the  south-east  side,  was  a 
shelving  rock,  under  which  perhaps  some  fifty  or  sixty  persons  might  have  shel 
tered  themselves.  At  the  north-east  end  of  the  Sink  Hole,  the  descent  was  quite 
gradual,  the  other  end  much  more  abrupt,  and  the  south-east  side  was  nearly  per 
pendicular,  and  the  other  side  about  like  the  steep  roof  of  a  house.  On  the  south 
east  side,  the  Indians,  as  a  further  protection  in  case  the  whites  should  rush  up, 
dug  under  the  shelving  rock  with  their  knives.  On  the  sides  and  in  the  bottom  of 
the  Sink  Hole  were  some  bushes,  which  also  served  as  something  of  a  screen  for 
the  Indians. 

Capt.  Musick  and  his  men  took  post  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  Sink  Hole,  and 
the  others  occupied  other  positions  surrounding  the  enemy.  As  the  trees  ap 
proached  close  to  the  Sink  Hole,  these  served  in  part  to  protect  our  party.  Find 
ing  we  could  not  get  a  good  opportunity  to  dislodge  the  enemy,  as  they  were  best 
protected,  those  of  our  men  who  had  families  at  the  fort,  gradually  went  there,  not 
knowing  but  a  large  body  of  Indians  might  seize  the  favorable  occasion  to  attack 
the  fort,  while  the  men  were  mostly  away,  engaged  in  the  exciting  contest. 

The  Indians  in  the  Sink  Hole  had  a  drum,  made  of  a  skin  stretched  over  a  sec 
tion  of  hollow  tree,  on  which  they  beat  quite  constantly ;  and  some  Indian  would 
shake  a  rattle,  called  she-shu-qvi.  probably  a  dried  bladder  with  pebbles  within; 
and  even,  for  a  moment,  would  venture  to  thrust  his  head  in  view,  with  his  hand 
elevated  shaking  his  rattle,  and  calling  out  peash!  peash!  which  was  understood  to 
be  a  sort  of  defiance,  or  as  Black  Hawk,  who  was  one  of  the  party,  says  in  his  ac 
count  of  that  affair,  a  kind  of  bravado  to  come  and  fight  them  in  the  Sink  Hole. 
When  the  Indians  would  creep  up  and  shoot  over  the  rim  of  the  Sink  Hole,  they 
would  instantly  disappear,  and  while  they  sometimes  fired  effectual  shots,  they  in 
turn  became  occasionally  the  victims  of  our  rifles.  From  about  one  to  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  the  firing  was  inconstant,  our  men  generally  reserving  their  fire 
till  an  Indian  would  show  his  head,  and  all  of  us  were  studying  how  he  could  more 
effectually  attack  and  dislodge  the  enemy. 

At  length  Lieut.  Spears  suggested  that  a  pair  of  cart  wheels,  axle  and  tongue. 


432'  MISSOURI. 

which  were  seen  at  Allen's  place,  near  at  hand,  be  obtained,  and  a  moving  battery 
constructed.  This  idea  was  entertained  favorably,  and  an  hour  or  more  consumed 
in  its  construction.  Some  oak  floor  puncheons,  from  seven  to  eight  feet  in  length, 
were  made  fast  to  the  axle  in  an  upright  position,  and  port-holes  made  through 
them.  Finally,  the  battery  was  ready  for  trial,  and  was  sufficiently  large  to  pro 
tect  some  half  a  dozen  or  more  men.  It  was  moved  forward  slowly,  and  seemed 
to  attract  the  particular  attention  of  the  Indiana,  who  had  evidently  heard  the 
knocking  and  pounding  connected  with  its  manufacture,  and  who  now  frequently 
popped  up  their  heads  to  make  momentary  discoveries;  and  it  was  at  length  moved 
np  to  within  less  than  ten  paces  of  the  brink  of  the  Sink  Hole,  on  the  south-east 
side.  The  upright  plank  did  not  reach  the  ground  within  some  eighteen  inches, 
our  men  calculating  to  shoot  beneath  the  lower  end  of  the  plank  at  the  Indians ; 
but  the  latter,  from  their  position,  had  the  decided  advantage  of  this  neglected 
aperture,  for  the  Indians  snooting  beneath  the  battery  at  an  upward  angle,  would 
get  shots  at  the  whites  before  the  latter  could  see  them.  The  Indians  also  watched 
the  port-holes,  and  directed  some  of  their  shots  to  them.  Lieut.  Spears  was  shot 
dead,  through  the  forehead,  and  his  death  was  much  lamented,  as  he  had  proved 
himself  the  most  active  and  intrepid  officer  engaged.  John  Patterson  was  wounded 
in  the  thigh,  and  some  others  wounded  behind  the  battery.  Having  failed  in  the 
object  for  which  it  was  designed,  the  battery  was  abandoned  after  sundown. 

Our  hope  all  along  had  been,  that  the  Indians  would  emerge  from  their  covert, 
and  attempt  to  retreat  to  where  we  supposed  their  canoes  were  left,  some  three  or 
four  miles  distant,  in  which  case  we  were  firmly  determined  to  rush  upon  them, 
and  endeavor  to  cut  them  totally  off.  The  men  generally  evinced  the  greatest 
bravery  during  the  whole  engagement.  Night  now  coming  on,  and  having  heard 
the  reports  of  half  a  dozen  or  so  of  guns  in  the  direction  of  the  fort,  by  a  few  In 
dians  who  rushed  out  from  the  woods  skirting  Bob's  Creek,  not  more  than  forty 
rods  from  the  north  end  of  the  fort.  This  movement  on  the  part  of  the  few  Indiana 
who  had  escaped  when  the  others  took  refuge  in  the  Sink  Hole,  was  evidently  de 
signed  to  divert  the  attention  of  the  whites,  and  alarm  them  for  the  safety  of  the 
fort,  and  thus  effectually  relieve  the  Indians  in  the  Sink  Hole.  This  was  the  result, 
for  Capt.  Musick  and  men  retired  to  the  fort,  carrying  the  dead  and  wounded,  and 
made  every  preparation  to  repel  a  night  attack.  As  the  Mississippi  was  quite  high, 
with  much  back  water  over  the  low  grounds,  the  approach  of  the  enemy  was  thus 
facilitated,  and  it  was  feared  a  large  Indian  force  was  at  hand.  The  people  were 
always  more  apprehensive  of  danger  at  a  time  when  the  river  was  swollen,  than 
when  at  its  ordinary  stage. 

The  men  in  the  fort  were  mostly  up  all  night,  ready  for  resistance,  if  necessary. 
There  was  no  physician  at  the  fort,  and  much  effort  was  made  to  set  some  broken 
bones.  There  Was  a  well  in  the  fort,  and  provisions  and  ammunition  sufficient  to 
sustain  a  pretty  formidable  attack.  The  women  were  greatly  alarmed,  pressing 
their  infants  to  their  bosoms,  fearing  they  might  not  be  permitted  to  behold  another 
morning's  light;'  but  the  night  passed  away  without  seeing  or  hearing  an  Indian. 
The  next  morning  a  party  went  to  the  Sink  Hole,  and  found  the  Indians  gone,  who 
had  carried  off  all  their  dead  and  wounded,  except  five  dead  bodies  left  on  the" 
north-west  bank  of  the  Sink  Hole ;  and  by  the  signs  of  blood  within  the  Sink  Hole, 
it  was  judged  that  well  nigh  thirty  of  the  enemy  must  have  been  killed  and 
wounded.  Lieut.  Drakeford  Gray's  report  of  the  affair,  made  eight  of  our  party 
killed,  one  missing,  and  five  wounded — making  a  total  of  fourteen ;  I  had  thought 
the  number  was  nearer  twenty.  Our  dead  were  buried  near  the  fort,  when  Capt. 
Huslck  and  his  men  went  over  to  Cape  au  Gris,  where  they  belonged,  and  of  which 
garrison  Capt.  Musick  had  the  command.  We  that  day  sent  out  scouts,  while  I 
proceeded  to  St.  Charles  to  procure  medical  and  surgical  assistance,  and  sent  for 
ward  Drs.  Hubbard  and  Wilson. 

•St.  Charles,  the  capital  of  St.  Charles  county,  is  on  the  northern  bank  of 
the  Missouri  River,  18  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  about  20  by  land  from  St. 
kouis.  The  first  settlement  of  St.  Charles  dates  back  to  the  year  1764, 


MISSOURI.  433 

when  it  was  settled  by  the  French,  and  for  a  long  time  was  regarded  as  the 
rival  of  St.  Louis.  The  opening  of  the  North  Missouri  Railroad  has  added 
much  to  its  prosperity.  It  is  handsomely  situated  on  the  first  elevation  on 
the  river  from  its  mouth.  The  rocky  bluffs  in  the  vicinity  present  beautiful 
views  of  both  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers.  Quarries  of  limestone, 
sandstone,  and  stone  coal  have  been  opened  near  the  town.  The  village  is 
upward  of  a  mile  long,  and  has  several  streets  parallel  with  the  river.  It 
contains  the  usual  county  buildings,  several  steam  mills,  etc.,  a  Catholic  con 
vent,  a  female  academy,  and  St.  Charles  College,  founded  in  1837,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Methodists.  Population  about  3,000. 

Boonville,  a  flourishing  town,  the  county  seat  of  Cooper  county,  is  on  the 
S.  bank  of  Missouri  River,  48  miles  N.W.  from  Jefferson  City.  It  has  im 
portant  commercial  advantages,  which  have  drawn  to  it  the  principal  trade 
of  S.W.  Missouri,  of  a  portion  of  Arkansas,  and  the  Cherokee  Nation.  It 
has  a  healthy  situation,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  rich  farming  region.  Grapes 
are  cultivated  here  to  some  extent.  Iron,  lead,  stone  coal,  marble  and  lime 
stone  are  abundant  in  the  vicinity.  The  New  Mexico  or  Santa  Fe  trade  is 
said  to  have  first  begun  at  Boonville,  or  Old  Franklin,  as  early  as  1824. 
Population  about  4,000. 

Ironton,  the  county  seat  of  Iron  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Iron  Moun 
tain  Railroad,  87  miles  from  St.  Louis.  The  county  abounds  in  mineral 
wealth,  iron,  marble,  copper,  and  lead,  and  the  town,  containing  some  few 
hundred  inhabitants,  is  becoming  quite  a  summer  resort  from  its  excellent 
medicinal  springs. 

Potosi  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  state,  having  been  settled  in  1763, 
by  Messrs.  Renault  and  Moses.  It  is  near  the  line  of  the  Iron  Mountain 
Railroad,  54  miles  from  St.  Louis.  It  is  the  county  seat  of  Washington,  and 
has  been  long  noted  as  the  seat  of  the  richest  of  lead  mines.  The  town  has 
about  700  inhabitants. 

The  famous  Mine  a  Burton,  at  this  place,  was  the  most  important  and 
principal  discovery  made  in  Missouri  under  Spanish  authority.  It  took  its 
name  from  M.  Burton,  a  Frenchman,  who,  while  hunting  in  this  quarter, 
found  the  ore  lying  on  the  surface  of  the  ground.  This  was  about  the  year 
1780.  Hon.  Thos.  H.  Benton  gives  this  account  of  Mr.  Burton  from  per 
sonal  knowledge,  and  published  it  in  the  St.  Louis  Enquirer  of  October  16, 
1818: 

He  is  a  Frenchman  from  the  north  of  France.  In  the  forepart  of  the  last  cen 
tury,  he  served  in  the  low  countries  under  the  orders  of  Marshal  Saxe.  He  was 
at  the  siege  of  Ber.g en-op  zoom,  and  assisted  in  the  assault  of  that  place  when  it 
was  assailed  by  a  division  of  Marshal  Saxe's  army,  under  the  command  of  Count 
Lowendahl.  He  has  also  seen  service  upon  the  continent.  He  was  at  the  building 
of  Fort  Chartres,  on  the  American  bottom,  afterward  went  to  Fort  Du  Quesne  (now 
Pittsburg),  and  was  present  at  Braddock's  defeat.  From  the  life  of  a  soldier,  Bur 
ton  passed  to  that  of  a  hunter,  and  in  that  character,  about  half  a  century  ago, 
while  pursuing  a  bear  to  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  he  discovered  the  rich  lead 
mines  which  have  borne  his  name  ever  since.  His  present  age  can  not  be  ascer 
tained.  He  was  certainly  an  old  soldier  at  Fort  Chartres,  when  soime  of  the  peo 
ple  of  the  present  day  were  little  children  at  that  place.  The  most  moderate  com 
putation  will  make  him  one  hundred  and  six.  He  now  lives  in  the  family  of  Mr. 
Micheaux,  at  the  Little  Rock  ferry,  three  miles  above  Ste.  Genevieve,  and  w.alks  to. 
that  village  almost  every  Sunday  to  attend  Mass.  He  is  what  we  call  a  square  built 
man,  of  five  feet  eight  inches  high,  full  chest  and  forehead;  his  sense  of  seeing 
and  hearing  som<  »vhat  impaired,  but  free  from  disease,  and  apparently  able  to  hold' 
out  against  time  for  many  years  to  come. 

28 


434  MISSOURI. 

In  1797,  Moses  Austin,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  afterward  became 
identified  with  the  history  of  Texas,  explored  the  country  about  Mine  a  Bur 
ton,  and  obtained  a  grant  of  a  league  square  from  the  Spanish  government, 
in  consideration  of  erecting  a  reverberating  furnace  and  other  works,  for  the 
purpose  of  prosecuting  the  mining  business  at  these  mines. 

"Associated  with  Mr.  Austin,  was  his  son  Stephen  F.  Austin,  who,  in  1798,  com 
menced  operations,  erected  a  suitable  furnace  for  smelting  the  "  ashes  of  lead," 
and  sunk  the  first  regular  shaft  for  raising  ore.  These  improvements  revived  the 
mining  business,  and  drew  to  the  country  many  American  families,  who  settled  iu. 
the  neighborhood  of  the  mines.  The  next  year  a  shot-tower  was  built  on  the  pin 
nacle  of  the  cliff  near  Herculaneum,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Elias 
Bates,  and  patent  shot  were  made.  A  manufactory  of  sheet  lead  was  completed 
the  same  year,  and  the  Spanish  arsenals  at  New  Orleans  and  Havana,  received  a 
considerable  part  of  their  supplies  for  the  Spanish  navy  from  these  mines." 

Hermann,  capital  of  Gasconade  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Pacific  Rail 
road,  81  miles  from  St.  Louis.  It  was  first  settled  in  1837,  by  the  German 
Settlement  Society,  of  Philadelphia.  The  place  and  vicinity  are  noted  for 
the  culture  of  the  grape,  being  second  only  to  Cincinnati.  A  good  year's 
growth  of  the  grape  will  yield  over  100,000  gallons  of  wine,  worth  from 
$1  25  to  $2  per  gallon. 

There  are  in  the  state  a  large  number  of  towns  of  from  1,000  to  3,000  in 
habitants,  beside  those  described.  These  are  among  them:  Canton,  in  Lewis 
county,  175  miles  N.E.  from  Jeiferson  City.  Carondolet,  on  the  Iron  Moun 
tain  Railroad,  6  miles  from  St.  Louis.  This  is  an  old  town,  settled  half  a 
century  since,  and  named  from  one  of  its  early  settlers,  Baron  De  Carondo- 
let.  Chillicotlie,  the  county  seat  of  Livingston,  is  129  miles  west  of  Hanni 
bal,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad.  Columbia,  the  county  seat 
of  Boone,  33  miles  N.N.W.  from  Jefferson  City,  and  is  the  seat  of  the  State 
University  and  of  two  colleges.  Fulton,  county  seat  of  Callaway,  is  24  miles 
N.E.  from  Jefferson  City.  Here  is  located  Westminster  College  and  the 
State  Lunatic  and  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylums.  Glasgow  is  in  Howard  county, 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Missouri,  60  miles  N.W.  of  Jefferson  City.  La 
Grange  is  on  the  Mississippi,  in  Lewis  county,  104  N.N.E.  of  Jefferson  City. 
Louisiana  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  82  miles  N.E.  of  Jefferson 
City.  Palmyra,  the  county  seat  of  Marion,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad,  14  miles  from  Hannibal,  has  two  colleges  and  two  academies,  and 
is  considered  the  most  beautiful  town  of  northern  Missouri.  St.  Genevieve, 
the  capital  of  St.  Genevieve  county,  is  situated  on  the  W.  bank  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  72  miles  below  St.  Louis,  and  117  S.E.  from  Jefferson  City.  St. 
Genevieve  exports  large  quantities  of  copper,  lead,  limestone,  marble,  and 
white  sand;  the  latter  article  is  of  superior  quality,  being  used  in  the  glass 
works  of  Boston  and  Pittsburg.  It  is  noted  as  the  oldest  town  in  Missouri, 
having  been  settled  by  a  few  French  families  in  1751.  Tipton  is  in  Moniteau 
county,  38  miles  from  Jefferson  City.  Washington  is  in  Franklin  county,  OP 
;the  line  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  54  miles  from  St.  Louis.  Huntsville,  county 
seat  of  Randolph,  is  on  the  North  Missouri  Railroad,  160  miles  N.W.  from 
St.  Louis:  near  it  is  Mount  Pleasant  College.  Mound  City,  or  Hudson,  is 
at  the  junction  of  the  North  Missouri  and  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Rail 
roads,  168  miles  from  St.  Louis.  Mexico,  the  county  seat  of  Audrian,  is  on 
the  Jtforth  Missouri  Railroad,  50  miles  N.E.  from  Jefferson  City. 


MISSOURI.  435 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 

Gen.  William  Clark  was  born  in  Virginia  in  Aug.,  1770,  and  in  1784  removed, 
\vlth  his  father's  family,  to  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  now  the  site  of  Louisville,  where 
his  brother,  the  distinguished  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark,  had  a  short  time  previ 
ously  established  a  fort.  In  1793,  he  was  appointed  by  Washington  lieutenant  of 
riflemen.  "  In  1803  he  was  tendered  by  Mr.  Jefferson  the  appointment  of  captain 
of  engineers,  to  assume  joint  command  with  Captain  Merriwether  Lewis,  of 
the  North-western  Expedition  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  This  was  accepted,  and  the 
party  left  St.  Louis  in  March,  1804,  for  the  vast  and  then  unexplored  regions  be 
tween  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  ocean,  under  the  joint  command  of  himself 
and  Lewis,  they  being,  by  a  special  regulation  to  that  effect,  equal  in  rank.  On 
this  perilous  expedition,  he  was  the  principal  military  director,  while  Lewis,  assisted 
by  himself,  was  the  scientific  manager.  Gen.  Clark  then  kept  and  wrote  the_  Jour 
nal,  which  has  since  been  published,  and  assisted  Lewis  in  all  his  celestial  obser 
vations,  when  they  were  together.  On  their  return  to  St.  Louis  from  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  in  the  fall  of  1806,  Capt.  Lewis  was  appointed  governor  of  the  territory 
then  designated  as  Upper  Louisiana,  and  the  place  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  infantry 
was  offered  to  Gen.  (then  Capt.)  Clark:  but  he  preferred  the  place  of  Indian  agent 
at  St.  Louis,  having  become,  by  his  intercourse  with  the  various  tribes  on  the  Mis 
souri,  well  acquainted  with  the  proper  course  to  be  pursued  toward  them  ;  and  he 
remained  in  this  office  until  he  was  made  brigadier  general  for  the  Territory  of 
Upper  Louisiana,  under  the  laws  of  congress.  During  the  late  war  with  Great 
Britain  he  was  applied  to  by  the  war  department  to  revise  the  plan  of  the  campaign 
then  going  on  under  Gen.  Hall,  and  was  offered  the  appointment  of  brigadier  gen 
eral  in  the  United  States  army,  and  the  command  then  held  by  Hull;  these,  how 
ever,  he  refused,  being  convinced  that  the  operations  of  this  officer  were  too  far 
advanced  to  be  successfully  remedied.  In  1813,  President  Madison  appointed  him, 
in  place  of  Gov.  Howard,  resigned,  governor  of  the  territory  and  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs,  after  he  had  twice  refused  to  be  nominated  to  the  first  office.  He 
held  both  these  offices  until  Missouri  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  state  in 
1820.  Upon  her  admission,  he  was  nominated  against  his  consent  as  a  candidate 
for  governor,  but  was  not  elected,  being  in  Virginia  at  the  time  of  election.  He 
then  remained  in  private  life  until  1822,  when  he  was  appointed  by  President  Mon 
roe,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs.  As  commissioner  and  superintendent  of  In 
dian  affairs  for  a  long  series  of  years,  he  made  treaties  with  almost  every  tribe  of 
Indians,  and  exhibited  to  all  of  them  the  feelings  of  a  philanthropist,  as  well  as  a 
becoming  zeal  for  the  rights  of  the  government  of  his  country.  He  was  applied 
to,  to  accept  the  office  of  United  States  senator  from  Missouri,  but  declined,  be 
lieving  that  he  could  more  efficiently  serve  his  country,  and  the  cause  of  humanity, 
in  the  Indian  department  than  in  the  national  .halls  of  legislation.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  six  brothers,  the  four  oldest  of  whom  were  distinguished  officers  in 
the  Revolutionary  war.  One  of  them  fell  in  the  struggle;  another  was  killed  by 
the  Indians  upon  the  Wabash,  and  his  brother,  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clark,  is  well 
known  to  the  people  of  the  west.  The  early  history  of  Kentucky  is  identified  with 
his,  and  as  long  as  that  noble  and  proud  state  maintains  her  lofty  eminence,  she 
will  cherish  his  name.  Gen.  Clark  was  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  and  died  therein  September,  1838,  aged  68  years." — Blake's  Biog.  Diet. 

Gov.  Benjamin  Howard  was  born  in  Virginia.  From  1807  to  1810,  he  was  a 
representative  in  Congress  from  Kentucky,  when  he  was  appointed  governor  of 
Missouri  Territory.  In  1813,  he  resigned  the  latter  office  being  appointed  brigadier 
general  in  the  U.  S.  service.  This  was  the  period  of  ^the  war  with  Great  Britain, 
and  he  was  in  command  of  the  8th  military  department,  then  embracing  all  the 
territory  from  the  interior  of  Indiana  to  the  Mexican  frontier.  He  died  after  two 
days  illness,  at  St.  Louis,  in  Sept.,  1814.  He  was  a  brave  and  patriotic  man,  and 
his  loss  was  sincerely  felt.  Several  forts  in  the  west  have  been  named  from  him. 

Hon.  Lewis  F.  Linn  was  born  near  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1795,  and  was  educated 
to  medicine,  which  he  practiced  after  his  removal  to  Missouri.  From  1833  to  1843, . 
he  was  a  senator  in  congress  from  Missouri,  and  died  Oct.  3d,  in  the  last  named  year 


MISSOURI. 

at  his  residence  in  St.  Genevieve.  His  congressional  career  was  eminently  distin 
guished  for  ability,  and  for  his  identification  with  the  interests  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  His  virtues  were  eulogized  by  many  of  the  best  men  in  the  country. 

Hon.  Thomas  Hart  Benton  "was  born  in  Hillsborough,  North  Carolina,  March 
14, 1782,  and  educated  at  Chapel  Hill  College.  He  left  that  institution  without  re 
ceiving  a  degree,  and  forthwith  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  William  and  Mary 
College,  Virginia,  under  Mr.  St.  George  Tucker.  In  1810,  he  entered  the  United 
States  army,  but  soon  resigned  his  commission  of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  in  1811 
was  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  where  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  soon 
afterward  emigrated  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  he  connected  himself  with  the  press 
as  the  editor  of  a  newspaper,  the  Missouri  Argus.  In  1820,  he<was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  U*nited  States  senate,  serving  as  chairman  of  many  important  com 
mittees,  and  remained  in  that  body  till  the  session  of  1851,  at  which  time  he  failed 
of  re-election.  As  Missouri  was  not  admitted  into  the  Unjon  till  August  10,  1821, 
more  than  a  year  of  Mr.  Benton's  first  term  of  service  expired  before  he  took  his 
seat  He  occupied  himself  during  this  interval  before  taking  his  seat  in  congress 
in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  language  and  literature  of  Spain.  Immediately 
after  he  appeared  in  the  senate  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  deliberations  of 
that  body,  and  rapidly  rose  to  eminence  and  distinction.  Few  public  measures 
were  discussed  between  the  years  1821  and  1851  that  he  did  not  participate  in 
largely,  and  the  influence  he  wielded  was  always  felt  and  confessed  by  the  coun 
try*  He  was  one  of  the  chief  props  and  supporters  of  the  administrations  of 
Presidents  Jackson  and  Van  Buren.  The  people  of  Missouri  long  clung  to  him  as 
their  apostle  and  leader;  and  it  required  persevering  effort  to  defeat  him.  But  he 
had  served  them  during  the  entire  period  of  thirty  years  without  interruption,  and 
others,  who  aspired  to  honors  he  enjoyed,  became  impatient  for  an  opportunity  to 
supplant  him.  His  defeat  was  the  consequence.  Col.  Benton  was  distinguished 
for  his  learning,  iron  will,  practical  mind,  and  strong  memory.  As  a  public  speaker 
he  was  not  interesting  or  calculated  to  produce  an  effect  on  the  passions  of  an 
audience,  but  his  speeches  were  read  with  avidity,  always  producing  a  decided  in 
fluence.  He  was  elected  a  representative  in  the  thirty-third  congress  for  the  dis 
trict  of  St.  Louis,  and  on  his  retirement  from  public  life  devoted  himself  to  the 
preparation  of  a  valuable  register  of  the  debates  in  congress,  upon  which  he 
labored  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  Washington  on  the  10th  of  April,  1858, 
of  cancer  in  the  stomach." — Lanman's  Diet,  of  Congress. 


EXPULSION   OF   THE   MORMONS   FROM  MISSOURI. 
[From  Perkins'  Annals  of  the  West.] 

From  the  time  of  Rigdon's  conversion,  in  October,  1830,  the  progress  of  Mor- 
monism  was  wonderfully  rapid,  he  being  a  man  of  more  than  common  capacity 
and  cunning.  Kirtland,  Ohio,  became  the  chief  city  for  the  time  being,  while 
large  numbers  went  to  Missouri  in  consequence  of  revelations  to  that  effect  In 
July,  1833,  the  number  of  Mormons  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  was  over  1,200. 
Their  increase  having  produced  some  anxiety  among  the  neighboring  settlers,  a 
meeting  was  held  in  the  month  just  named,  from  whence  emanated  resolutions  for 
bidding  all  Mormons  thenceforth  to  settle  in  that  county,  and  intimating  that  all 
who  did  not  soon  remove  of  their  own  will  would  be  forced  to  do  so.  Among  the 
resolutions  was  one  requiring  the  Mormon  newspaper  to  be  stopped,  but  as  this 
was  not  at  once  complied  with  the  office  of  the  paper  was  destroyed.  Another 
large  meeting  of  the  citizens  being  held,  the  Mormons  became  alarmed  and  con 
tracted  to  remove.  Before  th'is  contract,  however,  could  be  complied  with,  violent 
proceedings  were  again  resorted  to;  houses  were  destroyed,  men  whipped,  and  at 
length  some  of  both  parties  were  killed.  The  result  was  a  removal  of  the  Mor 
mons  across  the  Missouri  into  Clay  county. 

These  outrages  being  communicated  to  the  Prophet  at  Kirtland,  he  took  steps 
to  bring  about  a  great  gathering  of  his  disciples,  with  which,  marshaled  as  an 
army,  in  May,  1834,  he  started  for  Missouri,  which  in  due  time  he  reached,  but 


MISSOURI.  437 

with  no  other  result  than  the  transfer  of  a  certain  portion  of  his  followers  as  per 
manent  settlers  to  a  region  already  too  full  of  them.  At  first  the  citizens  of  Clay 
county  were  friendly  to  the  persecuted;  but  ere  long  trouble  grew  up,  and  the 
wanderers  were  once  more  forced  to  seek  a  new  home,  in  order  to  prevent  outrages. 
This  home  they  found  in  Caldwell  county,  where,  by  permission  of  the  neighbors 
and  state  legislature,  they  organized  a  county  government,  the  country  having  been 
previously  unsettled.  Soon  after  this  removal,  numbers  of  Mormons  flocking  in, 
settlements  were  also  formed  in  Davis  and  Carroll : — the  three  towns  of  the  new 
sect  being  Far  West  in  Caldwell;  Adain-on-di-ah-mond,  called  Diahmond  or  Diah- 
man,  in  Davis;  and  Dewit,  in  Carroll.  Thus  far  the  Mormon  writers  and  their 
enemies  pretty  well  agree  in  their  narratives  of  the  Missouri  troubles;  but  thence 
forth  all  is  contradiction  and  uncertainty.  These  'contradictionsrwe  can  not  recon- , 
cile.  and  we  have  not  room  to  give  both  relations;  referring  our  readers,  therefore, 
to  Hunt  and  Greene,  we  will,  in  a  few  words,  state  our  own  impressions  of  the 
causes  of  the  quarrel  and  the  catastrophe. 

The  Mormons,  or  Latter-day  Saints,  held  two  views  which  they  were  fond  of 
dwelling  upon,  and  which  were  calculated  to  alarm  and  excite  the  people  of  the 
frontier.  One  was,  that  the  west  was  to  be  their  inheritance,  and  that  the  uncon 
verted  dwellers  upon  the  lands  about  them  were  to  be  destroyed,  and  the  saints  to 
succeed  to  their  property.  The  destruction  spoken  of  was  to  be,  as  Smith  taught, 
by  the  hand  of  God ;  but  those  who  were  threatened  naturally  enough  concluded 
that  the  Mormons  might  think  themselves  instruments  in  His  hand  to  work  the 
change  they  foretold  and  desired.  They  believed  also,  with  or  without  reason,  that 
the  saints,  anticipating,  like  many  other  heirs,  the  income  of  their  inheritance, 
helped  themselves  to  what  they  needed  of  food  and  clothing;  or,  as  the  world 
called  it,  were  arrant  thieves. 

'  The  other  offensive  view  was,  the  descent  of  the  Indians  from  the  Hebrews, 
taught  by  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  their  ultimate  restoration  to  their  share  in  the 
inheritance  of  the  faithful :  from  this  view,  the  neighbors  were  easily  led  to  infer 
a  union  of  the  saints  and  savages  to  desolate  the  frontier.  Looking  with  suspicion 
upon  the  new  sect,  and  believing  them  to  be  already  rogues  and  thieves,  the  in 
habitants  of  Carroll  and  Davis  counties  were  of  course  opposed  to  their  possession 
of  the  chief  political  influence,  such  as  they  already  possessed  in  Caldwell,  and 
from  the  fear  that  they  would  acquire  more,  arose  the  first  open  quarrel.  This  took 
place  in  August,  1838,  at  an  election  in  Davis  county,  where  their  right  of  suffrage 
was  disputed.  The  affray  which  ensued  being  exaggerated,  and  some  severe  cuts 
and  bruises  being  converted  into  mortal  wounds  by  the  voice  of  rumor,  a  number 
of  the  Mormpns  of  Caldwell  county  went  to  Diahmond,  and  after  learning  the  facts, 
by  force  or  persuasion  induced  a  magistrate  of  Davis,  known  to  be  a  leading  oppo- 
tient  of  theirs,  to  sign  a  promise  not  to  molest  them  any  more  by  word  or  deed. 
For  this  Joe  Smith  and  Lyman  Wight  were  arrested  and  held  to  trial.  By  this 
time  the  prejudices  and  fears  of  both  parties  were  fully  aroused;  each  anticipated 
violence  from  the  other,  and  to  prevent  it  each  proceeded  to  violence.  The  Mor 
mons  of  Caldwell,  legally  organized,  turned  out  to  preserve  the  peace;  and  the 
Anti-Mormons  of  Davis,  Carroll  and  Livingston,  acting  upon  the  sacred  principle 
of  self-defense,  armed  and  embodied  themselves  for  the  same  commendable  pur 
pose.  Unhappily,  in  this  case,  as  in  many  similar  ones,  the  preservation  of  peace 
was  ill  confided  to  men  moved  by  mingled  fear  and  hatred ;  and  instead  of  it,  the 
opposing  forces  produced  plundering*,  burnings,  and  bloodshed,  which  did  not 
terminate  until  Governor  Boggs,  on  the  27th  of  October,  authorized  Geri.  Clark, 
with  the  full  military  power  of" the  state,  to  exterminate  or  drive  from  Missouri,  if 
lie  thought  necessary,  the  unhappy  followers  of  Joe  Smith.  Against  the  army, 
3,500  strong,  thus  brought  to  annihilate  them,  and  which  was  evidently  not  a  mob, 
the  1,400  Mormons  made  no  resistance;  300  fled,  and  the  remainder  surrendered. 
The  leaders  were  examined  and  held  to  trial,  bail  being  refused;  while  the  mass 
of  the  unhappy  people  were  stripped  of  their  property  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
war,  and  driven,  men,  women,  and  children,  in  mid  winter,  from  the  state,  naked 
and  starving.  Multitudes  of  them  were  forced  to  encamp  without  tents,  and  with 
scarce  any  clothes  or  food,  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  which  was  too  full  of 
ice  for  them  to  cross.  The  people  of  Illinois,  however,  received  the  fugitives  when 


438 


MISSOURI. 


they  reached  the  eastern  shore,  with  open  arms,  and  the  saints  entered  upon  a 
new  and  yet  more  surprising  series  of  adventures  than  those  they  had  already 
passed  through.  The  Mormons  found  their  way  from  Missouri  into  the  neighbor 
ing  state  through  the  course  of  the  year  1839,  and  missionaries  were  sent  abroad 
to  paint  their  sufferings,  and  ask  relief  for  those  who  were  persecuted  because  of 
(heir  religious  views ;  although  their  religious  views  appear  to  have  had  little  or 
nothing  to  do  with  the  opposition  experienced  by  them  in  Missouri. 


PILOT  KXOB. 

One  of  the  Iron  Mountains,  and  rising  to  the  hight  of 
five  hundred  and  eighty-one  feet. 


THE   IRON   MINES   OF  MISSOURI. 

No  country  on  the  globe,  of  -the  same  extent,  equals  Missouri  in  the  quantity  of 
iron..  "The  metalliferous  region  of  Missouri  covers  an  area  of  at  least  20^000 

square  miles,  or  about  12,800,000 
acres,  and  the  same  formation  ex 
tends  southward  into  Arkansas  and 
westward  into  the  territories.  In 
this  great  region  is  a  uniformity  of 
mineral  character  as  unusal  as  the 
great  extent  of  the  deposits.  The 
whole  country  is  composed  of  lower 
magnesian  limestone,  and  bears 
lead  throughout  its  entire  extent, 
and  in  numerous  localities,  iron 
mines  of  great  value  exist.  The 
ore  is  massive,  generally  found  on 
or  near  the  surface,  and  of  remark 
able  purity.  Among  the  most  re 
markable  of  these  iron  formations 
is  the  celebrated  Iron  Mountain,  io 
St.  Francis  county,. near  Potosi,  and 
about  80  miles  south  from  St.  Louis 
by  the  Iron  Mountain  Railroad, 
and  30  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  On  account  of  the  difficulty  of  transportation,  and  the  prevailing  impres 
sion  that  the  ore  from  the  Iron  Mountain  could  not  be  smelted,  it  remained  un 
productive  till  the  formation  of  the  Iron  Mountain  Company,  in  1845.  It  now 
furnishes  the  chief  material  for  the  St.  Louis  rolling-mill,  and  is  the  principal  sup 
port  of  the  iron  manufactures  of  Missouri. 

The  mountain  is  the  south-western  termination  of  a  ridge  of  porphyritic  rocks. 
It  is  of  a  conical  shape,  flattened  at  the  top,  and  slopes  toward  the  west  It  is 
made  up  exclusively  of  specular  oxide  of  iron,  the  most  abundant  and  valuable 
ore  in  the  state,  in  its  purest  form,  containing  no  perceptible  quantity  of  other 
mineral  substances  except  a  little  less  than  one  per  cent,  of  silica,  which,  accord 
ing  to  Dr.  Ditton,  who  made  an  analysis  of  the  ore  four  or  five  years  ago,  rather 
improves  than  injures  its  quality.  The  quantity  of  the  ore  is  inexhaustible,  and, 
for  most  purposes,  its  quality  requires  no  improvement. 

The  area  of  the  Iron  Mountain  covers  an  extent  of  some  five  hundred  acres. 
It  rises  to  the  hight  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above  the  general  level  of  the 
surrounding  country.  Its  whole  top  is  a  solid  mass  of  iron,  and  one  can  see  noth 
ing  but  iron  lumps  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  ore  of  this  mountain  is 
known  as  the  specular  oxide,  and  usually  yields  some  sixty-eight  or  seventy  per 
cent,  of  pure  iron,  and  so  free  from  injurious  substances  as  to  present  no  obstacle 
to  working  it  directly  into  blooms.  The  metal  is  so  excellent  that  much  of  it  is 
now  used  by  the  manufacturers  on  the  Ohio  River,  for  mixing  with  the  ore  found 
there.  There  are  in  operation  at  the  mountain  three  blast  furnaces,  producing 
from  seven  thousand  to  seven  thousand  five  hundred  tuns  of  metal  annually.  Be 
sides  this  immense  deposit  of  ore  above  the  surface,  a  shaft  sunk  at  the  base  of 
the  mountain  gives  fifteen  feet  of  clay  and  ore,  thirty  feet  of  white  sandstone, 
thirty-three  feet  of  blue  porphyry,  and  fifty-three  feet  of  pure  iron  ore.  This  bed 
of  mineral  would  be  immensely  valuable  if  there  was  none  above  the  Surface. 


MISSOURI.  439 

"About  six  miles  south  and  a  little  east  of  the  Iron  Mountain  are  deposits  of  ore 
no  less  rich,  and  scarcely  less  extensive.  These  are  chiefly  in  Pilot  Knob  and 
Shepherd  Mountain.  The  Pilot  Knob  ore  is  different  from  all  other  ore  of  the 
neighborhood,  both  in  appearance  and  in  composition.  It  is  of  finer  grain,  and 
more  compact,  and  breaks  with  a  gray,  steel-like  fracture.  It  contains  from  ten  to 
twenty  per  cent,  of  silica,  which  renders  it  more  readily  fusible,  and  better  fitted 
for  some  purposes.  The  Knob  is  a  very  striking  feature  in  the  landscape.  Rising 
almost  perpendicularly  five  hundred  and  eighty-one  feet  on  a  base  of  three  hun 
dred  and  sixty  acres,  and  almost  wholly  isolated,  it  has  long  served  as  a  land-mark 
to  the  pioneers  of  Missouri.  Hence  its  name.  A  very  large  portion  of  the  moun 
tain  is  pure  iron.  It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  estimate  the  quantity  of  the  ore,  on 
account  of  its  being  interstratified  with  slate.  The  rocks  about  the  base  of  the 
mountain  are  dark  gray,  silicious  and  slaty.  At  a  hight  of  three  hundred  feet 
they  show  more  traces  of  iron.  At  a  hight  of  four  hundred  and  forty-one  feet 
there  is  a  stratum  of  pure  ore,  from  nineteen  to  twenty-four  feet  thick.  Beneath 
and  above  this  are  beds  of  ore  mixed  with  the  silicious  rocks.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  amount  of  ore  above  the  surface  is  not  less  than  13,872,773  tuns,  and  probably 
much  more.  Its  igneous  origin  is  not  certain,  but  probable ;  and  hence  it  is  proba 
ble  that  it  extends  downward  to  an  indefinite  extent,  according  to  the  well-founded 
theory  of  geologists. 

Shepherd  Mountain,  which  is  a  little  more  than  a  mile  south-west  of  Pilot  Knob, 
rises  to  a  hight  of  660  feet  on  a  base  of  800  acres.  It  is  penetrated  with  veins  or 
dykes  of  ore,  running  in  different  directions,  but  mostly  vertical,  and  of  indefinite 
extent. 

From  the  mine,  which  is  worked  at  about  500  feet  from  the  top  of  Pilot  Knob, 
the  ore  is  carried  in  cars  on  a  railway  running  down  the  side  of  the  mountain,  on 
a  fearfully  steep  inclined  plane.  Upon  this  plane  we  climbed  laboriously  to  the 
mine  and  then  ascended  to  the  flagstaff,  firmly  fastened  among  the  rocks,  on  the 
topmost  peak,  which  are  so  well  worn  by  the  feet  of  strangers  that  they  present 
the  appearance  of  pure  wrought  iron,  which  is  hardly  remarkable  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  horse-shoes  and  knives  have  been  repeatedly  made  from  the  crude  ore, 
merely  by  hammering. 

When  we  state,  on  the  authority  of  Prof.  Swallow,  that  there  is  enough  ore,  of 
the  very  best  quality,  within  a  few  miles  of  Pilot  Knob  and  Iron  Mountain,  above 
the  surface  of  the  valleys,  not  reckoning  the  vast  deposits  that  lie  beneath,  to  fur 
nish  one  million  tuns  per  annum  of  manufactured  iron  for  two  hundred  years, 
some  estimate  may  be  formed  of  the  vast  advantages  that  must  accrue  to  Missouri 
from  the  possession  of  so  rich  a  store  of  that  indispensable  metal,  which,  greater 
in  its  power  even  than  gold,  has  always  stood  pre-eminent  in  its  influence  on  the 
prosperity  of  nations,  seeming,  as  it  were,  to  communicate  to  those  who  own  and 
manufacture  it  some  of  its  own  hardy  and  sterling  qualities." 

The  mines  of  Elba,  Sweden,  and  Norway,  all  together  do  not  equal  these  peaks. 
The  substantial  wealth  of  England  'and  Belgium  is  drawn  from  their  mines,  but 
neither  of  them  possess  th.e  mineral  wealth,  the  iron,  lead,  coal,  tin  and  copper  of 
this  single  state. 

Gen.  James  Wilkinson  was  born  in  Maryland  about  the  year  1757,  was  educated 
to  medicine,  entered  the  army  of  the  Revolution,  and  was  breveted  brigadier  gen 
eral.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Kentucky  in  commercial  business.  Again  en 
tering  the  army,  he  had  command  of  the  United  States  forces  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  In  the  war  of  1812,  he  served  on  the  northern  frontier.  He  died  in  1825, 
aged  68.  He  published  "Memoirs  of  My  Own  Times,"  3  vols.  8vo.,  1816. 

Major  Amos  Stoddard,  the  first  American  governor  of  Upper  Louisiana,  was 
born  in  Woodbury,  Conn.,  and  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  subse 
quently  clerk  of  the  supreme  court  in  Boston,  also  practiced  law  at  Hallowell, 
Maine.  In  1799,  he  entered  the  army  as  captain  of  artillery.  About  the  year 
1804,  he  was  appointed  first  military  commandant  and  civil  governor  of  Upper 
Louisiana,  his  headquarters  being  St.  Louis.  He  died  of  lockjaw  in  1813,  from  a 
wound  received  at  the  siege  of  Fort  Meigs.  He  was  a  man  of  talent,  and  was  the 
author  of  Sketches  of  Louisiana,  a  valuable  work 


KANSAS. 


KANSAS,  prior  to  1854,  was  included  within  the  limits  of  the  "  Indian 
Territory,"  lying  west  of  Missouri,  and  the  adjoining  states.  It  was  thus 

called  from  the  circumstance  of  its 
being  the  territory  on  which  several 
tribes  of  Indians,  mainly  from  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  were  located  un 
der  the  direction  of  the  general  gov 
ernment.  The  principal  tribes  thus 
placed  within  the  present  limits  of 
Kansas,  were  the  Delawares,  who 
were  estimated  at  upward  of  800  in 
number;  the  Kickapoos,  at  about 
900,  the  Shawnees,  at  about  1,300: 
the  Kansas,  one  of  the  original 
tribes  of  this  region,  were  located 
on  the  Kansas  River,  farther  west 
ward,  and  were  supposed  to  number 
about  2,000. 

The  first  white  man  who  traversed 
the  soil  of  Kansas  seems  to  have 
been  M.  Dutisne,  a  French  officer, 
sent  in  1719,  by  Bienville,  the  gov 
ernor  of  Louisiana,  to  explore  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi.  He 
passed  up  Osage  River,  a  southern  tributary  of  the  Missouri,  and  visited 
several  Indian  villages  within  the  present  limits  of  Kansas. 

In  1804,  Lewis  and  Clark,  on  their  celebrated  Rocky  Mountain  expedi 
tion,  passed  up  the  Missouri  River,  on  the  eastern  boundary  of  Kansas. 
The  oldest  fort  on  this  river  is  Fort  Leavenworth,  which  was  established 
in  1827.  This,  with  the  missionary  establishments  among  the  Indians,  were 
the  first  places  occupied  by  the  whites. 

In  1832,  the  small  pox  reduced  the  Pawnee  Indians,  in  Kansas,  one 
half.  Thus,  enfeebled,  they  entered  into  a  treaty  with  the  United  States, 
disposing  of  their  Kansas  possessions,  and  agreed  to  reside  wholly  north  of 
the  Nebraska  River,  and  west  of  Missouri.  Here,  under  the  patronage  of 
government,  they  erected  dwellings,  shops,  etc.,  and  commenced  agricultural 
improvements.  Their  young  men,  however,  formed  war  parties,  and  com 
mitted  depredations  upon  the  tribes  around  them.  They  were  severely 

441 


ARMS  OF  KANSAS. 

MOTTO. — Ad  Astra  per  Atpura.—To  Prosperity 
through  Adversity. 


442  KANSAS. 

chastised  by  the  Comanchcs  and  Osages;  and  the  Utahs,  from  their  mountain 
fastnesses,  avenged  themselves  of  former  cruelties.  To  crown  the  misery  of 
the  Pawnees,  the  Blackfeet  and  Sioux  Indians,  in  the  north  and  west,  rav 
aged  their  fields,  burned  their  houses,  and  drove  away  their  horses  and  Battle. 
Disheartened,  they  migrated  south,  and  settled  near  the  Ottoes  and  Omahas, 
where  the  remnant  now  exist. 

"The  whole  Indian  population  of  Kansas,"  says  Mr.  Greene,  in  his  His 
tory  of  the  Kansas  region,  1856, "  is  probably  25,000.  The  immigrant  tribes  are 
the  Kickapoos,  Wyandots,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Munsees,  Weasand  Plankeshaws, 
Peorias  and  Kaskaskias,  Ottawas,  Pottowatamies,  Chippewas,  Delawares,  and 
Shawnees;  embracing  in  all  a  population  of  about  5, 000,  and  including  within 
their  reservations,  prior  to  the  .treaties  of  1853  and  '54,  almost  ten  millions 
of  acres.  A  million  of  acres  were  ceded  by  the  Delawares,  Weas  and  Kick 
apoos,  in  May,  1853,  to  be  sold  at  auction.  The  Shawnee  Reserve  embraces 
thirty  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  line  and  fifteen  south  of  Kansas  River. 
The  Wyandots  have  thirty  sections  in  the  angle  formed  by  the  confluence  of 
the  Kansas  and  Missouri.  The  Delawares  retain  a  tract  ten  miles  wide  and 
forty  long,  extending  east  from  the  mouth  of  Grasshopper  Creek.  The  Pot- 
tawatomies  own  thirty  miles  square,  cut  through  the  middle  by  Kansas  River. 
The  Kickapoos  have  a  small  reserve  at  the  head  of  the  Grasshopper.  North 
of  the  river  and  below  Pottawatomie,  the  Kansas  still  hold  a  tract  twenty- 
two  miles  long  and  one  wide." 

In  1820,  on  the  admission  of  Missouri  into  the  Union,  the  congress  of 
the  United  States  passed  the  "Missouri  Compromise"  act,  prohibiting  slavery 
in  all  territory  of  the  United  States  north  of  36°  30'.  Kansas  being  north 
of  this  line  was  included  within  the  limits  of  the  prohibition.  In  1854,  on 
the  organization  of  the  Territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  congress,  after 
an  exciting  discussion,  passed  the  "Kansas  and  Nebraska  bill,"  which  in 
effect  rendered  nugatory  the  Compromise  Act  of  1820.  This  at  once  opened 
up  a  contest  between  slave-holders  and  free-soil  men  for  possession.  "  The 
richest  part  of  Missouri,  that  most  densely  filled  with  a  slave  population,  lay 
adjacent  to  the  soil  of  Kansas.  Were  Kansas  to  become  free  territory  the 
people  feared  that  there  would  be  no  security  in  western  Missouri  for  slavery. 
Thoy  determined,  therefore,  to  introduce  and  fasten  the  institution  in 
Kansas. 

The  passage  of  the  Kansas  Nebraska  bill  had  agitated  the  whole  country, 
and  widely  spread  the  information  of  the  fine  climate  and  rich  soil  of  Kan 
sas:  this  excited  the  desire  of  multitudes  of  the  citizens  of  the  free  states 
to  emigrate  thither,  introduce  their  institutions,  open  farms  on  its  virgin  soil, 
and  found  new  homes  for  themselves  and  their  children  in  the  beautiful 
prairie  land.  The  conflict  which  ensued  between  the  pro-slavery  and  the 
free-soil  parties  was  inevitable. 

Soon  as  the  tidings  of  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  reached 
western  Missouri,  some  thousands  of  the  people  crossed  over  the  borders  and 
selected  farms,  and  for  a  while  they  had  the  control  of  tli£  political  move 
ments  in  the  territory,  ere  the  van  of  the  free  state  emigrants  could  reach  it. 

Many  of  the  latter  came  hither  in  bodies,  neighbors  joining  together  for 
that  purpose,  and  in  Massachusetts,  an  Emigrant  Aid  Society  was  created, 
for  (it  was  alleged)  pecuniary  gain,  by  the  means  of  organized  capital  in 
forming  centers  for  settlers.*  To  counteract  this,  "Blue  Lodges"  were 

*The  Emigrant  Aid  Society  wt/s  originally  formed  in  Massachusetts,  May  4,  1854,  just 
before  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  In  the  succeeding  February  a  new  char- 


KANSAS.  443 

established  in  western  Missouri  to  assist  pro-slavery  emigration.  Soon  all 
emigrants  came  armed,  for  events  showed  that  only  by  a  struggle  and  blood 
shed  the  question  of  ascendency  would  be  settled. 

A.  H.  Keeder,  the  first  governor  of  the  territory,  and  appointed  by  Presi 
dent  Pierce,  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Oct.  6, 1854,  an^  soon  after  visited 
Lawrence,  where  he  was  met  by  the  citizens,  and  was  welcomed  in  an  address 
by  Gen.  Pomeroy.  The  governor  stated  in  his  reply  that,  as  far  as  possible, 
he  should  maintain  law  and  order,  and  preserve  the  freedom  of  speech.  The 
first  election  of  a  delegate  to  congress  took  place  Nov.  29,  1854.  The  ter 
ritory  was  divided  into  nineteen  districts.  Gov.  Reeder,  who  resided  at 
Fort  Leavenworth,  appointed  election  judges,  and  gave  instructions  to  have 
the  vote  properly  taken.  It  appears,  however,  that  an  organized  body  of 
Missourians,  in  some  instances,  took  forcible  possession  of  the  polls,  and 
elected  Gen.  Whitfield  as  a  delegate.  In  the  election  for  the  territorial  leg 
islature,  on  March  30,  1855,  large  organized  bodies  from  Missouri  controlled 
the  polls,  appointing  their  own  judges,  where  those  previously  appointed 
would  riot  conform  to  their  wishes.  In  consequence  of  this,  every  district 
(with  one  exception)  returned  pro-slavery  men  to  the  prospective  legislature. 

The  legislature  met  on  the  2d  of  July,  at  Pawnee,  according  to  the  pro 
clamation  of  the  governor,  and  was  organized  by  the  election  of  D.  S.  String- 
fellow  as  speaker.  In  the  course  of  the  first  week  they  passed  an  act  re 
moving  the  seat  of  government  from  Pawnee  to  the  Shawnee  Manual  Labor 
School,  to  take  effect  from  and  after  its  passage :  they  also  passed  an  act 
adopting  the  laws  generally  of  Missouri  as  the.  laws  of  Kansas.  On  the  6th 
of  July,  the  governor  vetoed  the  act  removing  the  seat  of  government.  It 
was,  however,  passed  over  his  veto  by  a  two  thirds  vote,  and  the  two  legis 
lative  houses  met  at  the  Shawnee  Mission  on  the  16th  of  July.*  On  July 
25,  in  a  joint  session,  they  elected  the  various  county  officers  for  a  term  of 
six  years.  Various  other  extraordinary  and  unusual  acts  were  passed.*  A 
resolution  was  carried  declaring  the  incompetency  of  the  governor,  and  a 
memorial  was  dispatched  to  Washington  praying  for  his  removal. 

Gov.  Reeder  and  Judge  Elmer,  of  the  supreme  court,  having  been  removed  by 
the  general  government,  Wilson  Shannon,  an  ex-governor  of  Ohio,  was  appointed 
governor,  and  Judge  Moore,  of  Alabama,  succeeded  Judge  Elmer.  On  Sept.  5, 
1855,  a  free  state  convention  met  at  Big  Springs,  which  resolved  to  repudiate 
all  the  acts  passed  by  the  legislature  held  at  the  Shawnee  Mission.  On  the 

ter  was  obtained,  in  which  the  objects  of  the  society  were  declared  to  be  "  For  the  purposes 
of  directing  emigration  westward,  and  aiding  in  providing  accommodations  for  the  emi 
grants  after  arriving  at  their  places  of  destination."  The  total  capital  was  about  $100,000. 
The  plan  was  to  give  fixed  centers  for  emigrants,  with  mills,  schools,  and  churches,  and 
thus  to  benefit  the  stockholders  by  the  opportunities  which  the  application  of  associated 
capital  would  give  in  the  rapid  rise  of  the  real  estate  around  these  centers.  Emigrants 
under  it  provided  their  own  expenses;  but  by  going  in  companies  had  the  advantages  of 
traveling  at  reduced  rates.  The  great  bulk  of  emigration  was  not,  however,  from  distant 
New  England,  but  from  the  hardy  population  of  the  north-west,  familiar  with  pioneer  life 
and  inured  to  its  hardships. 

#•  "Among  their  labors  were  an  act  to  fix  the  seat  of  government  at  Lecompton  ;  acts  mak 
ing  it  a  capital  offense  to  assist  slaves  in  escaping  either  into  the  territory  or  out  of  it,  and 
felony,  punishable  with  imprisonment  at  hard  labor  from  two  to  five  years,  to  conceal  or 
aid  escaping  slaves,  to  circulate  anti-slavery  publications,  or  to  deny  the  right  to  hold  slaves 
In  the  territory  ;  an  act  giving  the  right  to  vote  to  all  persons  who  had  paid  a  poll  tax  of 
one  dollar,  whether  residents  or  not;  an  act  requiring  all  voters,  officers,  and  attorneys,  to 
take  an  oath  to  support  the  fugitive  slave  law  and  the  acts  of  this  legislature ;  and  an  act 
giving  the  selection  of  jurors  to  the  sheriff.  They  also  adopted  the  Missouri  laws  in  a 
heap." 


444  KANSAS. 

19th  of  September,  a  convention  assembled  at  Topeka,  in  which  it  was  re 
solved  to  take  measures  to  form  a  state  constitution.  On  the  9th  of  Octo 
ber,  the  free  state  men  held  their  election,  allowing  no  nonresident  to  vote : 
2,400  votes  were  cast,  nearly  all  of  which  were  for  Gov.  Reeder;  as  delegate 
to  congress.  T^ey  also  elected  delegates  to  assemble  at  Topeka,  on  the 
fourth  Tuesday  of  the  same  month,  to  form  a  state  constitution.  This  con 
vention  met,  and  chose  Col.  James  Lane  its  president:  a  constitution  was 
formed  in  which  slavery  was  prohibited.  Immediately  after  the  adjourn 
ment  of  this  convention,  the  pro-slavery  party  called  a  "Law  and  Order  con 
vention,"  over  which  Gov.  Shannon  and  Judges  Lecompte  and  Elmer  pre 
sided,  in  which  the  Topeka  convention  was  denounced  as  a  treasonable 
assemblage. 

In  Nov.,  one  Coleman,  in  a  quarrel  about  a  land  claim,  killed  a  Mr.  Dow, 
a  free  state  settler,  at  Hickory  Point,  about  12  miles  from  Lawrence.  Cole 
man  then  proceeded  to  Lecompton,  to  Gov.  Shannon,  and  swore  a  complaint 
against  Branson,  at  whose  house  Dow  had  lodged,  that  Branson  had  threat 
ened  his  (Coleman's)  life.  Branson  was  thereupon  arrested  by  Sheriff  Jones, 
but  was  rescued  by  his  neighbors,  and  took  refuge  in  Lawrence.  These 
transactions  caused  great  excitement.  The  people  of  Lawrence  armed  as 
an  attack  was  threatened.  Gov.  Shannon  issued  his  proclamation,  stat 
ing  an  open  rebellion  had  commenced,  and  calling  for  assistance  to  carry  out 
the  laws :  this  was  circulated  through  the  border  counties  of  Missouri,  vol 
unteer  companies  were  raised,  and  nearly  1,800  men  crossed  over  from  Mis 
souri,  having  with  them  seven  pieces  of  cannon,  obtained  from  the  U.  S. 
arsenal  near  Liberty,  Mo.  This  formidable  array  encamped  at  Wakerusa,  over 
against  Lawrence,  which  was  now  threatened  with  destruction.  Gov.  Shan 
non,  Chief  Justice  Lecompte  and  David  R.  Atchison  accompanied  the  troops. 
For  more  than  a  week  the  invading  force  continued  encamped,  and  a  deadly 
conflict  seemed  imminent.  Fortunately  for  the  peace  of  the  country,  a  direct 
conflict  was  avoided  by  an  amicable  arrangement.  The  invading  army  re 
tired  from  Lawrence,  Dec.  9,  1855. 

In  Dee.,  1855,  the  Topeka  constitution  was  adopted  by  a  vote  of  the  peo 
ple,  and  state  officers  were  appointed.  On  Jan.  4,  1856,  in  a  message,  Gov. 
Shannon  indorsed  the  pro-slavery  legislature  and  code,  and  represented  the 
formation  of  the  Topeka  constitution  as  equivalent  to  an  act  of  rebellion 
This  was  followed  by  a  proclamation,  on  Feb.  4th,  directed  against  the  free 
state  men,  and  on  the  strength  of  it,  indictments  for  treason  were  found 
against  Charles  Robinson,  Geo.  W.  Brown,  ex-Gov.  Reeder,  Gen.  Lane,  Geo. 
W.  Deitzler,  and  others,  connected  with  the  formation  of  the  free  state  gov 
ernment.  Robinson,  Brown,  Deitzler,  and  many  others,  were  arrested  and 
imprisoned  at  Lecompton  during  the  entire  summer,  guarded  by  the  United 
States'  dragoons. 

In  March,  1856,  the  house  of  representatives,  at  Washington,  having  un 
der  consideration  the  conflicting  claims  of  Gov.  Reeder  and  Gov.  Whitfield 
to  represent  Kansas  in  congress,  appointed  a  commission  to  investigate  the 
fact.  This  committee  consisted  of  Howard,  of  Michigan,  Sherman,  of  Ohio, 
and  Oliver,  of  Missouri,  who,  being  directed  to  proceed  to  Kansas,  arrived 
at  Lawrence  on  the  17th  of  April.  While  in  Kansas  this  "congressional 
committee  of  investigation"  collected  a  large  mass  of  testimony  which  went 
to  prove  that  frauds  had  been  perpetrated  by  the  pro-slavery  party  at  the 
ballot  box,  also  that  many  outrages  had  been  committed,  in  which  the  free 
state  settlers  were  principally  the  sufferers. 


KANSAS.  445 

Early  in  April,  1856,  two  or  three  hundred  pro-slavery  men,  from  Georgia 
and  the  Carolinas,  arrived  in  the  territory,  under  the  command  of  Maj.  Bu- 
ford,  of  Georgia.  On  the  24th  of  April,  Sheriff  Jones  entered  Lawrence 
and  arrested  several  free  state  men.  On  the  8th  of  May,  Gov.  Robinson, 
while  descending  the  Missouri  on  his  way  east,  was  seized  and  detained  at 
Lexington,  Mo.,  and  afterward  sent  back  to  Kansas  on  the  charge  of  treason. 
Gov.  Reeder  and  Gen.  Lane,  being  indicted  on  the  same  Charge,  succeeded 
in  making  their  escape  out  of  the  territory.  On  the  21st  of  May,  Sheriff 
Jones,  with  a  posse  of  some  four  or  five  hundred  men,  proceeded  to  Lawrence, 
ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  executing  the  process  of  the  courts.  Several 
pieces  of  artillery  and  about  200  of  Sharp's  rifles  were  taken,  two  printing 
presses,  with  a  large  quantity  of  material,  were  destroyed,  and  the  Free 
State  Hotel  and  Dr.  Robinson's  mansion  were  burnt  as  nuisances.  On  the 
26th,  a  skirmish  occurred  at  Ossawatomie,  in  which  three  free  state  and  five 
pro-slavery  men  were  killed.  The  free  state  men  now  began  to  make  a  con 
certed  and  armed  resistance  to  the  pro-slavery  bands  which  were  spread  over 
the  country.  Parties  of  free  state  emigrants  coming  up  the  Missouri,  were 
turned  back,  and  forbid  entering  the  territory,  so  that  their  only  ingress  into 
Kansas  was  overland  through  Iowa.  For  months  civil  war  prevailed,  and 
the  settlers  were  distressed  by  robberies,  murders,  house  burnings,  the  de 
struction  of  crops,  and  other  atrocities. 

The  free  state  legislature,  according  to  the  time  fixed,  met  at  Topeka,  July 
4,  1856.  As  they  were  about  organizing  for  business.  Col.  Sumner  (who 
was  accompanied  by  a  body  of  U.  S.  dragoons),  went  into  the  hall,  and  claim 
ing  to  act  under  the  authority  of  the  president  of  the  United  States,  dispersed 
the  assemblage.  On  the  5th  of  Aug.,  a  body  of  men  from  Lawrence  marched 
against  a  post,  near  Ossawatomie,  occupied  by  a  company  of  marauders,  said 
to  be  Georgians.  After  a  conflict  of  three  hours,  the  post,  a  large  block 
house,  was  carried  with  a  loss  of  one  or  two  killed,  and  several  wounded  on 
both  sides.  Other  conflicts  took  place  in  other  places,  attended  with  loss  of 
life.  Gov.  Shannon  was  removed  earjy  in  August,  and  acting  Gov.  Wood- 
son,  on  the  25th  of  that  month,  issued  a  proclamation  declaring  the  territory 
in  a  state  of  rebellion. 

Gov.  Geary,  the  successor  of  Gov.  Shannon,  arrived  in  the  territory  about 
the  1st  of  Sept.,  and  by  proclamation  ordered  all  the  volunteer  militia  to  be 
discharged,  and  all  bodies  of  men  acting  without  the  authority  of  govern 
ment,  instantly  to  disband  or  quit  the  territory.  After  this  the  outrages  and 
skirmishes  rapidly  diminished,  and  order  was  gradually  restored. 

The  next  season,  the  pro-slavery  party,  at  a  convention  held  at  Lecomp- 
ton,  formed  a  state  constitution,  familiarly  known  as  the  Lecompton  Constitu 
tion,  and  in  the  session  of  1857-8,  applied  to  congress  for  admission  into  the 
Union.  Great  opposition  was  made  to  it  on  the  ground  that  the  convention 
which  formed  it  was  fraudulently  elected,  and  did  not  represent  the  will  of 
the  people,  as  it  was  favorable  to  slavery.  After  a  long  and  memorable 
struggle,  the  instrument  was  referred  to  the  people  of  Kansas,  on  the  4th  of 
Aug.,  1858.  They  rejected  it  by  a  vote  of  more  than  six  to  one — 11,300 
against  to  1,788  votes  in  favor. 

To  this  period  the  party  lines  in  Kansas  had  been  divided  between  the 
pro-slavery  and  the  free  state  men.  Soon  after,  these  distinctions  gave  place 
to  the  Democratic  and  Republican  parties.  The  next  territorial  legislature 
met  in  Jan.,  1859,  and  the  Republicans,  having  the  majority,  took  measures 
by  which  a  convention  met  at  Wyandot,  in  the  succeeding  July,  and  formed 


446 


KANSAS 


a  state  constitution,  known  as  the  Wyandot  Constitution,  which  prohibited 
slavery.  This  constitution,  on  reference  to  the  people,  was  adopted  by  a 
large  majority.  The  lower  house  of  congress,  in  the  succeeding  session, 
1859-60,  passed  the  bill,  but  the  senate  failed  to  act  upon  it.  so  it  was  lost. 
Kansas,  therefore,  remained  in  a  territorial  condition  until  January  30th, 
1861,  when  it  was  admitted  as  a  free  state  of  the  Union.  The  severe 
contest  in  regard  to  the  institutions  of  Kansas  was  thus  closed,  only,  how 
ever,  to  give  place  to  a  more  terrible  struggle,  involving  the  whole  nation. 

Kansas  is  bounded  N.  by  Nebraska,  E.  by  Missouri,  8,  by  the  Indian  Ter 
ritory,  and  W.  by  Colorado  Territory.  It  extends  between  the  parallels  of 
37°  30'  and  40°  N.  Lat,,  and  94°  30'  and  102°  W.  Lon-. 


South  view  of  Fort  Leavenworth. 

The  view  is  taken  from  a  point  near  the  residence  of  the  Chnplain.  The  Mock -house,  whicn  appears 
near  the  central  part,  is  the  oldest  building  standing  in  Kansas.  It  is  pit-reed  for  musketry  and  cannon ; 
the  lower  part  is  constructed  of  brick,  the  upper  of  logs,  etc.  The  barrack  buildings  appear  beyond  ;  the 
Quartermaster's  building  is  seen  on  the  right. 

The  eastern  part  of  Kansas  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fertile  sections 
of  country  found  in  the  United  States.  It  consists,  for  the  most  part,  of 
rolling  prairies,  having  a  deep,  rich  and  fertile  soil.  The  smooth  and  grace 
ful  hills,  covered  with  dense  vegetation,  extend  westward  from  the  Missouri 
about  200  miles,  having,  in  many  places,  the  appearance  of  a  vast  sea  of 
grass  and  flowers.  The  timber  is  principally  in  the  vicinity  of  the  rivers  and 
streams,  but  a  remarkable  provision  exists  in  the  abundance  of  limestone 
found  on  the  crest  of  all  the  elevations,  just  cropping  out  from  the  surface, 
hardly  interfering  with  vegetation.  This  is  admirably  adapted  for  buildings 
and  fences.  Numerous  coal  beds  are  said  to  abound. 

The  Kansas  or  Kaw  is  the  only  stream  of  importance  passing  into  the  in 
terior.  The  climate  is  healthy,  the  air  being  pure  and  dry.  The  winters  are 
usually  mild  and  open,  with  little  snow.  Kansas  possesses  very  superior  ad 
vantages  for  the  raising  of  cattle.  Almost  all  kinds  of  grain  and  fruits  can 
be  produced  in  great  abundance.  In  March,  1855,  the  population  was  esti 
mated,  in  round  numbers,  at  8,000;  a  year  later  it  was  estimated  at  60,000 ; 
in  I860,  it  was  107,110. 

FORT  LEAVENWORTH,  formerly  the  most  important  military  post  in  the 
United  States,  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Missouri  River,  31  miles 


KANSAS. 


447 


above  the  mouth  of  Kansas  River,  and  4  miles  below  "Weston,  Mo.  This  is 
the  oldest  fort  on  the  Missouri,  having  been  established  in  1827 :  it  re 
ceived  its  name  from  Col.  Leavenworth,  an  officer  of  distinction  in  the 
Niagara  campaign.  It  is  the  great  frontier  depot  for  other  military  posts  on 
the  Santa  Fe,  Utah  and  Oregon  routes,  and  the  general  rendezvous  for  troops 
proceeding,  to  the  western  forts.  The  fort  stands  on  an  dftevation  of  about 
150  feet,  and  about  150  yards  back  from  the  steamboat  landing.  Several 
thousand  acres  of  fine  land  in  the  vicinity  are  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  force 
at  this  point. 


:  v  - 


South-eastern  view  of  Leavenworth  City. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  the  city  as  seen  from  the  Missouri  side  of  the  river.  The  Market 
House  and  Theater  building,  surmounted  by  a  Hag,  is  shown  on  the  left ;  and  the  Planters'  House,  the 
Steamboat  and  Steam  Ferry  Landings  on  the  right. 

On  some  occasions,  as  many  as  1,000  laborers  and  artisans  have  been  em 
ployed  here  in  the  government  service  at  one  time.  The  buildings  consist 
of  the  barracks,  magazines,  the  officers'  houses,  hospital,  the  quartermaster's 
building,  and  others.  General  Persifer  F.  Smith,  the  commander  of  the 
Utah  expedition,  died  here  on  Sunday  evening,  May  16,  1858:  his  remains 
were  taken  east  for  burial.  The  government  has  a  small  chapel  here,  in 
which  the  Rev.  Leander  Ker,  of  Scotch  descent,  officiates  as  chaplain  of  the 
post.  Mr.  Ker  likewise  has  the  charge  of  a  school  of  30  or  40  children,  the 
books,  stationery,  etc.,  being  furnished  by  the  government. 

During  the  difficulties  with  Utah,  in  1858,  the  transportation  establish 
ment  of  the  army,  under  Russell  &  Waddell,  the  contractors,  between  the 
fort  and  the  city,  was  the  great  feature  of  this  vicinity,  with  its  acres  of 
wagons,  herds  of  oxen,  and  regiments  of  drivers  and  other  employees.  This 
firm  had  millions  of  dollars  invested  in  the  business,  employed  six  thousand 
teamsters,  and  worked  forty-five  tho'usand  oxen. 

LEAVENWORTH  CITY,  on  the  W.  bank  of  Missouri  River,  the  largest  town 
and  commercial  metropolis  of  Kansas,  is  3  miles  below  the  fort,  37  N.E 
from  Lawrence.  70  S.  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  and  by  the  Missouri  River  495 


448  KANSAS. 

from  St.  Ixmis.  Several  daily  and  weekly  newspapers  are  published  here. 
Leavenworth  city  was  founded  in  the  autumn  of  1854.  Previous  to  this  it 
was  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  forest  trees,  the  hunting  ground  for  the 
officers  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  traversed  by  wolves,  wildcats,  wild  turkeys, 
and  deer.  The  first  building  was  a  frame  shanty,  erected  in  1834,  near 
which  is  an  elmfree,  under  which  the  first  number  of  the  "  Kansas  Weekly 
Herald  "  was  printed,  in  September,  1854.  The  first  printer  was  General 
Lucius  Eastin,  of  Kentucky.  The  first  public  house  was  the  Leavenworth 
Hotel :  the  Planters'  House  was  erected  in  1856.  Rev.  Mr.  Martin,  0.  S. 
Presbyterian,  was  among  the  first  clergymen  who  preached  in  the  place. 
Population  about  15,000. 

Wyandot  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Missouri,  at  the  mouth  of 
Kansas  River,  37  miles  below  Leaven  worth  City,  and  35  miles  east  of  Law 
rence.  It  is  a  new,  beautiful  and  flourishing  place,  regularly  laid  out  on 
ground  rising  gracefully  from  the  water.  Being  built  on  the  curve  of  the 
river,  it  is  in  full  view  of  Kansas  City,  in  Missouri,  from  which  by  water  it 
is  about  a  mile  distant,  and  two  miles  by  land  ;  a  steam  ferry-boat  plies  be 
tween  the  two  places.  It  is  a  busy  town,  and  the  outlet  between  southern 
Kansas  and  the  Missouri  River.  At  Wyandot  commences  the  great  Pa 
cific  Railroad.  Population  about  3,000. 

Atchison,  46  miles  above  Leavenworth,  on  the  Missouri  River,  is,  next  to 
Leavenworth,  the  largest  towji  in  Kansas,  with  a  population  estimated  in 
1865  at  8,000.  Here  daily  start  the  overland  stages  for  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains.  A  railroad  has  been  commenced,  leading  hence  to  connect  with  the 
South  Pacific  on  the  Republican  Fork.  When  the  grass  starts  up  in  the 
spring,  the  place  is  so  thronged  with  the  teams  of  overland  emigrants  one 
can  scarcely  cross  the  streets. 

LAWRENCE,  the  county  seat  of  Douglas  county,  is  beautifully  situated  on 
the  right  bank  of  Kansas  River.  45  miles  W.  from  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  12 
from  Lecompton.  The  Eldridge  House,  100  by  117  feet,  is  at  this  time  by 
far  the  finest  building  in  Kansas.  Mount  Oread  is  about  half  a  mile  S.W. 
of  the  Eldridge  House.  On  this  elevation  it  is  in  contemplation  to  build  a 
college:  the  view  from  this  location,  embracing  a  space  of  from  50  to  70 
miles  in  circumference,  is  exceedingly  beautiful.  Population  about  5,000. 

Lawrence  received  its  name  from  Amos  A.  Lawrence,  of  Boston,  Mass. 
In  July,  1854,  a  company  of  24  persons,  principally  from  New  England, 
came  up  the  Missouri  River  to  Kansas  City,  and  from  thence  traveling  by 
land,  located  themselves  on  the  site  of  Lawrence,  the  spot  having  been  selected 
by  Chas.  H.  Branscomb,  agent  of  the  Massachusetts  Aid  Society.  In  Sep 
tember  following,  a  second  company  of  about  70  persons  arrived.  These 
two  companies  of  pioneers  held  their  first  regular  meeting  Sept.  16,  1854, 
being  called  to  order  by  Dr.  Robinson.  A.  H.  Mallory  was  chosen  presi 
dent,  C.  S.  Pratt,  secretary,  and  a  committee  of  six  to  manage  the  affairs  of 
the  company,  viz:  J.  Doy,  J.  F.  Morgan,  A.  H.  Mallory,  J.  N.  Nace,  G.  L.  Os- 
borne  and  L.  P.  Lincoln.  On  Sept.  20,  1854,  at  a  meeting  of  the  "Law 
rence  Association,"  the  following  persons  were  chosen  officers,  viz:  Dr.  Chas. 
Robinson,  president;  Ferd.  Fuller,  vice  president;  Caleb  S.  Pratt,  secretary; 
Levi  Gates,  jr.,  treasurer;  Erastus  D.  Ladd,  register;  A.  D.  Searl,  surveyor; 
John  Mailley,  Owen  Taylor,  John  Bruce,  jr.,  arbitrators;  and  Joel  Grover, 
marshal. 


KANSAS. 


449 


Very  soon  after  their  arrival,  the  settlers  were  visited  by  a  body  of  150 
Missouri  borderers,  ordered  to  strike  their  tents,  and  leave  the  territory  to 
return  no  more.  But  this  the  people  declining,  the  borderers  left,  and  corn- 
Blue  Lodges,"  to  foster  pro-slavery  emigration. 


menced  the  organization  of 


Northern  view  of  Lawrence. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Lawrence  as  seen  from  the  opposite  bank  of  Kansas  River,  having 
the  eyo  slightly  elevated.  The  Eldridge  Hotel,  on  Massachusetts-street,  is  seen  on  the  right.  A  log 
cabin,  the  first  structure  in  Lawrence,  is  shown  near  the  bank.  The  passage  down  the  bank  to  the  ferry, 
with  the  Whitney  and  Waverly  Houses  above,  appear  on  the  left. 

Lawrence  and  Leavenworth  were  the  first  towns  located  in  Kansas.  Some 
time  in  the  summer  of  1854,  Clark  Stearns,  of  Missouri,  squatted  at  this 
place  and  erected  a  log  cabin,  the  first  structure  built  here  (still  standing  at 
the  head  of  Massachusetts-street).  It  is  stated  that  the  Lawrence  Company 
intended  to  have  passed  on  to  the  Big  Blue  River,  at  Manhattan,  some  60 
miles  above.  Having  arrived  near  this  spot,  some  of  the  company  rode 
their  horses  to  the  summit  of  Mount  Oread,  to  find  a  suitable  place  to  en 
camp  during  the  night.  Discovering  Stearns'  cabin,  and  being  charmed  witli 
the  appearance  of  the  country,  they  determined  to  stop  here,  and  accord 
ingly  encamped  on  the  present  site  of  the  Eldridge  Hotel. 

The  first  meeting:  for  public  worship  was  held  in  a  building  constructed 
of  long  poles  united  at  the  top,  intertwined  with  sticks,  twigs,  hay,  etc.,  and 
then  sodded  over.  This  was  on  the  first  Sunday  after  the  arrival  of  the  com 
pany.  Erastus  D.  Ladd,  of  New  England  origin,  read  a  sermon  on  the 
occasion.  The  first  school  was  kept  by  Edward  P.  Fitch,  of  Massachusetts. 
The  first  framed  building  was  erected  by  Rev.  S.  Y.  Lum,  of  New  Jersey 
the  first  regular  preacher  and  agent  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society.  The 
Free  State  Hotel  (afterward  burnt),  the  first  in  the  place,  was  built  by  the 
29 


45Q  KANSAS. 

Emigrant  Aid  Society,  and  was  kept  by  Col.  Eldridge.  The  first  newspaper, 
"The  Herald  of  Freedom"  was  issued  in  the  fall  of  1854,  by  G.  W.  Brown, 
from  Pennsylvania.  The  first  merchants'  shops  were  opened  by  C.  L.  Pratt 
and  Norman  Allen,  on  Massachusetts -street.  The  first  ferryman  was  Wm. 
N.  Baldwin. 

Lawrence  will  ever  be  a  memorable  spot  as  having  been  the  head-quarters 
of  the  free  state  settlers  during  the  "Kansas  War:"  it  was  particularly  ob 
noxious  to  the  contrary  party,  on  account  of  the  free  soil  sentiments  of  the 
inhabitants.  On  the  llth  of  May,  1856,  Marshal  Donaldson,  in  order  to 
arrest  several  obnoxious  free  state  men,  summoned  a  posse,  took  the  Georgia 
emigrants,  under  Maj.  Buford,  under  pay,  together  with  several  hundred 
others.  Having  proceeded  to  Lawrence,  he  announced  his  determination  to 
mdke  arrests.  The  citizens,  in  a  public  meeting,  denied  the  charge  of  hav 
ing  resisted  the  authorities  of  the  territory.  On  th%  morning  of  the  21st  of 
May,  a  body  of  about  500  men  came  from  the  camp,  near  Lecompton,  and 
halted  on  Mount  Oread,  in  Lawrence,  near  the  residence  of  Gov.  Robinson. 
They  were  headed  by  the  U.  S.  Marshal  Donaldson,  who  claimed  the  assem 
bled  force  as  his  posse,  they  having  responded  to  his  late  proclamation.  They 
formed  in  line  facing  the  north-east,  and  planted  two  cannon  in  range  with 
the  Free  State  Hotel  and  other  large  buildings  in  Massachusetts-street. 
About  noon,  the  marshal,  with  a  posse  of  ten  men,  arrested  G.  W.  Deitzler, 
Col.  Jenkins,  Judge  Smith,  and  some  others,  taking  them  as  prisoners  to 
their  camp.  About  3  o'clock,  P.  M.,  Sheriff  Jones,  accompanied  by  about 
twenty-five  armed  horsemen,  rode  up  to  the  door  of  the  Free  State  Hotel  and 
stopped.  Gen.  Pomeroy,  and  several  others,  went  out  to  meet  him.  The 
sheriff  demanded  that  all  the  arms  be  given  up  to  him,  and  said  he  would 
give  them  one  hour  for  this  purpose.  Pomeroy  then,  after  some  consultation 
with  the  committee,  delivered  up  several  pieces  of  artillery.  The  U.  S.  Mar 
shal  Donaldson  having  dismissed  his  posse,  they  moved  their  two  field  pieces 
into  Massachusetts-street,  and  were  immediately  summoned  to  the  spot  to  act 
as  the  sheriff's  posse.  The  sheriff  then  gave  information  that  the  Free  State 
Hotel  had  been  presented  by  the  grand  jury  of  Douglas  county  as  a  nuisance, 
together  with  the  two  newspapers,  the  Herald  of  Freedom  and  Free  State, 
and  that  Judge  Lecompte  wished  them  removed.  A  lone  star  flag  having 
for  a  motto  "Southern  Rights"  was  thereupon  raised  over  these  offices,  the 
presses  destroyed,  and  the  type  thrown  into  the  river.  An  attempt  was  next 
made  to  batter  down  the  hotel  by  cannon  shot,  but  not  succeeding,  it  was  set 
on  fire  and  reduced  to  ashes.  After  this,  several  private  houses  were  robbed, 
and  money,  clothing,  and  other  articles  were  pillaged.  During  the  night  fol 
lowing,  the  house  of  Gov.  Robinson,  on  Mount  Oread,  having  a  valuable 
library,  was  set  on  fire  and  consumed.  The  total  damage  to  property  in 
Lawrence  was  estimated  at  $150,000. 

During  the  summer,  until  late  in  the  fall,  civil  war  raged  in  the  territory, 
many  murders  and  other  atrocities  being  committed.  On  the  14th  of  Sept., 
an  army  of  2,500  Missourians,  arranged  in  three  regiments,  with  five  pieces 
of  artillery,  appeared  before  Lawrence,  with  threats  of  destruction  to  the 
town.  The  people  threw  up  breastworks,  and  made  hasty  preparations  for 
defense,  but  they  must  have  been  overwhelmed  in  case  of  attack.  This  was 
averted  by  the  interference  of  Gov.  Geary,  with  a  body  of  U.  S.  dragoons, 
who  threw  himself  between  the  conflicting  parties,  and  prevailed  upon  the 
Missourians  to  retire  to  their  homes. 


KANSAS. 


451 


LECOMPTON  is  a  village  of  about  600  inhabitants:  it  has  a  Methodist 
church  and  several  land  offices,  and  is  some  twelve  miles  westward  of  Law- 
and  35  from  Leavenworth.     The  capital  was  located  here  in  August, 


rence, 


1855,  by  the  territorial  legislature.  A  fine  capitol  building  has  been  com 
menced,  the  foundations  laid  and  part  of  the  first  story  reared,  but  owing  to 
the  failure  of  obtaining  the  necessary  appropriations,  the  building  has  been 
suspended. 


Northern  vieiu  at  Lecornpton. 

The  long  building  seen  in  the  central  part  of  the  view  is  the  Masoni.*,  Hall,  in  th«  tipper  story  of  which 
the  noted  Leoompton  Constitution  was  formed.  The  lower  story,  and  most  of  the  oth  -.v  buildings  repre 
sented,  are  used  for  land  offices. 

The  site  of  this  place  was  taken  up  by  Thomas  Simmons  and  his  son  Wil 
liam,  in  the  fall  of  1854;  in  the  spring  of  1855,  it  was  purchased  of  them 
by  a  company,  consisting  of  Judge  Eecompte,  of  Maryland,  Daniel  Wood- 
son,  secretary,  from  Virginia,  C.  B.  Donaldson,  from  Illinois,  John  A .  Haider- 
man,  from  Kentucky,  private  secretary  of  Gov.  Reeder,  Samuel  J.  Jones, 
sheriff,  from  Virginia,  and  Dr.  Aristedes  Rodrique,  from  Pennsylvania.  The 
town  was  then  laid  out,  on  the  grounds  rising  from  the  river,  covered  with 
forest  trees,  many  of  which  still  remain. 

The  first  structure  erected  here  was  Simmons'  log  cabin,  still  standing 
about  one  fourth  of  a  mile  back  from  the  river;  the  next  was  a  log  cabin 
built  on  the  river  bank,  under  the  direction  of  Sheriff  Jones.  The  first 
framed  house  here  was  put  up  by  Samuel  J.  Cramer,  from  Virginia.  Rev. 
Mr.  Prichard,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South,  delivered  the  first 
sermon  in  this  place,  over  a  grocery  store,  while,  it  is  said,  a  company  were 
playing  cards  below.  Dr.  Rodrique  was  the  first  physician.  The  first  house 
of  entertainment  was  kept  on  the  bank  of  the  river  by  a  Mrs.  Sipes.  Part 
of  the  building  now  fitted  up  as  a  hotel,  by  Maj.  Barnes,  was  used  as  a  place 
of  confinement  for  the  free  state  prisoners  arrested  after  the  battle  of  Hick 
ory  Point,  in  the  fall  of  1856,  by  the  United  States  dragoons.  One  hundred 
and  one  of  these  were  confined  here  nearly  three  months,  guarded  by  two 
companies  of  militia,  under  Col.  Titus,  being  occasionally  relieved  by  the  U. 


452 


KANSAS. 


S.  troops.  Of  these  prisoners,  33  were  from  states  east  of  Ohio;  6  from 
Missouri ;  and  77  from  the  free  states  of  the  north-west.  Twenty  of  them 
were  convicted,  in  Judge  Lecompte's  court,  of  manslaughter.  They  were 
subsequently  removed  to  Tecumseh,  and  after  a  tedious  confinement  in  prison 
liberated. 

The  first  legislative  assembly,  in  accordance  with  the  proclamation  of  Gov. 
Reeder,  met  at  Pawnee,  near  Fort  Riley,  but  having  to  camp  out,  they  ad 
journed  to  the  Shawnee  Mission.  This  act  was  vetoed  by  the  governor,  but 
the  assembly  passed  it  over  his  head.  The  next  legislative  assembly  met  in 
the  Masonic  Hall,  in  Lecompton,  and  it  was  in  this  building  that  the  cele 
brated  Lecompton  Constitution,  the  subject  of  so  much  political  discussion, 
was  formed.  The  council  sat  in  the  building  later  occupied  by  Gov.  Denver, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street. 


TOPEKA,  for  a  time  the  free  state  capital  of  Kansas,  is  on  the  S.  side  of 
Kansas  River,  25  miles  westward  from  Lawr.ence,  and  55  in  a  direct  line 
from  Leavenworth  City.  It  contains  two  or  three  churches,  the  Constitu 
tional  Hall,  etc.,  and  about  1,000  inhabitants.  A  bridge  was  built,  at  an  ex 
pense  of  about  $15,000,  over  the  Kansas  River,  at  this  place,  and  finished  in 
May,  1858.  It  was,  however,  soon  after  swept  down  by  the  great  freshet  of 
that  year.  • 

"  Topeka"  is  an  Indian  word,  signifying  "wild  potato"  or  "potato  bottom," 
the  place  where  they  grow.  This  root,  which  is  about  as  large  as  a  man's 
thumb,  is  found  along  the  bottom  lands  of  Kansas'River,'and  is  used  by  the 
Indians  as  food.  The  foundation  of  Topeka  was  laid  Dec.  4,  1854,  by  a  num 
ber  of  settlers,  who  came  here  from  Lawrence.  The  company  consisted  of 
C.  K.  Halliday,  from  Pennsylvania;  M.  C.  Dickey,  New  Hampshire;  Enoch 
Chase,  Jacob  B.  Chase  and  Geo.  Davis,  from  Massachusetts;  L.  G.  Cleve 
land,  from  Iowa;  Frye  W.  Giles,  from  Illinois;  D.  H.  Home  and  S.  A. 
Clark.  Having  formed  themselves  into  the  "Topeka  Association,"  C.  K. 
Halliday  was  chosen  president. 

The  first  building  raised  here  was  a  log  cabin  now  standing  near  the  ferry 
or  bridge,  13  by  11  feet  inside.  Th*e  earth  inside  was  covered  by  prairie 
grass  or  hay,  when  twenty-four  persons  lodged  within,  lying  on  the  ground: 
while  the  twenty-fifth  man  stretched  himself  on  a  load  of  hay  on  the 
outside.  The  first  building  was  burnt  on  the  first  evening  of  its  occu 
pancy.  The  company,  during  the  winter  of  1854-5,  slept  in  their  clothes, 
boots,  etc.  Their  food  was  principally  mush,  on  which  they  were  kept  in  a 
healthy  condition.  Rev.  S.  Y.  Lum,  a  congregationalist  minister,  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  Topeka,  in  the  log  cabin.  The  sec6nd  place  of  public 
worship  was  in  a  small  building  constructed  of  clapboards,  now  standing  on 
the  premises  of  Col.  Halliday.  The  first  school  was  under  Miss  Harlan,  now 
Mrs.  J.  F.  Cummings,  in  a  "shake"  building,  a  few  yards  from  Col.  Halli- 
day's  house.  The  first  regular  house  of  entertainment  was  kept  by  Mrs.  A. 
W.  Moore,  near  the  first  log  cabin.  In  Nov.,  1855,  W.  W.  Ross,  of  Ohio, 
established  the  first  newspaper  here,  called  the  "Kansas  Tribune,"  some  30 
numbers  of  which  had  been  previously  issued  in  Lawrence. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1856,  the  state  assembly,  under  the  Topeka  constitu 
tion,  consisting  of  representatives  from  all  parts  of  the  territory,  met  at  the 
Constitutional  Hall,  in  Topeka.  Free  state  men,  to  the  number  of  some 
1,000  or  1,500,  assembled  here  at  the  time,  and  were  encamped  about  the 


KANSAS. 


453 


to\vn.  Some  600  or  800  were  considered  as  regular  militia  volunteers,  and 
were  under  the  command  of  Col.  C.  K.  Halliday.  At  this  period,  such  was 
the  state  of  the  times,  that  most  of  the  settlers  went  armed,  even  about 
their  daily  avocations.  The  U.  S.  force  at  this  time,  under  the* command 
of  Colonel  Sumner,  consisted  of  some  seven  hundred  dragoons  and  flying 
artillery,  from  Forts  Leavenworth  and  Riley.  In  addition  to  this,  it  is  stated 
that  about  2,000  armed  men,  ostensibly  gathered  in  various  places  to  cele 
brate  the  4th  of  July,  were  ready  to  march  and  "wipe  out"  Topeka,  should 
there  be  any  resistance  made  to  the  United  Spates  authorities. 


Northern  view  of  the  Bridge,  etc.,  at  Tnpeka. 

The  view  was  taken  a  short  time  after  the  completion  of  the  bridge,  the  first  ever  built  over  Kansas  River. 
Part  of  the  village  of  Topeka  is  seen  in  the  distance  on  the  right.  The  log  cabin  near  the  bridge  is  the 
first  building  erected  in  the  place. 

The  state  assembly  met  at  12  o'clock  at  noon,  at  the  Constitutional  Hall, 
the  lower  story  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  house  of  representatives,  the 
upper  by  the  senate.  Col.  Sumner,  with  a  body  of  about  200  dragoons  and 
a  company  of  artillery,  now  came  into  the  place,  and  having  planted  two 
cannon  at  the  head  of  the  avenue,  with  lighted  matches  in  hand,  rode  up  to 
the  hall,  arranging  his  troops  in  a  semi-circular  line  in  front.  At  this  time 
a  company  of  free  state  volunteers  were  assembled,  and  were  in  the  act  of 
receiving  a  silk  banner  from  a  collection  of  young  ladies,  one  of  whom  was 
then  standing  at  the  door  of  the  Constitutional  Hall,  making  the  presenta 
tion  address.  The  dragoons  having  rather  overridden  the  volunteers,  the 
assemblage  was  broken  up.^  Col.  Sumner,  dismounting,  entering  the  repre 
sentative  hall,  accompanied  by  Marshal  Donaldson.  At  this  time,  the  speaker 
being  temporarily  absent,  S.  F.  Tappan,  the  clerk,  was  calling  the  roll.  Col. 
Sumner  advanced,  took  possession  of  the  speaker's  chair,  and  stated  that  he 
was  obliged  to  perform  the  most  painful  duty  of  his  life,  that  he  had  rather 
spend  the  whole  of  it  in  opposing  the  enemies  of  his  country,  than  to  per 
form  that  single  act,  which  was,  "by  authority  vested  in  him  by  the  presi- 

*Col.  S.  afterward  made  an  apology  to  the  company  assembled  on  the  occasion. 


454  KANSAS. 

dent  of  the  United  States,  now  to  command  the  body  here  assembled,  calling 
itself  the  legislature  of  Kansas,  to  disperse."  Judge  Schuyler,  addressing 
the  colonel,  asked,  "Are  we  to  understand  that  we  are  to  be  driven  out  at 
the  poinf of  the  bayonet?"  "I  give  you  to  understand,"  replied  Sumner, 
"  that  all  the  force  under  my  command  will  be  put  under  requisition  to  carry 
out  my  orders;  I  again  command  you  to  disperse"  The  house  then  dispersed. 
As  Sumner  was  passing  out,  he  was  informed  that  the  senate  was  in  session 
in  the  chamber  above.  Just  as  he  entered,  the  chair  was  taken  by  Thomas 
Gr.  Thornton,  president  pro  tem.,  with  the  view  of  calling  the  senate  to  order. 
Col.  S.  then  informed  them  of  what  he  had  done  below,  and  that  he  wished 
to  know  their  intentions.  Mr.  Thornton  replied  that  the  senate  not  being 
organized,  he  could  give  no  answer,  but  if  he  would  wait  until  they  were  so, 
one  would  be  given.  Col.  S.  rejoined,  that  his  object  was  to  prevent  an  or- 
ganiza'tion.  After  some  desultory  conversation,  the  assemblage  dispersed. 


Ossawatomie  is  on  the  Osage,  at  its  confluence  with  Pottawatomie  Creek, 
42  miles  S.E.  from  Lawrence,  and  28  from  the  Missouri  line.  The  most 
severe  conflict  in  the  Kansas  War  took  place  here,  on  the  31st  of  August, 
1856.  About  300  pro-slavery  men,  under  Capt.  Keid,  of  Missouri,  marched 
with  a  field  piece  upon  the  town,  their  line  extending,  in  battle  order,  from 
river  to  river,  across  the  prairie  westward  of  the  place.  The  inhabitants 
mustered  about  40  men  in  defense,  under  Capt.  John  Brown,  who  took  to 
the  timber,  and  fighting  Indian  fashion,  from  the  shelter  of  the  trees,  kept 
their  enemy  on  the  open  plain  for  some  time  at  bay,  until  their  ammunition 
failing,  most  of  them  effected  their  retreat  across  the  river.  Their  women 
and  children  escaped  to  the  woods  on  the  south.  Their  village,  consisting 
of  about  30  houses,  was  plundered  and  then  laid  in  ashes,  being  the  second 
time  it  had  been  thus  destroyed  by  the  pro-slavery  forces.  "Old  Brown," 
the  free  soil  leader,  sometimes  called  "Ossawatomie  Brown,"  lost  one  of  his 
sons  on  this  occasion.  Becoming  fanatical  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  he  after 
this  engaged  in  running  off  slaves  from  Missouri  to  Canada,  and  finally  be 
came  a  historical  character  by  a  conviction  for  treason,  and  a  termination  of 
his  career  on  the  gallows,  at  Harpers  Ferry. 

Grasshopper  Falls  is  about  30  miles  N.W.  of  Lawrence.  It  has  several 
mills  and  the  best  water  power  north  of  Kansas  River.  Fort  Riley  is  a  mil 
itary  post  at  the  junction  of  the  two  main  branches  of  the  Kansas,  which,  in 
high  water,  is  navigable  for  small  steamers  to  this  point.  Manhattan  and 
Waubonsee  are  two  thriving  towns  in  that  vicinity.  The  latter  was  colonized 
from  New  Haven,  Conn.;  and  by  the  identical  party  to  whom  Sharp's  rifles 
were  subscribed  at  a  meeting  in  a  church.  One  of  them  was  a  deacon  in 
the  church,  and  among  the  donors  were  clergymen,  professors  of  science, 
lady  principals  of  female  seminaries,  and  others  of  quiet  callings  and  anti- 
pugnacious  tendencies. 

St.  Marys,  on  Kansas  River,  51  miles  below  Fort  Riley,  is  an  important 
and  flourishing  Catholic  missionary  establishment  among  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  the  mission  buildings,  the  trading  houses,  with  the  Indian  improvements, 
give  it  quite  the  appearance  of  a  town. 

The  Catholic  Osage  Mission,  on  the  Neosho  River,  45  miles  from  Fort 
Scott,  is  one  of  the  largest  missions  and  schools  in  Kansas.  It  was  com- 


KANSAS. 


455 


menced  in  1847  ;  Rev.  John  Schoenmaker  was  the  first  superior  of  this  mis 
sion.  Sermons  are  preached  in  Osage  and  English.  Attached  to  this  mis 
sion  is  a  manual  labor  school  for  boys,  under  the  direction  of  the  fathers. 
There  are  ten  missionary  stations  at  as  many  Indian  villages,  within  sixty 
miles,  attended  mostly  from  this  mission.  In  1853,  the  Quapaw  school,  by 
the  direction  of  the  II.  S.  government,  was  transferred  to  this  mission. 

The  Shawnee  Mission,  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  South,  is  about  8  miles  from  the  mouth  of  Kansas  River,  and  3  from 
Westport,  Mo.  It  has  very  superior  buildings,  and  a  manual  labor  school. 
The  Friends'  Shawnee  Labor  School  is  3  miles  W.  from  the  Methodist  mis 
sion.  It  has  been  in  operation  more  than  fifty  years,  including  the  period 
before  their  arrival.  The  Baptist  Shawnee  Mission  is  2  miles  N.W.  from  the 
Methodist  School.  The  Kickapoo  Mission  is  on  Missouri  River,  4  miles 
above  Fort  Leavenworth ;  the  Iowa  and  Sac  Mission  School  is  just  south  of 
the  northern  line  of  Kansas,  about  26  miles  N.W.  of  St.  Joseph.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  established  as  early  as  1837. 

Council  Grove  is  a  noted  stopping  place  on  the  Santa  Fe  road,  S.  from  Fort 
Riley,  containing  several  trading  houses  and  shops,  and  a  missionary  estab 
lishment  and  school. 

Council  City,  a  tract  nine  miles  square,  recently  laid  out  on  a  branch  of 
the  Osage,  is  in  a  S.W.  course  from  Lawrence. 


MISCELLANIES. 

The  following  narrative  of  a  visit  to  the  Kansas  Indians,  is  from  the  work 

of  P.  J.  De 
Smet,  a  Catho 
lic  missionary, 
who  was  sent 
by  the  bishop 
of  St.  Louis,  in 
1840,  on  an  ex 
ploring  expedi- 
t  i  o  n  to  the 
Rocky  Moun 
tains,  to  ascer 
tain  the  spirit- 
u  a  1  condition 
of  the  Indians, 
etc.: 

W  e    started 
from     Westport 

on  the  10th  of  May,  and  after  having  passed  by  the  lands  of  the  Shawnees  and 
Delawares,  where  we  saw  nothing  remarkable  but  the  college  of  the  Methodists, 
buiU,  it  is  easy  to  divine  for  what,  where  the  soil  is  richest;  we  arrived  after  five 
days'  march  on  the  banks  of  the  Kansas  River,  where  we  found  those  of  our  com 
panions,  who  had  traveled  by  water,  with  a  part  of  our  baggage.  Two  of  the  rela 
tives  of  the  grand  chief  had  come  twenty  miles  from  that  place  to  meet  us,  one  of 
whom  helped  our  horses  to  pass  the  river  in  safety,  by  swimming  before  them,  and 
the  other  announced  our  arrival  to  the  principal  men  of  the  tribe  who  waited  for 
us  on  the  opposite  bank.  Our  baggage,  wagons  and  men  crossed  in  a  pirogue, 
which,  at  a  distance,  looked  like  one  of  those  gondolas  that  glide  through  the 


KANSAS  VILLAGE. 
Engraved  from  a  view  in  De  Smet's  Sketches. 


456 


KANSAS 


streets  of  Venice.  As  soon  as  the  Kansas  understood  that  we  were  going  to  en 
camp  on  the  banks  of  the  Soldier's  River,  which  is  only  six  miles  from  the  village, 
they  galloped  rapidly'away  from  our  caravan,  disappearing  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  so 
that  Ave  had  scarcely  pitched  our  tents  when  the  great  chief  presented  himself, 
with  six  of  his  bravest  warriors,  to  bid  us  welcome.  After  having  made  me  sit 
down  on  a  mat  spread  on  the  ground,  he,  with  much  solemnity,  took  from  his  pocket 
a  portfolio  containing  the  honorable  titles  that  gave  him  a  right  to  our  friendship, 
and  placed  them  in  iny  hands.  I  read  them,  and  having,  with  the  tact  of  a  man 
accustomed  to  the  etiquette  of  savage  life,  furnished  him  with  the  means  of  smok 
ing  the  calumet,  he  made  us  accept  for  our  guard  the  two  braves  who  had  come 
to  meet  us.  Both  were  armed  like  warriors,  one  carrying  a  lance  and  a  buckler, 
and  the  other  a  bow  and  arrows,  with  a  naked  sword  and  a  collar  made  of  tho 
claws  of  four  bears  which  he  had  killed  with  his  own  hand.  These  two  braves  re 
mained  faithful  at  their  post  during  the  three  days  and  three  nights  that  we  had  to 
wait  the  coming  up  of  the  stragglers  of  the  caravan.  A  small  present,  which  wo 
made  them  at  our  departure,  secured  us  their  friendship. 

On  the  19th  we  continued  our  journey  to  the  number  of  seventy  souls,  fifty  of 
whom  were  capable  of  managing  the  rifle — a  force  more  than  sufficient  to  under 
take  with  prudence  the  long  march  we  had  to  make.  Whilst  the  rest  of  our  com 
pany  inclined  to  the  west,  Father  Point,  a  young  Englishman  and  myself  turned 
to  the  left,  to  visit  the  nearest  village  of  our  hosts.  At  the  first  sight  of  their  wig 
wams,  \ve  were  struck  at  the  resemblance  they  bore  to  the  large  stacks  of  wheat 
which  cover  our  fields  in  harvest  time.  There  were  of  these  in  all  no  more  than 
about  twenty,  grouped  together  without  order,  but  each  covering  a  space  of  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  fret  in  circumference,  and  sufficient  to  shelter  from  thirty 
to  forty  persons.  The  entire  village  appeared  to  us  to  consist  of  from  seven  to 
eight  hundred  souls — an  approximation  which  is  justified  by  the  fact  that  the  total 
population  of  the  tribe  is  confined  to  two  villages,  together  numbering  1,900  in 
habitants.  These  cabins,  however  humble  they  may  appear,  are  solidly  built,  and 
convenient.  From  the  top  of  tho  wall,  which  is  about  six  feet  in  hi^ht,  riso  in 
clined  poles,  which  terminate  round  an  opening  above,  serving  at  once  for  chimney 
and  window.  The  door  of  the  edifice  consists  of  an  undressed  hide  on  the  most 
sheltered  side,  the  hearth  occupies  the  center  and  is  in  the  midst  of  four  upright 
posts  destined  to  support  the  rotunda;  the  beds  are  ranged  around  the  wall  and  the 
space  between  the  beds  arid  the  hearth  is  occupied  by  the  members  of  the  family, 
some  standing,  others  sitting  or  lying  on  skins,  or  yellow  colored  mats.  It  would 
seem  that  this  last  named  article  is  regarded  as  an  extra  piece  of  finery,  for  the 
Iodide  assigned  to  us  had  one  of  »them. 

As  for  dress,  manners,  religion,  modes  of  making  war,  etc.,  the  Kansas  are  like 
the  savages  of  their  neighborhood,  with  whom  they  have  preserved  peaceful  and 
friendly  relations  from  time  immemorial.  In  stature,  they  are  generally  tall  and 
well  made.  Their  physiognomy  is  manlv,  their  language  is  guttural,  and  remarka 
ble  for  the  length  and  strong  accentation  of  the  final  syllables.  ^  Their  style  of 
singing  is  monotonous,  whence  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  enchanting  music  heard 
on  the  rivers  of  Paraguay,  never  cheers  the  voyager  on  the  otherwise  beautiful 
streams  of  the  country  of  the  Kansas. 

The  Kansas,  like  all  the  Indian  tribes,  never  speak  upon  the  subject  of  religion 
without  becoming  solemnity.  The  more  they  are  observed,  the  more  evident  does 
it  become  that  the  religious  sentiment  is  deeply  implanted  in  their  souls,  and  is,  of 
all  others,  that  which  is  most  frequently  expressed  by  their  words  and  actions. 
Thus,  for  instance,  they  never  take  the  calumet  without  first  rendering  some  homage 
to  the  Great  Spirit.  In  the  midst  of  their  most  infuriate  passions  they  address 
him  certain  prayers,  and  even  in  assassinating  a  defenseless  child,  or  a  woman, 
they  invoke  the' Master  of  Life.  To  be  enabled  to  take  many  a  scalp  from  their 
enemies,  or  to  rob  them  of  many  horses,  becomes  the  object  of  their  most  fervid 
prayers,  to  which  they  sometimes  add  fasts,  macerations  and  sacrifices.  What  did 
they  not  do  last  spring,  to  render  the  heavens  propitious  ?  And  for  what?  To  ob 
tain  the  power,  in  the  absence  of  their  warriors,  to  massacre  all  the  women  and 
children  of  the  Pawnees  !  And  in  effect  they  carried  off  the  scalps  of  ninety  vic 
tims,  and  made  prisoners  of  all  whom  they  did  not  think  proper  to  kill.  In  their 


KANSAS. 


457 


eyes,  revenge,  far  from  being  a  horrible  vice,  is  the  first  of  virtues,  the  distinctive 
mark  of  great  souls,  and  a  complete  vindication  of  the  most  atrocious  cruelty.  It 
would  be  time  lost  to  attempt  to  persuade  them  that  there  can  be  neither  merit,  nor 
glory,  in  the  murder  of  a  disarmed  and  helpless  foe.  There  is  but  one  exception 
to  this  barbarous  code;  it  is  when  an  enemy  voluntarily  seeks  a  refuge  in  one  of 
their  villages.  As  long  as  he  remains  in  it,  his  asylum  is  inviolable — his  life  is 
more  safe  than  it  would  be  in  his  own  wigwam.  But  wo  to  him  if  he  attempt  to 
fly — scarcely  has  he  taken  a  single  step,  before  he  restores  to  his  hosts  all  the  im 
aginary  rights  which  the  spirit  of  vengeance  had  given  them  to  his  life !  However 
cruel  they  may  be  to  their  foes,  the  Kansas  are  no  strangers  to  the  tenderest  sen 
timents  of  piety,  friendship  and  compassion.  They  are  often  inconsolable  for  the 
death  of  their  relations,  and  leave  nothing  undone  to  give  proof  of  their  sorrow. 
Then  only  do  they  suffer  their  hair  to  grow — long  hair  being  a  sign  of  long  mourn 
ing.  The  principal  chief  apologized  for  the  length  of  his  hair,  informing  us,  of 
what  we  could  have  divined  from  the  sadness  of  his  countenance,  that  he  had  lost 
his  son.  I  wish  I  could  represent  to  you  the  respect,  astonishment  and  compas 
sion,  expressed  on  the  countenances  of  three  others,  when  they  visited  our  little 
chapel  for  the  first  time.  When  we  showed  them  an  "  Ecce  Homo  "  and  a  statue 
of  our  Lady  of  the  seven  Dolours,  and  the  interpreter  explained  to  them  that  that 
head  crowned  with  thorns,  and  that  countenance  defiled  with  insults,  were  the  true 
and  real  image  of  a  God  who  had  died  for  the  love  of  us,  and  that  the  heart  they 
saw  pierced  with  seven  swords,  was  the  heart  of  his  mother,  we  beheld  an  affecting 
illustration  of  the  beautiful  thought  of  Tertullian,  that  the  soul  of  man  is  naturally 
Christian!  On  such  occasions,  it  is  surely  not  difficult,  after  a  short  instruction  on 
true  faith  and  the  love  of  God,  to  excite  feelings  of  pity  for  their  fellow  creatures 
in  the  most  ferocious  bosom?. 

THE    SHAWXEES    IX    KAXSAS. 

Henry  Harvey,  late  superintendent  of  the  Friends  Mission  among  the  Shawnees, 
in  Kansas,  gives,  in  his  work  on  the  history  of  that  tribe,  an  account  of  their  con 
dition  in  Kansas,  at  the  time  of  the  passege  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill.  Origin 
ally  the  Shawnees  resided  in  the  Ohio  country:  the  tribe  was  one  of  the  most  pow 
erful  there,  and  has  numbered  among  its  chiefs,  Tecumseh,  Cornstalk,  and  other 
inen  of  extraordinary  talent  and  nobility  of  soul.  Mr.  Harvey  says: 

"The  Shawnees,  in  the  year  1854,  numbered  about  nine  hundred  souls,  includ 
ing  the  white  men  who  have  intermarried  into  the  nation,  and  are  thereby  adopted  as 
Indians.  This  number  is  perhaps  not  more  than  twenty. 

This  tribe  owns  about  one  million  six  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  or,  about 
1,700  acres  each.  Many  of  them  have  good  dwelling-houses,  well  provided  with 
useful  and  respectable  furniture,  which  is  kept  in  good  order  by  the  females,  and 
they  live  in  the  same  manner  as  the  whites  do,  and  live  well  too.  They  have 
smoke-houses,  stables,  corn-cribs,  and  other  out  buildings.  They  have  a  good  sup 
ply  of  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  and  some  sheep.  They  have  many  farm  wagons  and 
work  oxen — some  carriages  and  buggies,  and  are  generally  well  supplied  with  farm 
ing  implements,  and  know  how  to  use  them.  They  raise  abundance  of  corn  and 
oats,  and  some  wheat.  Their  houses  are  generally  very  neat;  built  of  hewn  logs, 
with  shingled  roofs,  stone  chimneys,  and  the  inside  work  very  well  finished  off,  and 
mostly  done  by  themselves,  as  there  are  a  number  of  very  good  mechanics  among 
the  younger  class.  Their  fencing  is  very  good,  and,  taken  altogether,  their  settle 
ments  make  a  very  respectable  appearance,  and  would  lose  no  credit  by  a  compari 
son  with  those  of  their  white  neighbors  in  the  state  adjoining  them,  leaving  out 
now  and  then,  a  farm  where  slaves  do  the  labor,  and  thus  carry  on  farming  on  a 
large  scale. 

The  Shawnees  have  a  large  and  commodious  meeting-house,  where  they  hold  a 
religious  meeting  on  the  first  day  of  each  week.  They  have  also  a  graveyard  at 
tached  to  the  meeting-house  lot.  They  hold  religious  meetings  often  at  their  own 
houses  during  the  week,  generally  at  night.  They  hold  their  camp-meetings  and 
their  other  large  meetings,  in  their  meeting-house,  as  well  as  their  public  councils, 
and  also  their  temperance  meetings ;  for  they,  in  imitation  of  their  white  brethren, 


458  KANSAS. 

and  as  a  means  of  arresting  the  worst  evil  which  ever  overtook  the  Indians,  organ 
ized  a  society  on  this  subject,  and  have  their  own  lecturers,  in  which  they  aro 
assisted  by  some  of  the  missionaries.  The  younger  class  of  them  are  most  inter 
ested  in  this  work,  which  is  doing  much  good  among  them.  Many  of  them  have 
united  themselves  to  religious  societies,  and  appear  to  be  very  zealous  observers  of 
the  forms-and  ceremonies  of  religion,  and  notwithstanding  many  of  them,  like  too 
many  of  their  white  brethren,  appear  to  have  the  form  of  godliness  but  not  the 
power,  yet  it  is  apparent,  that  there  are  those  among  them  who  are  endeavoring  to 
walk  in  the  just  man's  path,  which,  to  one  who  has  been  acquainted  with  them  for 
a  number  of  years,  even  when  in  their  wild  and  savage  state,  affords  great  satisfac 
tion. 

As  regards  the  settlements  of  the  Shawnees  in  their  present  situation,  they  are 
all  located  on  about  thirty  miles  of  the  east  end  of  their  tract;  their  settlements 
of  course,  reaching  a  little  short  of  one  third  of  the  distance  back  from  the  Mis 
souri  state  line. 

In  passing  along  the  California  and  Santa  Fe  roads,  which  run  on  the  divide  be 
tween  the  streams  of  the  Blue  and  Osage  Rivers,  and  the  Kansas  River — in  cast 
ing  the  eye  on  either  side,  a  handsome  view  is  presented  on  both  hands,  of  good 
dwellings,  handsome  farms,  bordering  on  the  forest,  and  fine  herds  of  cattle  and 
horses  grazing  in  the  rich  prairies,  as  we  pass,  and  beautiful  fields  of  grain  sown, 
planted  and  cultivated  by  the  Indians  themselves;  and  should  the  weary  traveler 
see  proper  to  call,  and  spend  a  night  with  these  people,  and  manifest  that  interest 
for  them,  which  he  will  be  very  sure  to  do,  in  viewing  them  in  their  present  con 
dition,  and  comparing  it  with  what  it  once  was,  he  will  be  well  cared  for.  The 
Shawnees  generally  sow  a  large  amount  of  grain,  and  often  spare  a  large  surplus 
after  supplying  their  own  wants. 

There  are  now  in  the  Shawnee  nation  four  Missions,  one  under  the  care  of  the 
Methodist  Church  South,  one  under  the  care  of  the  Northern  Methodist  Church, 
one  under  the  care  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  the  other  under  the  care  of  the  So 
ciety  of  Friends.  They  are  all  conducted  on  the  manual  labor  system;  about  one 
hundred  and  forty  children  are  generally  in  attendance  at  those  schools.  At  the 
first  named  mission  there  are  large  and  commodious  buildings  of  brick,  and  other 
out-buildings,  and  five  or  six  hundred  acres  under  cultivation;  at  the  other  Metho 
dist  Mission,  a  farm  of  about  one  hundred  acres  is  under  cultivation,  and  comfort 
able  log  buildings  are  erected.  At  the  Baptist  Mission  are  good  comfortable  build 
ings,  and,  I  suppose,  near  one  hundred  acres  adjoining  to,  and  at  some  distance 
from,  the  farm,  where  the  school  is  kept;  and  at  the  Friends'  Mission  are  a  large 
frame  house  and  barn,  and  other  out-buildings,  and  about  two  hundred  acres  under 
cultivation." 


CALIFOKNIA, 


CALIFORNIA  is  said,  by  some  writers,  to  signify  in  English,  hot  furnace, 
and  to  be  derived  from  two  Spanish  words,  caliente  fornalla,  or  homo :  but 

this  is  doubtful.  If  true,  however, 
it  is  properly  applied,  as  the  sun 
pours  down  into  the  valleys  through 
a  dry  atmosphere  with  great  power. 
Under  the  Mexicans,  California  was 
in  two  divisions.  Lower  California 
was,  as  now,  the  peninsula.  Upper 
or  New  California  comprised  all  of 
Mexico  north  of  that  point  and  the 
Gila  River,  and  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  containing  nearly  400,000 
square  miles.  The  greater  part  of 
New  Mexico,  and  of  Utah,  and  all  of 
the  state  of  California,  comprised  the 
original  Upper  California. 

"  California  was  discovered  in  1548, 
by  Cabrillo,  a  Spanish  navigator.  In 
1758,  Sir  Francis  Drake  visited  its 
northern  coast,  and  named  the  coun 
try  New  Albion.  The  original  settlements  in  California  were  mission  estab 
lishments,  founded  by  Catholic  priests  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  In 
1769,  the  mission  of  San  Diego  was  founded  by  Padre  Junipero  Serra. 

The  mission  establishments  were  made  of  adobe,  or  sun  burnt  bricks,  and 
contained  commodious  habitations  for  the  »riests,  store -houses,  offices,  me 
chanic  shops,  granaries,  horse  and  cattle  pens,  and  apartments  for  the  instruc 
tion  of  Indian  youth.  Around  and  attached  to  each,  were,  varying  in  dif 
ferent  missions,  from  a  few  hundred  to  several  thousand  Indians,  who  gen 
erally  resided  in  conical-shaped  huts  in  the  vicinity,  their  place  of  dwelling 
being  generally  called  the  rancheria.  Attached  to  each  mission  were  a  few 
soldiers,  for  protection  against  hostilities  from  the  Indians. 

The  missions  extended  their  possessions  from  one  extreme  of  the  territory 
to  that  of  the  other,  and  bounded  the  limits  of  one  mission  by  that  of  the 
next,  and  so  on.  Though  th«y  did  not  require  so  much  land  for  agriculture, 

459 


ABMS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 
MOTTO — Eureka — I  have  found  it. 


460 


CALIFORNIA. 


and  the  maintenance  of  their  stock,  they  appropriated  the  whole ;  always 
strongly  opposing  any  individual  who  might  wish  to  settle  on  any  land  be 
tween  them. 

All  the  missions  were  under  the  charge  of  the  priests  of  the  order  of  San  Fran 
cisco.  Each  mission  was  under  one  of  the  fathers,  who  had  despotic  authority. 
The  general  products  of  the  missions  were  large  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  Indian  corn, 
beans  and  peas.  Those  in  the  southern  part  of  California,  produced  also  the  grape 
and  olive  in  abundance.  The  most  lucrative  product  was  the  large  cattle,  their 
hides  and  tallow  affording  an  active  commerce  with  foreign  vessels,  and  being,  in 
deed,  the  main  support  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory. 

From  1800  to  1830,  the  missions  were  in  the  hight  of  their  prosperity.  Then, 
each  mission  was  a  little  principality,  with  its  hundred  thousand  acres  and  its 
twenty  thousand  head  of  cattle.  All  the  Indian  population,  except  the  "  Gentiles  " 
of  the  mountains,  were  the  subjects  of  the  padres,  cultivating  for  them  their  broad 
lands,  and  reverencing  them  with  devout  faith. 

The  wealth  and  power  in  possession  of  the  missions,  excited  the  jealousy  of  the 
Mexican  authorities.  In  1833,  the  government  commenced  a  series  of  decrees, 
which  eventually  ruined  them.  In  1845,  the  obliteration  of  the  missions  was  com 
pleted  by  their  sale  at  auction,  and  otherwise. 

Aside  from  the  missions,  in  California,  the  inhabitants  were  nearly  all  gathered 
in  the  presidios,  or  forts,  and  in  the  villages,  called  'Los  'Pueblos.'  The  presidios, 
or  fortresses,  were  occupied  by  a  few  troops  under  the  command  of  a  military  pre 
fect  or  governor.  The  Padre  President,  or  Bishop,  was  the  supreme  civil,  military 
and  religious  ruler  of  the  province.  There  were  four  presidios  in  California,  each 
of  which  had  under  its  protection  several  missions.  They  were  respectively,  San 
Diego,  Santa  Barbara,  Monterey,  and  San  Francisco. 

Within  four  or  five  leagues  of  the  presidios,  were  certain  farms,  called  rancliios, 
which  were  assigned  for  the  use  of  the  garrisons,  and  as  depositories  of  the  cattle 
and  grain  which  were  furnished  as  taxes  from  the  missions. 

Los  Pueblos,  or  towns,  grew  up  near  the  missions.  Their  first  inhabitants  con 
sisted  of  retired  soldiers  and  attaches  of  the  army,  many  of  whom  married  Indian 
women.  Of  the  villages  of  this  description,  there  Avere  but  three,  viz  :  Los  Ange- 
los,  Sari  Jose,  and  Branciforte.  In  later  times,  the  American  emigrants  established 
one  on  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  called  Yerba  Buena,  i.  e.  good  herb,  which  be 
came  the  nucleus  of  the  nourishing  city  of  San  Francisco.  Another  was  estab 
lished  by  Capt.  Sutter,  on  the  Sacramento,  called  New  Helvetia.  The  larger  pue 
blos  were  under  the  government  of  an  alcalde,  or  judge,  in  connection  with  other 
municipal  officers. 

The  policy  of  the  Catholic  priests,  who  held  absolute  sway  in  California,  until 
1833,  was  to  discourage  emigration.  Hence,  up  to  about  the  year  1840,  the  villages 
named  comprised  all  in  California,  independent  of  those*  at  the  missions ;  and  at 
that  time,  the  free  whites  and  half-breed  inhabitants  in  California  numbered  less 
than  six  thousand  souls.  The  emigration  from  the  United  States  first  commenced 
in  1838;  this  had  so  increased  from  year  to  year,  that,  in  1846,  Col.  Fremont  had 
but  little  difficulty  in  calling  to  his  aid  some  five  hundred  fighting  men.  Some  few 
resided  in  the  towns,  but  a  majority  were  upon  the  Sacramento,  where  they  had 
immense  droves  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  fine  farms,  in  the  working  of  which  they 
were  aided  by  the  Indians.  They  were  eminently  an  enterprising  and  courageous 
body  of  people,  as  none  other  at  that  time  would  brave  the  perils  of  an  overland 
journey  across  the  mountains.  In  the  ensuing  hostilities  they  rendered  important 
services. 

At  that  period,  the  trade  carried  on  at  the  different  towns  was  quite  extensive, 
and  all  kinds  of  dry  goods,  groceries  and  hardware,  owing  to  the  heavy  duties, 
ranged  about  five  hundred  per  cent,  above  the  prices  in  the  United  States,  Me 
chanics  and  ordinary  hands  received  from  two  to  five  dollars  per  day.  The  com 
merce  was  quite  extensive,  fifteen  or  twenty  vessels  not  unfrequently  being  seen 
in  the  various  ports  at  the  same  time.  Most  of  the  merchant  vessels  were  from 
the  United  States,  which  arrived  in  the  spring,  and  engaged  in  the  coasting  trade 
until  about  the  beginning  of  winter,  when  they  departed  with  cargoes  of  hides, 


CALIFORNIA.  461 

tallow  or  furs,  which  had  been  collected  during  the  previous  year.  Whale  ships 
also  touched  at  the  ports  for  supplies  and  to  trade,  and  vessels  from  various  parts 
of  Europe,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  Russian  settlements,  and  China." 

From  1826  to  1846,  the  date  of  the  conquest  of  California  by  the  United  States, 
there  had  been  numerous  civil  revolutions  in  California;  but  Mexican  authority 
was  generally  paramount.  Of  its  conquest  we  give  a  brief  account. 

In  July,  1846,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Mexican  war,  an  American  naval  force, 
under  Commodore  Sloat,  took  Monterey  and  San  Francisco.  Sloat  then  dispatched 
a  party  to  the  mission  of  St.  John,  who  there  found  that  the  American  flag  had 
been  raised  by  Fremont.  This  officer,  on  his  third  exploring  expedition,  had  arrived 
near  Monterey  in  the  preceding  January,  some  months  prior  to  the  commencement 
of  the  war.  Learning  that  Gen.  De  Castro,  the  military  commandant  at  that  place, 

.._.]_  -I    i_     J'~  _     1    * f j.1-  -  _     1__     i__l       _  •,•  , -i  -,       . 


noma,  to  expel  all  the  American  settlers  from  the  country.  Fremont,  on  learning 
this,  took  Sonoma  on  the  15th  of  June  by  surprise,  captured  Gen.  Vallejo  and  other 
officers,  9  cannon,  250  muskets,  and  a  quantity  of  military  stores.  On  the  4th  of 
July,  Fremont  assembled  the  American  settlers  at  Sonoma,  and  by  his  advice  they 
•raised  the  revolutionary  Jfaffi  and  prepared  to  fight  for  their  independence.  A  few 
days  later  they  learned,  through  the  operations  of  Commodore  Sloat,  of  the  exist 
ence  of  war,  and  the  star  spangled  banner  was  substituted  for  the  standard  of 
revolt. 

Soon  after,  Fremont  united  his  force  of  160  men  to  the  marines  of  Commodore 
Stockton,  ;ind  they  sailed  to  San  Diego.  From  thence  they  marched  up  and  took 
Los  Angelos,  the  seat  of  government.  Stockton  established  a  civil  government, 
arid  proclaimed  himself  governor.  In  September,  Los  Angelos  being  left  with  a 
small  garrison,  under  Capt.  Gillespie,  Avas  taken  by  a  superior  Mexican  force  led  by 
Gens.  Flores  and  Pico. 

In  November,  the  army  of  Gen.  Kearney,  having  conquered  New  Mexico,  arrived 
in  their  overland  march  across  the  continent,  on  the  southern  borders  of  Califor 
nia.  On  the  6th  of  December,  an  advance  party  of  12  dragoons  and  30  volunteers 
had  a  battle  with  160  mounted  Mexicans  near  San  Pasqual.  The  Americans  were 
victorious.  Gen.  Kearney  was  twice  wounded,  Capts.  Johnson  and  Moore,  Lieut. 
Hammond  and  most  of  the  other  officers,  together  with  nineteen  of  the  men,  were 
either  killed  or  wounded. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  Kearney  took  command  of  five  hundred  marines,  with  the 
land  forces,  and  moved  toward  Angelos,  to  co-operate  with  Col.  Fremont  in  quelling  the 
revolt,  now  backed  by  a  Mexican  army  of  six  hundred  men,  under  Gens.  Flores  and  Pico. 
These  forces  he  met  and  defeated  at  San  Gabriel  on  the  8th  of  January.  The  next  day, 
he  again  fought  and  routed  them  at  Mesa.  The  Mexicans  then  marched  twelve  miles 
past  Angelos  to  Cowenga,  where  they  capitulated  to  Col.  Fremont,  who  had,  after  a 
tedious,  wintry  march  from  the  north,  of  four  hundred  miles,  arrived  at  that  place. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  Com.  Stockton  commissioned  Fremont  as  governor,  the  duties 
of  which  he  had  discharged  about  six  weeks,  when  Gen.  Kearney,  according  to  orders  re 
ceived  from  government,  assumed  the  office  and  title  of  governor  of  California.  Com. 
Shubrick,  who  was  now  the  naval  commander,  co-operated  with  Kearney,  whose  forces 
were  augmented  about  the  last  of  January,  by  the  arrival  of  Col.  Cooke  with  the  Mor 
mon  battalion,  which  had  marched  from  Council  Bluffs  to  Santa  Fe. 

Gen.  Kearney,  by  direction  of  government,  placing  Col.  Mason  in  the  office  of  governor, 
on  the  16th  of  June  took  his  way  homeward  across  the  northern  part  of  California,  and 
from  thence  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  through  the  South  Pass. 

Before  the  news  of  peace  was  received  in  California,  a  new  era  commenced  in  the  dis 
covery  of  the  gold  mines.  The  peculiar  state  of  affairs  brought  about  by  this,  with  the 
great  rush  of  population,  was  such  that  the  people  were  in  a  measure  compelled  to  form  a 
constitution  of  state  government.  The  convention,  for  this  purpose,  met  at  Monterey  in 
1849,  and  on  the  12th  of  October,  formed  the  constitution,  which  was  adopted  by  the  peo 
ple.  After  much  delay,  California  was  admitted  into  the  Union  by  action  of  congress,  in 
September,  1850. 

The  first  officers  elected  under  the  state  constitution  were,  Peter  H.  Burnett,  governor; 
John  McDouo-al,  lieut.  governor;  John  C.  Fremont,  Wm.  M.  Gwin,  U.  S.  senators;  Geo. 
W.  Wright,  Edward  Gilbert,  U.  S.  representatives:  Wm.  Van  Vorhies,  secretary  of  state; 


462  CALIFORNIA. 

Richard  Roman,  treasurer;  J.  S.  Houston,  comptroller;  Ed.  J.  C.  Kewen,  attorney  gen 
eral;  Chas.  J.  Whiting,  surveyor  general;  S.  C.  Hastings,  chief  justice;  and  J.  A.'Lyon 
and  Nathaniel  Bennett,  associates. 


California,  one  of  the  Pacific  states,  is  about  750  miles  long,  with  an 
average  breadth  of  about  200  miles,  giving  an  area  of  150,000  square 
miles.  Its  southern  boundary  approximates  in  latitude  to  that  of  Charles 
ton,  South  Carolina:  its  northern  to  that  of  Boston,  Massachusetts.  This, 
with  its  variation  of  surface,  gives  it  a  diversity  of  climate,  and  consequently 
of  productions.  Geographically,  its  position  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  world, 
lying  on  the  Pacific  fronting  Asia. 

"  California  is  a  country  of  mountains  and  valleys.  The  principal  mountains  are 
the  Sierra  Nevada,  i.  e.  snowy  mountains.  This  sierra  is  part  of  the  great  moun 
tain  range,  which,  under  different  names,  extends  from  the  peninsula  of  California 
to  Russian  America.  Rising  singly,  like  pyramids,  from  heavily  timbered  plateaux, 
to  the  hight  of  fourteen  and  seventeen  thousand  feet  above  the  ocean,  these  snowy 
peaks  constitute  the  characterizing  feature  of  the  range,  and  distinguish  it  from 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  all  others  on  our  part  of  the  continent.  The  Sierra  Ne 
vada  is  the  grandest  feature  of  the  scenery  of  California,  and  must  be  well  under 
stood  before  the  structure  of  the  country  and  the  character  of  its  different  divis 
ions  can  be  comprehended.  Stretching  along  the  coast,  and  at  the  general  dis 
tance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  it,  this  great  mountain  wall  receives  the 
warm  winds,  charged  with  vapor,  which  sweep  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  precipi 
tates  their  accumulated  moisture  in  fertilizing  rains  and  snows  upon  its  western 
flank,  and  leaves  cold  and  dry  winds  to  pass  on  to  the  east.  The  region  east  of  the 
sierra  is  comparatively  barren  and  cold,  and  the  climates  are  distinct.  Thus,  while 
in  December  the  eastern  side  is  winter,  the  ground  being  covered  with  snow  and 
the  rivers  frozen,  on  the  west  it  is  spring,  the  air  being  soft,  and  the  grass  fresh 
and  green.  West  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  is  the  inhabitable  part  of  California. 
North  and  south,  this  region  extends  about  ten  degrees  of  latitude,  from  Oregon  to 
the  peninsula  of  California.  East  and  west  it  averages,  in  the  middle  part,  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  in  the  northern  part,  two  hundred  miles,  giving  an  area  of 
about  100,000  square  miles.  Looking  westward  from  the  summit,  the  main  feature 
presented  is  the  long,  low,  broad  valley  of  the  Joaquin  and  Sacramento  Rivers — 
the  two  valleys  forming  one,  five  hundred  miles  long  and  fifty  broad,  lying  along 
the  base  of  the  sierra,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  low  coast  range  of 
mountains,  which  separates  it  from  the  sea.  Side  ranges,  parallel  to  the  sierra 
and  the  coast,  make  the  structure  of  the  remainder  of  California,  and  break  it 
into  a  surface  of  valleys  and  mountains — the  valleys  a  few  hundred,  and  the  moun 
tains  two  or  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  These  form  great  masses,  and  at 
the  north  become  more  elevated,  where  some  peaks,  as  the  Shaste — which  rises 
fourteen  thousand  feet,  nearly  to  the  hight  of  Mont  Blanc — enter  the  region  of 
perpetual  snow.  The  two  rivers,  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento,  rising  at  opposite 
ends  of  the  same  great  valley,  receive  their  numerous  streams,  many  of  them  bold 
rivers,  unite  half  way,  and  enter  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  together." 

Greeley,  in  his  letters  written  in  1859,  gives  a  clear  view  of  the  resources 
of  California.  We  here  copy  from  them  in  an  abridged  form.  The  first 
quoted  from  was  written  at  San  Jose. 

The  state  of  California  may  be  roughly  characterized  as  two  ranges  of  moun 
tains — a  large  and  a  small  one — with  a  great  valley  between  them,  and  a  narrow, 
irregular  counterpart  separating  the  smaller  from  the  Pacific  Ocean.  If  we  add 
to  these  a  small  strip  of  arid,  but  fertile  coast,  and  a  broad  sandy  desert  behind  it, 
lying  south-west  of  California  proper,  and  likely  one  day  to  be  politically  severed 
from  it,  we  have  a  sufficiently  accurate  outline  of  the  topography  of  the  Golden 
State. 

Such  a  region,  stretching  from  N.  lat  32  deg.  30  min.  up  to  lat.  42  deg.,  and 
rising  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  up  to  perpetually  snow-covered  peaks  15,000  feet 


CALIFORNIA.  453 

high,  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  a  climate.  Aside  from  the  Alpine  crests  of  the 
sierra,  and  the  sultry  deserts  below  the  Mohave  and  Santa  Barbara,  California  em 
bodies  almost  every  gradation  of  climate,  from  the  semi-arctic  to  the  semi-tropical. 
There  are  green,  fertile  fields  in  the  sierra  which  only  begin  to  be  well  grassed 
when  the  herbage  of  the  great  valley  is  drying  up,  and  from  which  the  cattle  are 
driven  by  snows  as  early  as  the  1st  of  October — long  before  grass  begins  to  start 
afresh  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento.  There  aro  other  valleys  upon  and  near 
the  sea-coast,  wherein  frost  and  snow  are  strangers,  rarely  seen,  and  vanishing  with 
the  night  that  gave  them  being.  Generally,  however,  we  may  say  of  the  state  that 
it  has  a  mild,  dry,  breezy,  healthy  climate,  better  than  that  of  Italy,  in  that  the  sultry, 
scorching  blasts  from  African  deserts  have  here  no  counterpart.  Save  in  the 
higher  mountains,  or  in  the  extreme  north-east,  snow  never  lies,  the  earth  never 
freezes,  and  winter  is  but  a  milder,  greener,  longer  spring,  throughout  which  cattle 
pick  up  their  own  living  far  more  easily  and  safely  than  in  summer. 

The'  climate  of  the  valleys  may  be  said  to  be  created,  as  that  of  the  mountains 
is  modified,  by  the  influence  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Sea  breezes  from  the  south 
west  in  winter,  from  the  north-west  in  summer,  maintain  an  equilibrium  of  tem 
perature  amazing  to  New  Englanders.  San  Francisco — situated  on  the  great  bay 
formed  by  the  passage  of  the  blended  waters  of  the  Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin 
— the  former  draining  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  from  the  north,  as 
the  latter  does  from  the  south — is  thus,  as  it  were,  in  the  throat  of  the  bellows 
through  which  the  damp  gales  from  the  Pacific  are  constantly  rushing  to  cool  the 
parched  slopes  or  warm  the  snow-clad  hights  of  the  interior.  I  presume  there  was 
never  a  day  without  a  breeze  at  San  Francisco — generally  a  pretty  stiff  one.  This 
sea  breeze  is  always  damp,  often  chilly,  and  rolls  up  clouds  which  hide  the  sun  for 
a  part,  at  least,  of  most  days.  Though  ice  seldom  forms,  and  snow  never  lies  in 
her  streets,  San  Francisco  must  be  regarded  as  a  cold  place  by  most  of  her  visiters 
and  unacclimated  summer  denizens.  I  presume  a  hot  day  was^never  known  there, 
and  no  night  in  which  a  pair  of  good  woolen  blankets  were  not  esteemed  a  shelter 
and  a  comfort  by  all  but  extremely  hot-blooded  people.  Thick  flannels  and  warm 
woolen  outer  garments  are  worn  throughout  the  year  by  all  who  have  or  can  get 
them.  In  short,  San  Francisco  is  in  climate  what  London  would  be  with  her  sum 
mer  rains  transformed  into  stiff  and  almost  constant  breezes. 

The  soil  of  California  is  almost  uniformly  good.  The  valleys  and  ravines  re 
joice  in  a  generous  depth  of  dark  vegetable  mold,  usually  mingled  with  or  resting 
on  clay ;  while  the  less  precipitous  hill  sides  are  covered  with  a  light  reddish  clayey 
loam  of  good  quality,  asking  only  adequate  moisture  to  render  it  amply  productive. 
Bring  a  stream  of  water  almost  anywhere,  save  on  the  naked  granite,  and  you  in 
cite  a  luxuriant  vegetation. 

Yet  the  traveler  who  first  looks  down  on  the  valleys  and  lower  hill-sides  of  Cali 
fornia  in  midsummer  is  generally  disappointed  by  the  all  but  universal  deadness. 
Some  hardy  weeds,  a  little  sour,  coarse  grass  along  the  few  still  living  water  courses, 
some  small,  far-between  gardens  and  orchards  rendered  green  and  thrifty  by  irri 
gation,  form  striking  exceptions  to  the  general  paralysis  of  all  annual  manifesta 
tions  of  vegetable  life. 

....  These  slopes,  these  vales,  now  so  dead  and  cheerless,  are  but  resting  from 
their  annual  and  ever  successful  efforts  to  contribute  bountifully  to  the  sustenance 
and  comfort  of  man.  Summer  is  their  season  of  torpor,  as  winter  is  ours.  Dead 
as  these  wheat  fields  now  appear,  the  stubble  is  thick  and  stout,  and  its  indications 
are  more  than  justified  by  the  harvest  they  have  this  year  yielded. 

Cattle-growing  was  the  chief  employment  of  the  Californians  of  other  days,  and 
cattle-growing,  next  after  mining,  is  the  chief  business  of  the  Californians  of  1859. 
There  are  comparatively  few  farms  yet  established,  while  ranches  abound  on  every 
side.  A  corral,  into  which  to  drive  his  wild  herd  when  use  or  security  is  in  ques 
tion,  and  a  field  or  two  in  which  to  pasture  his  milch  cows  and  working  cattle,  are 
often  all  of  the  rancheth&t  is  inclosed;  the  herd  is  simply  branded  with  the  owner's 
mark  and  turned  out  to  range  where  they_  will,  being  looked  after  occasionally  by 
a  mounted  ranchero,  whose  horse  is  trained  to  dexterity  in  running  among  or 
around  them. 

Fruit,  however,  is  destined  to  be  the  ultimate  glory  of  California.    Nowhere  else 


464  CALIFORNIA. 

on  earth  is  it  produced  so  readily  or  so  bountifully.  Such  pears,  peaches,  apricots, 
nectarines,  etc.,  as  load  the  trees  of  nearly  every  valley  in  the  state  which  has  had 
an}7  chance  to  produce  them,  would  stagger  the  faith  of  nine  tenths  of  mj  readers. 
Peach  trees  only  six  years  set,  which  have  borne  four  large  burdens  of  fruit  while 
growing  luxuriantly  each  year,  are  quite  common.  Apple  trees,  but  three  years 
set,  yet  showing  at  least  a  bushel  of  large,  fair  fruit,  are  abundant.  I  have  seen 
peach  trees  four  or  five  years  from  the  states  which  have  all  the  fruit  they  can 
stagger  under,  yet  have  grown  three  feet  of  new  wood  over  this  load  during  the 
current  season.  Dwarf  pears,  just  stuck  into  the  black  loam,  and  nowise  fertilized 
or  cultivated,  but  covered  with  fruit  the  year  after  they  were  set,  and  thencefor 
ward  bearing  larger  and  larger  yields  with  each  succeeding  summer,  are  seen  in 
almost  every  tolerably  cared-for  fruit  patch.  I  can  not  discover  an  instance  in 
which  any  fruit-tree,  having  borne  largely  one  year,  consults  its  dignity  or  its  ease 
by  standing  still  or  growing  wood  only  the  next  year,  as  is  common  our  way.  ] 
have  seen  green  gages  and  other  plum-trees  so  thickly  set  with  fruit  that  1  am  suro 
the  plums  would  far  outweigh  the  trees,  leaves  and  all.  And  not  one  borer,  curcu- 
lio,  caterpillar,  apple-worm,  or  other  nuisance  of  that  large  and  undelightful  family, 
appears  to  be  known  in  all  this  region.  Under  a  hundred  fruit-trees,  you  will  not 
see  one  bulb  which  has  prematurely  fallen — a  victim  to  this  destructive  brood. 

That  California  is  the  richest  of  all  the  American  states  in  timber,  as  well  as  in 
minerals,  I  consider  certain,  though  the  forests  of  Oregon  are  doubtless  stately  and 
vast.  Even  the  Coast  Kange  between  San  Jose  valley  and  Santa  Cruz  on  the  south 
west,  is  covered  by  magnificent  redwood — some  of  the  trees  sixteen  feet  through, 
and  fifty  in  circumference.  In  soil,  1  can  not  consider  her  equal  to  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  or  Minnesota,  though  the  ready  markets  afforded  by  her  mines  to  her  farms 
probably  render  this  one  of  the  most  inviting  states  to  the  enterprising,  energetic 
husbandman.  But  it  must  be  considered  that -not  half  the  soil  of  California  can 
ever  be  deemed  arable;  the  larger  area  being  covered  by  mountains,  ravines, 
deserts,  etc. 

The  persistent  summer  drouth  is  not  an  unmixed  evil.  It  is  a  guaranty  against 
many  insects,  and  against  rust,  even  in  the  heaviest  grain.  Grain  and  hay  are  got 
in  at  far  less  cost  and  in  much  better  average  condition  here  than  they  can  be 
where  the  summers  are  not  cloudless  nor  rainless.  Weeds  are  far  less  persistent 
and  pestilent  here  than  at  the  east;  while  the  air  is  so  uniformly  dry  and  bracing, 
find  the  days  so  generally  tempered  by  a  fresh  breeze,  that  the  human  frame  main 
tains  its  elasticity  in  spite  of  severe  and  continued  exertion.  1  was  never  before 
in  a  region  where  so  much  could  be  accomplished  to  the  hand  in  summer  as  just 
here. 

Irrigation  is  exceptional,  even  here.  All  the  grains  are  grown  here  without  irri 
gation;  but  the  small  grains  are  hurried  up  quite  sharply  by  drouth,  and  in  some 
instances  blighted  by  it,  and  at  best  are  doubtless  much  lighter  than  they  would 
l>e  with  a  good,  soaking  rain  early  in  June;  while  Indian  corn  and  most  roots  and 
vegetables  can  only  in  favored  localities  be  grown  to  perfection  without  artificial 
watering.  I  estimate  that,  if  all  the  arable  land  in  the  state,  fertile  as  it  undoubt 
edly  is,  were  seasonably  planted  to  corn  and  fairly  cultivated,  without  irrigation, 
the  average  yield  would  fall  below  ten  bushels  per  acre.  Hence  every  garden 
throughout  the  state,  save  a  part  of  those  near  the  coast  and  within  the  immediate 
influence  of  the  damp  sea  breeze,  must  have  its  stream  of  water  or  it'  comes  to 
nothing,  and  various  devices  are  employed  to  procure  the  needful  fluid.  Of  these 
I  like  Artesian  wells  far  best;  and  they  are  already  numerous,  especially  in  this 
valley.  But  ordinary  wells,  surmounted  by  windmills  which  press  every  casual 
breeze  into  the  service  and  are  often  pumping  up  a  good  stream  of  water  while  the 
owner  and  all  hands  are  asleep,  are  much  more  common,  and  are  found  to  answer 
very  well;  while  some  keep  their  little  gardens  in  fair  condition  by  simply  draw 
ing  water,  bucket  after  bucket,  in  the  old,  hard  way. 

In  a  subsequent  letter,  written  from  Marysville,  the  chief  town  of  north 
ern  California,  at  the  junction  of  the  Tuba  and  Feather  Rivers,  Mr.  Gree- 
ley  gives  a  description  of  what  lie  saw  of  the  agricullural  riches  of  that 
fertile  region.  We  again  quote  : 


CALIFORNIA.  465 

The  edifice  erected  by  the  public  spirit  of  Marysville  for  the  fairs  which  are  to 
be  held  here  annually,  and  at  which  all  northern  California  is  invited  to  compete 
for  very  liberal  premiums,  is  quite  spacious  and  admirably  adapted  to  its  purpose; 
and  herein  is  collected  the  finest  show  of  fruits  and  vegetables  1  ever  saw  at  any 
thing  but  a  state  fair.  Indian  corn  not  less  than  twenty  feet  high;  squashes  like 
brass  kettles  and  water-melons  of  the  size  of  buckets,  are  but  average  samples  of 
the  wonderful  productiveness  of  the  Sacramento  and  Yuba  valleys,  while  the 
peaches,  plums,  pears,  grapes,  apples,  etc.,  could  hardly  be  surpassed  anywhere. 
The  show  of  animals  is  not  extensive,  but  is  very  fine  in  the  departments  of  horses 
and  horned  cattle.  The  most  interesting  feature  of  this  show  was  its  young  stock 
— calves  and  colts  scarcely  more  than  a  year  old,  equal  in  weight  and  size,  while 
far  superior  in  form  and  symmetry,  to  average  horses  and  bulls  of  ripe  maturity. 
With  generous  fare  and  usage,  I  am  confident  that  steers  and  heifers  two  years 
old  in  California  will  equal  in  size  and  development  those  a  year  older  in  our  north 
ern  states,  and  California  colts  of  three  years  be  fully  equal  to  eastern  colts  of  like 
blood  and  breeding  a  good  year  older — an  immense  advantage  to  the  breeder  on 
the  Pacific.  1  am  reliably  assured  that  steers  a  year  old,  never  fed  but  on  wild 
grass,  and  never  sheltered,  have  here  dressed  six  hundred  pounds  of  fine  beef. 
Undoubtedly,  California  is  one  of  the  cheapest  and  best'stock  growing  countries  in 
the  world — and  will  be,  after  these  great,  slovenly  ranches  shall  have  been  broken 
up  into  neat,  modest  farms,  and  when  the  cattle  shall  be  fed  at  least  three  months 
in  each  year  on  roots,  hay  and  sorghum,  or  other  green  fodder. 

The  valleys  of  the  Yuba  and  Feather  Rivers  are  exceedingly  deep  and  fertile, 
and  their  productiveness  in  this  vicinity  almost  surpasses  belief.  1  visited  this 
morning,  in  the  suburbs,  gardens,  vineyards,  orchards,  of  rarely  equaled  fruitful- 
ness.  The  orchard  of  Mr.  Briggs,  for  example,  covers  160  acres,  all  in  young  fruit, 
probably  one  half  peaches.  He  has  had  a  squad  of  thirty  or' forty  men  picking 
and  boxing  peaches  for  the  last  month,  yet  his  fruit  by  the  cartload  ripens  and  rots 
ungathered.  The  wagons  which  convey  it  to  the  mines  have  their  regular  stations 
and  relays  of  horses  like  mail  stages,  and  are  thus  pulled  sixty  miles  up  rough 
mountain  pp.s«es,  per  day,  where  twenty-five  miles  would  be  a  heavy  day's  work  for 
any  one  team.  But  he  is  not  sending  to  the  mines  only,  but  by  steamboat  to  Sac 
ramento  and  San  Francisco  as  well.  His  sales  last  year,  I  am  told,  amounted  to 
$90,000;  his  net  income  was  not  less  than  $40,000.  "And  this  was  realized  mainly 
from  peaches,  apricots  and  nectarines;  his  apples  and  pears  have  barely  begun  to 
bear;  his  cherries  will  yield  their  first  crop  next  year.  There  are  of  course  heavier 
fruit  growers  in  California  than  Mr.  Briggs,  but  he  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  sample 
of  the  class.  Their  sales  will  doubtless  be  made  at  lower  and  still  lower  prices; 
they  are  now  a  little  higher  than  those  realized  for  similar  fruit  grown  in  New 
Jersey;  they  were  once  many  times  higher  than  now;  but,  though  their  prices 
steadily  decrease  their  incomes  do  not,  because  their  harvests  continued  to  be  aug 
mented  by  at  least  twenty  five  per  cent,  per  annum. 

Let  me  give  one  other  instance  of  successful  fruit  growing  in  another  district: 
Mr.  Fallen,  the  mayor  of  San  Jose,  has  a  fine  garden,  in  which  are  some  ten  or 
twelve  old  pear  trees — relics  of  the  Spanish  era  and  of  the  Jesuit  missions.  The 
trees  being  thrifty  but  the  fruit  indifferent,  Mr.  F.  had  them  pretty  thoroughly 
grafted  with  the  Bartlett  variety,  and  the  second  year  thereafter  gathered  from  one 
tree  one  thousand  pounds  of  Bartlett  pears,  which  he  sold  for  $200,  or  twenty  cents 
per  pound.  The  other  trees  similarly  treated  bore  him  six  to  seven  hundred  pounds 
each  of  that  large,  delicious  fruit,  which  he  sold  at  the  same  price.  And,  every 
year  since,  these  trees  have  borne  large  yields  of  these  capital  pears. 

Just  a  word  now  on  grain.  California  is  still  a  young  state,  whose  industry  and 
enterprise  are  largely  devoted  to  mining;  yet  she  grows  the  bread  of  her  half  a 
million  well-fed  inhabitants  on  less  than  a  fortieth  part  of  her  arable  soil,  and  will 
this  year  have  some  to  spare.  I  am  confident  her  wheat  crop  of  1859,  is  over  four 
millions  of  bushels,  and  1  think  it  exceeds  twenty-five  bushels  for  each  acre  sown. 
To  day,  its  price  in  San  Francisco  is  below  a  dollar  a  bushel,  and  it  is  not  likely 
to  rise  very  soon.  Though  grown,  harvested  and  threshed  by^he  help  of  labor 
which  costs  her  farmers  from  thirty  to  forty  dollars  per  month,  beside  board,  it  is 
still  mainly  grown  at  a  profit;  and  so  of  a  very  large  breadth  of  barley,  grown 

30 


466  CALIFORNIA. 

here  instead  of  oats  as  food  for  working  horses  and  cattle.  Thougn  wheat  is  prob 
ably  the  fullest,  I  jud^e  that  barley  is  the  surest  of  any  grain  crop  grown  in  the 
state.  It  has  never  failed  to  any  serious  extent. 

Indian  corn  is  not  extensively  grown;  only  the  Russian  River  and  one  or  two 
other  small  valleys  are  generally  supposed  well  adapted  to  it.  And  yet,  I  never 
saw  larger  or  better  corn  growing  than  stands  to-day  right  here  on  the  Yuba — not 
a  few  acres  merely,  but  hundreds  of  acres  in  a  body.  I  judge  that  nearly  all  the 
intervales  throughout  the  state  would  produce  good  corn,  if  well  treated.  On  the 
hill-sides,  irrigation  may  be  necessary,  but  not  in  the  vallejs.  None  has  been  re 
sorted  to  here,  yet  the  yield  of  shelled  grain  will  range  between  75  and  100  bush 
els  per  acre.  And  this  is  no  solitary  instance.  Back  of  Oakland,  across  the  bay 
from  San  Francisco,  Mr.  Hobart,  a  good  farmer  from  Massachusetts,  showed  me 
acres  of  heavy  corn  which  he  planted  last  May,  after  the  rains  had  ceased  and  the 
dry  season  fairly  set  in,  since  which  no  hoe  nor  plow  had  been  put  into  the  field; 
yet  the  soil  remains  light  and  porous,  while  there  are  very  few  weeds.  Not  one 
drop  of  water  has  been  applied  to  this  farm;  yet  here  are  not  only  corn,  but  pota 
toes,  beets,  etc.,  with  any  number  of  young  fruit  trees,  all  green  and  thriving,  by 
virtue  of  subsoiling  and  repeated  plowings  last  spring.  The  ground  (sward)  was 
broken  up  early  in  the  winter,  and  cross-plowed  whenever  weeds  showed  their 
heads,  until  planting  time;  and  this  discipline,  aided  by  the  drouth,  has  prevented 
their  starting  during  the  summer.  Such  thorough  preparation  for  a  crop  costs 
something;  but,  this  once  made,  the  crop  needs  here  only  to  be  planted  and  har 
vested.  Such  farming  pays. 

The  fig  tree  grows  in  these  valleys  side  by  side  with  the  apple;  ripe  figs  are  now 
gathered  daily  from  nearly  all  the'old  Mexican  gardens.  The  olive  grows  finely 
in  southern  California,  and  I  believe  the  orange  and  lemon  as  well.  But  the  grape 
bids  fair  to  become  a  staple  throughout  the  state.  Almost  every  farmer  who  feels 
sure  of  his  foothold  on  the  land  he  cultivates  either  has  his  vineyard  already 
planted,  or  is  preparing  to  plant  one,  while  most  of  those  who  have  planted  are  ex 
tending  from  year  to  year.  I  have  looked  through  many  of  these  vineyards,  with 
out  finding  one  that  is  not  thrifty — one  that,  if  two  years  planted,  is  not  now  loaded 
with  fruit.  The  profusion  and  weight  of  the  clusters  is  marvelous  to  the  fresh  be 
holder.  I  will  not  attempt  to  give  figures;  but  it  is  my  deliberate  judgment  thit 
grapes  may  be  grown  here  as  cheaply  as  wheat  or  corn,  pound  for  pound,  and  that 
wine  will  ultimately  be  made  hero  at  a  cost  per  gallon  not  exceeding  that  of  whisky 
in  Illinois  or  Ohio.  Wine  will  doubtless  constitute  a  heavy  export  of  California 
within  a  very  few  years.  So,  I  think,  will  choice  timber,  should  the  wages  of  labor 
ever  fall  here  so  as  to  approximate  our  eastern  standards. 

I  can  not  conclude  this  survey  without  alluding  once  more  to  the  deplorable  con 
fusion  and  uncertainty  of  land  titles  which  has  been  and  still  is  the  master  scourge 
of  this  state.  The  vicious  Spanish-Mexican  system  of  granting  lands  by  the  mere 
will  of  some  provincial  governor  or  municipal  chief,  without  limitation  as  to  area 
or  precise  delineation  of  boundaries,  here  developes  and  matures  its  most  perni 
cious  fruits.  Your  title  may  be  ever  so  good,  and  yet  your  farm  be  taken  from 
under  you  by  a  new  survey,  proving  that  said  title  does  not  cover  your  tract,  or 
covers  it  but  partially.  Hence  many  refuse  or  neglect  to  improve  the  lands  they 
occupy,  lest  some  title  adverse  to  theirs  be  established,  and  they  legally  ousted  or 
compelled  to  pay  heavily  for  their  own  improvements.  And,  in  addition  to  the 
genuine  Spanish  or  Mexican  grants,  which  the  government  and  courts  must  con 
firm  and  uphold,  there  are  fictitious  and  fraudulent  grants — some  of  them  only 
trumped  up  to  be  bought  off,  and  often  operating  to  create  anarchy  and  protract 
litigation  between  settlers  and  the  real  owners.  Then  there  are  doubtless  squat 
ters  who  refuse  to  recognize  and  respect  valid  titles,  and  waste  in  futile  litigation 
the  money  that  might  make  the  lands  they  occupy  indisputably  their  own.  Were 
the  titles  to  lands  in  California  to-day  as  clear  as  in  Ohio  or  Iowa,  nothing  could 
check  the  impetus  with  which  California  would  bound  forward  in  a  career  of  un 
paralleled  thrift  and  growth.  It  were  far  better  for  the  state  and  her  people  that 
those  titles  were  wrongly  settled  than  that  they  should  remain  as  now.  I  met  to 
day  an  intelligent  farmer  who  has  had  three  different  farms  in  this  state,  and  has 
lost  them  successively  by  adjudications  adverse  to  his  title.  The  present  cost  of 


CALIFORNIA. 

litigation,  enormous  as  it  is,  is  among  the  lesser  evil  consequences  of  this  general 
anarchy  as  to  land  titles. 

Should  these  ever  be  settled,  it  will  be  probably  found  advisable  to  legislate  for 
the  speedy  breaking  up  and  distribution  of  the  great  estates  now  held  under  good 
titles  by  a  few  individuals.  There  will  never  be  good  common  schools  on  or  about 
these  great  domains,  which  will  mainly  be  inhabited  by  needy  and  thriftless  ten 
ants  or  dependents  of  the  landlords.  An  annual  tax  of  a  few  cents  per  acre,  the 
proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  the  erection  of  school  houses  and  the  opening  of  roads 
through  these  princely  estates,  would  go  far  to  effect  the  desired  end.  But,  whether 
by  this  or  some  other  means,  the  beneficent  end  of  making  the  cultivators  of  the 
soil  their  own  landlords  must  somehow  be  attained — the  sooner  the  better,  so  that 
it  be  done  justly  and  legally.  In  the  course  of  several  hundred  miles'  travel 
through  the  best  settled  portions  of  this  state,  I  remember  having  seen  but  two 
school  houses  outside  of  the  cities  and  villages,  while  the  churches  are  still  more 
uniformly  restricted  to  the  centers  of  population.  Whenever  the  land  titles  shall 
have  been  settled  and  the  arable  lands  have  become  legally  and  fairly  the  property 
of  their  cultivators,  all  this  will  be  speedily  and  happily  changed. 

There  are  two  seasons  in  California,  the  dry  and  the  rainy,  the  latter  ex 
tending  from  the  1st  of  November  to  the  1st  of  April.  During  the  rainy 
season  are  intervals  of  fine  weather,  in  which  all  the  plowing  and  sowing  is 
done. 

"  The  mining  interests  of  California  are  vast  and  inexhaustible.  The  state 
abounds  in  mineral  wealth,  and  in  great  varieties,  and  there  is  no  knowing 
to  what  extent  these  riches  may  be  developed.  The  gold  region  embraces  a 
district  of  country  extending  from  the  Oregon  line  on  the  north  to  Kern 
River  in  the  south,  a  distance  of  nearly  five  hundred  miles  in  length,  and 
from  ten  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  width.  Mining  is  successfully 
carried  en  in  some  twenty-five  counties,  and  not  more  than  one  fifth  of  this 
gold  region  is  occupied  by  miners  at  the  present  time."  From  1849  to  1860, 
it  was  estimated  that  gold  to  the  value  of  600  millions  of  dollars  had  been 
taken  out  of  the  mines  of  California  and  sent  abroad. 

"In  a  few  years  California  will  become  a  vast  empire  within  herself.  The  peo 
ple  have  the  use  of  all  the  mineral  lands  without  any  cost  whatever,  except  the 
tax  on  their  personal  property,  but  no  mining  claim  is  taxed.  Every  vacant  piece 
of  land  in  the  mines  is  subject  to  location  by  any  one  who  may  wish  to  settle  on 
it,  and  as  long  as  he  remains  his  possessory  right  is  as  good  a  title  as  he  wants. 
The  mineral  lands  are  expressly  reserved  from  sale  by  act  of  congress,  and  the 
legislation  of  the  state,  so  far,  has  been  to  let  them  alone,  yet  recognizing  the  rules 
of  each  mining  camp  as  the  law  under  which  the  miners  hold  their  different  kind 
of  claims. 

The  pre-emption  laws  of  the  United  States  have  been  extended  to  California,  and 
persons  settling  upon  the  public  land  can  have  the  benefit  of  them.  Of  the  sur 
veyed  lands  the  state  is  entitled  to  the  sixteenth  and  thirty-sixth  sections  of  each 
township,  for  school  purposes.  She  was  granted  500,000  acres  by  congress  for  in 
ternal  improvements,  but  a  provision  in  her  constitution  diverts  them  to  educa 
tional  purposes.  Thus  California  has  over  6,000,000  acres  out  of  which  to  build 
up  her  school  system. 

She  has  also  5,000,000  of  acres  of  swamp  land,  donated  her  by  congress.  This 
land  is  destined  to  become  the-most  valuable  in  the  state.  It  is  all  alluvial  and  of 
inexhaustible  richness.  By  an  act  of  the  state  legislature,  any  person  can  locate 
640  acres  of  this  at  one  dollar  an  acre,  by  paying  one  fifth  down  and  the  balance 
in  five  years.  She  is  thus  the  absolute  owner  of  over  eleven  millions  of  acres,  and 
constituting  a  basis  of  prosperity  and  usefulness  of  which  perhaps  no  other  state 
can  boast." 

The  population  of  California,  January  1,  1849,  was  estimated  at  26,000, 
viz:«natives  of  the  country,  not  including  Indians,  13,000;  United  States 
Americans,  8,000;  and  Europeans,  5,000.  The  whole  number  of  Indians 


463  CALIFORNIA. 

was  probably  then  about  40.000.  In  1852,  a  state  census  gave  the  population 
as  264,435.  The  census  of  1860  gave  a  population  of  384,770.  A  very  large 
proportion  of  the  inhabitants  are  males  and  of  mixed  nationalities.  A  Cal 
ifornia  writer  thus  estimates  the  number  of  the  various  classes  of  the  popu 
lation  in  1859: 

"There  may  now  be  325,000  voters  in  the  state,  certainly  not  more.  Of  alien 
men,  there  are  about  15,000  Frenchmen,  7,000  Spanish  Americans,  8,000  Britons 
and  Irishmen,  4,000  Italians,  5,000  Germans,  and  6,000  miscellaneous  Europeans— 
40,000  alien  white  men  in  all.  We  have  thus  170,000  white  men.  There  are 
50,000  Chinamen,*  as  ascertained  from  the  custom  house  books.  This  figure  is 
more  exact  than  the  census  returns  will  be.  Thus  we  have  220,000  men,  of  whom 
about  88,000  (two  fifths  reside  in  the  farming  districts,  including  the  cities,  and 
three  fifths  in  the  mining  districts.  In  the  former  there  are,  on  an  average,  two 
men  to  a  woman;  in  the  latter,  five  men  to  a  woman;  so  that,  in  the  farming  dis 
tricts,  there  will  be  of  men  and  women,  132,000,  and  in  the  mining  districts, 
158,400,  or  70,400  women  in  the  state.  Add  90,000  minors,  including  school  chil 
dren,  and  we  have  380,400.  To  these  add  5,000  negroes  and  9,600  Indians,  and  we 
have  395,000  as  the  total  population  of  the  state.  The  mining  districts  have  a 
large  majority  of  the  Chinamen  and  aliens;  the  farming  districts  have  a  majority 
of  the  citizens,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  women  and  children.  Of  the  nativity 
of  the  125,000  voters,  I  make  the  following  estimate,  viz:  40,000  native  Americans 
from  the  free  states,  30,000  Americans  from  the  slave  states,  25,000  Irishmen, 
20,000  Germans,  and  10,000  miscellaneous  persons  of  foreign  birth,  including 
British,  Hungarians,  Spaniards,  etc.  If  this  estimate  be  correct,  you  will  perceive 
that  our  population  is  very  much  mixed.  But  the  English  language  prevails  every 
where,  and  in  another  generation  it  will  be  the  mother  tongue  of  all  the  children 
born  of  parents  now  in  the  state." 


SAN  FRANCISCO,  the  commercial  capital  of  California,  is  in  the  same  lati 
tude  with  Lisbon,  and  also  with  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  distant  on  an  air 
line  from  the  latter  2,500  miles.  Its  latitude  is^37°  48'  and  longitude  122° 
25'  W.  from  Greenwich.  Her  trade  is  immense,  being  the  fourth  commer 
cial  city  in  the  Union.  Her  situation  is  unrivaled,  fronting  the  Pacific  at 
the  head  of  the  magnificent  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  which  has  no  equal  for  a 
line  of  thousands  of  miles  of  coast.  "The  connection  of  San  Francisco 
with  the  great  interior  valley  of  the  state  being  the  only  water  communication 
with  it,  together  with  its  easy  communication  with  Asia,  gives  it  vast  com 
mercial  advantages.  Approaching  it  from  the  sea,  the  coast  presents  a  bold 
mountainous  outline.  The  bay  is  entered  by  a  strait  running  east  and  west, 
about  a  mile  broad  at  its  narrowest  part,  and  five  miles  long  from  the  ocean, 
when  it  opens  to  the  north  and  south,  in  each  direction  more  than  thirty 
miles.  It  is  divided  by  straits  and  projecting  points,  into  three  separate 
bays,  the  two  northern  being  called  San  Pablo  and  Suisun,  and  the  south 
ern,  San  Francisco.  The  strait  is  called  the  'Golden  Gate,'  on  the  same  prin 
ciple  that  the  harbor  of  Constantinople  was  called  the  'Golden  Horn,'  viz: 
its  advantages  for  commerce." 


*"  Of  all  this  number  of  50,000  Chinamen,  by  the  laws  of  California,  not  one  is  allowed 
to  vote,  not  one  to  give  evidence  in  a  court  of  justice,  but  kept  virtually  outlawed,  and 
liable  to  all  manner  of  unlimited  abuse,  robbery,  or  personal  cruelty,  with  no  possibility  of 
.redress,  except  some  European  happens  to  be  an  eye-witness.  If  some  renegade  Celt  of 
Saxon  wishes  to  plunder  a  Chinaman,  knowing  the  law  and  the  poor  man's  defenselessness 
he  has  but  to  choose*a  time  when  none  but  Chinese  eyes  are  looking  on  !  A  hundred  Chi 
nese  may  witness  a  deed  of  violence,  but  their  united  testimony  is  worthless  and  inadmis 
sible  against  a  European  or  American  evil-doer  within  the  limits  of  the  state." 


CALIFORNIA. 


469 


San  Francisco,  as  a  town,  is  of  very  recent  origin:  but  the  immediate  vi 
cinity  has  a  history  dating  back  to  the  year  1776.  Then  the  Mission  of  San 
Francisco  was  founded,  which  stood  two  and  a  half  miles  south-west  of  the 
cove  of  Yerba  Buena;  at  the  same  time  was  erected  a  presidio  and  a  fort 


Harbor  of  San  Francisco, 

along  the  margin  of  the  Golden  Gate.  In  1835,  the  first  habitation  was 
reared  on  the  site  of  San  Francisco,  by  Capt.  W.  A.  Richardson,  who,  being 
appointed  harbor  master,  erected  a  tent  of  a  ship's  foresail,  and  supported  it 
by  four  redwood  posts.  His  business  was  to  manage  two  schooners,  which 
brought  produce  from  the  various  missions  and  farms  to  the  sea  going  ves 
sels  that  came  into  the  cove.  In  May,  1836,  Mr.  Jacob  Primer  Leese  arrived 
in  the  cove,  with  the  intention  of  establishing  a  mercantile  business  in  con 
nection  with  partners  at  Monterey.  He  erected  the  first  frame  house,  which 
was  60  by  25  feet,  placing  it  alongside  of  the  tent  of  Richardson,  and  on  the 


470  CALIFORNIA. 

site  of  the  St.  Francis  Hotel,  corner  of  Clay  and  Dupont-streets.  The  man. 
sion  was  finished  on  the  4th  of  July,  and  the  day  was  celebrated  by  a  grand 
banquet.  The  guests,  numbering  about  60,  consisted  of  the  principal  Mex 
ican  families  of  the  neighborhood,  together  with  the  officers  of  two  Ameri 
can  and  one  Mexican  vessel  in  port.  Outside  of  the  building  the  American 
and  Mexican  flags  waved  together  in  amicable  proximity,  within,  toasts  were 
drank  and  good  cheer  prevailed :  half  a  dozen  instruments  added  their  en 
livening  strains  to  the  general  enjoyment,  two  six 'pounders  hard-by  occa 
sionally  opened  their  throats  and  barked  forth  with  an  emphasis  proper  to 
the  occasion.  Mr.  Leese  subsequently  married  a  sister  of  General  Vallejo, 
one  of  his  guests  on  this  occasion,  and  on  the  15th  of  April,  1838,  was  born 
llosalia  Lcese,  the  first  born  of  Yerba  Buena,  as  the  place  was  then  called 
from  the  wild  mint  growing  on  the  hills. 

A  few  other  houses  were  soon  after  built,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  be 
came  interested  in  the  place ;  their  agents  and  people  came  to  form  nearly  the  en 
tire  settlement.  Late  as  1844,  Yerba  Buena  contained  only  about  a  dozen  houses. 
Jn  1846,  this  company  disposed  of  their  property  and  removed  from  the  place, 
when  the  progress  of  the  Mexican  war  threw  it  into  American  hands,  and  it  then 
advanced  with  wonderful  rapidity.  By  the  end  of  April  1848,  the  era  of  the  gold 
discovery,  the  town  contained  200  dwellings  and  1,000  inhabitants,  comprised 
almost  entirely  of  American  and  European  emigrants. 

The  church,  tavern  and  printing  office  are  an  indispensable  adjunct  to  all  Amer 
ican  settlements.  ]n  January,  1847,  appeared  the  first  newspaper,  the  California 
Star,  published  by  Samuel  Brannan,  and  edited  by  Dr.  E.  P.  Jones.  In  the  first 
month  of  its  issue  was  printed  an  ordinance,  from  the  alcalde,  Mr.  Bartlett,  chang 
ing  the  name  of  the  place  from  Yerba  Buena  to  San  Francisco. 

The  first  alcalde  of  San  Francisco,  under  the  American  flag,  was  Washington  A. 
Bartlett,  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy,  who,  being  ordered  to  his  ship,  was  succeeded 
on  the  22d  of  February,  1847,  by  Edwin  Bryant.  Under  Mexican  laws  an  alcalde 
has  entire  control  of  municipal  affairs,  and  administers  justice  in  ordinary  matters 
according  to  his  own  ideas  of  right,  without  regard  to  written  law.  On  the  Amer 
icans  taking  possession  of  the  country,  they  temporarily  made  use  of  the  existing 
machinery  of  local  government,  everywhere  appointed  alcaldes,  and  instructed 
them  to  dispense  justice  with  a  general  regard  to  the  Mexican  laws  and  the  pro 
vincial  customs  of  California. 

In  December,  1847,  occurred  the  event  which  was  so  suddenly  to  trans 
form  California  from  a  wilderness  into  a  great  state,  and  San  Francisco  from 
a  petty  village  into  a  great  commercial  metropolis — the  discovery  of  gold. 
"Early  in  1848,  the  news  spread  to  the  four  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  imme 
diately  adventurers  from  every  land  came  thronging  to  this  new  El  Dorado. 
The  magnificent  harbor  of  San  Francisco  made  this  port  the  great  rendez 
vous  for  the  arriving  vessels,  and  from  this  period  dates  the  extraordinary 
increase  and  prosperity  of  the  Californian  metropolis.  In  the  first  four 
months  of  the  golden  age,  the  quantity  of  precious  dust  brought  to  San 
Francisco  was  estimated  at  $850,000.  In  February,  1849,  the  population  of 
the  town  was  about  2,000;  in  August  it  was  estimated  at  5,000.  From  April 
12,  1849,  to  the  29th  of  January,  1850,  there  arrived  by  sea  39,888  emi 
grants,  of  whom  1,421  only  were  females.  In  the  year  ending  April  15, 
1850,  there  arrived  62,000  passengers.  In  the  first  part  of  1850,  San  Fran 
cisco  became  a  city,  with  a  population  of  15,000  to  20,000;  and  in  1860,  it 
had  56,805,  together  with  the  largest  trade  of  any  city  on  the  Pacific  side 
of  the  American  continent. 

The  magical  effect  upon  San  Francisco  of  the  discovery  of  gold,  is  thus 
described  in  the  Annals  of  the  city : 

Early  in  the  spring  of  this  year  (1848),  occasional  intelligence  had  been  received 


CALIFORNIA. 

of  the  finding  of  gold  in  large  quantities  among  the  foot  hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 
Small  parcels  of  the  precious  metal  had  also  been  forwarded  to  San  Francisco, 
while  visitors  from  the  mines,  and  some  actual  diggers  arrived,  to  tell  the  wonders 
of  the  region  and  the  golden  gains  of  those  engaged  in  exploring  and  working  it. 
In  consequence  of  such  representations,  the  inhabitants  began  gradually,  in  bands 
and  singly,  to  desert  their  previous  occupations,  and  betake  themselves  to  the 
American  River  and  other  auriferous  parts  of  the  great  Sacramento  valley.  Labor, 
from  the  deficiency  of  hands,  rose  rapidly  in  value,  and  soon  all  business  and  work, 
except  the  most  urgent,  was  forced  to  be  stopped.  Seamen  deserted  from  their 
ships  in  the  bay  and  soldiers  from  the  barracks.  Over  all  the  country  the  excite 
ment  was  the  same.  Neither  threats,  punishment  nor  money  could  keep  men  to 
their  most  solemn  engagements.  Gold  was  the  irresistible  magnet  that  drew  hu 
man  souls  to  the  place  where  it  lay,  rudely  snapping  asunder  the  feebler  ties  of 
affection  and  duty.  Avarice  and  the  overweening  desire  to  be  suddenly  rich,  from 
whence  sprang  the  hope  and  moral  certainty  of  being  so,  grew  into  a  disease,  and 
the  infection  spread  on  all  sides,  and  led  to  a  general  migration  of  every  class  of 
the  community  to  the  golden  quarters.  The  daily  laborer,  who  had  worked  for  the 
good  and  at  the  command  of  another,  for  one  or  two  dollars  a  day,  could,  not  be  re 
strained  from  flying  to  the  happy  spot  where  he  could  earn  six  or  ten  times  the  amount, 
and  might  possibly  gain  a  hundred  or  even  a  thousand  times  the  sum  in  one  lucky 
day's  chance.  Tnen  the  life,  at  worst,  promised  to  be  one  of  continual  adventure 
and  excitement,  and  the  miner  was  his  own  master.  While  this  was  the  case  with 
the  common  laborer,  his  employer,  wanting  his  services,  suddenly  found  his  occu 
pation  at  an  end ;  while  shopkeepers  and  the  like,  dependent  on  both,  discovered 
themselves  in  the  same  predicament  The  glowing  tales  of  the  successful  miners 
all  the  while  reached  their  ears,  and  threw  their  own  steady  and  large  gains  com 
paratively  in  the  shade.  They  therefore  could  do  no  better,  in  a  pecuniary  sense 
even,  for  themselves,  than  to  hasten  after  their  old  servants,  and  share  in  their  new 
labor  and  its  extraordinary  gains,  or  pack  up  their  former  business  stock,  and  trav 
eling  with  it  to  the  mines,  open  their  new  shops  and  stores  and  stalls,  and  dispose 
of  their  old  articles  to  the  fortunate  diggers,  at  a  rise  of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand 
per  cent.  • 

In  the  month  of  May  it  was  computed  that  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  people 
had  left  San  Francisco,  and  every  day  since  was  adding  to  their  number.  Some 
were  occasionally  returning  from  the  auriferous  quarter;  but  they  had  little  time 
to  stop  and  expatiate  upon  what  they  had  seen.  They  had  hastily  come  back,  as 
they  had  hastily  gone  away  at  first,  leaving  their  household  and  business  to  waste 
and  ruin,  now  to  fasten  more  properly  their  houses,  and  remove  goods,  family  and 
all,  at  once  to  the  gold  region.  Their  hurried  movements,  more  even  than  the 
words  they  uttered,  excited  the  curiosity  and  then  the  eager  desire  of  others  to 
accompany  them.  And  so  it  was.  Day  after  day  the  bay  was  covered  with 
launches,  filled  with  the  inhabitants  and  their  goods,  hastening  up  the  Sacramento. 
This  state  of  matters  soon  came  to  a  head;  and  master  and  man  alike  hurried  to 
the  placeres,  leaving  San  Francisco,  like  a  place  where  the  plague  reigns,  forsaken 
by  its  old  inhabitants,  a  melancholy  solitude. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  the  "  California!!  "  published  a  fly-sheet,  apologizing  for  the 
future  non-issue  of  the  paper,  until  better  days  came,  when  they  might  expect  to 
retain  their  servants  for  some  amount  of  remuneration,  which  at  present  was  im 
possible,  as  all,  from  the  "subs"  to  the  " devil,"  had  indignantly  rejected  every 
offer,  and  gone  off  to  the  diggings.  "The  whole  country,"  said  the  last  editorial 
of  the  paper,  "  from  San  Francisco  to  Los  Angeles,  and  from  the  sea  shore  to  the 
base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  resounds  with  the  sordid  cry  of  gold !  GOLD  !  !  GOLD ! ! ! 
— while  the  field  is  left  half  planted,  the  house  half  built,  and  everything  neglected 
but  the  manufacture  of  shovels  and  pick-axes,  and  the  means  of  transportation  to 
the  spot  where  one  man  obtained  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  dollars'  worth  of 
the  real  stuff  in  one  day's  washing,  and  the  average  for  all  concerned  is  twenty  dol 
lars  per  diem  I'' 

Within  the  first  eight  weeks  after  the  "  diggings  "  had  been  fairly  known,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  had  reached  San  Francisco  in  gold  dust,  and 
within  the  next  eight  weeks,  six  hundred  thousand  more.  These  sums  were  all  to 


472  CALIFORNIA. 

purchase,  at  any  price,  additional  supplies  for  the  mines.  Coin  grew  scarce,  anfl 
all  that  was  in  the  country  was  insufficient  to  satisfy  the  increased  wants  of  com 
merce  in  one  town  alone.  Gold  dust,  therefore,  soon  became  a  circulating  medium, 
and  after  some  little  demur  at  first,  was  readily  received  by  all  classes  at  sixteen 
dollars  an  ounce.  The  authorities,  however,  would  only  accept  it  in  payment  of 
duties  at  ten  dollars  per  ounce,  with  the  privilege  of  redemption,  by  payment  of 
coin,  within  a  limited  time. 

When  subsequently  immigrants  began  to  arrive  in  numerous  bands,  any1  amount 
of  labor  could  be  obtained,  provided  always  a  most  unusually  high  price  was  paid 
for  it.  Returned  diggers,  and  those  who  cautiously  had  never  went  to  the  mines, 
were  then  also  glad  enough  to  work  for  rates  varying  from  twelve  to  thirty  dollars 
a  day;  at  which  terms  capitalists  were  somewhat  afraid  to  commence  any  heavy 
undertaking.  The  hesitation  was  only  for  an  instant.  Soon  all  the  labor  that 
could  possibly  be  procured,  was  in  ample  request  at  whatever  rates  were  demanded. 
The  population  of  a  great  state  was  suddenly  nocking  in  upon  them,  and  no  prepa 
rations  had  hitherto  been  made  for  its  reception.  Building  lots  had  to  be  surveyed, 
and  streets  graded  and  planked — hills  leveled — hollows,  lagoons,  and  the  bay  itself 
piled,  capped,  filled  up  and  planked— lumber,  bricks,  and  all  other  building  mate 
rials,  provided  at  most  extraordinarily  high  prices — houses  built,  finished  and  fur 
nished — great  warehouses  and  stores'erected — wharves  run  far  out  into  the  sea — 
numberless  tuns  of  goods  removed  from  shipboard,  and  delivered  and  shipped  anew 
everywhere — and  ten  thousand  other  things  had  all  to  be  done  without  a  moment'*? 
unnecessary  delay.  Long  before  these  things  were  completed,  the  sand  hills  and 
barren  ground  around  the  town  were  overspread  with  a  multitude  of  canvas, 
blanket  and  bough-covered  tents — the  bay  was  alive  with  shipping  and  small  craft 
carrying  passengers  and  goods  backward  and  forward — the  unplanked,  ungraded, 
unformed  streets  (at  one  time  moving  heaps  of  dry  sand  and  dust;  at  another,  miry 
abysses,  whose  treacherous  depths  sucked  in  horse  and  dray,  and  occasionally  man 
himself),  were  crowded  with  human  beings  from  every  corner  of  the  universe  and 
of  every  tongue — all  excited  and  busy,  plotting,  speaking,  working,  buying  and 
selling  town  lots,  and  beach  and  water  lots,  shiploads  of  every  kind  of  assorted 
merchandise,  the  ships  themselves,  if  they  could — though  that  was  not  often — gold 
dust  in  hundred  weights,  ranches  square  leagues  in  extent,  with  their  thousands 
of  cattle — allotments  in  hundreds  of  contemplated  towns,  already  prettily  designed 
and  laid  out — on  paper — and,  in  short,  speculating  and  gambling  in  every  branch 
of  modern  commerce,  and  in  many  strange  things  peculiar  to  the  time  and  place. 
And  everybody  made  money,  and  was  suddenly  growing  rich.* 

The  loud  voices  of  the  eager  seller  and  as  eager  buyer — the  laugh  of  reckless 
joy — the  bold  accents  of  successful  speculation — the  stir  and  hum  of  active,  hur 
ried  labor,  as  man  and  brute,  horse  and  bullock,  and  their  guides,  struggled  and 
managed  through  heaps  of  loose  rubbish,  over  hills  of  sand,  and  among  deceiving 
deep  mud  pools  and  swamps,  filled  the  amazed  newly  arrived  immigrant  with  an 
almost  appalling  sense  of  the  exuberant  life,  energy  and  enterprise  of  the  place. 
He  breathed  quick  and  faintly — his  limbs  grew  weak  as  water — and  his  heart  sunk 
within  him  as  he  thought  of  the  dreadful  conflict,  when  he  approached  and  mingled 
among  that  coniused  and  terrible  business  battle. 

Gambling  saloons,  glittering  like  fairy  palaces,  like  them  suddenly  sprang  into 
existence,  studding  nearly  all  sides  of  the  plaza,  and  every  street  in  its  neighbor 
hood.  As  if  intoxicating  drinks  from  the  well  plenished  and  splendid  bar  thej 
each  contained  were  insufficient  to  gild  the  scene,  music  added  its  loudest,  if  not 

*Johnson,  in  his  "Sights  in  the  Gold  Region,"  states  "  Lumber  sold  as  high  as  $600  per 
thousand  feet.  The  merest  necessaries  of  life  commanded  the  most  extravagant  prices. 
Laundresses  received  $8  per  dozen,  and  cooks  $150  per  month  ;  and  it  was  nearly  impossi 
ble  to  obtain  either.  The  prices  of  houses  and  lots  were  from  $10,000  to  $75,000,  each.  A 
lot  purchased  two  years  ago  for  a  barrel  of  aguardiente  was  sold  recently  for  $18,000.  One 
new  three  story  frame  hotel,  about  forty  by  sixty  feet,  cost  $180,000,  and  rented  for  an  in- 
teres.t  of  more  than  twenty  per  cent,  per  annum  ;  small  rooms  for  gambling  purposes  rent 
ing  for  $400  per  month.  Yet,  notwithstanding  these  enormous  incomes,  speculation  so 
raged  that  as  high  as  twenty -five  per  cent,  was  actually  paid  for  the  use  of  money  for  ont 
week." 


CALIFORNIA 


473 


its  sweetest  charms;  and  all  was  mad,  feverish  mirth,  where  fortunes  were  lost 
and  won,  upon  the  green  cloth,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  All  classes  gambled 
in  those  days,  from  the  starchiest  white  neck-clothed  professor  to  the  veriest  black 
rascal  that  earned  a  dollar  for  blacking  massa's  boots.  Nobody  had  leisure  to 
think  even  for  a  moment  of  his  occupation,  and  how  it  was  viewed  in  Christian 
lands.  The  heated  brain  was  never  allowed  to  get  cool  while  a  bib  of  coin  or  dusb 
was  left.  These  saloons,  therefore,  were  crowded,  night  and  day,  by  impatient 
revelers  who  never  could  satiate  themselves  with  excitement,  nor  get  rid  too  soon 
of  their  golden  heaps. 

The  very  thought  of  that  wondrous  time  is  an  electric  spark  that  fires  into  one 
great  flame  all  our  fancies,  passions  and  experiences  of  the  fall  of  that  eventful 
year,  1849.  The  world  had  perhaps  never  before  afforded  such  a  spectacle;  and 
probably  nothing  of  the  kind  will  be  witnessed  for  generations  to  come.  A  city 
of  twenty  or  thirty  thousand  inhabitants  improvised — the  people  nearly  all  adult 
males,  strong  in  person,  clever,  bold,  sanguine,  restless  and  reckless." 


The  proceedings  of  the  famous  "Vigilance  Committee"  of  San  Francisco 
at  the  time  excited  the  surprise  of  the  outside  world.  It  was,  however,  an 
organization  that  arose  from  the  necessities  of  the  community:  its  acts  were 
justified  by  the  great  body  of  the  citizens,  while  its  members  comprised  the 
first  men  in  business  and  social  standing  in  the  city. 

Up  to  the  beginning  of  1851,  the  emigration  to  California  had  been  im 
mense.  Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  men,  strangers  from  various  parts 
of  the  world,  had  been  suddenly  thrown  into  this  new  land,  and  scattered 
among  the  newly  established  towns  and  over  the  different  mining  districts. 
The  institutions  of  law,  in  but  a  forming  state,  failed  to  give  adequate  pro 
tection.  Among  the  inhabitants  were  a  large  number  of  criminals  and  vile 
men  from  various  countries.  The  most  numerous  and  daring  class  of  des 
peradoes  were  the  convicted  felons  of  the  English  penal  colonies,  who.  having 
"served  their  time,"  early  contrived  to  sail  for  California.  These  "Sydney 
coves,"  as  they  were  called,  reaped  a  rich  harvest  in  California,  and  for  a 
while  it  seemed  impossible  to  check  their  crimes. 

Around  Clark's  Point  and  vicinity,  in  San  Francisco,  was  the  rendezvous  of 
these  villains.  "Low  drinking  arid  dancing  houses,  lodging  and  gambling  houses 
of  the  same  mean  class,  the  constant  scenes  of  lewdness,  drunkenness  and  strife, 
abounded  in  the  quarter  mentioned.  The  daily  and  nightly  occupants  of  these 
vile  abodes  had  every  one,  more  or  less,  been  addicted  to  crime;  and  many  of  them 
were  at  all  times  ready,  for  the  most  trifling  consideration,  to  kill  a  man  or  fire  a 
town.  During  the  early  hours  of  night,  when  the  Alsatia  was  in  revel,  it  was  dan 
gerous  in  the  highest  degree  for  a  single  person  to  venture  within  its  bounds.  Even 
the  police  hardly  dared  to  enter  there ;  and  if  they  attempted  to  apprehend  some 
known  individuals,  it  was  always  in  a  numerous,  strongly-armed  company.  Seldom, 
however,  were  arrests  made.  The  lawless  inhabitants  of  the  place  united  to  save 
their  luckless  brothers,  and  generally  managed  to  drive  the  assailants  away.  When 
the  different  fires  took  place  in  San  Francisco,  bands  of  plunderers  issued  from 
this  great  haunt  of  dissipation,  to  help  themselves  to  whatever  money  or  valuables 
lay  in  their  way,  or  which  they  could  possibly  secure.  With  these  they  retreated 
to  their  dens,  and  defied  detection  or  apprehension.  Fire,  however,  was  only  one 
means  of  attaining  their  ends.  The  most  daring  burglaries  were  committed,  and 
houses  and  persons  rifled  of  their  valuables.  Where  resistance  was  made,  the 
bowie-knife  or  the  revolver  settled  matters,  and  left  the  robber  unmolested.  Midnight 
assaults,  ending  in  murder,  were  common.  And  not  only  were  these  deeds  perpe 
trated  under  the  shade  of  night;  but  even  in  daylight,  in  the  highways  and  byways 
of  the  country,  in  the  streets  of  the  town,  in  crowded  bars,  gambling  saloons  and 
lodging  houses,  crimes  of  an  equally  glaring  character  were  of  constant  occurrence 
People  at  that  period  generally  carried  during  all  hours,  and  wherever  they  hap- 


474 


CALIFORNIA. 


pened  to  be,  loaded  firearms  about  their  persons ;  but  these  weapons  availed  noth 
ing  against  the  sudden  stroke  of  the  'slung  shot,'  the  plunge  and  rip  of  the  knife, 
or  the  secret  aiming  of  the  pistol.  No  decent  man  was  in  safety  to  walk  the  streets 
after  dark;  while  at  all  hours,  both  of  night  and  day,Jiis  property  was  jeopardized 
by  incendiarism  and  burglary. 

All  this  while,  the  law,  whose  supposed  'majesty'  is  so  awful  in  other  countries, 
was  here  only  a  matter  for  ridicule.     The  police  were  few  in  number,  and  poorly 

as  well  as  irregularly  paid. 
Some  of  them  were  in  league 
with  the  criminals  themselves, 
and  assisted  these  at  all  times 
to  elude  justice.  Subsequent 
confessions  of  criminals  on  the 
eve  of  execution,  implicated  a 
considerable  number  of  people 
in  various  high  and  low  de 
partments  of  the  executive. 
Bail  was  readily  accepted  in 
the  most  serious  cases,  where 
the  security  tendered  was  ab 
solutely  worthless;  and  where, 
whenever  necessary,  both  prin 
cipal  and  cautioner  quietly  dis 
appeared.  The  prisons  like 
wise  were  small  and  insecure  ; 
and  though  filled  to  overflow 
ing,  could  no  longer  contain 
the  crowds  of  apprehended 
offenders.  When  these  were 
ultimately  brought  to  trial,  sel 
dom  could  a  conviction  be  ob 
tained.  From  technical  errors 
on  the  part  of  the  prosecutors, 
laws  ill  understood  and  worse 
applied,  false  swearing  of  the 
witnesses  for  the  prisoners,  ab 
sence  often  of  the  chief  evi 
dence  for  the  prosecution,  dis 
honesty  of  jurors,  incapacity, 
weakness,  or  venality  of  the 
judge,  and  from  many  other 
causes,  the  cases  generally 
broke  down  and  the  prisoners 
were  freed.  Not  one  criminal 
had  yet  been  executed.  Yet  it  was  notorious,  that,  at  this  period,  at  least  one  hun. 
dred  murders  had  been  committed  within  the  space  of  a  few  months;  while  innu 
merable  were  the  instances  of  arson,  and  of  theft,  robbery,  burglary,  and  assault 
with  intent  to  kill.  It  was  evident  that  the  offenders  defied  and  laughed  at  all  the 
puny  efforts  of  the  authorities  to  control  them.  The  tedious  processes  of  legal 
tribunals  had  no  terrors  for  them.  As  yet  everything  had  been  pleasant  and  safe, 
and  they' saw  no  reason  why  it  should  not  always  be  so.  San  Francisco  had  just 
been  destroyed,  a  fifth  time,  by  conflagration.  The  cities  of  Stockton  and  Nevada 
had  likewise  shared  the  same  fate.  That  part  of  it  was  the  doing  of  incendiaries 
no  one  doubted ;  and  too,  no  one  doubted  but  that  this  terrible  state  of  things 
would  continue,  and  grow  worse  until  a  new  and  very  different  executive  from  the 
legally-constituted  one  should  rise  up  in  vengeance  against  those  pests  that  worried 
and  preyed  upon  the  vitals  of  society.  It  was  at  this  fearful  time  that  the  Vigil 
ance  Committee  was  organized." 

This  was  in  June,  1851,  at  which  time  the  association  organized  "  for  the  protection 
of  the  lives  and  property  of  the  citizens  and  residents  of  the  city  of  ban  Fran- 


HANGING  OF  WHITTAKEU  AND  MCKENZIE, 

By  the  San  Francisco  Vigilance  Committee. 


CALIFORNIA.  475 

cisco."  They  formed  a  constitution  and  selected  a  room  in  which  to  hold  their 
meetings,  which  were  entirely  secret.  The  first  person  they  arrested  was  John 
Jenkins,  a  notorious  "Sydney  cove."  He  was  seized  for  stealing  a  safe  on  the  10th 
of  June.  About  10  o'clock  that  night,  the  signal  for  calling  the  members  was 
given — the  tolling  of  the  bell  of  the  Monumental  Engine  Company.  Shortly  after 
ward  about  80  members  of  the  committee  hurried  to  the  appointed  place,  and  giv 
ing  the  secret  password  were  admitted.  For  two  long  hours  the  committee  closely 
examined  the  evidence  and  found  him  guilty.  "At  midnight  the  bell  was  tolled,  as 
sentence  of  death  by  hanging  was  passed  upon  the  wretched  man.  The  solemn 
sounds  at  that  unusual  hour  filled  the  anxious  crowds  with  awe.  The  condemned 
at  this  time  was  asked  if  he  had  anything  to  say  for  himself,  when  he  answered: 
'  No,  1  have  nothing  to  say,  only  I  wish  to  have  a  cigar."  This  was  handed  to 
him,  and  afterward,  at  his  request,  a  little  brandy  and  water.  He  was  perfectly 
cool,  and  seemingly  careless,  confidently  expecting,  it  was  believed,  a  rescue,  up  to 
the  last  moment. 

A  little  before  one  o'clock,  Mr.  S.  Brannan  came  out  of  the  committee  rooms, 
and  ascending  a  mound  of  sand  to  the  east  of  the  Rassette  House,  addressed  the 
people.  He  had  been  deputed,  he  said,  by  the  committee,  to  inform  them  that  the 
prisoner's  case  had  been  fairly  tried,  that  he  had  been  proved  guilty,  and  was  con 
demned  to  be  hanged;  and  that  the  sentence  would  be  executed  within  one  hour 
upon  the  plaza.  He  then  asked  the  people  if  they  approved  of  the  action  of  the 
committee,  when  great  shouts  of  Ay  1  Ay !  burst  forth,  mingled  with  a  few  cries 
of  No !  Jn  the  interval  a  clergyman  had  been  sent  for,  who  administered  the  last 
consolations  of  religion  to  the  condemned. 

Shortly  before  two  o'clock,  the  committee  issued  from  the  building,  bearing  tho 
prisoner  (who  had  his  arms  tightly  pinioned)  along  with  them.  The  committee 
were  all  armed,  and  closely  clustered  around  the  culprit  to  prevent  any  possible 
chance  of  rescue.  A  procession  was  formed;  and  the  whole  party,  followed  by 
the  crowd,  proceeded  to  the  plaza,  to  the  south  end  of  the  adobe  building,  which 
then  stood  on  the  north-west  corner.  The  opposite  end  of  the  rope  which  was 
already  about  the  neck  of  the  victim  was  hastily  thrown  over  a  projecting  beam. 
Some  of  the  authorities  attempted  at  this  stage  of  affairs  to  interfere,  but  their 
efforts  were  unavailing.  They  were  civilly  desired  to  stand  back,  and  not  delay 
what  was  still  to  be  done.  The  crowd,  which  numbered  upward  of  a  thousand, 
were  perfectly  quiescent,  or  only  applauded  by  look,  gestur^,  and  subdued  voice 
the  action  of  the  committee.  Before  the  prisoner  had  reached  the  building,  a  score 
of  persons  seized  the  loose  end  of  the  rope  and  ran  backward,  dragging  tire  wretch 
along  the  ground  and  raising  him  to  the  beam.  Thus  they  held  him  till  he  was 
dead.  Nor  did  they  let  the  body  go  until  same  hours  afterward,  new  volunteers 
relieving  those  who  were  tired  holding  the  rope.  Little  noise  or  confusion  took 
place.  Muttered  whispers  among  the  spectators  guided  their  movements  or  be 
trayed  their  feelings.  The  prisoner  had  not  spoken  a  word,  either  upon  the  march 
or  during  the  rapid  preparations  for  his  execution.  At  the  end  he  was  perhaps 
strung  up  almost  before  he  was  aware  of  what  was  so  immediately  coming.  He 
was  a  strong-built,  healthy  man,  and  his  struggles,  when  hanging,  were  very  vio 
lent  for  a  few  minutes." 

The  next  execution  which  took  place  was  about  a  month  later,  that  of  James 
Stuart.  He  was  an  Englishman,  who  had  been  transported  to  Australia  for  forgery. 
On  leaving  it,  he  wandered  in  various  parts  of  the  Pacific  until  he  reached  Cali 
fornia,  where  he  was  supposed  to  have  committed  more  murders  and  other  desper 
ate  crimes  than  any  other  villain  in  the  country.  Before  his  death  he  acknowl 
edged  the  justice  of  his  punishment.  He  was 'hung  July  llth,  from  a  derrick  at 
the  end  of  Market-street  wharf,  in  the  presence  of  assembled  thousands. 

One  more  month  rolled  round,  and  the  committee  again  exercised,  their  duties 
upon  the  persons^of  Samuel  Whittaker  and  Robert  McKenzie,  who  were  guilty  of 
robbery,  murder  and  arson,  and  on  trial  confessed  these  crimes.  The  sheriff  and 
his  posse  with  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  took  these  men  from  the  hands  of  the  com 
mittee  and  confined  them  in  jail.  The  latter,  fearful  that  the  rascals  would  escape 
through  the  quibbles  of  the  law,  prepared  for  the  rescue. 

''Abcut  half  past  two  o'clock,"  says  the  Awnals  of  San  Francisco,  "on  the  after- 


476  CALIFORNIA. 

noon  of  Sunday,  the  24th  of  August,  an  armed  party,  consisting  of  thirty-six 
members  of  the  Vigilance  Committee,  forcibly  broke  into  the  jail,  at  a  time  when 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  happened  to  be  engaged  at  devotional  exercises  with  the 
prisoners,  among  whom  were  Whittaker  and  McKenzie.  The  slight  defense  of 
the  jailers  and  guards  was  of  no  avail.  The  persons  named  were  seized,  and 
hurried  to  and  placed  within  a  coach,  that  had  been  kept  in  readiness  a  few  steps 
from  the  prison.  The  carriage  instantly  was  driven  off  at  full  speed,  and  nearly 
at  the  same  moment  the  ominous  bell  of  the  ?  Monumental  Engine  Company  rapidly 
and  loudly  tolled  for  the  immediate  assemblage  of  the  committee  and  the  knell 
itself  of  the  doomed.  The  whole  population  leaped  with  excitement  at  the  sound; 
and  immense  crowds  from  the  remotest  quarter  hurried  to  Battery-street.  There 
blocks,  with  the  necessary  tackle,  ha/l  been  hastily  fastened  to  two  beams  which 
projected  over  the  windows  of  the  great  hall  of  the  committee.  Within  seventeen 
minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  prisoners,  they  were  both  dangling  by  the  neck 
from  these  beams.  The  loose  extremities  of  the  halters  being  taken  within  the 
building  itself  and  forcibly  held  by  members  of  the  committee.  Full  six  thousand 
people  were  present,  who  kept  an  awful  silence  during  the  short  time  these  prepa 
rations  lasted.  But  so  soon  as  the  wretches  were  swung  off,  one  tremendous  shout 
of  satisfaction  burst,  from  the  excited  multitude;  and  then  there  was  silence 
again. 

This  was  the  last  time,  for  years,  that  the  committee  took  or  found  occasion  to 
exercise  their  functions.  Henceforward  the  administration  of  justice  might  ba 
safely  left  in  the  hands  of  the  usual  officials.  The  city  now  was  pretty  well 
cleansed  of  crime.  The  fate  of  Jenkins,  Stuart,  Whittaker  and  McKenzie  showed 
that  rogues  and  roguery,  of  whatever  kind,  could  no  longer  expect  to  find  a  safe 
lurking-place  in  San  Francisco.  Many  of  the  suspected,  and  such  as  were  warned 
off  by  the  committee,  had  departed,  and  gone,  some  to  other  lands,  and  some  into 
the  mining  regions  and  towns  of  the  interior.  Those,  however,  who  still  clung  to 
California,  found  no  refuge  anywhere  in  the  state.  Previously,  different  cases  of 
lynch  law  had  occurred  in  the  gold  districts,  but  these  were  solitary  instances 
which  had  been  caused  by  the  atrocity  of  particular  crimes.  When,  however,  the 
Vigilance  Committee  of  San  Francisco  had  started  up,  fully  organized,  and  began 
their  great  work,  Sacramento,  Stockton,  San  Jose,  as  well  as  other  towns  and  the 
more  thickly  peopled  mining  quarters,  likewise  formed  their  committees  of  vigil 
ance  and  safety,  an£  pounced  upon  all  the  rascals  within  their  bounds.  These 
associations  interchanged  information  with  each  other  as  to  the  movements  of  the 
suspected;  and  all,  with  the  hundred  eyes  of  an  Argus  and  the  hundred  arms  of 
a  Briareus,  watched,  pursued,  harassed,  and  finally  caught  the  worst  desperadoes 
of  the  country.  Like-  Cain,  a  murderer  and  wanderer,  as  most  of  them  were,  they 
bore  a  mark"  on  the  brow,  by  which  they  were  known.  Some  were  hanged  at 
various  places,  some  were  lashed  and  branded,  but  the  greater  number  were  simply 
ordered  to  leave  the  country,  within  a  limited  time,  under  penalty  of  immediate 
death  if  found  after  a  stated  period  within  its  limits.  Justice  was  no  longer  blind 
or  leaden-heeled.  With  the  perseverance  and  speed  of  a  bloodhound,  she  tracked 
criminals  to  their  lair,  and  smote  them  where  they  lay.  Fora  long  time  afterward, 
the  whole  of  California  remained  comparatively  free  from  outrages  against  person 
and  property. 

From  all  the  evidence  that  can  be  obtained,  it  is  not  supposed  that  a  single  in 
stance  occurred  in  which  a  really  innocent  man  suffered  the  extreme  penalty  of 
death.  Those  who  were  executed  generally  confessed  their  guilt,  and  admitted 
the  punishment  to  have  been  merited." 

San  Francisco,  in  common  with  all  of  the  American  cities  in  California, 
has  suffered  terribly  from  tremendous  conflagrations.  The  towns  wken  first 
founded  were  composed  mostly  of  frail  wooden  tenements,  intermingled  with 
tents,  which  in  the  dry  season  became  like  tinder,  so  that  when  a  fire  broke  out 
and  got  headway  it  was  impossible  to  arrest  it.  San  Francisco,  Sacramento 
City,  Stockton,  and  other  places  were  several  times  successively  destroyed. 


CALIFORNIA.  477 

No  sooner,  however,  was  the  work  of  destruction  completed,  than  the  inhab 
itants  rushed  forth  like  so  many  bees,  and  dashing  aside  the  smoking  embers, 
went  to  work  to  build  new  habitations;  when  lo  !  in  a  twinkling,  a  fairer 
city  would  arise,  as  it  were  by  magic,  on  the  ashes  of  the  old,  called  forth 
by  the  matchless  energy  and  fertility  of  invention  of  the  most  extraordinary, 
wonder-working  body  of  men  that  had  ever  been  gathered  to  found  a  state — 
the  adventurous  and  enterprising  of  every  clime,  self-exiles,  driven  thither 
by  the  eager  thirst  for  gold. 

Before  midsummer  of  1851,  San  Francisco  had  been  visited  by  six  "great' 
fires,  most  of  them  the  work  of  incendiaries.  By  them  nearly  all  the  old  land 
marks  and  buildings  of  Yerba  Buena  had  been  obliterated,  and  the  total  value  of 
property  destroyed  amounted  to  about  twenty  millions.  The  most  destructive  was 
that  of*  the  4th  May,  1851,  when,  in  the  short  space  often  hours,  nearly  2,000 
houses  were  destroyed,  many  lives,  and  property  to  the  amount  of  from  ten  to 
twelve  millions. 

"A  considerable  number  of  buildings,  which  were  supposed  fire-proof,  had  been 
erected  in  the  course  of  the  preceding  year,  the  solid  walls  of  which,  it  was  thought, 
would  afford  protection  from  the  indefinite  spreading  of  the  flames,  when  fire 
should  unhappily  break  out  in  any  particular  building.  But  all  calculations  and 
hopes  on  this  subject  were  mocked  and  broken.  The  brick  walls  that  had  been  so 
confidently  relied  upon,  crumbled  in  pieces  before  the  furious  flames;  the  thick 
iron  shutters  grew  red  hot  and  warped,  and  only  increased  the  danger  and  insured 
final  destruction  to  everything  within  them.  Men  went  for  shelter  into  these 
fancied  fire-proof  brick  and  iron  bound  structures,  and  when  they  sought  to  come 
forth  again,  to  escape  the  heated  air  that  was  destroying  them  as  by  a  close  fire, 
they  found,  O  horror !  that  the  metal  shutters  and  doors  had  expanded  by  the  heat, 
and  could  not  be  opened!  So,  in  these  huge,  sealed  furnaces,  several  perished 

miserably San  Francisco  had  never  before  suffered  so  severe  a  blow, 

and  doubts  were  entertained  by  the  ignorant  that  she  could  possibly  recover  from 
its  effects.  Such  doubts  were  vain.  The  bay  was  still  there,  and  the  people  were 
also  there;  the  placers  of  the  state  were  not  yet  exhausted,  and  its  soil  was  as 
fertile  and  inviting  as  ever.  The  frightful  calamity,  no  doubt,  would  retard  the 
triumphant  progress  of  the  city — but  only  for  a  time.  The  citizens  of  San  Fran 
cisco  were  content  only  to  curse  and  vow  vengeance  on  the  incendiaries  that 
kindled  the  fire,  and  resolved  to  be  better  prepared  in  future  to  resist  its  spreading 
ravages.  After  the  first  short  burst  of  sorrow,  the  ruined  inhabitants,  many  of 
whom  had  been  burnt  out  time  after  time  by  the  successive  fires,  began  again,  like 
the  often  persecuted  spider  with  its  new  web,  to  create  still  another  town  and 
another  fortune." 

The  city  of  San  Francisco  being  at  first  a  city  of  strangers,  the  post-office, 
on  the  arrival  of  the  monthly  steamer  from  the  Atlantic  states  was  the 
scene  of  exhibitions  of  an  interesting  character  from  the  assembled  multi 
tudes  that  gathered  for  letters,  most  from  loved  ones  at  home,  thousands  of 
miles  away. 

At  a  distance  they  looked  like  a  mob;  but,  on  approaching,  one  would  find  that 
though  closely  packed  together,  the  people  were  all  in  six  strings,  the  head  of  each 
being  at  a  delivery  window,  from  whence,  the  lines  twisted  up  and  down  in  all  di 
rections,  extending  along  the  streets  to  a  great  distance,  the  new  comers  being  at 
the  end  of  the  line.  So  anxious  were  many  to  receive  their  epistles  that  they 
posted  themselves  in  the  evening  of  one  day  to  be  early  at  the  window  on  the 
morning  of  the  next,  standing  all  night  in  the  mud,  often  with  a  heavy  rain  pour 
ing  on  their  heads.  "Hours  always  elapsed  before  one's  turn  came.  To  save  such 
delay,  sometime?  people  would  employ  and  handsomely  pay  others  to  preserve  places 
for  them,  which  they  would  occupy,  in  room  of  their  assistants,  when  they  were 
approaching,  the  loop-holes  where  the  delivery  clerks  stood.  Ten  and  twenty  dol 
lars  were  often  paid  for  accommodation  in  this  way.  Some  of  these  eager  appli 
cants  had  not  heard  from  their  far  distant  homes  for  many  long  months,  arid  their 


478  CALIFORNIA. 

anxious  solicitude  was  even  painful.  It  was  there 'V***  exceedingly  distressing  to 
mark  the  despondency  with  which  many  would  turn  a\ray  upon  hearing  from  the 
delivery  clerks  the  oft-repeated  and  much-dreaded  sentence,  '  there  is  nothing  hero 
for  you.'  On  the  other  hand,  it  was  equally  pleasing  to  observe  the  cheerful  and 
triumphant  smile,  not  unfrequently  accompanied  with  a  loud  exclamation  of  joy, 
that  would  light  up  the  countenance  of  the  successful  applicant,  who  hastens  from 
the  window,  and  as  soon  as  he  can  force  a  passage  through  the  crowd,  tears  open 
and  commences  to  read  the  more  than  welcome  letter,  every  word  of  which  awakens 
in  his  mind  some  tender  reminiscence." 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  is  the  second  city  in  commerce  and  population  in  Cal 
ifornia.  It  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Sacramento,  a  little  below  the  mouth 
of  the  American,  in  the  midst  of  a  level  and  fertile  country:  distance,  by 
water,  140  miles  N.E.  of  San  Francisco.  It  has  great  advantages  as  a  cen 
ter  of  commerce,  being  accessible  for  sailing  vessels  and  steamers  of  a  large 
size  at  all  seasons:  both  the  Sacramento  and  its  important  branch,  the 
Feather  River,  is  navigable  for  small  steamers  far  above  into  the  interior  of 
the  country.  It  is  the  natural  trading  depot  for  all  the  great  mining  region 
of  the  north  Sacramento  valley.  The  site  being  low,  the  city  has  suffered 
in  its  early  history  by  disastrous  floods  in  the  rainy  season :  it  is  now  pro 
tected  by  levees.  Population  about  30.000. 

The  site  of  Sacramento  City  was  originally  in  possession  of  Capt.  John 
A.  Sutter,  a  Swiss  gentleman,  who  established  himself  in  the  country  in 
1839.  and  soon  after  built  ''Sutler's  Fort,"  taking  possession  of  the  surround 
ing  country  under  a  Mexican  grant,  giving  to  it  the  name  of  New  Helvetia. 
"From  this  point  he  cut  a  road  to  the  junction  of  Sacramento  and  Ameri 
can  Rivers,  where  he  established  an  embarcadero  (quay,  or  landing  place), 
on  the  site  of  which  has  since  been  built  the  City  of  Sacramento.  Here  he 
reirained  for  several  years,  his  settlement  being  the  head-quarters  of  the 
immigrants,  who,  following  his  example,  poured  into  the  country  from  the 
American  states." 

Coloma  is  about  50  miles  N.E.  of  Sacramento  City,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
South  Fork  of  American  River.  It  contains  some  4,000  inhabitants. 

In  the  winter  of  1S47-'4S,  Capt.  Sutter  contracted  with  Mr.  James  "VV. 
Marshall,  an  emigrant  from  New  Jersey,  to  erect  a  saw  mill  on  the  river  near 
the  site  of  Coloma.  This  accidentally  led  to  the  discovery  of  gold,  which  at 
once  changed  the  history  of  California.  "  Marshall  one  day  in  January, 
having  allowed  the  whole  body  of  water  to  rush  through  the  tail-race  of  the 
mill  for  the  purpose  of  making  some  alterations  in  it,  observed,  while  walk 
ing  along  the  banks  of  the  stream  early  the  next  morning,  numerous  glisten 
ing  particles  among  the  sand  and  gravel,  which  had  been  carried  off  by  the 
force. of  the  increased  body  of  water.  For  a  while  he  paid  no  particular  at 
tention  to  them,  but  seeing  one  larger  and  brighter  than  the  rest,  he  was  in 
duced  to  examine  it,  and  found  it  to  be  a  scale  of  gold.  Collecting  several, 
he  immediately  hurried  to  Sutter,  and  began  his  tale  in  such  a  hurried  man 
ner,  and  accompanied  it  with  such  extravagant  promises  of  unbounded  wealth, 
that  the  captain  thought  him  demented,  and  looked  to  his  rifle  for  protec 
tion  ;  but  when  Marshall  threw  his  gold  upon  the  table,  he  was  forced  into 
the  delightful  conviction.  They  determined  to  keep  the  discovery  a  secret, 
but  were  observed  while  examining  the  river,  and  soon  had  immense  armies 
around  them." 

The  neighborhood  literally  overflowed  with  the  busy  gold  hunters,  and 


CALIFORNIA. 


479 


from  thence  they  rapidly  extended  to  the  different  gold  districts,  so  that  by 
midsummer  they  amounted  to  many  thousands.  At  first  the  general  gains 
of  the  miners,  though  great,  were  nothing  to  what  was  shortly  after  col 
lected.  The  average  was  usually  from  ten  to  fifteen  dollars  per  day.  Some 
met  with  extraordinary  success. 

"Well  authenticated  accounts  described  many  known  persons  as  averaging  from 
one  to  two  hundred  dollars  a  day  for  a  long  period.     Numerous  others  were  said 

to  be  earning  from  five  to 
eight  hundred  dollars  a  day. 
Apiece  of  four  pounds  in 
weight  was  early  found. 
If,  indeed,  in  many  cases, 
a  man  with  a  pick  and  pan 
did  not  easily  gather  some 
thirty  or  forty  dollars  worth 
of  dust  in  a  single  day,  he 
just  moved  off  to  some 
other  place  which  he  sup 
posed  might  be  richer. 
When  the  miners  knew  a 
little  better  about  the  busi 
ness  and  the  mode  of  turn 
ing  their  labor  to  the  most 
profitable  account,  the  re 
turns  were  correspondingly 
increased.  At  what  were 
called  the  '  dry  diggings  ' 
particularly,  the  yield  of 
gold  was  enormous.  One 
piece  of  pure  metal  was 
found  of  thirteen  pounds 
weight.  The  common  in 
strument  at  first  made  use 
of  was  a  simple  butcher's 
knife  ;  and  as  everything 
was  valuable  in  proportion 
to  the  demand  and  supply, 
butchers'  knives  suddenly 
went  up  to  twenty  and 


MILL. 


Where  Gold  was  flr-t  discovered. 


do]Ia™    aPie.C^ 

afterward  the  pick  and 
shovel  were  employed.  The  auriferous  earth,  dug  out  of  ravines  and  holes  in  the 
sides  of  the  mountains,  was  packed  on  horses,  and  carried  one,  two,  or  three  miles, 
to  the  nearest  water,  to  be  washed.  An  average  price  of  this  washing  dirt  was,  at 
this  period,  so  much  as  four  hundred  dollars  a  cart  load.  In  one  instance,  five 
loads  of  such  earth  sold  for  seven  hundred  and  fifty-two  dollars,  which  yielded, 
after  washing,  sixteen  thousand  dollars.  Cases  occurred  where  men  carried  the 
earth  in  sacks  on  their  backs  to  the  watering  places,  and  collected  eight  to  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  in  a  day,  as  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  Individuals  made  their 
five  thousand,  ten  thousand,  and  fifteen  thousand  dollars  in  the  space  of  only  a 
few  weeks.  One  man  dug  out  twelve  thousand  dollars  in  six  days.  Three  others 
obtained  eight  thousand  dollars  in  a  single  day.  But  these,  of  course,  were  ex 
treme  cases.  Still  it  was  undoubtedly  true,  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  miners 
were  earning  such  sums  as  they  had  never  even  seen  in  their  lives  before,  and 
which,  six  months  earlier,  would  have  appeared  a  downright  fable. 

The  story  has  a  shady  as  well  as  a  bright  side,  and  would  be  incomplete  unless 
both  were  shown.  There  happened  to  be  a  'sickly  season'  in  the  autumn  at  the 
mines  ;  many  of  the  miners  sank  under  fever  and  diseases  of  the  bowels.  A  severe 
kind  of  labor,  to  which  most  had  been  unaccustomed,  a  complete  change  of  diet 


480 


CALIFORNIA. 


and  habits,  insufficient  shelter,  continued  mental  excitement,  and  the  excesses  in 
personal  amusement  and  dissipation  which  golden  gains  induced,  added  to  the  nat 
ural  unhealthiness  that  might  have  existed  in  the  district  at  different  periods  of 
the  year,  soon  introduced  sore  bodily  troubles  upon  many  of  the  mining  popula 
tion.  No  gains  could  compensate  a  dying 
man  for  the  fatal  sickness  engendered  by 
his  own  avaricious  exertions.  In  the 
wild  race  for  riches,  the  invalid  was  neg 
lected  by  old  comrades  still  in  rude  health 
and  the  riotous  enjoyment  of  all  the 
pleasures  that  gold  and  the  hope  of  con 
tinually  adding  to  their  store  could  be 
stow.  When  that  was  the  case  witli  old 
companions,  it  could  not  be  expected  that 
strangers  should  care  whether  the  sick 
man  lived  or  died.  Who  forsooth  among 
the  busy  throng  would  trouble  himself 
with  the  feeble  miner  that  had  miscalcu 
lated  his  energies,  and  lay  dying  on  the 
earthen  floor  of  his  tent  or  under  the  pro 
tecting  branch  of  a  tree  ?  .  Many,  not  so 
z  far  reduced,  were  compelled  to  return  to 
H  their  old  homes,  the  living  spectres  of 
I  their  former  selves,  broken  in  constitu- 
3  tion  and  wearied  in  spirit;  thoroughly 

*  satisfied   that  the  diggings  were   not  lit 

*  abiding  places  for  them. 

The  implements  at  first  used  in  the 
:  process  of  gold  seeking,  were  only  the 
3  common  pick  and  shovel,  and  a  tin  pan 
5  or  wooden  bowl.  The  auriferous  earth 
«  when  dug  out  was  put  into  the  last,  and 
=  water  being  mixed  Avith  it,  the  contents 
»  were  violently  stirred.  A  peculiar  shake 
of  the  hand  or  wrist,  best  understood  and 
learned  by  practice,  threw  occasionally 
over  the  edge  of  the  pan  or  bowl  the 
muddy  water  and  earthy  particles,  while 
the  metal,  being  heavier,  sunk  to  the  bot 
tom.  Repeated  washings  of  this  nature, 
assisted  by  breaking  the  hard  pieces  of 
earth  with  the  hand  or  a  trowel,  soon  ex 
tricated  the  gold  from  its  covering  and 
carried  away  all  the  dirt.  But  if  even 
these  simple  implements  were  not  to  be 
had,  a  sailor's  or  butcher's  knife,  or  even 
a  sharpened  hard-pointed  stick  could  pick 
out  the  larg.er  specimens — the  pepitas, 
chunks,  or  inrggets,  of  different  miners — 
while  the  finer  scales  of  gold  couid  be 
washed  from  the  covering  earth  in  Indian 
willow-woven  baskets,  clay  cups,  old  hats,  or  any  rude  apology  for  a  dish;  or  the 
dried  sand  could  be  exposed  on  canvas  to  the  wind,  or  diligently  blown  by  the 
breath,  until  nothing  was  left  but  the  particles  of  pure  gold  that  were  too  heavy  to 
be  carried  away  by  these  operations.  Afterward  the  rocker  or  cradle  and  Long 
Torn  were  introduced,  which  required  several  hands  to  feed  and  work  them;  and 
the  returns  by  which  were  correspondingly  great.  Every  machine,  however,  was 
worked  on  the  same  principle,  by  rocking  or  wssahing.  of  separating  by  the  me 
chanical  means  of  gravitation,  the  h earner  particles — the  gold  from  stones,  and  the 
lighter  ones  of  earth. 


CALIFORNIA. 

Provisions  and  necessaries,  as  might  have  been  expected,  soon  rose  in  price 
enormously.  At  first  the  rise  was  moderate  indeed,  four  hundred  per  cent,  for  flour, 
five  hundred  for  beef  cattle,  while  other  things  were  in  proportion.  But  these 
were  trifles.  The  time  soon  came  when  eggs  were  sold  at  one,  two,  and  three  dol 
lars  apiece ;  inferior  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee,  at  four  dollars  a  pound  in  small  quan 
tities,  or  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  a  barrel ;  medicines — say,  for  laudanum,  a 
dollar  a  drop  (actually  forty  dollars  were  paid  for  a  dose  of  that  quantity),  and  ten, 
dollars  a  pill  or  purge,  without  advice,  or  with  it,  from  thirty,  up,  aye,  to  one  hun 
dred  dollars.  Spirits  were  sold  at  various  prices,  from  ten  to  forty  dollars  a  quart; 
and  wines  at  about  as  much  per  bottle." 

Among  the  modes  of  mining  early  adopted  was  one  termed  "  cayoteing,"  or  drift 
ing.  The  word  is  derived  from  coyote,  the*  name  applied  to  the  prairie  wolf,  and 
as  used,  means  burrowing,  after  the  manner  of  that  animal.  Cayoeting  was  only 
necessary  in  those  cases  where  the  gold  by  its  superior  weight  had  sunk  through 
the  surface  earth,  until  it  had  reached  the  layer  of  clay  on  the  bed  rock,  often 
many  fathoms  from  the  top.  Having  reached  by  a  shaft  the  "hard  pan,"  the  miner 
then  ran  passages  horizontally  in  search  of  the  gold,  taking  care  to  prop  up  the 
roofs  of  these  passages.  Often,  however,  these  have  slowly  yielded  under  the  im 
mense  masses  above,  and  buried  the  gold  hunter  beyond  all  human  resurrection. 
Cayoteing  has  been  superseded  by  tunneling.  Tunnels  are  run  into  the  sides  of 
mountains,  following  the  uneven  surface  of  the  bed  rock.  Some  of  these  are  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  in  length  and  involve  an  immense  labor  and  expense. 
From  them  the  "pay  dirt"  is  carried  out  of  the  mine  in  carts  drawn  by  mules  over 
railroads. 

The  old  mining  localities  of  California,  the  flats  and  bars  of  rivers,  are  now 
pretty  much  exhausted,  and  there  is  very  little  of  the  old  modes  of  mining  fol 
lowed,  excepting  by  the  Chinese,  who,  content  with  small  earnings,  take  up  the 
abandoned  claims.  Tunneling,  quarts,  sluice,  and  hydraulic  mining  are  now  the 
means  by  which  the  larger  part  of  the  gold  is  obtained.  Through  the  improvements 
in  machinery  and  contrivances  for  saving  the  gold,  the  yield  is  constantly  aug 
menting,  and  as  the  gold  region  of  California  comprises  a  tract  about  as  large  as 
all  New  England,  it  is  presumed  that  the  state  for  100  years  to  come  will  continue 
to  yield  at  least  as  much  as  since  the  first  discovery — viz :  fifty  millions  per 
annum. 

The  most  efficient  mode  of  operation  is  hydraulic  mining.  A  heavy  current  of 
water  is  poured  from  a  hose  and  pipe,  precisely  on  the  principle  of  a  fire  engine, 
npon  a  side  hill.  For  instance,  "  at  North  San  Juan,  near  the  middle  fork  of  the 
5Tuba,  streams  at  least  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  probably  containing  twenty 
measured  inches  of  water,  are  directed  against  the  remaining  half  of  a  high  hill, 
which  they  strike  with  such  force  that  bowlders  of  the  size  of  cannon  balls  are 
started  from  their  beds  and  hurled  five  to'  ten  feet  in  the  air.  By  this  process,  one 
man  will  wash  away  a  bank  of  earth  like  a  haystack  sooner  than  a  hundred  men 
could  do  it  by  old-fashioned  sluicing.  Earth  yielding  a  bare  cent's  worth  to  the 
pan  may  be  profitably  washed  by  this  process,  paying  a  reasonable  price  for  the 
water.  As  much  as  $100  per  day  is  profitably  paid  for  the  water  thrown  through 
one  pipe.  The  stream  thus  thrown  will  knock  a  man  as  lifeless  as  though  it  were 
a  grape-shot.  As  the  bank,  over  a  hundred  feet  high,  is  undermined  by  this  bat 
tery,  it  frequently  caves  from. "the  top  downward,  reaching  and  burying  the  careless 
operator.  Very  long  sluices — as  long  as  may  be — conduct  the  discharged  water 
away ;  and  it  is  no  matter  how  thick  with  earth  the  water  may  run,  provided  the 
sluice  be  long  enough.  It  is  of  course  so  arranged  as  to  present  riffles,  crevices, 
etc.,  to  arrest  the  gold  at  first  borne  along  by  the  turbid  flood.  There  are  compa 
nies  operating  by  this  method  whose  gross  receipts  from  a  single  sluice  have 
reached  a  thousand  dollars  per  day." 

"In  California  the  whole  art  of  placer-mining  was  revolutionized  by  this  hy 
draulic  process,  and  the  production  of  gold  received  a  fresh  and  lasting  impulse. 
Square  miles  of  surface  on  the  hills,  rich  in  gold,  which  have  lain  untouched,  now 
yield  up  their  treasure  to  the  hydraulic  miner.  In  that  region,  where  labor  can 
scarcely  be  obtained,  and  is  so  costly,  water  becomes  the  great  substitute  for  it, 
and,  as  we  have  seen,  is  more  effective  and  economical  in  its  action  that  the  labor 


482 


CALIFORNIA. 


HYDRAULIC    MININO. 


of  men.  Every  inch  of  water  which  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  a  placer  is  valued 
as  the  representative,  or  producer,  of  a  certain  amount  of  gold.  Wherever  it  falls 
upon  the  auriferous  earth  it  liberates  the  precious  metal,  and  if  the  gold  is  uni 
formly  distributed  through  the  earth,  the  amount  produced  is  directly  as  the 

quantity  of  water  used.  As  a  la 
bor  saving  process,  the  results  ;.  f 
this  method  compare  favorably 
with  those  obtained  by  machinery 
in  the  various  departments  of  hu- 
_=  man  industry,  where  manual  la- 

pi^          bor  has  been  superseded. 

It  is  stated  that  at  the  close  of 
the  year  1858  there  were  5,726 
miles  of  artificial  water-courses 
for  mining  purposes  in  the  state 
of  California,  constructed  at  a 
cost  of  over  13  millions  of  dollars. 
This  estimate  is  exclusive  of  sev 
eral  hundred  miles  of  new  canals 
in  course  of  construction,  and  of 
the  many  subordinate  branches 
of  the  canals,  the  aggregate  length 
of  which  is  estimated  at  over  one 
thousand  miles.  Most  of  the  canals 
have  been  constructed  by  individ 
uals,  or  small  companies  of  from 
three  to  ten  persons,  but  the  works 
compare  in  their  magnitude  and 
cost  with  the  most  important  pub 
lic  works. 

A  vast  deal  of  this  canaling  is  over  the  most  wild,  rocky,  and  precipitous  coun 
try ;  jumping  over  awful  chasms,  and  plunging  down  fearful  abysses;  trestle  work, 
story  piled  upon  story,  and  wooden  fluming  zigzagged  at  every  angle  (rough  as  yet, 
truly,  but  with  strength  adequate  to  its  purpose),  may  be  seen  winding  for  miles 
and  miles  its  tortuous  course,  leading  mountain  streams  faraway  from  their  native 
channels,  and  giving  to  the  driest  diggings  water  superabundant.  The  waterfall 
at  the  end  is  generally  very  great,  and  it  is  turned  to  curious  account. 

Next  to  the  hydraulic  process  of  hose-washing,  the  most  important  application 
of  water  in  placer  mining  is  in  sluicing.  The  sluice  is  a  long  channel  or  raceway, 
cut  either  in  the  surface  of  the  bed  rock  or  made  of  boards.  "The  former  is  known 
as  the  ground- sluice,  and  the  latter  as  the  board-sluice.  The  ground  sluice  is  cut 
in  the  softened  surface  or  outcrop  of  the  bed-rocks,  which  are  generally  of  slate, 
presenting  upturned  edges  like  the  leaves  of  a  book.  In  the  softened  mica  slates 
this  resemblance  is  very  great,  and  the  surface  is  highly  favorable  to  the  retention 
of  particles  of  gold.  It  is  easily  cleaned  up,  as  one  or  two  inches  in  depth  of  the 
surface  may  usually  be  scraped  off  with  the  shovel.  The  board-sluice  is  generally 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches  in  width,  and  from  eight  to  ten  inches  deep,  antf  is  made  in 
convenient  lengths,  so  that  one  can  be  added  to  another,  until  a  length  of  two  or 
three  hundred  feet  or  more  is  obtained.  False  bottoms  of  boards  are  often  used 
to  facilitate  the  retention  of  the  gold,  while  the  stones  and  gravel  are  swept  away 
by  the  rapid  flow  of  the  water.  Long  bars  or  rifflers  are  generally  preferred  to 
cross  cleats  or  holes.  The  fall  or  rate  of  descent  of  the  bottom  of  the  sluice  is 
varied  according  to  circumstances,  being  arranged  to  suit  the  size  of  the  gold  and 
the  nature  of  the  drift.  One  or  two  feet  in  a  rod,  or  one  foot  in  twelve,  is  a  com 
mon  inclination,  and  with  a  good  supply  of  water  will  cause  stones  several  inches 
in  diamoter  to  roll  from  one  end  of  the  sluice  to  the  other.  The  earth,  stones  and 
gold  as  they  enter  these  sluices  with  the  water,  are  all  mingled  together,  but  the 
current  soon  effects  a  separation;  the  lighter  portions  are  swept  on  in  advance,  and 
the  gold  remains  behind,  moving  slowly  forward  on  the  bottom  until  it  drops  down, 
between  the  cleats  or  bars.  The  larger  stoa.es  and  coarse  gravel  are  swept  on  by 


CALIFORNIA. 


483 


the  current,  and  after  traversing  the  whole  length  of  the  sluice,  are  thrown  out  at 
the  lower  end.  The  operation,  as  in  the  hydraulic  or  hose  process,  with  which  the 
sluice  is  always  combined,  is  a  continuous  one,  and  requires  comparatively  little 
labor  or  attention,  except  to  keep  the  sluice  from  clogging.  In  some  localities, 
where  the  depth  of  the  auriferous  gravel  and  overlying  clay  and  soil  is  not  great, 

water  may  be  used  to  as  great  ad 
vantage  in  the  sluice  as  under 
pressure.  It  has  this  advantage, 
that  the  auriferous  earth  may  be 
washed  as  high  up  as  the  source 
of  supply.  The  process  is  a  close 
imitation  of  the  operations  of  na 
ture  in  concentrating  gold  in  the 
deposits  along  the  streams." 

Quartz  mining  is  the  reduc 
tion  to  powder  of  the  vein 
stone,  which  contains  the 
gold,  which  is  extracted  from  the 
powder  by  means  of  water,  quick 
silver,  etc.  There  are  so  many 
practical  difficulties  in  the  way 
that  it  is  very  rarely  attended  with 
success,  as  the  expenses  eat  up 
the  profits,  the  gold  not  usually 
averaging  more  than  one  cent  in 
a  pound  of  rock.  The  quartz 
works  at  Allison's  llanche,  in 
Grass  Valley,  and  those  at  Fre 
mont's  llanche,  in  Bear  Valley, 
are  worked  to  great  profit.  Col. 
Fremont's  mines  produce  gold  to 
the  value  of  several  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  though  at  an  immense 
outlay  for  mills,  waterworks,  et<^  His  great  mine,  it  is  supposed,  contains  10  mil 
lions  of  dollars  worth  of  gold  above  the  water  level  of  the  Merced,  from  near 
which  it  rises  up  a  pyramid  of  gold-bearing  quartz,  inclosed  in  a  mountain  of 
slate. 


FREMONT'S  RAXCHE. 


Marysville,  the  chief  town  of  northern  California,  is  located  at  the  junc 
tion  of  the  Yuba  and  Feather  Rivers,  just  above  their  union  with  the  Sacra 
mento,  about  40  miles  north  of  Sacramento  City.  It  is  a  well  built  town, 
principally  of  brick,  and  at  the  head  of  navigation  in  the  direction  of  the 
northern  mines.  The  country  around  it  is  of  great  fertility,  and  the  town 
itself  rapidly  growing.  Population  about  16,000. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Marysville,  and  easterly,  toward  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  are  the  important  mining  towns  of  Nevada,  Grass  Valley,  Auburn, 
Placcrville,  Diamond,  Mera  Springs.  North  of  it,  near  the  north  line  of  the 
state,  are  the  little  thriving  towns  of  Shasta  City  and  Yreka,  the  former  de 
riving  its  name  from  Mount  Shasta,  in  its  vicinity,  at  the  head  of  Sacramento 
valley,  the  highest  mountain  in  California,  a  vast  cone  of  snow  rising  to  the 
hight  of  15,000  feet  into  the  blue  above. 

Stockton  disputes  with  Marysville  the  reputation  of  being  the  third  city  in 
importance  in  the  state:  and  is  the  depot  for  the  southern  mines.  It  is  sit 
uated  on  a  bayou  of  San  Joaquin,  at  the  head  of  regular  steamboat  naviga 
tion,  arid  is  48  miles  south  of  Sacramento  City,  and  by  water  125  miles  east 
of  San  Francisco.  The  channel  is  navigable  for  steamboats  and  vessels  of 


CALIFORNIA. 

400  tuns,  affording  at  all  seasons  ready  communication  with  the  Pacific,  and 
the  town  has  an  extensive  carrying  trade.  Here  is  the  State  Insane  Asylum, 
a  cabinet  of  natural  history,  and  an  Artesian  well  of  1,000  feet  in  depth. 
Stockton  has  some  fine  fruit  gardens,  and  the  foliage  of  these,  together  with 
an  abundance  of  wide  spreading  oaks,  gives  the  place  a  grateful  aspect. 
Population  about  16,000. 

Sonora,  the  most  important  mining  town  in  the  southern  mines,  lies  130 
miles  east  of  San  Francisco,  and  about  60  east  of  Stockton,  and  contains 
some  4,000  inhabitants.  North-westerly  from  it  are  the  mining  towns  of 
Mokelumne  Hill,  Columbia,  and  Murpheys.  At  the  former  is  a  noted  mining 
canal  of  40  miles  in  length.  Within  15  miles  of  the  latter,  86  from  Stock 
ton,  and  213  from  San  Francisco,  is  the  famous  "Mammoth  Tree  Grove.'1 
A  late  visitor  gives  this  description : 

-  The  "  Big  Tree  Grove  "  occupies  a  space  of  about  fifty  acres,  other  evergreen  treea 
being  interspersed  among  them.  The  ground  is  "claimed"  by  the  owners  of  the 
hotel,  to  whom  it  will  prove  a  pretty  fortune.  It  occupies  a  level  plateau  in  the 
Sierra  Mountains,  and  is  elevated  4,500  feet  above  tide  water.  The  mammoth  trees 
are  of  a  species  unknown  except  in  California. 

The  bark  is  very  porous,  so  that  it  is  used  for  pincushions.  It  is  on  some  of  the 
trees  nearly  two  feet  thick!  The  foliage  is  of  a  deep  green,  like  that  of  the  arbor 
vitse.  and  the  seeds  are  contained  in  a  small  cone.  The  wood  is  of  a  red  color,  like 
the  cedar,  and  somewhat  like  the  redwood  of  California.  Still  the  tree  differs  from 
all  these  essentially.  ]t  is  estimated  by  calculations  based  on  the  rings  or  layers 
which  indicate  the  annual  growth,  that  the  largest  of  these  trees  are  more  than 
three  thousand  years  old  !  A  correspondent  of  the  London  Times  made  one,  of  the 
wood  and  bark  of  which  he  had  a  specimen,  six  thousand  four  hundred  and  eight 
years  old.  They  are  no  doubt  "  the  oldest  inhabitants  "  of  the  state.  A  path  has 
been  made  through  the  grove,  leading  by  the  most  notable  specimens,  and  each  has 
been  named,  and  has  a  label  of  wood  or  tin  attached,  on  which  is  inscribed  its 
name  and  size.  In  several  cases,  beautiful  white^marble  tablets,  with  raised  let 
ters,  have  been  let  into  the  bark.  There  are,  in  all,  ninety  four  of  these  monster 
trees,  with  multitudes  of  others  from  a  foot  high  and  upward. 

Near  the  house  is  the  stump  of  a  tree  that  was  felled  in  1853  by  the  vandals. 
The  stump  is  seven  feet  high,  and  measures  in  diameter,  at  the  top,  thirty  feet.  1 
paced  it,  and  counted  thirty  paces  across  it.  A  canvas  house  has  been  erected  over 
and  around  it,  and  a  floor  laid  on  the  same  level  adjoining,  and  here  dances  are- 
often  had  upon  the  stump,  whose  top  has  been  smoothed  for  the  purpose.  Four 
quadrilles  have  been  performed  at  once  upon  it,  and  the  Alleghanians  once  gave  a 
concert  to  about  fifty  persons  here,  performers  and  audience  all  occupying  th(* 
stump.  A  portion  of  the  trunk  lies  on  the  ground,  divested  of  bark,  and  steps,, 
twenty-six  in  number,  have  been  erected,  as  nearly  perpendicular  as  possible,  by 
which  visitors  ascend  its  side  as  it  HQS  upon  the  ground.  The  vandals  had  a  hard 
job  when  they  cut  down  this  giant.  It  was  accomplished  by  boring  a  series  of 
holes  with  a  large  auger  to  the  center  and  completely  round  it,  the  holes  being  of 
course  fifteen  feet  deep  each.  Five  men  worked  steadily  for  25  days ;  and  then 
so  plumb  was  the  tree  that  it  would  not  fall.  After  trying  various  means  to  topple 
it  over,  at  length  they  cut  a  large  tree  near  it  so  that  it  should  fall  against  it,  but 
still  it  stood.  A  second  attempt  with  another  tree  was  successful,  and  it  was  forced 
over,  and  fell  with  a  crash  which  made  everything  tremble,  and  which  reverberated 
far  and  near  through  the  mountains  and  forests.  The  solid  trunk  snapped  in  sev 
eral  places  like  a  pipe-stem.  The  top  of  the  stump  is  as  large  as  the  space  length 
wise  between  the  walls  of  two  parlors,  with  folding  doors,  of  fifteen  feet  each. 
Imagine  the  side  walls  spread  apart  to  double  their  width,  and  then  the  stump 
would  fill  all  the  space  !  But  at  the  roots,  seven  feet  lower,  it  is  much  larger. 

"  Hercules"  is  the  largest  perfect  standing  tree,  and  it  has  been  computed  to 
contain  seven  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  feet  of  lumber,  or  enough  to  load 
a  large  clipper  ship.  It  leans  remarkably  toward  one  side,  so  that  the  top  is  from 


CALIFORNIA. 


485 


forty  to  fifty  feet  out  of  the  perpendicular.  It  should  have  been  named  "The 
Leaning  Tower."  It  is  thirty-three  feet  between  two  roots  that  enter  the  ground 
near  opposite  sides  of  the  trunk. 


Mammoth  Tree  Grove,  in  the  Valley  of  the  Calaveras. 

The  trees  are  evergreens  and  ninety -four  of  them  are  yet  standing,  many  of  which  rise  to.  more  Minn 
300  fcot  in  hight.  One,  which  ha«  blown  down,  measured  110  feet  in  circumference,  and  was  450  liii-h. 
Another,  which  had  fallen  and  is  hollow,  is  ridden  through  on  horseback  for  75  feet.  Some  of  tliem  are 
estimated  to  be  more  than  3,000  years  old.  The  bark  is  nearly  two  feet  thick,  and  being  porous  is  used  fur 
pincuehiotia. 

"The  Husband  and  Wife"  seem  very  affectionate,  leaning  toward  each  other  so 
that  their  tops  touch.  They  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  and  sixty  each  in 
circumference.  "The  Family  Group"  consists  of  two  very  large  trees,  the  father 
and  mother,  with  a  family  of  grownup  children,  twenty-four  in  number,  around 
them,  all  large  enough  to  be  of 'age  and  to  speak  for  themselves  !  The  father  blew 
down  many  years  ago,  having  become  feeble  from  old  age.  The  trunk  is  hollow  as 
it  lies  upon  the  ground,  and  would  accommodate  half  a  regiment  with  quarters. 


486  CALIFORNIA. 

The  circumference  is  one  hundred  and  ten  feet,  or  upward  of  thirty-three  diame 
ter!  Its  hight  was  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  as  great  as  that  of  the  dome  of  ISt. 
Peter's  at  Home!  Near  what  was  the  base  of  the  trunk,  and  within  the  cavitv, 
there  is  now  a  never-failing  pond  of  water,  fed  by  a  spring.  Nearly  half  the  trunk 
is  embedded  in  the  ground.  The  mother  still  stands  amid  her  children  and  little 
grandchildren.  She  327  feet  high,  91  feet  in  circumference — a  stately  old  dame  ! 

"  The  Horseback  Ride  "  is  an  old  hollow  tree  fallen  and  broken  in  two.  I  rode  through 
the  trunk  a  distance  of  75  feet  on  horseback,  with  a  good  sized  horse,  as  did  my  wife  also. 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  is  hollow  for  some  distance  above  the  base,  and  25  persons  can 
seat  themselves  in  the  space. 

"  The  Mother  of  the  Forest  "  is  90  feet  round,  and  328  feet  high.  To  the  hight  of  1 16 
feet  the  bark  has  been  taken  off 'by  some  speculators,  who  carried  it  in  section's  to  Paris, 
for  exhibition.  The  staging  on  which  they  worked  is  still  standing  around  the  trunk.  But 
so  immense  was  the  size  indicated,  that  the  Parisians  would  not  believe  i't  was  all  from 
one  tree,  and  charged  the  exhibitor  with  Yankee  trickery,  and  branded  the  whole  thing  a 
humbug,  and  as  the  result  he  lost  considerable  money  in  his  speculation.  The  tree  is  now 
dead. 

In  one  place  we  saw  a  small  part  of  the  trunk  of  what  was  an  enormous  tree,  which  had 
fallen  probably  centuries  ago,  and  become  imbedded  in  the  earth,  and  so  long  ago  did  this 
happen,  that  three  very  large  trees  had  grown  up  over  its  butt  so  as  to  inclose  it  with  their 
roots  completely.  It  was  ludicrous  to  see  as  we  did  in  one  place,  near  one  of  the  largest 


trees,  a  little  one,  about  two  feet  high,  growing  from  the  seed  of  the  large  one,  and  evi- 
igh  hopes  and  youthful  ambition  in  the  race  of  life.     What  a  job, 
thought  I,  has  that  little  fellow  before  him  to  work  himself  up  300  or  400  feet  to  reach  the 


dently  starting  with  high  hopes  and  youtl 


altitude  of  his  father  and  uncles  and  aunts.  But  we  bid  him  God  speed,  and  I  doubt  not, 
if  he  perseveres,  he  will  one  day  stand  as  proudly  erect  as  his  ancestors,  and  three  thous 
and  years  hence  he  will  be  an  object  of  as  great  curiosity  and  reverence  to  those  who  shall 
come  after  us  as  "Hercules"  is  now  to  us!  What  will  be  the  condition  and  popv.lation 
of  California  and  of  the  United  States  then? 

But,  seriously,  I  think  I  never  was  inspired  with  greater  awe  by  an  object  on  which  I 
looked,  than  I  felt  when  I  walked  about  among  these  noble  and  ancient  "  sons  of  the  for 
est,"  or  rather  patriarchs  of  the  wood.  To  think  that  I  stood  beside  and  looked  up  toward 
the  towering  heads,  of  trees  that  were  standing,  or  at  least  had  begun  their  growth,  wheu 
Solomon's  Temple  was  commenced;  that  were  more  than  a  thousand  years  old  when  tbe 
Savior  of  men  trod,  the  soil  of  Palestine;  were  ancients  at  the  period  of  the  Crusades! 
One  sees  in  Europe  old  castles,  and  looks  with  reverence  upon  them  as  he  thinks  of  their 
hoary  antiquity,  but  these  trees  were  between  o^ne  thousand  and  two  thousand  years  old 
when  the  foundations  of  the  oldest  building  now  standing  in  Europe  were  laid.  I  can 
think  of  but  one  thing  more  awe  inspiring,  and  that  is  the  group  of  Egyptian  pyramids. 

One  must  actually  look  upon  these  objects,  however,  to  realize  the  impression  they 
make.  He  must  study  their  proportions,  calculate  their  altitude, compare  them  with  other 
large  trees  or  lofty  objects,  and  he  must  do  this  repeatedly  before  he  can  take  in  the  idea. 
It  is  a  universal  remark  of  visitors  that  the  conception  of  the  reality  grows  upon  them 
every  time  they  examine  them,  and  that,  at  first  sight,  as  in  the  case  of  Niagara  Falls, 
there  is  a  feeling  of  disappointment. 

Seeds  have  been  sent  to  Europe,  and  scattered  over  our  Union,  and  trees  are  growing 
from  them  in  some  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  in  any  other  soil 
or  climate  than  that  of  California,  they  will  ever  make  such  a  growth  as  is  seen  here. 

One  thing  is  remarkable  about  these  trees,  viz:  that  although  of  such  an  immense  age, 
many  of  them,  yet  where  they  have  been  unmolested  by  man  and  unscathed  by  fire,  they 
still  seem  sound  to  the  core  and  vigorous,  the  foliage  is  bright  and  constantly  growing,  and 
one  can  not  sec  why  they  may  not  live  one  thousand  or  two  thousand  years  more.  The 
spot  where  thev  stand  is  beautiful.  "  We  enter  a  dell, "says  Dr.  Bushnell,"  quietly  lapped 
in  the  mountains,  where  the  majestic  vegetable  minarets  are  crowded,  as  in  some  city  of 
pilgrimage,  there  to  look  up,  for  the  first  time,  in  silent  awe  of  the  mere  life  principle." 
There  is  another  grove  as  remarkable  in  Mariposa  county,  and  smaller  collections  of  the 
same  species  elsewhere,  but  they  are  not  common  all  over  the  state. 

Dr.  Bushneli's  theory  of  the  enormous  growths  of  California,  is  that  the  secret  lie?  in 
;hose  tilings — "  First,  a  soil  too  deep  and  rich  for  any  growth  to  measure  it;  second,  a 
natural  under-supply  of  water  or  artificial  irrigation;  next,  the  settings  of  fruit  are  limited. 
And  then,  as  no  time  is  lost  in  cloudings  and  rain,  and  the  sun  drives  on  his  work  unim 
peded,  month  by  month,  the  growth  is  pushed  to  its  utmost  limit.  But  these  [enormous 
occasional  specimens]  are  freaky  or  extravagances  of  nature — only  such  as  can  be  equaled 
nowhere  else.  The  big  trees  depend,  in  part,  on  these  same  contingencies,  and  partly  on 
the  remarkable  longevity  of  their  species.  A  tree  that  is  watered  without  rain,  having  a 


CALIFORNIA.  437 

deep  vegetable  mold  in  which  to  stand,  and  not  so  much  as  one  hour's  umbrella  of  cloud 
to  fence  off  the  sun  for  the  whole  warm  season,  and  a  capacity  to  live  withal  for  two 
thousand  years  or  more,  may  as  well  grow  three  hundred  and  fifty  or  four  hundred  feet 
high  and  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter,  and  show  the  very  center  point  or  pith  still  sound 
at  the  age  of  thirteen  hundred  [or  three  thousand]  years,  as  to  make  any  smaller  figure." 


Coultcrsmlle  and  Mariposa  are  mining  towns,  south-easterly  from  Stockton. 
Near  Mariposa  is  Fremont's  Vein,  and  45  miles  east  of  Coultersville  is  the 
celebrated  "Valley  of  the  Yo-hamite,"  which  is  pronounced  by  travelers  one 
of  the  greatest  of  curiosities.  It  is  a  vast  gorge  in  the  Sierra,  through  which 
flows  the  Merced,  a  beautiful  crystal  stream,  which  rises  high  up  in  the 
mountains. 

....  "Picture  to  yourself  a  perpendicular  wall  of  bare  granite  nearly  or 
quite  a  mile  high  !  Yet  there  are  some  dozen  or  score  of  peaks  in  all,  ranging 
from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  above  the  valley,  and  a  biscuit  tossed  from  any  of  them 
would  strike  very  near  its  base,  and  its  fragments  go  bounding  and  falling  still 
further  .....  No  single  wonder  of  Nature  on  earth  can  claim  a  superiority 
Over  the  Yo  hamite.  Just  dream,  yourself  for  one*hour  in  a  chasm  nearly  ten 
tailes  long,  with  egress  for  birds  and  water  out  at  either  extremity,  and  none  else 
where  save  at  these  points,  up  the  face  of  precipices  from  3,000  to  4,000  feet  high, 
•he  chasm  scarcely  more  than  a  mile  wide  at  any  point,  and  tapering  to  a  mere 
^orge  or  canon  at  either  end,  with  walls  of  mainly  naked  and  perpendicular  white 
granite,  from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  high,  so  that  looking  up  to  the  sky  from  it  is  like 
looking  out  of  an  unfathomable  profound  —  and  you  wall  have  some  conception  of 
the  Yo-hamite." 

The  highest  known  cataract  on  the  globe  is  in  this  valley,  the  Yo-hamite  Fall, 
which  tumbles  over  a  perpendicular  ledge,  1,800  feet  at  one  plunge,  then  taking  a 
second  plunge  of  400,  ends  by  a  third  leap  of  600,  making  in  ail  2,800  feet,  or  over 
half  a  mile  in  descent  The  stream  being  small  looks,  in  the  distance,  more  like 
a  white  ribbon  than  a  cascade.  The  Merced  enters  the  valley  by  more  imposing 
cataracts  of  nearly  1,000  feet  fall.  How  many  other  wonders  exist  in  this  strange 
locality  remains  for  farther  exploration  to  unfold.  u  The  valley  varies  from  a  quar 
ter  to  a  mile  in  width,  the  bottom  level  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of 
vegetation,  grass  interspersed  with  beautiful  flowers,  and  the  finest  of  pines  and 
evergreen  shrubs,  and  the  pure,  clear,  sparkling  Merced  River  winding  its  ways, 
x  at  its  own  sweet  will,1  through  the  midst  With  its  two  points  of  egress  guarded, 
no  human  being,  once  placed  here  within  its  rocky  mountain  walls,  could  ever  hope 
to  escape." 

Beside  the  mountain  ranges,  with  their  summits  clad  with  everlasting 
snow,  and  the  beautiful  scenery  rendered  more  attractive  by  the  wonderful 
purity  of  the  atmosphere,  California  possesses  many  natural  curiosities, 
among  which  are  "The  Geysers,"  or  hot  sulphur  springs,  of  Napa  county, 
and  the  "natural  bridges,"  of  Calaveras. 

"The  Geysers  are  from.  one  to  nine  feet  in  diameter,  and  constantly  in  a  boiling 
state,  ejecting  water  to  bights  of  10  to  15  feet  Hundreds  of  fissures  in  the  side 
of  the  mountain  emit  strong  currents  of  heated  gas,  with  a  noise  resembling  thafc 
of  vapor  escaping  from  ocean  steamers.  We  condense  the  following  from  Silli- 
man's  Journal,  of  Nov.,  1851,  by  Professor  Forest  Shepard  :  l  From  a  high  peak  we 
saw  oa  the  W.  the  Pacific,  on  the  S.  Mount  Diablo  and  San  Francisco  Bay,  on  the 
R  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  on  the  N.  opened  at  our  feet  an  immense  chasm,  from 
which,  at  the  distance  of  four  or  five  miles,  we  distinctly  saw  dense  columns  of 
steam  rising.  Descending,  we  discovered  within  half  a  mile  square  from  100  to 
200  openings,  whence  issued  dense  columns  of  vapor,  to  the  hight  of  from  150  to 
200  feet,  accompanied  by  a  roar  which  could  be  heard  for  a  mile  or  more.  Many 
acted  spasmodically,  throwing  up  jets  of  hot,  scalding  water  to  the  hight  of  20  or 
30  feet  Beneath  your  footsteps  you  hear  the  lashing  and  foaming  gyrations;  and 
on  cutting  through  the  surface,  are  disclosed  streams  of  angry,  "boiling  water.' 


488  CALIFORNIA. 

Near  Vallecita,  on  Cayote  creek,  in  Calaveras  county,  is  a  "striking  display  of 
volcanic  action,  in  the  shape  of  what  are  called  the  natural  bridges :  two  immense 
arches,  thrown  over  the  above-named  creek,  and  covered  with  imitations  of  clus 
ters  of  fruits  and  flowers,  doubtless  formed  when  the  mass  was  first  upheaved  in 
a  molten  state.  In  the  same  vicinity  is  'Cayote  Cave,'  a  deep,  semicircular  chasm, 
entered  by  a  perpendicular  descent  of  100  feet,  aud  thsn  proceeding  by  a  gradual 
slope  till  it  reaches  a  depth  of  nearly  200  feet  below  the  surface,  where  you  come 
to  a  chamber  called  "The  Cathedral,"  from  its  containing  two  stones  resembling 
bells,  which,  when  struck,  produce  a  chiming  sound.  Proceeding  100  feet  farther, 
always  on  the  descent,  a  lake  is  reached  of  great  depth,  and  apparently  covering 
many  acres ;  but  the  exploration  has  not  yet  been  carried  beyond  this  point.  The 
roof  of  the  cave  is  studded  with  stalactites,  assuming  various  fantastic  forms." 

Benecia  is  30  miles  from  San  Francisco,  on  the  Straits  of  Carquinez. 
Vessels  of  the  largest  class  can  reach  this  point,  and  here  the  steamers  of 
the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Line  are  refitted.  Vallejo  is  a  few  miles  nearer 
San  Francisco,  on  the  north  side  of  the  same  straits.  Benecia,  Vallejo  and 
San  Jose  have  been  by  turns  the  seat  of  government  of  California.  San 
Jose  is  at  the  head  of  the  San  Francisco  Bay,  some  50  miles  from  San  Fran 
cisco.  It  is  at  the  entrance  of  a  most  beautiful  and  fertile  valley,  and  was 
long  the  headquarters  of  the  native  Californians.  many  of  whom  owned  im 
mense  estates  and  herds  of  wild  cattle.  The  celebrated  New  Almaden  quick 
silver  mine  is  12  miles  south  of  the  town. 

On  the  Pacific  coast,south  of  San  Francisco,  the  first  important  place  is 
Monterey,  90  miles  distant.  It  was,  under  Mexican  rule,  the  principal  com 
mercial  point  in,  and  capital  of  California.  Next  in  order  on  the  coast  are 
Santa  Barbara,  Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego,  the  latter  490  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  the  southernmost  port  in  the  state,  and  the  termination  of  the 
branch  from  Texas  of  the  overland  mail  route.  In  the  rear  of  Los  An 
geles,  at  the  distance  of  80  miles  inland,  the  snow-capped  peak  of  Mount 
St.  Bernardino  is  seen.  It  marks  the  site  of  the  beautiful  valley  in  which 
is  the  Mormon  settlement  of  Bernardino. 

On  the  Pacific  coast,  north  of  San  Francisco,  the  points  of  interest  are 
Humboldt  City,  Trinidad,  Klamatli,  and  Crescent  City.  The  latter  is  the 
sea-port  of  the  south  part  of  Oregon,  being  distant  only  a  few  miles  from 
the  southern  boundary  line  of  that  state. 

Fort  Yuma  is  at  the  south-eastern  angle  of  the  state,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Colorado  and  Gila  Rivers.  It  was  built  about  the  year  1851,  by  Major 
S.  P.  Heintzelman,  U.S.A. 


NEVADA. 

NEVADA  was  formed  into  a  territory  in  February,  1861,  and  was 
taken  from  Western  Utah.  It  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  State 
in  October,  1864.  Estimated  area  eighty  thousand  square  miles.  The 
eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains,  inclusive  of  the  famous 
Carson  Valley,  is  within  it.  Originally  it  was  called  Washoe,  from 
Mt.  Washoe,  a  peak  over  nine  thousand  feet  high,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Virginia  City. 

Lying  along  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  rang^  the 
country  has  a  very  different  climate  from  that  of  California.  "The 
gigantic  wall  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  on  the  California  side,  receives  the 
hot  winds  that  blow  from  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  fall  there  in  rain 
and  snow,  leaving  the  opposite  or  eastern  declivity  exposed  to  droughts 
and  freezing  blasts.  Consequently  you  may  find,  at  the  same  time, 
in  the  same  latitude,  and  at  the  same  hight,  mildness  of  climate,  fer 
tility,  vegetable  riches,  in  fact,  summer  rejoicing  on  one  side,  while 
sterrility,  cold  and  winter  exist,  with  more  or  less  intensity,  on  the 
opposite  slope  of  these  mountains,  whose  sublime  beauty  is  perhaps 
unequaled  throughout  the  world." 

With  the  exception  of  Carson  valley  and  a  few  small  valleys,  the  whole  country 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  north,  south  and  east,  is,  like  most  mineral  regions,  a  bar 
ren  desert,  and  of  no  value  but  for  its  minerals.  There  is  a  great  scarcity  of 
wood  and  water.  Aside  from  the  timber  on  the  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range, 
the  only  wood  of  the  country  is  a  species  of  scrub  pine,  fit  only  for  fuel  and  to 
feed  the  Pi-Ute  Indians,  for  it  bears  very  nutritious  nuts,  which  constitutes  their 
principal  staple  article  of  food.  This  nut  pine  makes  excellent  fuel  for  steam 
works,  being  exceedingly  hard  and  full  of  pitch.  The  whole  face  of  the  country 
is  mostly  covered  with  sage  brush,  like  garden  sage.  Greasewood,  another  shrub, 
is  also  common. 

Carson  Valley  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  Greeley,  who  was  here  in 
1859,  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  he  had  ever  seen.  He  said: 

This  valley,  originally  a  grand  meadow,  the  home  of  the  deer  and  the  antelope, 
is  nearly  inclosed  by  high  mountains,  down  which,  especially  from  the  north  and 
west,  come  innumerable  rivulets,  leaping  and  dancing  on  their  way  to  join  the 
Car.son.  Easily  arrested  and  controlled,  because  of  the  extreme  shallowness  of 
their  beds,  these  streams  have  been  made  to  irrigate  a  large  portion  of  the  upper 
valley,  producing  an  abundance  of  the  sweetest  grass,  and  insuring  bounteous 
harvests  also  of  vegetables,  barley,  oats,  etc.  Wheat  seems  to  do  fairly  here ;  corn 

489   ' 


490  NEVADA. 

not  so  well;  in  fact,  the  nights  are  too  cold  for  it  if  the  water  were  not.  For  this 
spring  water,  leaping  suddenly  down  from  its  mountain  sources,  is  too  cold,  too 
pure,  to  be  well  adapted  to  irrigation ;  could  it  be  held  back  even  a  week,  and  ex 
posed  in  shallow  ponds  or  basins  to  the  hot  sunshine,  it  would  be  vastly  more  use 
ful.  When  the  whole  river  shall  have  been  made  available,  twenty  to  forty  miles 
below,  it  will  prove  far  more  nutritious  and  fertilizing. 

If  the  new  gold  mines  in  this  valley  shall  ultimately  justify  their  present  prom 
ise,  a  very  large  demand  for  vegetable  food  will  speedily  spring  up,  here,  which 
can  only  be  satisfied  by  domestic  production.  The  vast  deserts  eastward  can  not 
meet  it,  the  arable  region  about  Salt  Lake  is  at  once  too  restricted  and  too  distant; 
inland  California  is  a  dear  country,  and  the  transportation  of  bulky  staples  over 
the  Sierra  a  costly  operation.  The  time  will  ultimately  come — it  may  or  may  not 
be  in  our  day — when  two  or  three  great  dams  over  the  Carson  will  render  the 
irrigation  of  these  broad,  arid  plains  on  its  banks  perfectly  feasible;  and  then 
this  will  be  one  of  the  most  productive  regions  on  earth.  The  vegetable  food  of 
one  million  people  can  easily  be  grown  here,  while  their  cattle  may  be  reared  and 
fed  in  the  mountain  vales  north  and  south  of  this  valley.  And  when  the  best 
works  shall  have  been  constructed,  and  all  the  lights  of  science  and  experience 
brought  to  bear  on  the  subject,  it  will  be  found  that  nearly  everything  that  con 
tributes  to  human  or  brute  sustenance  can  be  grown  actually  cheaper  by  the  aid 
of  irrigation  than  without  it.  As  yet  we  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  application 
of  water  to  land  and  crops,  and  our  ignorance  causes  deplorable  waste  and  blun 
dering.  Every  year  henceforth  will  make  us  wiser  on  this  head. 

Previous  to  the  discovery  of  the  Washoe  silver  mines,  in  the  sum 
mer  of  1859,  there  were  not  one  thousand  white  inhabitants  in  all  of 
Nevada.  Virginia  City  at  once  sprung  up  at  that  point,  which  is 
ahoiil  two  hundred  miles  easterly,  in  an  air  line  from  San  Francisco. 
The  circumstances,  as  told  of  its  discovery,  are  somewhat  romantic : 

"  The  Washoe  silver  mines  were  first  discovered  by  Mr.  Patrick  McLaughlin, 
an  '  honest  miner,'  who  was  working  for  gold  in  a  gulch  or  ravine,  and  where  he 
was  making  $100  a  day  to  the  hand.  As  he  and  his  companions  followed  up  the 
gulch,  it  paid  even  better,  until,  on  arriving  at  a  certain  point,  it  gave  out  alto 
gether,  and  they  struck  a  vein  of  pure  sulphuret  of  silver,  which' they  at  first  sup 
posed  to  be  coal,  but  observing  that  it  was  very  heavy,  they  concluded  it  must  be 
valuable,  and  sent  one  of  their  number  to  San  Francisco  with  some  of  the  black 
ore  to  ascertain  its  value.  It  was  given  to  a  Mr.  Killaley,  an  old  Mexican  miner, 
to  assay.  Killaley  took  the  ore  home  and  assayed  it.  The  result  was  so  astound 
ing  that  the  old  man  got  terribly  excited.  The  next  morning  poor  Killaley  was 
found  dead  in  his  bed.  He  had  lon£  been  in  bad  health,  and  the  excitement 
killed  him. 

Immediate  search  was  made  for  the  original  deposit,  which  resulted  in  the 
since  famous  Comstock  lode.  Where  first  found,  this  lode  has  no  outcropping  or 
other  indication  to  denote  its  presence.  The  first  assay  of  the  rock  taken  from 
the  lode  when  first  struck  gave  a  return  of  $265  of  gold  and  silver,  there  being  a 
larger  proportion  of  gold  than  silver.  Subsequent  assays  of  ore  taken  from  the 
vein,  as  it  was  sunk  upon,  showed  a  rapid  increase  in  richness,  until  the  enormous 
return  was  made  of  $7,000  to  the  tun— $4,000  in  gold  and  $3,000  in  silver.  Still 
later  assays  of  choice  pieces  of  ore  have  given  a  return  of  $15,000  to  the  tun."  In 
this  case  these  ounce  assays  did  not  mislead,  but  a  vast  difference  is  to  be  observed 
between  rich  ore  and  a  rich  mine.  A  poor  mine  often  yields  specimens  of  rich 
ore,  which,  through  the  ounce  assay,  serves  but  to  delude.  The  "true  test  of  the 
value  of  a  silver  mine  is  the  quantity  of  the  ore,  and  the  average  yield  of  the  Gro 
in  bulk  after  the  establishment  of  reduction  works. 

The  changes  that  grew  from  this  discovery  almost  vied  in  the  won 
derful  with  the  transformations  of  Aladdin  and  his  lamp.  The  next 
year  Virginia  City  contained  over  one  thousand  houses,  of  brick,  stono 
and  cloth,  and  a  population  of  four  thousand.  In  1864,  Virginia  City, 


NEVADA.  491 

next  to  San  Francisco,  had  become  the  largest  arid  most  important 
city  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  Nevada  was  a  State  of  the  American 
Union,  with  an  estimated  population  of  sixty  thousand.  Her  esti 
mated  mineral  production  that  year  was  $30,000,000.  Her  patriotism 
was  illustrated  by  her  sending  to  the  Sanitary  Commission  silver  bricks 
to  the  value  of  $51,500.  This  she  could  afford,  for  a  single  one  of 
her  silver  mines,  the  Gould  &  Curry,  upon  the  Comstock  lode,  in  1864 
produced  $5,000,000  in  silver,  and  netted  her  stockholders  the  enor 
mous  amount  of  one  million  and  four  hundred  and  forty  thousand 
dollars!  A  citizen,  at  the  beginning  of  1865,  gives  this  glowing 
description  of  his  town,  which  then  contained  a  population  of  twen 
ty-five  thousand,  American,  Mexican,  European  and  Chinamen: 

Virginia  City  is  situated  on  the  eastern  slope  of  Mount  Davidson, 
the  site  being  a  sort  of  shelving  tract  of  table-land,  is  six  thousand  two 
hundred  and  five  feet  above  the  level  of  sea,  being  among  the  highest 
cities  on  the  globe.  When  a  stranger  arrives  in  Virginia  City,  and 
observes  a  city  containing  a  population  of  twenty-five  thousand  peo 
ple  of  both  sexes,  long  blocks  and  squares  of  brick  and  granite  struc 
tures  with  whole  ranges  of  frame  buildings,  and  ascertains  further 
that  immense  sums  are  daily  being  paid  for  real  estate,  he  naturally 
wonders  whether  growth  in  this  ratio  is  likely  to  continue,  and  if  so, 
whether  the  mines  of  Nevada  will  be  sufficient  ultimately  to  pay  for 
it  all.  But  if  he  steps  into  the  leading  banking  houses  in  the  city, 
and  takes  a  view  of  the  silver  "bricks"  generally  to  be  seen  there,  he 
begins  to  imagine  there  is  something  tangible  in  Washoe  after  all. 
And  if  he  will  next  ascertain  how  many  quartz-mills  are  running  in 
the  vicinity  of  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill  and  Silver  City,  and  .how 
much  bullion  each  returns  on  an  average  weekly,  he' will  unquestion 
ably  be  led  to  the  conclusion — which  others  have  come  to  before  him — 
that  the  rapid  growth  of  Virginia  City  is  only  the  outward  evidence 
of  a  profitable  development  of  the  mines. 

The  streets  are  Macadamized,  well  lit  with  gas,  water  introduced 
through  pipes,  and  it  boasts  of  three  theaters,  devoted  to  dramatic  en 
tertainments,  an  opera-house,  which  seats  in  its  auditorium  some  two 
thousand  people,  and  where  Italian  and  other  operas  of  the  best  com 
posers  are  produced  by  artists  equal  to  any  which  appear  before  the 
audiences  of  much  older  communities.  The  large  amount  of  wealth 
which  the  earth  so  bountifully  produces  enables  the  population  of  the 
State  to  provide  themselves  with  every  comfort  and  luxury  of  civilized 
life.  Stores  of  every  character,  well  supplied  with  merchandise  of  all 
descriptions,  hotels,  and  fine  market-houses,  filled  with  an  abundance 
of  game,  meats  and  vegetables,  attract  the  eye  on  every  side.  The 
churches  of  various  denominations,  and  school-houses,  attended  daily 
by  nearly  a  thousand  children,  will  compare  favorably  with  those  in 
the  Atlantic  States.  An  excellent  volunteer  fire  department,  police 
force,  and  the  working  of  a  good  municipal  government,  are  no  less 
attractive  features  of  the  new  city  which  has  so  suddenly  sprung  into 
existence  within  the  short  space  of  five  years.  The  country  around 
is  cut  up  with  mines,  mills,  farms  and  gardens,  while  in  every  section 
the  topography  is  dotted  with  smiling  villages,  and  even  palatial 
private  residences  give  unmistakable  indications  of  the  thrift  and 
wonderful  enterprise  of  its  hardy  and  industrious  population.  There 


NEVADA. 

has  been  no  difficulty  as  yet  experienced  in  obtaining  labor  for  mining 
operations.  The  supply  is  fully  equal  to  the  demand  at  any  and  all 
times.  Good  mining  hands  receive  usually  four  dollars  per  diem, 
while  the  tariff  of  prices  for  ordinary  laboring  men  is  fixed  at  from 
three  to  three  and  a  half  dollars  per  day,  payable  in  gold ;  amalga 
mators  and  engineers  of  mills  receive  from  five  to  eight  dollars. 
Wood  for  milling  and  hoisting  purposes  is  worth  twelve  dollars,  in 
summer,  a  cord,  and  fifteen  in  winter.  Lumber  for  "timbering"  and 
"shoring"  up  mines,  and  building  purposes,  may  be  obtained  at  from 
forty  to  fifty  dollars  per  thousand  feet,  in  any  quantity  that  may  be 
desired  for  all  practical  purposes.  Fresh  meats  of  the  best  quality 
can  be  had  from  twelve  to  eighteen  cents  a  pound;  butter,  milk,  eggs, 
cheese  and  fruits  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds  raised  in  the  State,  are 
as  reasonable  in  price  as  the  same  may  be  procured  in  the  city  of 
New  York  on  a  specie-paying  basis. 

The  elevation  of  Virginia  City,  on  the  east  slope  of  Mount  David 
son,  is  about  six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  There  are 
no  extremes  of  heat  or  cold  experienced  at  any  season  of  the  year ; 
but  for  the  reason  that  the  air  at  this  elevation  becomes  rarefied, 
many  people  at  first  find  some  difficulty  in  breathing  as  freely  as  they 
could  in  a  lower  atmosphere.  Persons  afflicted  with  asthmatic  and 
lung  complaints  find  great  relief  in  inhaling  the  rarefied  air  of.Mount 
Davidson.  In  the  valleys,  however,  where  the  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  is  more  moderate,  the  objections  raised  by  some  to  the 
former  locality  for  a  place  of  residence  is  entirely  overcome.  The 
best  test  of  the  general  healthiness  of  the  climate  is  to  be  found  in  the 
fact  that  there  are  few  deaths  in  proportion  to  the  population,  and 
that  'the  climate  does  not  impair  the  energy  of  settlers,  is  proved  by 
the  enterprise  and  activity  which  in  Virginia  City  is  evident  on  all 
sides,  and  in  the  rosy,  blooming  complexions  of  the  people  we  meet 
on  every  hand. 

A  late  visitor  in  Nevada  gives  us  a  picture  of  the  appearance  of 
things  in  Virginia  City  and  the  adjacent  silver-producing  towns 
which  he  approached  from  California,  passing  through  Carson  City: 

Carson  City,  in  1858,  was  a  place  where  the  emigrant  from  the  Eastern  States, 
on  the  road  to  California,  stopped"  to  recruit  himself  and  cattle  for  a  start  over  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  Carson  City  of  ]864  is  quite  a  large  and  important  place.  It  has 
a  large  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  {State,  has  the  finest  site  for  a  town  in  the 
whole  territory,  and  is  at  present  the  capital.  A  large  quary  of  stone  having 
been  discovered  by  Abraham  Curry,  the  place  now  boasts  of  splendid  stores, 
court-houses  and  dwellings,  built  of  this  stone;  fine  hotels,  family  mansions, 
beautiful  cottages,  and,  indeed,  a  place  for  Nevada  to  be  proud  of.  It  stands  four 
thousand  six  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  has  a  fine  cli 
mate,  and  the  best  water  of  any  place  in  Nevada. 

Let  us  jog  on  toward  Virginia  City,  seventeen  miles  distant.  We  first  reach 
Curry's  warm  spring,  two  miles  east  from  the  town.  This  is  a  great  resort  for 
drinking  the  water  and  bathing;  it  possesses  great  medicinal  qualities.  Here  is 
the  great  territorial  prison,  an  immense  stone  edifice.  It  was  built  for  strength, 
although  only  for  Curry's  own  house.  The  prisoners  work  in  the  quary,  which 
is  in  the  yard  adjoining.  A  railroad  connects  the  prison  with  Carson  City,  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  stone. 

We  now  start  for  Empire  City  (or  Dutch  Nicks),  called  after  an  old  settler  in 
1860.  It  originally  contained  but  two  houses;  now  fine  mills  are  erected  for  saw 
ing  lumber  and  crushing  quartz — the  Mexican  mill,  a  most  extensive  affair,  grind- 


NEVADA.  493 

ing  the  rock  from  their  claim  in  Virginia  City.  Here  you  hear,  for  the  first  time 
in  the  Territory,  the  ponderous  stamps  going  day  and  night.  Teams  are  going 
continually  to  the  mine  for  rock  to  be  crushed  and  the  precious  metals  extracted. 
The  Winters,  Aitchenson  and  Mead  mills,  and  others,  are  here,  and  it  is  now  quite 
a  place  of  importance ;  it  is  situated  on  Carson  river,  north-east  from  Curry's.  In 
a  northerly  direction,  you  pass  over  a  fine  road,  to  the  half-way  house  toward 
Silver  City,  through  Spring  Valley,  and  begin  to  ascend  what  is  called  the  back 
bone  of  the  range,  on  which  the  Comstock  lode  is  found.  A  fine  road  has  been 
finished  all  the  way.  You  pass  by  the  Daney  Company's  lode,  and  continue 
alcng  till  you  come  to  the  Canon,  on  which  road  we  will  pass  the  mills  at  work — 
Gold  Canon  being  the  one  that  drains  Silver  City,  American  Flat  and  Gold  Hill. 
The  Canon  is  full  of  mills,  crushing  the  quartz  from  all  the  above  places.  The 
great  want  here  is  water;  but  that  is  being  supplied  in  greater  abundance,  as  the 
Gold  Hill  and  Virginia  Tunnel  Company  drain  the  mines.  On  it  is  located  Silver 
City,  about  half  way  between  Virginia  City  and  Dayton,  on  the  Carson  river. 
Silver  City  is  almost  entirely  dependent  on  the  surrounding  country  for  her  sup 
port.  Some  of  the  finest  mills  in  the  country  lie  within  her  limits.  Having  a 
great  abundance  of  granite  and  other  building  material,  fine  blocks  of  buildings 
have  been  erected,  fire-proof,  and  very  substantial;  the  private  residences  are 
tasty,  and  many  are  adorned  by  both  fruit  and  shade  trees.  All  along  the  Canon, 
to  Devil's  Gate,  are  mills  at  work  on  quartz  from  the  various  districts  around. 
French's  mill,  situate  in  American  Ravine,  in  Silver  City,  was  built  in  1860 — size 
of  building,  ninety  by  seventy-five  feet.  It  has  twenty  stamps  and  sixteen  pans, 
with  an  engine  of  sixty-horse  power,  and  reduces  twenty  to  thirty  tuns  of  rock 
per  day.  There  are  a  great  many  mills  in  this  vicinity  doing  well,  and  a  hundred 
others  could  have  plenty  of  employment.  To  a  person  who  never  saw  a  quartz 
mill  at  work,  he  can  have  no  idea  of  the  noise  and  clatter  it  makes;  the  deafen 
ing  sound,  compelling  great  exertion  to  be  heard;  and  I  assure  you  a  person 
r\eeds  all  his  breath  here,  for  the  rarefied  air  makes  breathing  pretty  difficult. 

Well,  save  your  breath,  and  let  us  walk  on  to  American  City — American  Flat — 
a  flourishing  place,  only  a  few  rnorfths  old,  boasting  of  churches  and  hotels. 
Kesidences  have  been  erected  as  if  by  magic.  Among  the  hills,  west  of  Ameri 
can  Flat,  there  is  a  beautiful  cave  of  alabaster,  from  the  roof  of  which,  when 
first  discovered,  hung  long  pendent  stalactites  of  snowy  whiteness  and  rare  beauty, 
which  visitors  have,  from  time  to  time  carried  away.  The  alabaster  in  this  cave 
is  so  soft  that  it  can  be  cut  with  a  pen-knife. 

A  short  time  ago  it  was  predicted  that  the  improvements  would  be  such  in  this 
region,  that  there  would  be  a  street  lined  with  buildings  for  a  distance  of  nearly 
eight  miles.  There  is  now  no  complete  or  dividing  space  between  Virginia  and 
Gold  Hill,  American  and  Silver  City  ;  and  the  rapidity  with  which  the  intervening 
spaces  have  been,  built  up  is  truly  astonishing.  These  facts  are  remarkably  strong 
in  support  of  the  opinion  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  main  street  of 
Virginia  City  will  present  a  continuous  double  row  of  buildings  from  the  north 
end  of  the  city  to  Dayton.  The  next  place  we  reach  is  Gold  Hill  in  the  Canon. 

Gold  Hill  is  emphatically  a  mining  town.  The  ground  underneath  Virginia 
City  is  honey-combed  by  tunnels,  drifts  and  excavations,  which  extend  in  every 
direction.  But  still  there  is  little  to  be  seen  above  the  surface  to  give  a  stranger 
any  idea  of  what  is  going  on  below.  The  streets  and  houses  present  the  same 
appearance  as  the  streets  and  houses  of  any  other  city,  and  it  is  only  in  a  few 
localities  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  as  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ophir  or  Mexican 
lodes,  that  evidences  of  mining,  carried  on  to  any  great  extent,  are  to  be  seen. 

But  Gold  Hill  presents  a  far  different  aspect.  All  along  the  east  side  of  the 
town  huge  piles  of  dirt,  debris  and  pulverized  quartz  are  visible,  which  have  been 
raised  out  of  the  mines  and  left  upon  the  ground,  while  the  more  valuable  rock 
has  been  taken  to  the  mill  for  crushing.  In  the  hoisting-houses  erected  over  the 
shafts,  machinery  is  in  constant  operation  night  and  day,  the  screaming  of  steam 
whistles  is  heard,  and  successive  car-loads  of  ore  are  run  over  railroads  upon 
trestle-work,  and  sent  down  long,  narrow  shutes  into  wagons  below,  with  a  noise 
perfectly  deafening.  Leaving  there,  and  passing  through  the  town,  the  ears  of 
the  visitor  are  everywhere  assailed  by  the  thunder  of  stamps  crushing  in  the 


491  NEVADA. 

mills,  and  the  clatter  of  machinery,  until  one  would  fain  believe  himself  in  a 
large  manufacturing  village  in  the  New  England  States.  The  quartz  teams  you 
see  in  Virginia  City  have  tripled  in  number,  and  in  places  the  streets  are  jammed 
with  them,  carrying  loads  of  rich  ore  to  the  mills  at  Devil's  Gate,  Silver  City  and 
Carson  liiver.  As  night  draws  on,  and  a  shift  of  hands  takes  place,  the  work 
men,  who,  for  a  number  of  hours,  have  been  many  hundred  feet  under  ground, 
timbering  up  drifts,  or  tearing  down  masses  of  glittering  quartz,  which  compose 
the  ledge,  appear,  and  their  conversation  is  utterly  unintelligible  to  a  stranger  un 
acquainted  with  the  locality  and  condition  of  the  different  claims.  Remarks  con 
cerning  the  Sandy  Bowers,  the  Pluto,  Uncle  Sam,  or  Bullion,  are  Chinese  to  him; 
and  he  learns  their  position  and  character  as  he  would  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  streets  and  buildings  of  a  strange  city.  If  Gold  Hill  presents  a  singular 
aspect  in  the  day-time,  its  appearance  from  the  Divide  at  midnight  is  absolutely 
startling.  Work  at  the  mines,  in  the  hoisting-houses  and  quartz-mills,  is  carried 
on  without  intermission  or  cessation;  and  the  flashing  of  lights,  the  noise  of 
steam  engines  arid  machinery,  contrasted  witli  the  silence  and  gloom  of  the  sur 
rounding  mountains,  make  up  a  strange  and  almost  unearthly  picture,  and  puts 
him  in  mind  of  what  he  has  read  of  the  residence  of  the  "Gentleman  in  Black." 

The  mines  in  Gold  Hill  proper  are  said  to  be  very  rich.  We  visited  some  of 
them,  and  were  surprised  at  the  extent  of  the  work  done.  Everything  here  looks 
as  if  fortunes  had  been  spent,  but  the  rich  returns  have  warranted  the  outlay. 
Here  we  found  banking-houses,  refiners,  assayers,  and  every  business  connected 
with  mining;  every  one  attending  to  his  own  business.  We  will  now  go  up  the 
Divide,  between  Gold  Hill  and  Virginia  City. 

Virginia  City,  as  you  see  it,  coming  over  the  Divide,  has  a  strange  look,  and 
you  are  quite  startled  at  the  view  before  you.  You  are  at  once  astonished  at  the 
size  and  importance  of  the  City  of  the  Hills,  a  place  but  of  yesterday;  now  sec 
ond  only  to  San  Francisco  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Virginia  City  only  differs  from  the  towns  you  have  passed  through,  because^ it 
is  so  much  larger.  It  is  built  at  the  foot,  or  rather  on  the  side,  of  Mount  David 
son.  All  the  principal  mines  are  inside  the  city  limits.  The  Gould  &  Curry 
tunnel  is  in  the  very  center  of  the  city  (see  Evans'  Map  of  Virginia  City  Mines), 
although  its  mill  is  two  miles  away.  The  city,  which  lies  on  the  side  of  Mount 
Davidson,  is  one  mass  of  excavations  and  tunnels.  There  is  a  bluish  .earth, 
which  is  obtained  from  the  mines,  and  this  is  dumped  at  the  mouth  of  the  tun 
nels,  so  that  the  city,  at  a  distance,  seems  speckled  with  these  blue  spots.  The 
city  boasts  of  fine  buildings,  stores  filled  with  every  luxury— everything  that  can 
be'procured  for  money.  Day  and  night  the  mills  are  crushing  the  ore,  making  a 
deafening  noise.  The  silver  bricks  are  carted  around,  as  the  people  of  the  East 
do  ordinary  bricks,  literally  speaking. 

The  Comstock  Bange,  in  which  the  fine  veins  above  described  are 
situated,  is  the  most  noted  of  the  silver  regions  of  Nevada,  from  hav 
ing  been  the  earliest  discovered  and  developed.  But  Nevada  has 
other  districts  equally  rich,  and  every  day  adds  to  our  knowledge  of 
the  gigantic  wealth  hidden  in  the  mineral  regions  of  the  Pacific  slope. 
Beside  gold  and  silver,  coal,  quicksilver,  iron,  copper,  lead,  antimony 
and  every  known  mineral  abound.  Wealth  enough  exists  to  sponge 
out  our  huge  national  debt  scores  of  times.  The  policy  of  the  Gov 
ernment  in  the  past,  in  withholding  from  the  people  titles  in  fee  sim 
ple  to  her  gold  and  silver  bearing  districts,  has  been  a  great  incubus 
upon  their  development.  When"  this  policy  is  reversed,  and  the  enter 
prising  emigrant  can  locate  his  discovery  with  the  same  assurance  of 
ownership  as  the  pioneer  on  a  prairie  farm  of  the  Mississippi  valley, 
the  development  of  the  Pacific  country  will  be  rapid  beyond  all  calcu 
lation.  In  relation  to  silver  mining,  however,  it  can  only  be  carried 
on  by  companies,  the  original  outlay  for  the  reduction  of  ore,  in 


NEVADA.  495 

buildings  and  machinery,  surpassing  ordinary  individual  wealth.  The 
adage  is  here  in  full  force,  that  "it  takes  a  mine  to  work  a  mine." 
A  late  writer  gives  these  facts  in  regard  to  silver  veins : 

Silver  is  generally  found  in  veins,  and  hence  the  deposits  are  far  more  likely  to 
be  inexhaustible  than  placer  gold.  The  statistics  of  silver  mining,  in  different 
countries,  clearly  establish  this  fact.  For  centuries  this  business  has  been  the 
cardinal  interest  of  Mexico;  silver  the  circulating  medium  or  currency  of  the 
country;  and — in  coin  and  bars — a  chief  article  of  export.  Since  the  conquest 
of  Cortez,  the  mining  interest  has  been  so  successfully  prosecuted  that  the  most 
trustworthy  statistics  nearly  startle  us  with  suggestions  of  almost  fabulous  for 
tunes  realized,  and  with  vague  conceptions  of  the  vast  mineral  wealth  of  that 
country.  According  to  Humboldt,  the  total  amount  of  silver  obtained  from  the 
conquest  to  the  time  he  wrote  (1803),  was  $2,027,952,000.  Other  authorities  rep 
resent  the  sum  as  much  larger,  and  amounting  to  no  less  than  $12,000,000,000. 
And  yet  the  whole  period,  since  the  conquest  of  1521 — nearly  three  hundred  and 
fifty  years — has  developed  no  sign  of  the  possible  failure  of  the  silver  mines  of 
Mexico.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  never  richer  than  they  are  to-day.  The 
annual  coinage  of  the  mints  of  Mexico,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
was  not  less  than  $27,000,000.  Our  statistics  for  some  years  past  have  been  less 
complete  and  trustworthy.  When  a  vein  of  silver  is  found,  it  may  generally  be 
traced  a  long  distance.  The  Vela  Madre,  said  to  be  the  richest  vein  in  Mexico, 
has  been  opened  at  different  points  along  the  strata  a  distance  of  twelve  miles, 
and  in  many  places  it  is  not  less  than  200  feet  wide.  One  vein  in  Chili  has  been 
followed  nearly  one  hundred  miles,  while  several  of  the  branches  radiating  from 
it  are  thirty  miles  long.  When  a  silver  vein  is  sometimes  broken  abruptly,  as  in 
the  mines  of  Chili,  it  is  quite  sure  to  be  found  again,  if  the  miner  patiently  pur 
sues  the  same  general  direction.  In  one  instance,  at  the  mines  of  Chanarcillo, 
the  vein  was  found  to  be  thus  interrupted  by  a  belt  of  limestone;  but  by  sinking 
a  shaft  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  through  the  stone,  the  vein  was  struck 
again.  Not  less  than  seven  of  these  belts  have  been  found  to  interrupt  the  same 
mineral  vein,  at  different  points,  and  yet  the  miners  have  failed  of  reaching  its 
final  termination.  The  fact  that  silver  is  generally  thus  deposited  while  gold  is 
not,  must  suggest  to  the  most  thoughtless  observer,  that  of  the  two,  silver  mines 
are  far  more  likely  to  be  permanently  profitable. 

We  now  abridge  from  a  published  account  a  description  of  some  of 
the  other  prominent  mining  districts  of  Nevada,  as  they  were  early 
in  1865 : 

The  Esmeralda  District  is  one  hundred  and  forty  miles«eouth-east  of  Virginia 
City.  Many  good  mines  are  in  the  district,  and  ten  mills  in  operation  for  the  re 
duction  of  the  ores.  A  large  amount  of  silver  bullion  is  weekly  shipped  from 
Aurora,  the  principal  town,  which  has  four  thousand  people,  and  two  daily 
papers. 

The  Reese  River  District  is  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  east  of  Virginia 
City,  on  the  overland  stage  route.  Austin,  the  principal  town,  has  five  thousand 
inhabitants.  Nine  mills  are  in  operation,  and  a  daily  newspaper  published.  The 
mines  of  this  region  extend  as  far  south  asfcprospecters  have  ever  ventured  to 
explore — some  two  hundred  miles.  Some  veins,  very  rich  on  the  surface,  have 
been  found  outside  of  the  settlements  in  various  directions,  but  as  yet  they  have 
not  been  improved,  the  owners  being  poor  men,  and  the  country  being  too  wild 
for  capitalists,  to  venture  into,  while  perhaps  equally  good  opportunities  for  in 
vestment  are  to  be  found  in  more  civilized  localities.  These  ores  are  mostly 
chlorids,  rodids  and  bromids,  while  in  the  Comstock  veins  the  principal  are  the 
black  and  grey  sulphurets. 

The  Humboldt  Districf  is  situated  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north-east 
of  Virginia  City,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Humboldt  river,  and  near  the  Old  Emi 
grant  road,  down  that  river.  The  mines  were  first  discovered  in  1860,  but  did 
not  attract  much  attention  until  a  year  or  two  afterward.  There  are  four  or  five 


496  NEVADA. 

V" 

large  towns  in  this  region,  and  one  or  two  mills  in  operation.  Wood  is  very 
scarce, '-and  for  this  reason  few  steam  mills  have  been  erected.  A  canal,  sixty-five 
miles  in  length,  and  capable  of  carrying  water  sufficient  to  run  forty  or  fifty  water 
mills,  is  now  nearly  half  completed.  As  soon  as  this  great  work  is  finished,  a 
number  of  large  mills  will  at  once  be  erected.  The  principal  mine  in  this  region 
is  the  Sheba,  which  yields  large  quantities  of  very  rich  ore,  much  of  which  is 
sent  to  England  for  reduction.  This  is  the  oldest  and  best  developed  claim  in 
that  region,  but  there  are  doubtless  hundreds  equally  as  good,  were  they  as  thor 
oughly  opened.  An  excellent  weekly  paper  is  published  here,  at  Unionville,  and 
there  are  some  very  heavy  tunneling  enterprises  undertaken  for  the  development 
of  the  veins  found  in  certain  mountains.  The  ores  of  this  district  are  different 
from  those  of  either  Esmeralda  or  Reese  river,  being  argentiferous,  galena  and 
antimonial  ores.  Some  of  the  leads  of  this  region  are  very  rich  in  gold,  but  in 
this  they  are  not  peculiar,  as  imore  or  less  gold  is  found  in  every  mining  district, 
and  in  nearly  all  paying  veins.  It  has  been  said  that  the  Humboldt  mountains 
alone  doubtless  contain  precious  metals  sufficient  to  purchase  the  fee  simple  of 
all  the  rebel  States,  with  the  Union  and  rebel  government  debt  both  thrown  in. 

In  this  direction  are  several  new  mining  districts.  The  most  promising  of 
these  are  Pine  Wood,  Mountain  Wells  and  Clan  Alpine.  Judging  from  assays 
obtained  from  rock  taken  from  the  croppings  of  some  of  these  veins,  there  is  no 
doubt  but  they  will  prove  immensely  valuable.  The  district  is  situated  between 
Humboldt  and  the  Reese  river  mines,  is  well  watered,  and  the  hills  are  clothed 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  nut  pine.  Clan  Alpine  is  quite  a  new  district,  there  be 
ing  but  a  dozen  or  two  of  miners  there,  but  it  contains  some  most  promising 
veins.  The  district  is  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  east  of  Virginia  City. 
Mountain  Wells  district,  some  eighty  miles  east  of  Virginia  City,  is  another 
promising,  though  but  little  developed,  mining  region.  Some  excellent  veins  have 
been  opened,  and  quite  a  village  is  springing  up  in  the  mines.  As  yet  they  have 
no  mills.  There  is  plenty  of  wood  and  water  in  the  district.  It  is  situated  on 
the  overland  mail  route. 

No  region  in  the  world  can  surpass  Nevada  in  the  abundance  and  variety  of  her 
mineral  productions.  Almost  everywhere  in  the  State  iron  ore,  of  an  excellent 
quality,  is  abundant,  much  of  it  so  pure  that  when  broken  it  presents  the  ap 
pearance  of  cast  iron.  Two  or  three  deposits  of  coal  have  lately  been  discovered, 
the  beds  being  from  nine  to  twenty  feet  thick.  It  burns  well,  and  will  doubtless 
prove  to  be  of  an  excellent  quality  when  the  workings  are  carried  to  a  proper 
depth  on  the  veins.  Lead  is  found  in  abundance  in  many  parts  of  the  Territory ; 
also  large  veins  of  antimony,  the  ore  of  which  is  exceedingly  pure.  None  of 
these  are  worked  unless  found  to  contain  silver  in  paying  quantities.  Large  and 
very  rich  veins  of  copper  are  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the  country,  but  no 
attention  is  paid  to  them,  except  they  contain  silver.  The  copper  ores  are  of 
various  kinds;  the  rich  black  ore  as  heavy  as  lead;  the  blue  and  green  carbon 
ates,  and  other  varieties ;  also  some  veins  in  which  native  copper  is  visible  in  the 
rock  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  running  in  fibers  through  the  vein  stone. 

In  Peavine  District,  about  eighteen  miles  north-west  of  Virginia  City,  and  near 
the  Truckee  river,  also  quite  near  the  line  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad,  are 
many  splendid  veins  of  copper.  These  veins  often  show  beautiful  specimens  of 
pure  gold,  and  also  contain  a  considerable  per  cent,  of  silver.  The  ores  of  many 
of  these  veins  contain  a  sufficient  amount  of  gold  to  pay  for  shipping  and  work 
ing,  could  it  easily  be  separated  from  the  copper.  There  are  in  the  State  numerous 
large  beds  of  plumbago.  None  of  these  are  claimed  or  worked,  though  some 
parties  at  one  time  tried  to  manufacture  fire-proof  bricks  from  this  material,  but 
fire-clay  of  good  quality  being  discovered,  the  plumbago  was  abandoned.  Some 
seventy  miles  east  of  Virginia  City,  in  the  deserts,  are  immense  fields  of  excel 
lent  salt,  much  of  it  being  equal  to  the  best  table  salt.  As  salt  is  much  used  by 
the  mills  in  the  various  processes  for  the  reduction  of  silver  ores,  hundreds  of 
tuns  of  this  salt  are  brought  to  Virginia  City,  being  hauled  on  wagons  or  packed 
on  the  backs  of  mules.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Humboldt  mines  is  a  whole  moun 
tain  of  brimstone,  and  in  the  same  vicinity  are  found  extensive  beds  of  pure 


NEVADA.  497 

alum.  Carbonate  of  soda  is  found  everywhere  in  the  alkaline  deserts  in  great 
quantities,  also  many  other  curious  mineral  productions. 

In  other  countries  rivers  generally  empty  into  seas,  the  ocean,  or  other  rivers, 
but  this  is  not  the  case  with  the  Nevada  rivers.  Nevada  rivers  start  off  and  run 
till  they  get  tired,  then  quit  and  go  into  the  ground.  Carson  river  rises  in  the 
Sierras,  runs  off  east,  and  disappears  in  what  is  known  as  Carson  Sink.  The 
Truckee  rises  in  the  Sierras,  runs  eastward,  and  sinks  in  Pyramid  Lake.  The 
Humboldt  comes  from  the  east,  and  disappears  at  Humboldt  Sink  and  Walker 
River  sinks  in  Walker  Lake.  None  of  these  sinks  or  lakes  have  any  visible  out 
let.  What  becomes  of  the  waters  of  these  rivers  would  be  about  as  hard  to  say 
as  to  tell  where  a  candle  goes  to  when  it  goes  out 

An  old  miner  living  there,  used  to  swear  that  here  was  where  the  work  of  the 
creation  was  finished.  He  said  that  "late  on  Saturday  evening  the  Almighty 
started  in  to  make  a  tremendous  great  river.  He  made  the  four  rivers  now  in 
Washoe  as  the  four  branches  thereof,  and  was  leading  them  along,  intending  to 
bring  them  together  in  one  mighty  river,  which  was  to  empty  into  the  ocean;  but 
of  a  sudden,  before  He  got  the  branches  together,  night  came  on,  and  the  Lord 
just  stuck  the  ends  into  the  ground  and  quit,  and  they  have  stayed  so  ever  since." 

We  conclude  this  article  with  an  extract  from  a  valuable  and  in 
structive  paper  in  Gazley's  Pacific  Monthly  for  March,  1865,  upon  the 
gold  and  silver  mines  of  California  and  Nevada : 

When  the  first  "  fever  "  broke  out  in  California,  placer-digging  was  the  haven 
where  all  were  bound,  and  here,  with  a  pan  or  rocker  as  the  only  "  machinery," 
millions  per  month  of  the  precious  treasure  were  gathered.  No  one  dreamed  of 
descending  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth  by  shaft  or  tunnel ;  no  one  imagined  that 
gold  must  have  a  matrix,  or  be  imbedded  in  rock,  or  could  be  traced  in  the  quartz, 
in  which  it  was  afterward  discovered  to  have  come  from. 

As  the  placer-digging  gradually  gave  out,  adventurous  spirits  began  to  inquire 
for  "  a  cause  "  and  "  a  wherefore,"  and  on  finding  on  the  mountain-sides  bowlders 
containing  streaks  of  gold,  an  immediate  conclusion  was  formed  that  the  yellow 
beauty  must  have  a  mother,  and  that  quartz  must  be  the  womb.  Happy  thought! 
Quartz-mining  superseded  the  placer-digging,  and  in  every  part  of  the  State  a  new 
era  dawned.  Quartz  became  king.  The  mighty  attractions  of  the  placer-digging 
a  short  while  ago  were  forgotten.  And  here,  parenthetically,  I  would  observe, 
that  though  placer-mining  has  lost  interest  to  a  great  extent,  there  are  many  who 
<vill  agree  with  me  in  saying,  that  these  diggings  are  yet  valuable,  and  that  the 
*re  has  only  to  be  looked  for,  and  it  may  be  found  in  large  quantities  and  as  rich 
is  any  before  worked. 

Gold  quartz  was  the  only  one  known  at  this  time,  and  in  some  sections  was 
Found  extremely  rich.  The  Allison  Ranch,  in  Grass  Valley,  California,  for  in 
stance,  has  ledges  which  might,  perhaps,  be  classed  with  any  mine  in  the  world 
for  richness.  Indeed,  ledges  have  been  found  all  over  the  State,  which  have 
yielded  to  the  fortunate  possessors  gigantic  fortunes. 

This  excitement  had  its  day,  and  new  fields  promising  greater  results  were 
sought.  Miners,  as  a  class,  especially  those  of  California,  are  impatient  and  too 
eager.  They  wander,  explore,  and  run  from  one  place  to  another.  Kern  River 
had  its  attractions,  and  off  they  went  helter-skelter.  Gold  River  and  Frazer  River 
carried  them  off  by  thousands,  to  the  old  tune  of  follow  your  leader,  and  come 
back  bootless.  Broken  in  health  and  penniless,  back  they  came  to  placer-digging, 
where  many  made  their  "  piles  "  out  of  the  very  claims  that  they  had,  a  little 
while  before,  given  up  as  worthless. 

And  now  broke  out  the  Washoe  silver-mining  mania,  and  the  same  results  fol 
lowed  as  at  first.  Many  returned  to  placer-digging,  in  California,  again  tired  and 
weary  of  life  and  everything  under  the  sun.  But  Washoe  had  a  glorious  destiny 
awaiting  her.  She  burst  with  a  blaze  of  glory  upon  the  world;  mines  richer 
than  the  famous  mines  of  Peru  were  found,  and  the  now  State  of  Nevada,  the 
youngest  of  the  sisterhood  of  States,  has  taken  her  rank  as  the  first  silver-mining 
region  in  the  world. 
32 


498 


NEVADA. 


Virginia  City  now  rears  her  lofty  chimneys  high  to  the  clouds,  from  mills  that 
are  daily  turning  her  very  foundations  into  bricks  of  silver  and  gold,  under  the 
protection  of  Mount  Davidson,  nine  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Few 
cities  of  the  Pacific  States  rank  higher,  either  for  the  production  of  wealth  or 
moral  advancement,  than  she  does  at  the  present  moment  And  her  destiny  is 
onward !  upward ! 

To  attempt  to  give  the  amount  taken  from  the  soil  of  Nevada  would  be  an  utter 
impossibility,  as  most  of  it  is  taken  to  other  places  by  private  hands,  and  never 
reaches  the  Mint — from  which  we  receive  the  data  to  make  up  our  calculations. 
The  coinage  can  give  us  no  information,  as  most  of  the  precious  bricks  of  silver 
and  gold  leave  San  Francisco  for  India,  China,  Peru,  England,  France,  and,  I  may 
say,  every  portion  of  the  globe,  without  being  counted  as  the  production  of  Ne 
vada. 

Now,  let  us  see  what  effect  the  wealth  of  California  and  Washoe  will  have  on 
the  monetary  world.  Financial  calculations  have,  of  late  years,  taken  range  and 
scope  beyond  the  experience  of  former  times.  As  commerce  extends,  as  industry 
becomes  more  general,  as  the  amount  of  wealth  increases,  and  as  the  national 
debt  becomes  larger  and  more  burdensome,  the  management  of  the  currency  is  a 
serious  question.  The  extraordinary  production  of  gold,  within  the  last  few  years, 
and  the  probable  great  increase  of  silver  in  the  future,  have  set  the  financiers  of 
the  world  to  work  to  devise  a  method  to  govern  and  direct  the  change. 

To  find  out  what  changes  may  be  expected  in  the  fufure,  we  must  look  back  at 
those  which  have  taken  place  in  the  past.  We  must  compare  our  present  stock 
of  the  precious  metals  with  that  which  existed  at  previous  epochs,  and  we  must 
compare  the  present  increase  with  that  of  previous  ages. 

The  amount  of  gold  and  silver  coin  in  the  possession  of  civilized  nations,  in 
the  year  1500,  is  estimated  at  $250,000.000. 

The  mines  of  Mexico,  Peru,  and  Bolivia  produced  an  immense  amount  of  silver 
during  the  century  following,  bringing  up  the  amount  stated  to  $750000,000.  In 
/1700,  the  sum  in  Europe — making  all  allowances  for  wear  and  shipments  to  India 
—had  risen  to  $1,500,000,000.  The  production  of  gold  and  silver  in  America 
during  the  eighteenth  century  is  estimated  at  $350,000,000.  There  was,  however, 
at  the  same  time,  a  great  export  of  silver  to  India,  a  considerable  wear,  amount 
ing  to  twenty  percent. — in  a  century — and  a  great  consumption  of  the  precious 
metals  in  ornaments  and  table  ware.  At  the  commencement  of  the  present  cen 
tury,  the  whole  known  amount  of  coin  in  the  world  was  estimated  at  $1,900,000, 
000.  From  1800  till  1820,  the  annual  production  of  the  world  was  about  $25,000, 
000,  and  from  1820  to  1848,  about  $40,000,000. 

With  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines  of  California,  began  a  production 
large  beyond  all  previous  example,  and  almost  beyond  the  conception  of  former 
times. 

California  and  Australia  each  produced  $50,000,000  annually  for  some  years 
and  Russia  produced  $20,000,000. 

The  present  total  production  of  the  world  may  safely  be  put  down  at  $120,000, 
000  per  annum,  and  the  present  total  stock  of  coin  in  existence  at  $4,000,000,000. 
The  average  annual  export  of  silver  to  India  and  China  amounts  to  about  $50,000, 
000.  In  1857  it  came  up  to  $96,000,000,  while  in  1864  it  may  safely  be  put  down 
at  $120,000,000.  Once  exported,  very  little  is  ever  returned  to  the  circulation  of 
Europe  or  America.  While  the  precious  metals  were  increasing  in  quantity,  civil 
ization  was  extending  with  great  rapidity  ;  and  thus  we  see  verified  one  of  nature's 
great  laws,  that  as  earth's  products  develop  an  increase,  so  does  civilization  and 
enlightenment  extend.  Thus  ih  is  that  precious  metals  have  fallen  to  about  one- 
eighth  of  the  value  which  they  possessed  at  the  discovery  of  America. 

The  most  important  gold  region  of  the  United  States — and  perhaps  of  the 
world — is  California;  and  the  richest  silver  region  in  the  world  is  Nevada.  The 
development  of  both  has  added  untold  millions  to  the  wealth  of  the  world,  and 
1865  will,  no  doubt,  add  more  millions  than  could  be  imagined  by  the  most  ex 
perienced  calculator  or  political  economist  in  Europe. 

Gold  and  silver  mines  of  great  richness  are  found  in  the  range  or  ranges  from 


NEVADA. 

the  city  of  Mexico,  through  the  Gila,  Washoe,  Oregon,  Fraser  River,  to  the  Arctic 
Ocean;  and  as  they  are  more  explored  and  opened  up,  the  northern  portion  will 
prove  as  rich  as  the  southern,  which  astonished  the  world  at  former  periods. 

Since  the  discovery  of  the  mines  of  California  and  Washoe,  all  the  resources 
of  modern  science  have  been  taxed  to  find  out  the  best  way  of  working,  cheaply 
and  thoroughly,  the  ores  of  the  different  ranges  and  formations.  All  the  Pacific 
States  abound  in  the  precious  metals  held  in  quartz  rock.  The  gold  or  silver- 
bearing  quartz  runs  in  veins  through  an  entirely  different  rock,  which  forms  walls 
on  both  sides  as  the  vein  is  worked.  When  a  vein,  or  what  is  called  a  ledge,  is 
discovered,  the  discoverer  becomes  the  possessor  of  so  many  feet,  on  which  he  can 
claim  all  its  dips,  spurs,  angles,  and  as  many  feet  on  each  side  as  the  mining  laws 
allow.  He  must  do  a  certain  amount  of  work  to  hold  good  his  claim,  as  estab 
lished  by  the  laws  of  the  district  in  which  his  claim  is  located.  The  recorder 
goes  on  the  ground,  and  if  all  is  correct,  he  issues  his  certificate  (miners'  laws  are 
always  respected  in  California  and  Nevada).  The  mines  of  Nevada  have  but  re 
cently  attracted  the  attention  of  the  capitalists  of  the  world  by  their  known  rich 
ness,  extent,  and  capability  of  being  worked.  The  western  range,  on  which  the 
famed  Comstock  is  located,  has  many  other  ledges  equally  rich  on  the  same  range 
of  hills  (for  Virginia  has  hundreds  of  ledges  situated  on  Mount  Davidson  and 
Ophir  Hills),  all  of  which  have  become  famous  to  the  world  ;  and  the  eastern 
range  or  Reese  River,  with  its  ledges,  richer  than  even  the  Comstock  range,  has 
proved  to  be  full  of  mines,  so  rich,  so  extensive,  that  in  a  few  years  these  mines 
will  occupy,  in  the  eye  of  the  capitalist,  a  most  important  spot  in  which  to  invest 
his  surplus  capital. 

The  extraordinary  developments  of  mineral  deposits  in  the  countries  within 
the  confines  and  limits  of  the  ancient  Alta  California,  form  one  of  the  grandest 
epochs  in  the  annals  of  our  race.  These  discoveries  of  the  precious  "metals  have 
not  all  been  of  recent  date.  In  1700  the  rich  mines  of  North  Sinaloa  were 
opened;  in  1730  the  Flanchas  de  Plata  of  Arizona,  or  masses  of  native  silver, 
were  found.  Then  we  had  in  1770  the  great  placers  of  Clenaquilla,  to  the  north 
of  Ilermosilla,  where  the  immense  chispa  of  seventy  pounds  was  found,  and  sent 
to  the  cabinet  of  the  King  of  Spain,  and  several  millions  were  picked  up  in  its 
vicinity  in  a  few  years.  After  this  came  the  discoveries  further  north,  on  the 
rivers  which  flow  into  the  Gila  from  the  south,  and  also  the  headwaters  of  the 
Sonora  River,  and  those  of  the  Opasura  and  Yaqui,  which  interlock  with  the  tri 
butaries  of  the  Gila  in  the  country  of  the  Opatas,  Terahumaras,  Yanos,  and 
Apaches,  and  which,  by  spasmodic  starts,  yielded  large  quantities  of  gold.  Thia 
section  of  the  present  Arizona,  and  as  far  up  north  as  the  Navajos,  and  east  to 
the  Camanche  range,  is  known  in  Mexico  as  the  Apacharia,  of  which  the  most 
apparently  fabulous  stories  have  been  told,  from  1770  to  1864,  concerning  the  ex 
istence  of  immense  mines  and  deposits  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and  quicksilver, 
both  in  veins  and  pure  metal,  but  which  are  every  day  proving  the  truth  of  the 
accounts  of  the  old  missionaries  and  Gambusinos. 

After  1800,  till  1846,  discoveries  were  made  in  many  places  every  few  years, 
near  all  the  old  mission  settlements  of  Sonora.  In  1825  Captain  Pane  mentions 
that  rich  gold  placers  were  worked  near  Bacuachi,  not  far  south  of  Tucson,  and 
the  price  of  gold  was  only  eleven  and  twelve  dollars  to  the  ounce.  The  account 
of  Captain  Patie,  who  died  at  San  Diego,  in  1829,  is  the  first  printed  one  we  have 
of  any  American,  or  even  other  parties,  who  came  b}'  land  to  California  through 
Sonora  or  New  Mexico.  He  mentions  several  other  places  in  the  Bacuachi,  or 
River  San  Pedro  country,  where  gold  was  produced  in  abundance  when  the 
Apaches  were  out  of  the  way.  Again,  from  1838  to  1846,  the  gold  placers  of 
San  Fernando,  near  Los  Angeles,  are  of  public  notoriety  as  yielding  very  hand 
some  return*. 

From  1848  to  1864  the  discoveries  of  gold,  silver,  and  copper  have  been  con 
stant  and  of  every-day  notoriety.  The  prospectors  have  ranged  from  the  Gila, 
north  to  the  Russian  possessions,  and  from  the  Pacific  Ocean  to  the  interlocking 
branches  of  the  Columbia,  Missouri.  Colorado,  and  Rio  Grande  del  Norte.  It  has 
been  of  daily  record  for  the  last  fifteen  years  that  all  this  immense  extent  of  coun- 


500 


NEVADA. 


try,  gives  to  the  world  the  knowledge  of  exhaustless  millions  of  treasure,  awaiting 
but  the  hand  of  labor  to  throw  it  into  the  channel  of  commerce,  and  the  road  to 
population  and  power. 

Not  a  single  precious  metal  or  valuable  mineral  of  trade  or  science  but  what  is 
found  in  abundant  out-crops,  or  washings,  in  all  these  States  and  Territories.  A 
very  singular  and  unlooked-for  exhibition  has  been  going  on  for  the  last  few  years. 
The' explorers  of  Sonora,  California  and  Nevada  have  been  out  on  prospecting  ex 
peditions  in  the  deserts,  mountains,  and  ranges  on  the  Pacific,  while  those  of  Pike's 
Peak  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from  the  east,  have  been  gradually  extending  their 
lines  and  distances  till  they  now  meet  the  mining  parties  from  Oregon,  Washington, 
and  Nevada,  in  Cariboo,  Idaho,  and  Utah.  This  magnificent  mineral  empire  is 
the  most  wealthy  and  extended  known  to  the  world.  It  has  an  advantage  superior 
to  all  other  mineral  fields,  in  being  in  the  vicinity  of  sea  navigation,  and  has  a 
climate  of  unsurpassed  salubrity.  While  in  the  neighborhood  of  most  of  our 
mineral  deposits  the  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile,  inviting  the  husbandman  to  a  rich 
return  for  his  labor,  and  boundless  pastures  to  the  herdsman;  and,  it  may  be 
added,  that  within  our  metalliferous  ranges,  valleys  exist  of  the  most  picturesque 
and  beautiful  character;  views  equaled  by  no  country  in  Europe,  will  invite  the 
pleasure-seeker  to  travel  for  health,  recreation,  or  pleasure ;  and  a  few  years  will 
see  the  aristocracy  of  Europe  thronging  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  as  they  now  do 
the  Continent.  The  borders  of  Lake  Tehoe  or  Bigler  will  be  as  famous  as  the 
Lake  of  Como,  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  will  be  climbed  by  tourists  as  are  the  Alps 
of  Switzerland.  The  Falls  of  Yo  Semite  will  be  a  greater  wonder  than  the  Falls 
of  Niagara,  and  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  will  be  dotted  with 
princely  palaces. 


OREGON. 


OREGON  is  one  of  the  Pacific  states.  The  name,  Oregon,  is  from  Oregano, 
the  Spanish  word  for  wild  marjoram;  and  it  is  from  this  word,  or  some  other 

similar,  that  its  name  is  supposed  to 
have  arisen.  "But  little  was  known 
of  even  its  coast  up  to  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  century.  Immediately 
after  the  last  voyage  of  the  renowned 
navigator,  Capt.  Cook,  the  immense 
quantities  of  sea-otter,  beaver  and 
other  valuable  furs  to  be  obtained  on 
the  north-west  coast  of  America,  and 
the  enormous  prices  which  they  would 
bring  in  China,  was  communicated  to 
civilized  nations,  and  created  as  much 
excitement  as  the  discovery  of  a  new 
gold  region.  Multitudes  of  people 
rushed  at  once  into  this  lucrative 
traffic:  so  that  in  the  year  1792,  it  is 
said  that  there  were  twenty-one  vessels 
uifter  different  flags,  but  principally 
American,  plying  along  the  coast  of 
Oregon,  and  trading  with  the  natives. 
On  the  7th  of  May,  1792,  Capt.  Robert  Gray,  of  the  ship  Columbia,  of  Bos 
ton,  discovered  and  entered  the  river,  which  he  named  from  his  vessel.  He 
was,  in  reality,  the  first  person  who  established  the  fact  of  the  existence  of 
this  great  river,  and  this  gave  to  the  United  States  the  right  to  the  country 
drained  by  its  waters  by  the  virtue  of  discovery.  In  18d4-'5,  Lewis  and 
Clark  explored  the  country,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  that  of  the 
Columbia.  This  exploration  of  the  Columbia,  the  first  ever  made,  consti 
tuted  another  ground  of  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the  country. 

In  1808,  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  through  their  agent,  Mr.  Henry, 
established  a  trading-post  on  Lewis  River,  a  branch  of  the  Columbia,  which 
was  the  first  establishment  of  civilized  people  in  this  section  of  country. 
An  attempt  was  made  that  year,  by  Capt.  Smith,  of  the  Albatross,  of  Bos 
ton,  to  found  a  trading-post  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia,  forty  miles 


ARMS  OF  OREGON, 

MOTTO — Alls  volal  propriis — I  fly  with  my  own 
wing. 


502  OREGON. 

from  its  mouth.     It  was  abandoned  the  same  season,  and  that  of  Mr.  Henry 
in  1810. 

In  the  year  1810,  John  Jacob  Astor,  a  German  merchant  of  New  York,  who  had 
accumulated  an  immense  fortune  by  commerce  in  the  Pacific  and  China,  formed 
the  Pacific  Fur  Company.  His  first  objects  were  to  concentrate  in  the  company, 
the  fur  trade  in  the  unsettled  parts  of  America,  and  also  the  supply  of  merchan 
dise  for  the  Russian  fur-trading  establishments  in  the  North  Pacific.  For  these 
purposes,  posts  were  established  on  the  Missouri,  and  the  Columbia,  and  vicinity. 
These  posts  were  to  be  supplied  with  the  merchandise  required  for  trading  by  ships 
from  the  Atlantic  coast,  or  across  the  country  by  way  of  the  Missouri.  A  factory 
or  depot  was  to  be  founded  on  the  Pacific,  for  receiving  this  merchandise,  and  dis 
tributing  it  to  the  different  posts,  and  for  receiving  in  turn  furs  from  them,  which 
were  to  be  sent  by  ships  from  thence  to  Canton.  Vessels  were  also  to  be  sent  from 
the  United  States  to  the  factory  with  merchandise,  to  be  traded  for  furs,  which 
would  then  be  sent  to  Canton,  and  there  exchanged  for  teas,  silks,  etc.,  to  be  IP 
turn  distributed  in  Europe  and  America. 


from 

and 

oifered  them  one  third  interest,  which  they  declined,  secretly  intending  to  forestall 

him.     Having  matured  his  scheme,  Mr.  Astor  engaged  partners,  clerks,  and  voya- 

geurs,  the  majority  of  whom  were  Scotchmen 'and  Canadians,  previously  in  the 

service  of  the  North-west  Company.     Wilson  P.  Hunt,  of  New  Jersey,  was  chosen 

the  chief  agent  of  the  operations  in  western  America. 

In  September,  1810,  the  ship  Tonquin,  Cupt.  Thorn,  left  New  York  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  with  four  of  the  partners,  M'Kay,  M'Dougal,  ftffci  David  and 
Robert  Stuart,  all  British  subjects,  with  clerks,  voyageurs,  and  mechanics.  ]n  Jan 
uary,  1811,  the  second  detachment,  with  Hunt,  M'Clellan,  M'lvenzie,  and  Crooks, 
also  left  New  York  to  go  overland  by  the  Missouri  to  the  same  point,  and  in  Octo 
ber,  1811,  the  ship  Beaver,  Capt.  Sowles,  with  several  clerks  and  attaches,  left  New 
York  for  the  North  Pacific.  Prior  to  these,  in  1809,  Mr.  Astor  had  dispatched  the 
Enterprise,  Capt.  Ebberts,  to  make  observations  at  the  Russian  settlements,  and  to 
prepare  the  way  for  settlements  in  Oregon.  He  also,  in  181 1,  sent  an  agent  to  St. 
Petersburg,  who  obtained  from  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company,  the  monopoly 
of  supplying  their  posts  in  the  North  Pacific  with  merchandise,  and  receiving  furs 
in  exchange. 

In  March,  1811,  the  Tonquin  arrived  at  the  Columbia,  and  soon  after  they  com 
menced  erecting  on  the  south  bunk,  a  few  miles  inland,  their  factory  or  depot 
building:  this  place  they  named  Astoria.  In  June,  the  Tonqviii,  with  M'Kay 
sailed  north  to  make  arrangements  for  trading  with  the  Russians.  In  July,  th$ 
Astorians  were  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  a  party  of  the  North-west  Compa 
ny,  under  Mr.  Thompson,  who  had  come  overland  from  Canada,  to  forestall  them 
in  the  occupation  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia;  but  had  been  delayed  too  lati 
for  this  purpose,  in  seeking  a  passage  through  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  had  beer 
obliged  to  winter  there.  Mr.  Thompson  was  accompanied  on  his  return  by  David 
Stuart,  who  founded  the  trading  post  called  Okonogan. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  next  year  (1812),  the  detachment  of  Hunt  came  into 
Astoria,  in  parties,  and  in  a  wretched  condition.  They  had  been  over  a  year  in 
coming  from  St.  Louis ;  had  undergone  extreme  suffering  from  hunger,  thirst,  and 
cold,  in  their  wanderings  that  winter,  through  the  dreary  wilderness  of  snow-clad 
mountains,  from  which,  and  other  causes,  numbers  of  them  perished.  In  May, 
1812,  the  13eaver,  bringing  the  third  detachment,  under  Mr.  Clark,  arrived  in  As 
toria.  They  brought  a  letter  which  had  been  left  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  by  Capt. 
Ebberts,  of  the  Enterprise,  containing  the  sad  intelligence  that  the  Tonquin  and 
her  crew  had  been  destroyed  by  the  savages,  near  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  the  June 
preceding. 

In  August,  Mr.  Hunt,  leaving  Astoria  in  the  charge  of  M'Dougal,  embarked  in 
the  Bearer  to  trade  with  the  Russian  posts,  which  was  to  have  been  done  by  the 
Tonquin.  He  was  successful,  and  effected  a  highly  advantageous  arrangement  at 
Sitka',  with  Baranof,  governor  of  Russian  America;  took  in  a  rich  cargo  of  furs, 


OREGON.  503 

and  dispatched  the  vessel  to  Canton,  via  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he,  in  per 
son,  remained,  and  in  1814,  he  returned  to  Astoria  in  the  Peddler,  which  he  had 
chartered,  and  found  that  Astoria  was  in  the  hands  of  the  North-west  Company. 

When  Hunt  left  in- the  Ik-aver,  a  party  was  dispatched,  which  established  a 
trading  post  on  the  Spokan.  Messrs.  Crooks,  M'Cellan,  and  Robert  Stuart  about 
this  time,  set  out  and  crossed  overland  to  New  York,  with  an  account  of  what  had 
been  done.  The  trade  Avas  in  the  meantime  very  prosperous,  and  a  large  c.iantity 
of  furs  had  been  collected  at  Astoria. 

In  January,  1813,  the  Astorians  learned  from  a  trading  vessel  that  a  war  had 
broken  out  with  England.  A  short  time  after,  M'Tavish  and  Laroque,  partners 
of  the  North-west  Company,  arrived  at  Astoria;  M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie  (both 
Scotchmen)  were  the  only  partners  there,  and  they  unwisely  agreed  to  dissolve  the 
company  in  July.  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Clark,  at  the  Okonogan  and  Spokan  posts, 
both  of  which  are  within  the  limits  of  Washington  Territory,  opposed  this;  but 
it  was  finally  agreed  that  if  assistance  did  not  soon  arrive  from  the  United  States, 
they  would  abandon  the  enterprise. 

M'Tavish  and  his  followers,  of  the  North-west  Company,  again  visited  Astoria, 
where  they  expected  to  meet  the  Isaac  Todd,  an  armed  ship  from  London,  which 
had  orders  '  to  take  and  destroy  everything  American  on  the  north-west  coast.' 
Notwithstanding,  the\j  were  hospitably  received,  and  held  private  conferences  with 
M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie,  the  result  of  which  was,  that  they  sold  out  the  establish 
ment,  furs,  etc.,  of  the  Pacific  Company  in  the  country,  to  the  North-west  Compa 
ny,  for  about  $58,004.  That  company  were  thus  enabled  to  establish  themselves 
in  the  country.  , 

Thus  ended  the  Astoria  enterprise.  Had  the  directing  partners  on  the  Colum 
bia  been  Americans  instead  of  foreigners,  it  is  believed  that  they  would,  notwith 
standing  the  war,  have  withstood  all  their  difficulties.  The  sale  was  considered 
disgraceful,  and  the  conduct  of  M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie  in  that  sale  and  subse 
quently,  were  such  as  to  authorize  suspicions  against  their  motives ;  yet  they 
could  not  have  been  expected  to  engage  in  hostilities  against  their  countrymen  and 
old  friends. 

The  name  of  Astoria  was  changed  by  the  British  to  that  of  Fort  George.  From 
1813  to  1823,  few,  if  any,  American  citizens  entered  the  countries  west  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Nearly  all  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  Missouri, 
was  carried  on  by  the  Old  North  American  Fur  Company,  of  which  Astor  was  the 
head;  and  by  the  Columbian  Fur  Company,  formed  in  1822,  composed  mainly  of 
persons  who  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  North-west  Company,  and  were  dissat 
isfied  with  it  The  Columbia  Company  established  posts  on  the  upper  waters  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  and  the  Yellow  Stone,  which  were  transferred,  in 
1826,  to  the  North  American  Company,  on  the  junction  of  the  two  bodies.  About 
this  time,  the  overland  trade  with  Santa  Fe  commenced,  caravans  passing  regular 
ly  every  summer  between  St.  Louis  and  that  place.  In  1824,  Ashley,  of  St.  Louis, 
re-established  commercial  communications  with  the  country  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  built  a  trading  post  on  Ashley's  Lake,  in  Utah. 

These  active  proceedings  of  the  Missouri  fur  traders,  stimulated  the  North 
American  Fur  Company  to  send  their  agents  and  attaches  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  although  they  built  no  posts.  In  1827,  Mr.  Pilch er,  of  Missouri,  went 
through  the  South  Pass  with  forty-five  men,  and  wintered  on  the  head-waters  of 
the  Colorado,  in  what  is  now  the  north-east  part  of  Utah.  The  next  year  he  pro 
ceeded  northwardly,  along  the  base  of  the  Kocky  Mountains,  to  near  latitude  47 
deg.  There  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1829,  when  he  descended  Clark  River 
to  Fort  Colville,  then  recently  established  at  the  falls,  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany,  which  had  a  few  years  previous  absorbed  and  united  the  interests  of  the 
North-west  Company.  He  returned  to  the  United  States,  through  the  long  and 
circuitous  far  northward  route  of  the  Upper  Columbia,  the  Athabasca,  the  Assina- 
fooin,  Red  River,  and  the  Upper  Missouri.  But  little  was  known  of  the  countries 
through  which  Pilcher  traversed,  previous  to  the  publication  of  his  concise  narra 
tive.  The  account  of  the  rambles  of  J.  O.  Pattie,  a  Missouri  fur  trader,  through 
New  Mexico,  Chihuahua,  Sonora,  and  California,  threw  some  light  on  the  geogra 
phy  of  those  countries.  In  1832,  Capt.  Bonneville,  U.S.A.,  while  on  a  furlough, 


504   '•  OREGON. 

led  a  party  of  one  hundred  men  from  Missouri,  over  the  mountains,  where  he  passed 
more  than  two  years  on  the  Columbia  and  Colorado,  in  hunting,  trapping,  and 
trading. 

About  the  same  time,  Captain  Wyeth,  of  Massachusetts,  attempted  to  establish 
commercial  relations  with  the  countries  on  the  Columbia,  to  which  the  name  of 
Oregon  then  began  to  be  universally  applied.  His  plan  was  like  that  of  Astor, 
with  the  additional  scheme  of  transporting  the  salmon  of  the  Oregon  rivers  to  the 
United  States.  He  made  two  overland  expeditions  to  Oregon,  established  Fort 
Hall  as  a  trading  post,  and  another  mainly  for  fishing  purposes,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Willamette.  This  scheme  failed,  owing  to  the  rivalry  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  who  founded  the  counter  establishment  of  Fort  Boise,  where,  offering 
goods  to  the  Indians  at  lower  prices  than  Wyeth  could  afford,  compelled  him  to 
desist,  and  he  sold  out  his  interests  to  them.  Meanwhile,  a  brig  he  had  dispatched 
from  Boston,  arrived  in  the  Columbia,  and  returned  with  a  cargo  of  salted  salmon, 
but  the  results  not  being  auspicious,  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

The  American  traders  being  excluded  by  these,  and  other  means  from  Oregon, 
mainly  confined  themselves  to  the  regions  of  the  head  waters  of  the  Colorado  and 
the  Utah  Lake,  where  they  formed  one  or  two  small  establishments,  and  sometimes 
extended  their  rambles  as  far  west  as  San  Francisco  and  Monterey.  The  number 
of  American  hunters  and  trappers  thus  employed  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
seldom  exceeded  two  hundred;  where,  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  they 
roved  through  the  wilds  in  search  of  furs  which  they  conveyed  to  their  places  of 
rendezvous  in  the  mountain  valleys,  and  bartered  with  them  to  the  Missouri 
traders. 

About  the  time  of  Wyeth's  expeditions,  were  the  earliest  emigrations  to  Oregon 
of  settlers  from  the  United  States.  The  first  of  these  was  founded  in  1834,  in  the 
Willamette  Valley,  by  a  body  of  Methodists  who  went  round  by  sea  under  the  di 
rection  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Lee  and  Shepherd.  In  that  valley  a  few  retired  ser 
vants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  were  then  residing,  and  "engaged  in  herding 
cattle.  The  Congregationalists  or  Presbyterians  planted  colonies  two  or  three 
years  after,  in  the  Walla-walla  and  Spokan  countries,  with  Messrs.  Parker,  Spauld- 
ing,  Gray,  Walker,  Eels,  Smith,  and  Wjiitman  as  missionaries. 

in  all  of  these  places  mission  schools  were  established  for  the  instruction  of  the 
natives,  and  in  1839,  a  printing  press  was  star  ted  at  Walla-walla  (now  in  Washington 
Territory),  where  were  printed  the  first  sheets  ever  struck  off,  on  the  Pacific  side 
of  the  mountains,  north  of  Mexico.  On  it  books  were  printed  from  types  set  by 
native  compositors.  The  Roman  Catholics  from  Missouri,  soon  after  founded  sta 
tions  on  Clark  River. 

About  the  year  1837,  the  American  people  began  to  be  deeply  interested  in  the 
subject  of  the  claims  of  the  United  States  to  Oregon,  and  societies  were  formed 
for  emigration.  From  them  and  other  sources,  petitions  were  presented  to  con 
gress,  to  either  make  a  definite  arrangement  with  Great  Britain,  the  other  claim 
ant,  or  take  immediate  possession  of  the  country.  In  each  year,  from  1838  to 
1843,  small  parties  emigrated  overland  from  Missouri  to  Oregon,  suffering  much 
hardship  on  the  route.  At  the  close  of  1842,  the  American  citizens  there  num 
bered  about  four  hundred.  Relying  upon  the  promise  of  protection  held  out  by 
the  passage  of  the  bill  in  February,  1843,  by  the  U.  S.  senate  for  the  immediate 
occupation  of  Oregon,  about  one  thousand  emigrants,  men,  women,  and  children, 
assembled  at  Westport,  on  the  Missouri  frontier,  in  the  succeeding  June,  and  fol 
lowed  the  route  up  the  Platte,  and  through  the  South  Pass,  surveyed  the  previous 
year  by  Fremont;  thence  by  Fort  Hall  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  where  they 
arrived  in  October,  after  a  laborious  and  fatiguing  journey  of  more  than  two  thous 
and  miles.  Others  soon  followed,  and  before  the  close  of  the  next  year,  over  3,000 
American  citizens  were  in  Oregon. 

By  the  treaty  for  the  purchase  of  Florida,  in  1819,  the  boundary  between  the 
Spanish  possessions  and  the  United  States  was  fixed  on  the  N.W.,  at  lat.  42  degs., 
the  present  northern  line  of  Utah  and  California;  by  this  the  United  States  suc 
ceeded  to  such  title  to  Oregon  as  Spain  may  have  derived  by  the  right  of  discovery 
through  its  early  navigators.  In  June,  of  1846,  all  the  difficulties  in  relation  to 
Oregon,  which  at  one  time  threatened  war,  were  settled  by  treaty  between  the  two 


OREGON.  505 

nations.  In  1841,  the  coast  of  Oregon  was  visited  by  the  ships  of  the  United 
States  Exploring  Expedition,  under  Lieut.  Charles  Wilkes.  At  that  time,  Wilkea 
estimated  the  population  to  be:  of  Indians,  19,199;  Canadians  and  half-breeds, 
650;  and  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  150.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  then 
had  twenty-five  forts  and  trading  stations  in  Oregon." 

Oregon  was  organized  as  a  territory  in  1848,  and  included  in  its  bounda 
ries  the  present  Territory  of  Washington — an  immense  area  of  about 
250,000  square  miles,  with  an  average  width  east  and  west  of  540,  and  north 
and  south  of  470  miles.  A  state  constitution  was  adopted  in  convention, 
Sept.  18,  1857,  and  ratified  by  the  people  on  the  9th  of  November  following. 
At  the  same  time  the  question  of  admitting  slaves  and  free  negroes  into  the 
state  was  submitted  to  the  people.  The  vote  on  these  questions  was :  for 
slavery,  2,645;  against  slavery,  7.727;  majority  against,  5,082;  for  free  ne 
groes,  1,081;  against  free  negroes,  8,640;  majority  against,  7,559.  The 
constitution  prohibited  negroes,  Chinamen,  and  mulattoes  from  voting;  and 
persons  concerned  in  dueling  ineligible  to  offices  of  trust  and  profit.  On  the 
14th  of  Feb.,  1859,  Oregon  was  admitted  by  congress  as  a  state,  and  with 
greatly  contracted  boundaries.  Its  extreme  extent  in  latitude  is  from  42° 
to  46°  12'  N.,  in  longitude  from  116°  45'  to  124°  30'  W.  from  Greenwich. 
U  has  an  average  length,  east  and  west,  of  about  350,  and  width,  north  and 
*outh,  of  260  miles  giving  an  area  of  about  90,000  square  miles.  The  act 
»f  admission  gives  two  sections  of  land  in  every  township  for  the  use  of 
schools,  grants  72  sections  for  a  state  university,  and  five  per  cent,  of  the 
net  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  the  public  lands  for  public  roads  and  internal 
improvements  within  the  state. 

Oregon  is  bounded,  north  by  Washington  Territory,  east  by  Idaho  Terri 
tory,  south  by  California  and  Nevada,  and  west  by  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  is 
divided  into  three  section.  The  first,  or  western  section  is  that  between  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  the  Cascade  range  of  mountains.  This  range  runs  parallel 
with  the  sea  coast  the  whole  length  of  the  state,  and  is  continued  through  Cali 
fornia,  under  the  name  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  The  second,  or  middle  section, 
is  that  between  the  Cascade  and  Blue  Mountains:  it  comprises  nearly  half 
the  state:  the  surface  is  about  1,000  feet  above  the  western  section.  It  is 
generally  a  high  rolling  prairie  country,  destitute  of  timber,  and  but  a  small 
part  of  it  adapted  to  farming.  The  third,  or  eastern  section,  lies  south  and 
east  of  the  Blue  Mountains:  it  is  mostly  a  rocky  and  barren  waste.  The 
Columbia  is  the  great  river  of  the  state,  nearly  all  others  being  its  tributa 
ries.  It  is  navigable  from  the  ocean  120  miles,  for  vessels  of  12  feet  draught : 
from  thence  its  course  is  obstructed  by  falls  and  rapids,  which  will  eventually 
be  overcome  by  locks  and  canals.  During  freshets;  it  is  in  many  places  con 
fined  by  dalles,  i.  e.  narrows,  which  back  the  water,  covering  the  islands  and 
tracts  of  low  prairie,  giving  the  appearance  of  lakes.  The  Dalles  of  the 
Columbia,  94  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Lewis  Fork,  is  a  noted  place,  where 
the  river  passes  between  vast  masses  of  rock. 

The  settled  part  of  Oregon,  and  the  only  portion  likely  to  possess  much 
interest  for  years  to  come,  is  the  first  or  western  section,  lying  between  the 
'Cascade  Mountains  and  the  Pacific — a  strip  of  country  280  long,  north  and 
south,  and  120  miles  broad,  east  and  west.  A  writer  familiar  with  it  gives 
this  description: 

Western  Oregon,  between  the  Cascades  and  the  Pacific,  is  made  up  chiefly  of 
three  valleys,  those  of  the  Willamette  (pronounced  Wil-lam'-ette),  Umpqua  and 
llogue  Rivers.  The  first  named  stream  begins  in  the  Cascade  Mountains,  runs 
west  60  miles,  then  turns  northward,  runs  140  miles,  and  empties  into  the  Colunv 


506 


OREGON. 


bia.  The  last  two  begin  in  the  Cascades,  and  run  westward  to  the  ocean.  There 
are,  perhaps,  several  thousand  miners  including  Chinamen,  in  the  Rogue  River 
valley;  but  nearly  the  whole  permanent  farming  population  is  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Willamette.  This  valley,  taking  the  word  in  its  more  restricted  sense  of  the  low 
land,  is  from  30  to  40  miles  wide  and  120  iniles  long.  This  may  be  said  to  be  the 


View  in  tlie  Valley  <>f  tlte   Willamette. 

whole  of  agricultural  Oregon.  It  is  a  beautiful,  fertile,  well-watered  plain,  with  a 
little  timber  along  the  streams,  and  a  great  deal  in  the  mountains  on  each  side. 
The  soil  is  a  gravelly  clay,  covered  near  the  creeks  and  rivers  with  a  rich  sandy 
Iviaui.  The  vegetation  of  the  valley  is  composed  of  several  indigenous  grasses,  a 
number  of  flowering  plants  and  ferns,  the  latter  being  very  abundant,  and  exceed 
ingly  troublesome  to  the  farmer  on  account  of  its  extremely  tough  vitality. 

The  tributary  streams  of  the  Willamette  are  very  numerous,  and  their  course  in 
the  valley  is  usually  crooked,  as  the  main  stream  itself  is,  having  many  "sloughs," 
"bayous,"  or  "arms,"  as  they  are  differently  called.  In  some  places  the  land  is 
marshy,  and  everywhere  moist.  Drouth  will  never  be  known  in  western  Oregon; 
its  climate  is  very  wet,  both  summer  and  winter,  the  latter  season  being  one  long 
rain,  and  the  former  consisting  of  many  short  ones,  with  a  little  sunshine  interven 
ing.  The  winters  are  warm,  and  the  summers  rather  cool — too  cool  for  growing 
melons,  maize  and  sweet  potatoes.  Wheat,  oats,  barley,  potatoes,  and  domestic 
animals  thrive  well.  The  climate,  take  it  all  in  all,  is  much  like  that  of  England, 
and  all  plants  and  animals  which  do  well  in  Britain  will  prosper  in  Oregon.  The 
Oregon  fruit  is  excellent,  particularly  the  apples  and  plums;  the  peaches  and  pears 
are  not  quite  so  good  as  those  of  California. 

All  along  the  coast  of  Oregon,  there  is  a  range  of  mountains  about  forty  miles 
wide,  and  they  are  so  densely  timbered  with  cedar,  pine,  spruce  and  fir,  that  the 
density  of  the  wood  alone  would  render  them  worthless  for  an  age,  if  they  were 
not  rugged.  But  they  are  very  rugged,  and  the  Umpqua  and  Rogue  Rivers,  in 
making  their  way  through  them,  have  not  been  able  to  get  any  bottom  lands,  and 
are  limited  to  narrow,  high-walled  canons.  The  only  tillable  lands  on  the  banks 
of  those  rivers  are  about  fifty  miles  from  the  sea,  each  having  a  valley  which,  in 
general  terms,  may  be  described  as  twelve  iniles  wide  by  thirty  long.  Rogue  River 
valley  is  separated  from  California  by  the  Siskiyou  Mountains,  about  5,000  feet 
high,  and  from  Umpqua  valley  by  the  Canon  Mountains,  about  3,000  feet  high ;  and 


OREGON.  507 

rfie  Umpqua  again  is  separated  from  the  Willamette  valley  by  the  Calapooyu  M  )uc- 
tains,  also  about  3,000  feet  high. 

All  Oregon — that  is,  its  western  division,  except  the  lowlands  of  the  Wiilarnette, 
Umpqua  and  Rogue  valleys — is  covered  with  dense  timber,  chiefly  of  coarse  grained 
wood — such  as  fir,  spruce  and  hemlock.  In  the  south-western  corner  of  the  state, 
however,  there  are  considerable  forests  of  white  cedar — a  large  and  beautiful  tree. 
producing  a  soft,  fine-grained  lumber,  and  very  fragrant  with  a  perfume,  which 
might  be  imitated  by  mixing  ottarof  roses  with  turpentine.  Oak  and  ash  are  rare. 
Nearly  all  the  trees  are  coniferous. 


Giant  Pines  of  Oregon. 

In  Rogue  valley  and  along  the  beach  of  the  Pacific  there  are  extensive  gold  dig 
gings.  There  are  .also  large  seams  of  tertiary  coal  at  Coose  Bay.  These  are  the 
only  valuable  minerals  in  the  state.  The  scenery  on  the  Columbia  is  grand,  from 
Walla-walla,  where  it  first  touches  Oregon,  to  the  ocean.  There  are  five  mountain 
peaks  in  the  state,  rising  to  the  region  of  perpetual  snow:  Mount  Hood,  13,700 
feet  high;  Mount  Jefferson,  11,900';  the  Three  Sisters,  Mount  Scott,  and  Mount 
McLaughlin,  all  about  9,000  feot  high. 

The  people  are  generally  intelligent,  industrious  and  moral.  There  are  about  a 
dozen  newspapers  published  in  Oregon,  all  of  them  weeklies.  The  chief  exports 
are  wheat,  flour,  apples,  butter,  cheese,  salted  salmon,  salted  meats,  and  coals,  and 
from  10,000  to  20,000  head  of  horned  cattle  and  sheep  are  annually  driven  to  Cal 
ifornia. 

Salmon  are  very  abundant  in  the  Columbia  and  its  branches,  and  those  taken  at 
the  mouth  of  the  main  stream  are  said  to  be  the  best  on  the  coast.  The  fishing  ia 
done  chiefly  by  Indians. 

Such  is  a  brief  and  a  fair  statement  of  the  resources  and  condition  of  Oregon. 
Tt  is  made  to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  state — not  to  attract  or  deter  emigration. 


508  OREGON. 

California  has  a  clearer  sky,  a  more  agreeable  climate,  more  extensive  and  richer 
deposits  of  valuable  minerals,  greater  natural  facilities  for  internal  trade  and  ex 
ternal  commerce,  a  greater  variety  of  soil  and  clime,  fitting  it  for  the  growth  of 
the  fig,  the  orange,  the  olive, and  the  date,  as  well  as  of  the  vine,  apple, and  wheat; 
but,  on  the  other  haricl,  has  the  disadvantages  of  scanty  timber,  very  dry  summers 
and  autumns — compelling  the  farmer  to  irrigate  his  land — an  unsettled  population, 
a  small  proportion  of  families,  an  unsteady  course  of  trade,  and  unsettled  titles  to 
most  of  the  soil  under  occupation.  Washington  Territory  has  advantages  superior 
to  those  of  Oregon  for  foreign  commerce,  lumbering  and  fishing.  The  main  ad 
vantages  of  Oregon  over  both,  are  in  having  a  large  body  of  level,  rich  prairie 
land,  with  abundant  water,  and  neither  too  much  nor  too  little  timber. 

The  population  of  Oregon  is  largely  composed  of  emigrants  from  Missouri 
and  Illinois.  In  1848,  it  was  estimated  at  about  8,000  souls;  in  1860,  it 
was  52,566. 

Portland,  the  largest  and  most  important  town  in  Oregon,  is  upon  the 
Willamette,  at  the  head  of  ship  navigation,  15  miles  above  its  entrance  into 
the  Columbia,  and  overland  from  St.  Louis  2,300  miles.  Population  about 
3,000.  Almost  the  whole  of  the  foreign  trade  of  Oregon  is  done  through 
Portland,  excepting  the  southern  part,  and  that  finds  its  seaport  in  Crescent 
City,  of  California.  Portland  lies  120  miles  from  the  ocean,  access  to  it 
being  had  through  the  Columbia,  which  at  low  tide,  in  dry  seasons,  has 
only  9  feet  of  water — scarcely  enough  for  sea-going  vessels.  The  Pacific 
coast  is  destitute  of  good  harbors. 

Oregon  City  is  12  miles  above  Portland,  in  a  narrow  high  walled  valley  on 
the  Willamette,  which  affords  here,  by  its  fulls,  great  water  power  for  manu 
facturing  facilities.  Excepting  at  this  place  and  on  the  Columbia  River, 
water  power  is  scarce  in  Oregon,  save  at  points  very  difficult  of  access. 

Asforia  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia,  10  miles  from  its  mouth. 
This  place,  so  long  noted  as  an  important  depot  in  the  fur  trade,  has  now 
but  a  few  dwellings.  In  this  neighborhood  are  forests  of  pine,  which  have 
long  been  noted  for  their  beauty  and  size.  Lieut.  Wilkes  thus  speaks  of 
them:  "Short  excursions  were  made  by  many  of  us  in  the  vicinity,  and  one 
of  these  was  to  visit  the  primeval  forest  of  pines  in  the  rear  of  Astoria,  a 
sight  well  worth  seeing.  Mr.  Drayton  took  a  camera  lucida  drawing  of  one 
of  the  largest  trees,  which  the  preceding  plate  is  engraved  from.  It  conveys 
a  good  idea  of  the  thick  growth  of  trees,  and  is  quite  characteristic  of  this 
forest.  The  soil  on  which  this  timber  grows  is  rich  and  fertile,  but  the  ob 
stacles  to  the  agriculturist  are  almost  insuperable.  The  largest  tree  of  the 
sketch  was  thirty-nine  feet  six  inches  in  circumference,  eight  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  had  a  bark  eleven  inches  thick.  The  hight  could  not  be  ascer 
tained,  but  it  was  thought  to  be  upward  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and 
the  tree  was  perfectly  straight."  These  trees,  for  at  least  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  are  without  branches.  In  many  places  those  which  have  fallen 
down,  present  barriers  to  the  vision,  even  when  the  traveler  is  on  horseback; 
and  between  the  old  forest  trees  that  are  lying  prostrate,  can  be  seen  the  ten 
der  and  small  twig  beginning  its  journey  to  an  amazing  hight. 

Salem,  the  capital  of  Oregon,  is  on  the  Willamette,  50  miles  above  Oregon 
City.  The  other  towns  on  this  river  and  tributaries  are  Milwaukee,  Buteville, 
Champoeg,  Fair  field,  Albany,  Corvallis,  Booneville,  Eugene  City,  Clackamas, 
Lafayette,  Parkersburg,  and  Santiane.  On  the  Umpqua  are  Gardner,  Mid- 
dlet.on,  Scottsburg,  Winchester,  Roseburg,  and  Canonville.  In  Rogue  valley 
are  Jacksonville,  Waldo,  and  Althouse.  On  the  Columbia  the  towns  are  As 
toria,  Rainier,  Gardner,  St.  Helena,  and  the  Dalles,  all  very  small  places. 


NEBKASKA. 


NEBRASKA  was  organized  as  a  territory,  with  Kansas,  in  1854,  and 
then  had  the  immense  area  of  336,000  square  miles.  In  February, 
1867,  it  was  admitted  as  a  State  of  the  Union. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  gently  rolling  prairie,  and  there  are  numerous 
small  creeks  and  rivers,  along  the  banks  of  which  is  timber. 

The  climate  of  Nebraska  is  favorable,  and  the  atmosphere  pure,  clear,  and  dry. 
The  soil  is  quick  and  lively,  producing  Indian  corn,  wheat,  oats,  hemp,  tobacco, 
and  sorghum.  Vegetables  of  all  kinds  thrive  well,  and  it  produces  fine  grapes. 

As  a  grazing  country  Nebraska  can  not  be  surpassed,  and  stock  raising  is  ex 
tensively  carried  on.  The  wild  grass  predominates  here  as  in  Utah,  and  cattle, 
horses,  and  mules  fatten  on  it  very  readily.  The  bottom  lands  abound  with 
rushes,  and  stock  are  often  kept  out  the  whole  winter  through,  and  are  found  to 
fatten  without  fodder. 

Nebraska  being  an  agricultural  and  stock-raising  country,  and  also  the  great 
starting-point  and  highway  for  travel  over  the  plains,  her  lands  are  sought  after 
by  immigrants.  In  the  neighborhood  of  good  settlements  the  settler  has  the 
advantages  of  churches  and  schools  already  established.  As  a  general  rule, 
farms  can  be  bought  at  less  than  the  cost  of  improvements,  owing  to  the  constant 
emigration  to  the  adjacent  gold  mines  of  Colorado  and  Montana.  Timber  and 
stone  are  found  in  sufficient  quantities  for  building  purposes.  Stone  coal  has  been 
discovered  in  several  places. 

The  principal  rivers  are  the  Missouri  and  the  Platte.  The  first  is  navigable  by 
steamboats  for  many  hundred  miles  above  the  northern  point  of  Nebraska.  The 
Platte  enters  the  Missouri  River  near  Omaha  City.  This  river  runs  almost  due 
west,  through  a  fine  valley  extending  four  or  five  hundred  miles  through  the  cen 
ter  of  Nebraska,  and  has  always  been  the  favorite,  as  it  has  been  almost  the  only 
route  to  the  new  states  and  territories  of  Utah,  Colorado,  Nevada,  Idaho,  Montana, 
Washington,  Oregon,  an^  California.  The  principal  outfitting  points  are  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Missouri,  and  are  Brownsville,  Nebraska  City,  Flattsmouth,  and 
Omaha.  The  roads  from  these  westward  are  good,  and  all  intersect  at  or  near 
Fort  Kearney. 

The  line  of  emigration  of  the  United  States,  it  is  estimated  now  advances  west 
ward  at  an  annual  rate  of  seventeen  miles.  The  territorial  expansion  of  the  pop 
ulation  absorbs  annually  17,000  square  miles,  for  when  population  exceeds 
eight  persons  to  a  square  mile  it  emigrates.  Within  the  last  thirty  years,  the 
United  States  have  added,  on  the  west,  eleven  new  states,  with  an  aggregate  area 
of  934,462  square  miles,  and  three  millions  of  people.  With  the  natural,  increase 
of  inhabitants,  consumption  of  territory  for  colonization,  if  it  existed,  would 
increase  in  a  far  greater  ratio.  But  it  does  not  exist..  The  western  limit  of  agri 
cultural  land  in  the  United  States  is  already  reached.  Mr.  J.  A.  Wheelock,  com 
missioner  of  statistics  of  Minnesota,  in  his  annual  report  for  1860,  presents  these 
facts  under  the  heading  of: 

ARABLE   AREAS   OF   THE   UNITED    STATES   EXHAUSTED. 

The  extended  explorations  made  within  the  last  few  years  under  the  auspices  of 
the  United  States  government,  of  the  region  between  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  have  revealed  the  startling  fact  in  the  physics  of  the  United 

509 


510  NEBRASKA.  , 

States,  that  the  westward  progress  of  its  population  has  nearly  reached  the  oxtremo 
western  limit  of  the  areas  avai-lable  for  settlement,  and  that  the  whole  space  west 
of  the  98th  parallel,  embracing  one  half  of  the  entire  surface  of  the  United  States, 
i.s  an  arid  and  desolate  waste,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  belt  of  rich  lands 
along  the  Pacific  coast.  This  momentous  fact,  which  is  destined  in  its  results  to 
revolutionize  the  whole  scheme  of  continental  development,  and  to  give  a  new  di 
rection  to  the  movements  of  trade  and  population,  was  first  announced  as  a  posi 
tive  generalization  by  Professor  Henry,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  in  a  learned 
paper  on  meteorology  in  its  connection  with  agriculture.  From  this  paper  wo 
quote:  "  The  general  character  of  the  soil  between  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
Atlantic,  is  that  of  great  fertility.  The  portion  also  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  as  far  as  the  98th  meridian,  including  the  states  of  Texas,  Louisiana, 
Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota,  and  portions  of  the  territories  of  Kan 
sas  and  Nebraska,  are  fertile,  though  abounding  in  prairies,  and  subject  occasion 
ally  to  droughts.  The  whole  space  to  the  west,  between  the  98th  meridian  and 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  a  barren  waste,  over  which  the  eye  may  roam  to  the  ex 
tent  of  the  visible  horizon,  with  scarcely  an  object  to  break  the  monotony.  From 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  with  the  exception  of  a  rich,  but  narrow  belt 
along  the  ocean,  the  country  may  also  be  considered,  in  comparison  with  other  por 
tions  of  the  United  States,  a  wilderness  unfitted  for  the  uses  of  the  husbandman; 
although  in  some  of  the  mountain  valleys,  as  at  Salt  Lake,  by  means  of  irrigation, 
a  precarious  supply  of  food  may  be  obtained." 

It  is  not  necessary  to  quote  the  detailed  description  of  this  American  Sahara. 
The  concluding  words  of  Prof.  Henry,  upon  this  subject,  are  more  to  our  purpose. 
"  We  have  stated  that  the  entire  region  west  of  the  98th  degree  of  west  longitude, 
with  the  exception  of  a  small  portion  of  western  Texas,  and  the  narrow  border 
along  the  Pacific,  is  a  country  of  comparatively  little  value  to  the  agriculturist,* 
and  perhaps  it  will  astonish  the  reader  if  we  direct  his  attention  to  the  fact  that 
this  line,  which  passes  southward  from  Lake  Winnipeg  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  will 
divide  the  whole  surface  of  the  United  States  into  two  nearly  equal  parts.  This 
statement,  when  fully  appreciated,  will  serve  to  dissipate  some  of  the  dreams  which 
have  been  considered  as  realities,  as  to  the  destiny  of  the  western  part  of  the 
North  American  continent.  Truth,  however,  transcends  even  the  laudable  feel 
ings  of  pride  of  country,  and  in  order  properly  to  direct  the  policy  of  this  great 
confederacy,  it  is  necessary  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  theater  in  which  its 
future  history  is  to  be  enacted." 

That  -'rich  but  narrow  belt  of  fertile  lands  upon  the  Pacific,"  has  already  been 
btecked  out  with  the  prosperous  states  of  California  and  Oregon,  with  an  aggregate 
population  of  450,000. 

Upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the  great  American  desert,  Kansas  already  contains 
a  population  sufficient  to  form  a  state.  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Dacotah  are  rapidly 
filling  up.  Here  are,  altogether,  about  160,000  square  n»iles  to  be  made  into  r\e\v 
states,  and  this  is  all  that  remains  of  the  national  domain — all  that  remains  to 
supply  an  imperative  and  permanent  demand  for  new  areas,  which  absorbs  170,955 
square  miles  every  ten  years  in  the  formation  of  new  states. 

In  the  very  fullness  and  strength  of  its  westward  flow,  the  tide  of  immigration 
is  even  now  arrested  vpon  the  brink  of  a  sterile  waste,  which  covers  half  the  na 
tional  domain. 

This  event  is  the  turning  point  in  American  history.  It  is  the  beginning  of 
that  cumulative  pressure  of  population  upon  the  means  of  subsistence,  which  is 


#In  general,  this  vast  tract  may  be  termed  a  waterless,  timbsrless,  desert-like  country. 
While  the  annual  fall  of  rain  in  the  eastern  states  amounts  to  about  42  inches,  it  is  supposed 
thnt  in  the  country  from  the  British  line  south  to  Texas,  and  from  the  98th  meridian  to  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  of  California,  the  annual  amount  of  rain  does  not  exceed,  on  tin 
average  10  inches!  We  all  know  of  the  terrible  drought  of  I860  in  Kansas.  The  interior 
part  of  our  continent  will  always  be  more  or  less  subject  to  such  calamities.  An  officer  of 
the  U.  S.  army,  commandant  of  a  post  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Antonio,  states  to  us  that 
in  all  that  part  of  Texas,  there  has  been  no  rain  of  consequence  within  the  past  five  years  I 
The  garrison  wa,s  unable  to  procure  even  enough  vegetables  for  its  own  consumption. 


NEBRASKA.  511 

to  test  the  stability  of  our  institutions.  But  aside  from  its  political  effects,  it  will 
have  these  important  results  on  the  material  condition  of  the  country.  1.  It  will 
condense  population  within  its  present  limits,  and  thus  add  to  the  wealth  and  social 
power  of  existing  states.  2.  By  placing  a  positive  limitation  upon  the  supply  of 
western  lands  it  will  largely  enhance  their  value.  , 

Beyond  the  present  line  of  settlement  in  eastern  Nebraska  and  Kansas  to  Cali 
fornia  and  Oregon,  stock  raising  on  the  immense  prairies,  on  which  now  roam 
countless  herds  of  buffalo,  and  gold  and  silver  mining  in  the  mountains,  must  be 
the  main  supports  of  the  population.  That  these  industries  may  in  the  course  of 
half  a  century  give  birth  to  many  new  states,  and  occupation  for  millions  of  in 
habitants,  is  not  improbable;  but  the  food  to  support  them  will  require  to  be  prin 
cipally  drawn  from  the  rich  agricultural  country  on  and  near  the  Mississippi 
Eiver.  With  this  condition  in  prospective,  the  ultimate  value  of  these  lands  will 
be  greatly  enhanced. 

The  population  of  Nebraska  is  composed  of  emigrants  from  the  free  states  of 
the  Northwest,  and  is  now  confined  to  the  eastern  border,  along  the  banks  of  the 
Missouri.  In  1860,  Nebraska  had  28,893  inhabitants. 

Omaha  City,  the  capital  of  Nebraska,  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  wide  plateau, 
the  second  bottom  of  the  Missouri  River,  and  opposite  the  city  of  Council  Bluffs, 
in  Iowa.  The  site  had  not  a  single  dwelling  in  1854,  and  in  the  fall  of  1866  it  had 
an  estimated  population  of  9,000;  and  with  fine  prospects  for  the  future,  for  here 
begins  the  northernmost  Union  Pacific  Railroad. 

A  writer  of  that  period  thus  speaks  of  this  great  work  :  "  At  Omaha  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  begins.  It  has  as  yet  no  connecting  lines  of  rail  in  any  direc 
tion.  It  commences  in  the  air  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  River  at  Omaha, 
and  has  already  streamed  away  toward  sunset,  for  275  miles.  For  thirty  miles 
after  leaving  Omaha,  it  runs  southwest  through  a  rolling  prairie.  Then  it  strikes 
the  great  Platte  Valley,  which  extends  due  west  to  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mount 
ains,  a  distance  of  over  600  miles.  For  this  600  miles  nature  has+  provided  a  per 
fectly  graded  bed  for  a  railway,  or  for  forty  railways.  Think  of  a  magnificent 
valley,  600  miles  long  and  from  five  to  twenty  broad,  with  a  uniform  descent  of 
only  six  or  seven  feet  per  mile,  and  level  as  a  barn  floor,  stretching  from  the  Mis 
souri  River  to  the  foot  of  the  great  peaks  that  look  down  upon  the  Pacific  slope !" 

This  Union  Pacific  Railroad  is  commonly  known  as  the  Chicago  road,  in  con 
tradistinction  to  that  which  starts  from  St.  Louis.  The  latter  in  the  year  1866 
was  fully  completed  as  far  as  Fort  Riley  in  Kansas;  while  the  other,  for  some 
distance  east  of  Omaha,  had  no  rail  connection  until  January,  1867,  when  through 
connection  with  Chicago  was  effected,  via  Council  Bluffs. 

It  was  originally  designed  that  the  St.  Louis  and  Chicago  roads  should  meet  at 
Fort  Kearney,  but  St.  Louis  has  permission  to  take  an  independent  and  more 
southern  route  via  Smokey  Hill,  running  directly  through  Denver,  Colorado,  and 
she  will  avail  herself  of  it.  As  this  will  result  in  our  having  two  Pacific  Railroads 
within  the  next  five  or  six  years,  no  one  will  mourn  over  the  departure  from  the 
original  plan.  One  will  run  west  through  central  Kansas;  the  other  through 
central  Nebraska.  In  other  words,  one  will  take  the  latitude  of  Chicago,  the  other 
that  of  St.  Louis. 

To  each  one  of  these  companies,  Congress  loans  $16,000  in  thirty-year  bonds 
for  every  mile  of  the  road  completed,  withdraws  its  first  lien  upon  the  road,  and 
allows  the  company  to  negotiate  first  mortgage  bonds  bearing  seven  per  cent,  in 
terest  and  redeemable  in  gold,  to  the  additional  amount  of  $16,000  per  mile.  For 
all  transportations  on  account  of  the  Government,  the  road  receives  one  half  in 
cash  and  credits  the  other  half  upon  the  interest  of  the  thirty  year  bonds.  In  ad 
dition  to  this  subsidy  Government  donates  in  fee  simple  to  the  company  12,800 
acres  of  land  for  every  mile  of  the  road  completed,  equal  to  a  solid  belt  twenty 
miles  wide  through  all  the  public  lands,  and  allows  these  lands  to  be  selected  in 
alternate  sections  over  a  belt  fifty  miles  wide. 

The  other  prominent  places  and  localities  in  Nebraska,  are  Plattesmouth,  Ne 
braska  City,  Nemaha  City,  Bellevue,  Florence,  Saratoga,  Foiittnelle,  Brownsville, 
Mt.  Vernon,  St.  George,  and  Columbus. 


The  Territories 

of  the 
UNITED     STATES. 


33 


COLORADO  TERRITORY. 


COLORADO  was  formed  into  a  territory  February  {$,  1861.  Colorado 
derives  its  name  from  the  Colorado  River,  and  its  population  from  the  dis 
covery  of  gold  in  the  vicinity  of  Pikes  Peak.  Its  area  is  104,500  square 
miles.  Estimated  population,  late  in  1864,  32,000.  Capital,  Denver. 

A  great  part  of  this  territory  lies  upon  the  Rocky  Mountains,  with  their  foot 
hills  and  adjacent  plains.  Within  it  the  Arkansas  and  Platte  Rivers  have 
their  sources,  and  running  easterly  empty  into  the  Mississippi;  Green  River 
and  other  affluents  of  the  great  Colorado  of  the  West  here  also  take  their 
rise,  and  flowing  westerly  discharge  their  waters  into  the  Pacific.  Its  mineral 
deposits  are  half  way  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific,  and  about  1,000 
miles  from  each,  and  in  the  same  latitude  with  the  rich  mineral  regions  of 
Carson  Valley.  Within  it  are  the  three  beautiful  vales  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  known  respectively  as  Middle,  South  and  North  Parks,  while  the  noted 
Pike's  Peak  rises  up  grandly  10,600  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plains,  and 
18,600,  or  more  than  three  and  a  half  miles  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This 
mountain  received  its  name  from  its  discoverer,  Capt.  Z.  M.  Pike,  while  at  „**  jp 
the  head  of  an  exploring  expedition  sent  out  in  1806,  in  Jefferson's  admin 
istration,  to  ascertain  the  sources  of  the  Arkansas.  He  ascended  to  the  H^  > 
summit,  and  was  the  first  white  man  to  gaze  upon  the  magnificent  panorama 
seen  from  that  point.  A  visitor  of  our  time  thus  relates  his  experience 
there  : 

^  "  The  summit  is  of  an  irregular,  oblong  shape,  nearly  level,  embracing  about 
sixty  acres,  and  composed  entirely  of  angular  slabs  and  blocks  of  coarse  disinteg 
rating  granite.  The  fresh  snow  was  two  or  three  inches  deep  in  the  interstices 
among  the  rocks,  but  had  nearly  all  melted  from  their  surfaces. 

The  day  was  clear,  and  the  view  indescribably  grand  and  impressive.  To  the 
eastward  for  a  hundred  miles,  our  eyes  wandered  over  the  dim,  dreary  prairies, 
spotted  by  the  dark  shadows  of  the  clouds  and  the  deeper  green  of  the  pineries, 
intersected  by  the  faint  gray  lines  of  the  roads,  and  emerald  threads  of  timber, 
which  mark  the  meandering  of  the  streams,  and  banded  on  the  far  horizon  with  a 
girdle  of  gold.  At  our  feet,  below  the  now  insignificant  mountains  up  which  we 
had  toiled  so*  wearily,  was  Colorado  City,  to  the  naked  eye  a  confused  city  of  Lilli- 
puts,  but  through  the  glasses  exhibiting  its  buildings  in  perfect  distinctness,  and 
beside  one  of  them  our  own  carriage  with  a  man  standing  near  it. 

515 


516 


COLORADO   TERRITORY. 


Further  south  swept  the  green  timbers  of  the  Fontaine  qui  Bouille,  the  Arkan 
sas  and  the  Huerfano,  and  then  rose  the  blue  Spanish  peaks  of  New  Mexico,  a 
hundred  miles  away.  Eight  or  ten  miles  from  our  stand-point,  two  little  gems  of 
lakes,  nestled  among  the  rugged  mountains,  revealing  even  the  shadows  of  the 
rocks  and  pines  in  their  transparent  waters.  Far  beyond,  a  group  of  tiny  lakelets 
glittered  and  sparkled  in  their  dark  surroundings  like  a  cluster  of  stars. 


View  in  Denver. 

Cherry  Creek  is  seen  in  front,  Platte  River  in  the  middle  distance,  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  back 
ground,  and  on  the  extreme  left,  at  the  distance  of  seventy  miles,  appears  the  snow-clad  summit  oi  Piko'fl 
Teak. 

To  the  west,  the  South  Park,  40  miles  in  length,  the  Bayou  Salado,  and  other 
amphitheaters  of  rich  floral  beauty — gardens  of  nature  amid  the  utter  desolation 
of  the  mountains — were  spread  thousands  of  fe%t  below  us;  and  beyond,  peak  after 
,peak,  until  the  pure  white  wall  of  the  Snowy  Range  merged  into  the  infinite  blue 
of  the  sky.  Toward  the  north-east  we  could  trace  the  timbers  of  the  Platte,  for 
more  than  seventy  miles;  but  though  the  junction  of  Cherry  creek,  even  to  the 
unassisted  eye,  showed  the  exact  location  of  Denver,  our  glasses  did  not  enable  us 
to  detect  the  buildings. 

These  of  course  were  only  the  more  prominent  features  of  the  landscape.  To 
the  north,  south  and  west  the  intervening  expanse  was  one  vast  wilderness  of 
mountains  of  diverse  forms  and  mingling  colors,  with  clouds  of  fleecy  white  sail 
ing  airily  among  their  scarred  and  wrinkled  summits.  By  walking  a  few  hundred 
yards,  from  one  slight  elevation  to  another,  we  looked  upon  four  territories  of  the 
Union — Kansas,  Nebraska,  Utah  and  New  Mexico.  Almost  from  the  same  stand 
point  we  viewed  regions  watered  by  four  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  continent — the 
Platte,  Arkansas,  Rio  Grande,  and  Colorado — tributaries  respectively  of  the  Mis 
souri,  the  Mississippi,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Gulf  of  California. 

A  gorge  upon  the  north  side  is  still  more  gigantic  than  that  on  the  south-east. 
A  colossal  plowshare  seems  to  have  been  driven  fiercely  down  from  the  summit 
almost  to  the  base,  leaving  a  gaping  furrow,  visible  even  from  Denver  [seventy 
miles]  and  deep  enough  in  itself  to  bury  a  mountain  of  considerable  pretensions.  ' 
Like  mineral  regions  generally,  this  is  deficient  in  agricultural  resources ,' 
it  may  in  time  produce  sufficient  to  support  a  considerable  mining  popula 
tion.  It  is,  however,  more  probable  that  it  will  become  an  important  market 


COLORADO    TERRITORY. 


517 


STREET  IN  DENVER  IN  1859. 


for  the  rich  agricultural  districts  of  eastern  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  "  The 
soil  east  of  the  foot  of  the  mountains  is  mostly  arid  and  sandy,  and  as  very 
little  rain  falls  during  the  summer,  is  not  adapted  to  farming  purposes.  Even 
the  valleys  of  the  streams  appear  unproductive  ;  pulverize  a  handful  of  the 
soil,  and  it  proves  to  consist  almost  entirely  of  sand.  But  it  is  precisely 

identical  with  the  soil 
of  the  valleys  in  New 
Mexico;  and  like  them, 
with  irrigation,  it  will 

produce  abundantly  all 

the  small  grains  and 
vegetables.  The  val 
leys  in  the  gold  region 
will  produce  all  the 
great  staples  of  that  lat 
itude,  with  perhaps  the 
exception  of  corn. 
Their  elevation  is  near 
ly  5,000  feet  above  the 
sea;  frosts  are  frequent,  even  during  the  summer,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether 
corn  will  flourish,  unless  it  be  the  small  species  grown  in  Mexico,  or  the 
variety  recently  introduced  in  Oregon,  in  which  each  kernal  is  encased  in  a 
separate  husk.  The  climate  of  the  great  plains  and  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
cduntry  is  one  of  the  healthiest  in  the  world.  The  air  is  so  dry  and  pure 
that  fresh  meat,  cut  in  summer  in  strips,  and  in  winter  in  quarters,  and  hung 
up  out  of  doors,  will  cure  so  perfectly,  without  salting  or  smoking,  that  it 
may  be  carried  to  any  quarter  of  the  globe.  The  nights,  even  in  summer, 
are  cool  and  often  cold."  The  winters  are  long  and  terribly  severe;  snow 
falls  early  in  the  fall  and  late  in  the  spring.  The  Parks  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains  are  mild  in  winter,  affording  abundance  of  food  for  stock,  and 
have  always  been  favorite  winter  haunts  for  the  Indians.  "  They  are  com 
paratively  smooth,  fertile  spots — the  principal  ones  from  30  to  60  miles  in 
diameter — inclosed  on  all  sides  by  high  mountain  walls  :•  in  the  language  of 
Fremont,  "gems  of  rich  floral  beauty,  shut  up  in  the  stern  recesses  of  the 
mountains." 

The  mountain  districts  are  well  watered.  "The  country  abounds  in  timber,  the 
prevailing  variety  being  pine — immense  forests  of  both  the  yellow  and  white  being 
common.  On  the  streams  the  white  cherry  and  timber  common  to  this  latitude 
are  found.  Game  is  exceedingly  abundant — the  black-tailed  deer,  red  deer,  elk, 
antelope,  mountain  sheep,  black  bear,  etc.,  being  found  in  all  portions  of  the  coun 
try.  It  is  a  favorite  resort  for  the  Indians,  as  it  affords  them  plenty  of  game  when 
off  their  buffalo  hunts,  and  where  they  get  their  lodge  poles  and  equipments  for 
their  excursions  for  Buffalo  on  the  plains." 

This  country  has  only  of  late  been  a  point  of  attraction  to  emigrants.  The  discov 
ery  of  gold  has  been  the  talisman  to  draw  multitudes  of  the  hardy  and  enterprising 
of  our  countrymen  to  this  Rocky  Mountain  land,  it  had  long  been  believed  by  the 
hunters  and  trappers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  that  the  existence  of  gold  and  sil 
ver,  near  the  sources  of  the  Arkansas  and  South  Platte,  was  known  to  the  Indians, 
and  though  search  was  made  the  exact  spot  could  never  be  ascertained.  "  In  1835, 
a  hunter,  named  Eustace  Carriere,  became  separated  from  his  companions,  and 
wandered  about  for  some  weeks,  during  which  period  he  discovered  some  grains 
of  gold  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  which  he  took  with  him  to  Mexico.  On  his 
arrival  there  he  exhibited  his  specimens,  and  a  company  was  formed,  having  Car 
riere  for  their  guide  to  the  new  El  Dorado.  Unfortunately  for  himself,  Carriere 
was  unable  to  find  the  precise  spot,  and  the  Mexicans,  thinking  that  he  did  not 


518  COLORADO   TERRITORY. 

wish  to  disclose  the  secret  to  them,  set  upon  him,  and  having  punished  him  severe- 
]y,  left  him  and  returned  to  Mexico.  Nothing  was  then  heard  for  some  time,  but 
in  the  winter  of  1851  an  old  trapper,  who  had  been  living  among  the  Indians  for 
some  years,  came  to  the  settlements  and  reported  the  existence  of  a  cave,  in  which 
there  was  a  quantity  of  solid  masses  of  gold,  hanging  from  the  roof,  like  stalactites 
or  immense  icicles.  He  urged  the  formation  of  a  company,  and  offered  to  conduct 
men  to  the  spot,  but  the  story  was  too  large,  and  he  could  not  induce  any  one  to 
accompany  him.  He  afterward  left  for  the  Indian  country  by  himself,  and  noth 
ing  has  since  been  heard  of  him. 

In  1850,  a  party  of  California  emigrants  passing  through  this  part,  found  traces 
of  gold,  and  some  of  the  party  wished  to  stay  and  examine  carefully,  but  the  ma 
jority,  who  had  heard  of  the  California  nuggets  being  as  '  large  as  a  brick,'  wished 
to  proceed  on  their  journey.  Capt.  John  Beck,  who  was  of  this  party,  on  his  re 
turn  from  California,  took  out  a  party  of  a  hundred  men  to  this  gold  field,  and  from 
that  time  the  presence  of  gold  was  a  recognized  fact.  Party  then  rapidly  suc 
ceeded  party,  every  one  who  returned  from  the  mines  giving  a  highly  colored 
account  of  the  fortunes  to  be  realized  there.  In  May,  1858,  a  party  from  Law 
rence,  Kansas,  was  induced  by  these  favorable  reports  to  proceed  to  the  diggings, 
where  they  found  matters  even  better  than  had  been  represented.  The  result  of 
their  discoveries  soon  became  known,  and  this  new  El  Dorado  suddenly  became 
the  great  magnet  of  attraction  of  this  continent."  So  great  in  two  years  was  the 
rush  of  emigration  that,  in  I860,  the  census  gave  the  population  of  the  newly 
found  gold  region  at  about  sixty  thousand. 

The  GOLD  REGION  is  known  to  extend  several  hundred  miles  along  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  best  part  of  it  is  supposed  to  be  between  latitudes 
37°  and  42°.  "It  is  the  general  opinion  that  quartz  mining  must  always 
be  the  leading  interest  here ;  and  miners  with  only  the  pan  and  rocker  or 
sluice  have  not  as  yet  been  able,  as  they  were  originally  in  California,  to  ob 
tain  $5  or  $10  per  day  wherever  they  might  locate.  Many  old  Californians, 
however,  aver  that  the  quartz  '  prospects'  much  more  richly  here  than  it  ever 
has  in  the  golden  state."  As  early  as  October,  1860,  75  quartz  mills  were 
in  operation  in  the  mountains,  and  100  more  being  put  up,  which,  upon  the 
ground  and  in  running  order,  cost  in  the  aggregate  nearly  two  millions  of 
dollars.  The  estimated  yield  of  gold  for  the  year  was  five  millions  in  value. 
Some  rich  silver  lodes  had  then  been  discovered;  but  the  development  of 
this  industry  must  be  slow,  from  the  great  expense  of  erecting  proper  reduc 
tion  works,  and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  practical  skill  to  amalgamate 
the  mineral. 

Denver,  Auraria  and  Highland  were  established  by  three  different  compa 
nies,  but  they  are  substantially  one  city,  and  the  metropolis  of  the  gold  re 
gion.  They  are  seventy  miles  north  of  Pike's  Peak,  at  the  confluence  of 
Cherry  Creek  and  the  South  Platte  River ;  and  distant,  by  air  lines,  from  St. 
Louis,  800,  Santa  Fe,  300,  San  Francisco,  1,000,  and  Salt  Lake,  400  miles. 

Denver  and  Auraria  were  the  first  founded.  The  first  house  built  on  the  site  of  Denver 
was  erected  on  Oct.  29,  1858,  by  Gen.  Wm.  Larimer  and  party,  who  had  just  arrived  from 
Leavenworth.  It  was  a  rude  log  cabin,  only  six  feet  high,  with  a  roof  of  sods.  Highland 
is  beautifully  situated  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Platte.  The  three  places,  in  general  terms, 
are  now  called  Denver,  which,  in  the  fall  of  i860,  two  years  after  the  first  house  was 
erected,  contained  three  daily  newspapers,  two  churches,  a  theater,  several  fine  brick  blocks, 
two  bridges  across  the  Platte,  excellent  roads  leading  from  it  to  the  principal  diggings, 
and  5,000  inhabitants. 

Colorado  City,  80  miles  south  of  Denver,  was  founded  in  1859  at  the  foot 
of  Pike's  Peak,  and  had,  in  1860, 1,500  inhabitants.  Golden  City,  15  miles 
west  of  Denver,  in  1860,  had  a  population  of  1,200.  St.  Vrain  is  on  the  Platte, 
40  miles  north  of  Denver,  and  on  the  site  of  the  old  trading  post  of  Col 
Ceran  St.  Vrain,  frequently  alluded  to  in  Fremont's  expeditions. 


COLORADO  TERRITORY.  519 

Hall,  in  his  "  Emigrants'  and  Settlers'  Guide,"  gives  this  description  of 
the  climate  and  productions  of  Colorado.  He  is  also  full  and  enthusiastic 
upon  its  mineral  wealth.  He  describes,  somewhat  in  detail,  the  mode  prac 
ticed  in  gold  mining  and  the  various  processes  for  extracting  the  ore.  We 
copy  his  article  below,  almost  entire. 

"  The  Climate. — The  climate  of  Colorado  varies  with  its  hight,  both  as  to 
temperature  and  the  amount  of  rain  and  snow.  The  climate  of  that  por 
tion  lying  at  the  base  and  east  of  the  mountains  is  not  only  delightful  but 
remarkably  healthy.  The  frosts  come  generally  early  in  the  autumn,  and 
continue  far  into  the  spring  months,  but  they  are  not  severe.  On  the  plains, 
the  snows  of  winter  are  never  sufficient  to  prevent  cattle  of  all  kinds  from 
thriving  and  fattening  on  the  nutritious  grass,  dried  up  and  thus  cured  by 
nature  in  July  and  August. 

Throughout  the  winter  months,  with  rare  exceptions,  the  sun  blazes  down 
with  an  almost  tropic  glow,  little  or  no  snow  falls,  and  although  the  nights 
are  sometimes  sharp  and  frosty,  there  is  no  steady  intensity  of  cold. 

With  such  a  climate  Colorado  could  not  well  be  otherwise  than  healthy. 
The  sanitary  condition  of  the  territory  is  good,  and  the  number  of  deaths, 
considering  the  labor  and  exposure  to  which  the  great  majority  of  its  in 
habitants  are  subjected,  remarkably  small. 

Agricultural  Products. — In  a  country  so  remote  from  the  agricultural  dis 
tricts  of  the  states,  and  where  the  expense  of  transporting  supplies  is  so 
heavy,  the  need  of  home  production  is  necessarily  very  great.  The  rather 
scanty  opportunities  which  Colorado  presents  as  a  field  for  agriculture  have 
been,  however,  improved  to  the  utmost.  An  extensive  system  of  irrigation 
has  been  introduced,  which,  it  is  thought,  will  relieve  the  settlers  from  lack 
of  rain  and  other  difficulties  which  have  hitherto  limited  agricultural  pro 
gress. 

As  regards  the  production  of  grain,  the  crops  on  the  various  branches  of 
the  South  Platte,  Arkansas,  Fontain  que  Bruille,  afford  encouraging  pros 
pects. 

In  the  southern  part  of  the  territory  considerable  attention  has  been  paid 
to  the  raising  of  wheat,  corn,  barley,  and  other  cereals  ;  but  the  continuance 
of  dry  weather  presents  a  formidable  obstacle  to  great  success  in  this  di 
rection. 

The  bottom  lands  of  the  Platte  River  and  other  mountain  streams  have  a 
rich  alluvial  deposit,  which  only  requires  water  at  long  intervals  to  promote 
an  astonishing  vegetable  growth.  All  the  succulent  varieties  of  plants,  such 
as  potatoes,  cabbages,  onions,  squashes,  etc.,  attain  an  enormous  size,  re 
taining  the  tenderness,  juiciness,  and  sweetness  which  almost  everywhere 
else  belong  only  to  the  smaller  varieties.  The  wild  fruits  of  the  territory 
are  also  numerous  and  abundant.  It  is  believed  that  Colorado  will,  in  a  few 
years,  be  able  to  supply  her  own  home  demand  for  the  necessaries  of  lire. 

Stock  Raising  etc. — As  a  grazing  and  stock-raising  region  Colorado  pos 
sesses  great  advantages.  Near  the  base  of  the  rocky  ranges,  and  along  the 
valleys  of  the  streams  which  have  their  origin  in  the  mountains,  vegetation 
is  prolific.  The  grasses  are  not  only  abundant,  but  they  contain  more  nutri 
ment  than  the  cultivated  species  of  the  most  prosperous  agricultural  dis 
tricts  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  The'se  grasses  cure  standing,  and  cattle 
have  been  known  to  feed  and  thrive  upon  them  throughout  the  entire  win 
ter  months. 


520  COLORADO  TERRITORY. 

Minerals — Mining,  etc. — As  a  gold-mining  country,  Colorado  is  second 
only  to  California.  The  Colorado  gold  mines  differ  from  those  of  California 
in  this  particular,  viz.:  that  in  the  former  the  precious  ore  is  generally  found 
in  extensive  "  lodes  "  of  quartz  and  pyrites,  while  in  the  latter,  placer  or 
gulch  mining  are  the  most  extensive  and  the  most  profitable.  We  do  not 
mean  to  be  understood  by  this  that  there  are  no  placer  mines  in  Colorado. 
Numerous  gulches  and  ravines  have  been  extensively  worked  in  different 
parts  of  the  territory,  and  in  some  instances  the  yield  has  been  astonishingly 
rich  and  abundant;  but,  up  to  the  present  time,  the  extent  of  the  discov 
eries  of  gulch,  bar,  or  river  deposits  has  not  seemed  to  establish  a  claim 
for  Colorado  as  a  great  placer  mining  region. 

That  the  inexperienced  may  more  clearly  understand  the  difference  be 
tween  "  placer  "  and  "  lode  "  mining,  the  following  brief  explanation  is 
appended  : 

"  Placer  "  and  "Lode  "  Mining. — Where  deposits  of  gold  are  found  in 
gulches,  on  bars,  or  in  river  beds,  mixed  only  with  the  sands  and  alluvial 
washings  of  the  mountains  or  hillsides,  and  requiring  only  the  action  of 
water,  by  sluicing  or  hydraulics,  to  separate  them  from  the  earthy  mixture, 
the  term  "  placer  "  is  applied  to  this  mode  of  mining.  On  the  other  hand, 
where  gold  deposits  are  found  mixed  with  quartz  rock,  pyrites  of  iron  and 
copper  or  other  metals,  and  occupying  veins  between  walls  of  solid  granite, 
they  are  called  u  lode  "  mines.  The  latter  can  only  be  worked  profitably  by 
the  aid  of  capital  and  powerful  machinery ;  but  experience  has  confirmed 
the  belief  that  this  kind  of  mining  is  more  permanent  and  quite  as  profita 
ble  as  "  placer  "  mining.  The  mines  of  Colorado  are  of  this  class,  and  the 
leading  enterprises  of  the  population  are  specially  directed  to  the  improve 
ment  and  development  of  these  veins  or  crevices. 

Mining  Machinery  used  in  Colorado. — The  success  of  any  mining  region 
is  dependent,  primarily,  upon  manual  labor;  liberal  capital  and  powerful 
machinery  are  important  accessories,  however,  and  in  Colorado  they  are 
essential  ones. 

The  machinery  generally  in  use  there  for  obtaining  gold  from  the 
quartz  or  ore  is  of  very  simple  construction,  consisting  chiefly  of  an  engine 
(or  wheel,  if  water-power  is  used,)  and  a  set  of  stamps  for  crushing  the  ore. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  all  practical  miners  in  Colorado,  with  only  one  or  two 
exceptions,  that  the  engines  now  in  use  there  are  by  no  means  large  enough 
for  the  required  use.  The  largest  of  them  measures  14-inch  cylinder,  and 
24-inch  stroke,  running  24  revolutions  per  minute,  and  carrying  about  50 
pounds  of  steam.  In  Colorado  this  engine  is  estimated  at  80-horse  power. 
All  other  engines  are  likewise  overrated,  and  to  do  the  work  required  of 
them  they  are  run  at  high  speed.  Most  of  the  engines  and  stamping  ma 
chinery  have,  thus  far,  been  made  in  St.  Louis  and  Chicago.  The  principal 
water-wheel  used  is  the  over-shot,  although  there  are  some  under-shot  and 
breast-wheels. 

Mining  Claims. — In  Colorado  liberal  laws  are  in  force,  which  give  to  the 
fortunate  discoverer  of  a  quartz  vein  200  local  feet  of  the  same,  and  to  all 
others  who  apply  in  season  100  feet  not  already  claimed.  These  claims  are 
recorded  in  the  clerk's  office  of  the  district,  and  by  this  process  the  rights 
of  the  parties  are  secured  and  respected. 

Having  made  your  claim  and  had  it  recorded,  the  next  thing  for  the 
miner  to  do  is  to  see  to 


COLORADO  TERRITORY.  521 

Sinking  a  Shaft. — This  is  sometimes  attended  with  great  labor,  and  not  a 
little  expense.  The  cost  of  sinking  a  shaft,  four  feet  wide  and  twelve  feet 
long,  through  the  "  cap  "  is  estimated  to  be  about  $25  per  running  foot,  if 
the  shaft  is  from  60  to  100  feet  deep  :  $30  per  foot  if  it  is  from  100  to  160 
feet  deep,  and  so  on  in  proportion,  the  expense  increasing  with  the  depth, 
and  consequent  difficulty  of  drawing  the  rubbish  to  the  surface. 

Much,  of  course,  depends  upon  the  hardness  of  the  rock  through  which 
the  shaft  is  sunk.  In  some  cases  a  large  proportion,  or  the  whole  of  the 
expenses  of  the  shaft  is  defrayed  by  the  gold  found  during  the  progress  of 
the  work.  Indeed,  some  mines  have  been  sunk  to  a  great  depth  without 
encountering  the  "  cap  "  at  all. 

Method  of  Raising  the  Ore. — The  quartz  mills  are,  with  but  a  single  ex 
ception,  some  distance  from  the  shafts  or  mines.  The  hoisting  is  performed 
by  an  ordinary  "  whim,"  worked  sometimes  by  a  horse  or  mule,  and  some 
times  by  a  five  or  six  horse-power  engine ;  a  ten  or  fifteen  horse  engine 
would  be  better  when  the  shafts  are  worked  to  great  depths. 

Process  of  Extracting  the  Ore. — The  usual  mode  of  extracting  the  gold 
may  be  simply  described  as  follows  :  The  ore  is  crushed  to  powder  by  heavy 
stamps,  which  fall  down  with  great  force  ;  then  the  powder  is  mixed  with 
water,  run  over  metallic  plates,  having  slight  ridges  on  their  surface,  and 
smeared  with  quicksilver  :  thus  part  of  the  gold  is  retained. 

Two  new  processes  of  separating  the  ore,  which  are  now  in  extensive 
operation,  may  be  thus  briefly  described : 

The  Freiberg  Pan,  so  called  from  the  name  of  the  place  where  it  was  in 
vented,  Freiberg,  Germany — is  a  wooden  tub  of  perhaps  eight  feet  in  diam 
eter,  and  three  feet  high,  with  a  false  bottom  of  iron,  upon  which  move  in 
a  circle  four  mullers  of  stone  or  iron,  attached  to'the  arms  of  a  central  up 
right  shaft.  This  shaft  propels  the  mullers  by  the  power  of  steam.  In 
this  pan  or  tub  are  deposited,  from  time  to  time,  quantities  of  pulverized 
quartz,  with  the  gold  dust  intermingled.  Water  is  let  in,  to  the  depth  of 
ten  or  twelve  inches,  and  a  stream  of  it  allowed  to  run  constantly.  This 
water  escapes  at  an  orifice  made  at  the  proper  hight,  and  carries  with  it  all 
floating  dust.  The  water  is  warmed  by  steam  and  kept  at  a  uniform  tem 
perature.  The  motion  of  the  mullers  destroys  the  chemical  affinities  of 
the  several  substances,  and  allows  the  quicksilver  to  take  it.  This  pan  is 
coming  into  use  in  several  mills.  A  large  mill  will  soon  be  built  in  Nevada 
to  make  use  of  this  process. 

The  Bertola  Pan,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  Spaniard  who  invented 
it,  is  more  extensively  used,  and  promises  better  for  all  kinds  of  ores.  It  ia 
about  half  the  size  of  the  Freiberg  pan,  and  entirely  of  iron.  The  dust  is 
operated  upon  in  the  same  way  in  both  pans — water,  and  stone  mullers  be 
ing  used.  The  chemicals,  however,  in  the  Bertola  method,  are  deposited 
with  the  dust,  while  in  the  Freiberg  they  are  not.  What  chemicals  are 
used'is  still  a  secret,  carefully  guarded  by  those  who  make  use  of  the  pro 
cess.  Many  large  mills  are  adopting  it  with  great  confidence.  Messrs. 
Cook  &  Kimball  have  thirty  pairs  of  pans  in  operation  in  their  large  mill, 
Central  City.  They  are  also  about  to  erect  an  immense  mill  for  a  new  com 
pany  in  New  York,  on  Clear  Creek,  for  the  purpose  of  operating  one  hund 
red  and  fifty  pair  of  pans.  The  i'riends  of  this  process  are  very  confident 
of  its  entire  success. 

The  above-named  methods  of  operating  upon  the  ore  are  designed  to 


522  COLOEADO  TEEEITORY. 

overcome  chemical  affinities,  difficulties  which  can  not  be  obviated  by  the 
common  process.  All  kinds  of  chemicals  are  found  in  the  ore,  and  some  of 
them  are  great  neutralizers  of  the  power  of  quicksilver.  Owing  to  t'hese, 
in  some  ores,  not  more  than  a  fourth  part  of  the  gold  is  saved  in  the  com 
mon  process.  Sulphur  is  found  in  abundance,  and  it  is  a  great  hindrance 
to  mining. 

The  Keith  Process. — Dr.  Keith  has  undertaken  to  master  this  difficulty  by 
first  pulverizing  and  then  burning  the  dust — the  sulphur  affording  the  com 
bustible  agent.  It  is  done  in  a  furnace  with  an  escape  flue  to  create  a 
draft,  which  runs  up  the  mountain  side  several  hundred  feet.  It  further 
consists  of  a  jaw  working  on  a  frame  at  about  25  strokes,  crushing  the  dry 
ore,  which  is  then  conveyed  by  a  tube  or  trough  to  a  clgse,  narrow  sort  of 
fan-mill,  fitted  inside  with  three  revolving  arms.  The  crushed  ore  is  in 
troduced  into  the  center,  and  the  high  speed  throws  it  out  along  the  arms 
till  it  is  reduced  to  fine  powder,  when  the  draft  caused  by  the  arms  carries 
it  through  a  three  or  four  inch-flue  into  a  furnace,  heated  to  an  intense 
heat.  The  flue  then  expanding  to  a  width  of  three  or  four  feet  and  one 
foot  in  bight,  takes  a  slanting  direction  down,  about  10  feet,  at  an  angle  of 
45  degrees,  all  the  time  heated  by  fire  underneath.  The  sulphur  is  sepa 
rated  from  the  ore  in  this  flue,  and  at  the  bottom  it  is  sent  through  an 
opening  in  the  roof  of  the  flue ;  another  flue  passing  along  the  top  of  the 
first,  and  so  off  into  the  air,  while  the  desulphurized  ore  falls  into  a  pit, 
where  it  cools,  and  is  taken  out  and  submitted  to  the  action  of  quicksilver. 
This  "  process  "  is  said  to  be  satisfactory. 

Appearance  of  the  Ore. — "  All  is  not  gold  that  glitters.''  The  gold  ore, 
is  usually  of  a  light  gray  color.  Many  particles  of  it  shine  brightly  in  the 
sun,  and  form  handsome  specimens  to  carry  away,  but  these  are  not  the  pre 
cious  metal.  That  which  glitters  is  not  gold,  but  chiefly  pyrites  of  iron. 

Productiveness  of  the  Ore. — The  Hon.  John  Evans,  governor  of  Colorado, 
states  that  the  ore  in  most  of  the  lodes  now  worked  pay  at  least  $36  per 
tun,  while  in  some  instances  the  same  quantity  yields  $150,  $200,  and  even  as 
high  as  $500,  treated  by  the  stamping  process  alone.  This  ore  yields,  upon 
analysis,  from  three  to  six  times  as  much  gold  as  can  be  saved  by  the  or 
dinary  methods  now  in  use,  giving  results  which  to  the  inexperienced  miner 
appear  almost  fabulous ;  but  of  course  no  practical  conclusions  can  be 
drawn  from  merely  chemical  analyses  inapplicable  upon  a  large  scale.  The 
practical  proof  is  in  the  actual  yield  and  profit  to  the  miner. 

The  cost  of  each  tun  of  quartz  may  be  fairly  stated  at  $12,  and  the 
yield  at  $36,  thus  affording  a  profit  at  the  rate  of  200  per  cent,  and  that, 
too,  in  a  manufacture  or  business  where  the  returns  are  unusually  quick  and 
active — the  various  operations  of  mining  and  crushing  the  ore,  extracting 
and  selling  the  gold  being  easily  performed  within  a  week. 

Total  Product  of  Gold. — It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  give,  in  figures,  the 
amount  of  the  gold  product  of  Colorado  since  the  commencement  o£  mi 
ning  operations,  in  1858.  No  sufficient  data  exist  for  the  computation  of 
the  whole  yield  of  the  territory.  But  an  approximate  estimate,  based  upon 
various  records,  can  be  made,  which  affords  a  gratifying  exhibit,  and  from 
which  fair  deductions  for  the  future  may  be  made. 

The  reports  of  the  receipts  at  the  Philadelphia  United  States  mint  show 
the  following  figures : 


COLORADO  TERRITORY.  523 


1859 §  4,000 

1860 600,000 

1861 1,000,000 


1862 $6,000,000 

1863  (estimated) 13,500,000 

1864  (estimated) 20,000,000 


The  above  statement  falls  short  of  the  aggregate  yield  of  the  territory 
Much  was  sent  to  other  places  than  Philadelphia,  and  through  other  chan 
nels ;  much,  too,  remained  in  the  hands  of  miners.  There  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  gold  product  of  1864  will  not  fall  short  of  twenty  mil 
lions  of  dollars. 

Other  Mineral  Products. — The  territory  is  said  to  abound  in  metals  of 
various  kinds,  but  the  sacra  fames  (  "  sacred  hunger  ")  for  gold  at  present 
absorbs  all  the  attention  of  the  miners. 

Iron  ore,  of  a  good  quality,  is  found  in  some  parts  of  the  territory,  not 
far  from  Denver,  and  in  close  proximity  to  coal.  Silver  and  lead,  in  small 
quantities,  have  also  been  discovered.  Platinum,  zinc,  manganese,  mag 
netic  iron,  sand,  alum,  salt,  and  petroleum  are  also  among  the  mineral  pro 
ducts  of  the  country." 

Hand  Mills  and  Hand  Mortars,  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the  quartz 
gold,  first  came  into  use  in  the  gold  regions  in  the  beginning  of  1865. 
"Whatever  invention  or  process  will  assist  individual  labor,  in  contradis 
tinction  to  that  of  associated  capital,  is  the  most  important  in  the  devel 
opment  of  a  country.  A  newspaper,  published  at  Austin,  in  Nevada,  at  the 
beginning  of  1865,  thus  speaks  of  the  beneficial  influence  of  their  intro 
duction  : 

Some  few  of  our  citizens  have  censured  us  severely  for  advocating  and  recom 
mending  the  use  of  horse  and  hand-mills,  and,  hand-mortars,  for  the  purpose  of 
crushing  ore,  and  some  went  even  so  far  as  to  say  that  we  were  encouraging  petit 
larceny,  as  many  of  the  persons  who  were  engaged  in  the  business  did  not  have 
claims,  or  sufficient  means  to  purchase  the  rock.  But  it  does  not  follow,  that  to 
make  a  hand-mill  pay,  a  person  must  "jayhawk"  the  rock.  There  are  hundreds 
of  claims  in  this  city  and  vicinity  that  have  been  abandoned,  not  because  they 
were  not  rich,  but  simply  because  the  owners  did  not  have  means  necessary  to 
work  them.  From  these  claims  an  abundance  of  ore  can  be  obtained  to  run  all 
the  hand-mills  that  will  be  started  here  for  ages.  Three  months  since  there  was 
not  a  horse  or  hand-mill  in  the  city,  and  but  few  hand-mortars  used.  Now  there 
are  over  thirty  of  the  former  in  successful  operation,  the  latter  having  gone  al 
most  entirely  out  of  use.  From  Mr.  Salmon,  the  inventor  of  the  new  amalgama 
tor,  we  learn  some  interesting  facts.  He  is  engaged  in  amalgamating  exclusively 
for  the  horse  and  hand-mills,  and  does  it  with  one  of  his  tubs  by  hand-power. 
He  takes  out  over  $500  per  week,  but  finds  it  impossible  to  do  all  the  work  that  is 
offered  him.  The  bullion  will  run  over  900  fine.  Four  gentlemen,  for  whom  it 
has  been  working,  took  out  sufficient  after  night,  in  hand-mortars,  to  keep  them  in 
provisions  and  develop  their  claim,  and  they  are  now  having  a  large  lot  worked  at 
one  of  the  steam-mills.  Another,  who  was  on  the  eve  of  leaving  here  in  despair, 
went  to  work  with  a  hand-mil!,  and  has  taken  out  enough  to  send  for  his  family  to 
Wisconsin,  besides  having  sufficient  means  to  last  him  the  ensuing  winter.  Mr. 
Salmon  knows  of  many  good  and  experienced  miners  who  would  have  left  the 
country,  but  who,  by  these  miniature  inventions,  have  been  enabled  to  "stick  it 
out,"  work  on  their  claims,  and  help  to  develop  our  wonderful  and  most  remark 
able  mines.  There  is  at  least  $2000  per  week  of  bullion  taken  out  by  these 
mills,  and  it  is  const.intly  increasing.  They  keep  many  men  employed,  assist  in 
developing  a  number  of  mines,  and  put  many  dollars  of  our  buried  wealth  into 
circulation ;  besides,  it  makes  all  engaged  in  the  business  thorough  and  experi 
enced  mill  men. 


MONTANA  TERRITOBY, 

MONTANA*  was  originally  a  part  of  Idaho,  and  was  formed  in  1864.  It 
is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  territories,  comprising  an  estimated  area  of 
140,000  square  miles.  It  lies  south  of  the  British  possessions,  from  the 
27th  to  the  34th  degrees  of  longitude.  The  Rocky  Mountains  and  their 
foot  hills  occupy  the  western  and  central  parts.  Within  it  are  the  head 
waters  of  the  Columbia  River,  of  Oregon,  arid  those  of  the  main  Missouri, 
and  its  great  branch  the  Yellow  Stone. 

Until  the  first  year  of  the  rebellion,  Montana  was  a  trackless  wilderness. 
Before  the  close  of  the  war,  the  rapidity  and  extent  of  mineral  discoveries 
attracted  the  attention  of  miners  and  capitalists,  and  in  defiance  of  obstacles 
of  travel  and  climate,  they  forced  their  way  into  this  new  and  distant  land. 

It  is  favored  with  a  healthy  climate,  and  quite  as  mild  as  that  of  many 
of  the  Northern  and  Eastern  States.  Particularly  is  the  climate  moderate 
on  the  Pacific  side  of  the  mountains. 

At  Fort  Benton,  on  the  Missouri  River,  a  trading  post  of  the  American 
Fur  Company,  which  has  an  elevation  of  2632  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  their  horses  and  cattle,  of  which  they  have  a  large  number,  are  never 
housed  or  fed  in  winter,  but  get  their  living  without  difliculty. 

The  fall  of  the  temperature  as  winter  approaches,  appears  to  be  much 
more  abrupt  east  of  the  mountains,  in  this  latitude,  than  at  the  west  or  in 
the  vicinity  of  Great  Lakes. 

In  the  Deer  Lodge  Prairie,  in  the  valley  of  the  Deer  Lodge  River,  just 
west  of  the  mountains,  are  very  fine  farming  lands.  Beautiful  prairie 
openings  occur  at  frequent  intervals,  in  the  valleys  both  of  the  Hell  Gate 
and  Bitter  Root  Rivers.  At  the  settlement  called  Hell  Gate,  situated  at 
the  junction  of  the  river  by  that  name,  and  the  Bitter  Root,  are  several 
farms  which  yield  all  the  cereals  and  vegetables  in  great  abundance,  bring 
ing  prices  that  would  astonish  farmers  in  the  States,  as  parties  are  con 
stantly  passing  through  that  region  on  their  way  to  the  mines,  and  glad  to 
purchase  supplies. 

Several  years  since,  Gov.  Stevens  of  Washington  Territory,  said  in  an 
official  report: 

"  I  estimate  that  in  the  valleys  on  the  western  slopes  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  extending  no  further  than  the  Bitter  Root  range  of  moun 
tains,  there  may  be  some  6000  square  miles  of  arable  land,  upon  grassed 
lands  with  good  soils,  and  already  prepared  for  occupation  and  settlement; 
and  that  in  addition  to  this  amount,  there  are  valleys  having  good  soils,  and 
favorable  for  settlement,  which  will  be  cleared  in  the  removal  of  lumber 

*  The  description  given  of  this  Territory,  is  abridged  from  "  Hall's  Emigrants,  Settlers 
and  Travelers'  Guide  and  Hand  Book  to  California,  Nevada,  Oregon  and  the  Territories; 
accompanied  by  a  map  showing  the  roads  to  the  Gold  Fields,  with  tables  of  distances." 
It  is  an  invaluable  little  pamphlet  for  the  emigrant.  It  is  mailed  from  the  New  York 
Tribune  office,  on  receipt  of  the  price — 25  cents. 

525 


526  MONTANA  TERRITORY. 

from  them.  The  faint  attempts  made  by  the  Indians  at  cultivating  the 
soil,  have  been  attended  with  good  success,  and  fair  returns  might  be  ex 
pected  of  all  such  crops  as  are  adapted  to  the  Northern  States  of  our 
country. 

"  The  numerous  mountain  rivulets  tributary  to  the  Bitter  Root  River, 
that  run  through  the  valley,  afford  excellent  and  abundant  mill-seats;  and 
the  land  bordering  these  is  fertile  and  productive,  and  has  been  proved  be 
yond  a  cavil  or  doubt  to  be  well  suited  to  every  branch  of  agriculture." 

In  these  valleys  much  grain  is  already  grown,  and  along  the  Bitter  Root 
several  flouring  mills  may  be  found.  Produce  brings  a  good  price  and  the 
increasing  demand  for  breadstuffs  at  Bannock  City  and  other  mining  towns, 
will  insure  a  more  vigorous  effort  on  the  part  of  the  husbandman. 

The  cattle  in  the  Deer  Lodge  Valley  run  at  large  in  winter,  and  thrive 
and  fatten  rapidly.  There  is  a  considerable  settlement  in  the  Valley,  and 
stock  raising  is  quickly  becoming  a  lucrative  business,  the  mining  popula 
tion  in  the  vicinity  increasing  rapidly,  and  affording  a  good  market.  The 
pasturage  grounds  of  the  Bitter  Root  Valley  are  unsurpassed.  The  exten 
sive  bands  of  horses  owned  by  the  Flat-Head  Indians  occupying  St.  Mary's 
Village,  on  Bitter  Root  River,  thrive  well  winter  and  summer. 

At  about  the  latitude  of  46°  30',  the  Deer  Lodge  River  and  the  Black- 
foot  form  a  junction  and  are  then  called  the  Hell  Gate,  which  unites  with 
the  Bitter  Root  or  St.  Mary's  River,  in  latitude  47°,  and  assumes  the  name 
of  the  latter. 

Along  the  valleys  of  both  the  Hefl  Gate  and  Bitter  Root  there  is  a  great 
abundance  of  excellent  timber — pine,  hemlock,  tamarack,  or  larch  predom 
inating.  The  numerous  mountain  rivulets  tributary  to  the  Bitter  Root 
which  run  through  the  valley,  afford  excellent  and  abundant  mill  seats. 
The  valley  and  mountain  slopes  are  well  timbered  with  an  excellent  growth 
of  pine,  which  is  equal  in  every  respect  to  the  well-known  and  noted  pine 
of  Oregon.  Along  the  Bitter  Root  are  also  several  fine  flouring  mills. 

The  great  attraction  of  this  region  is  its  GOLD  mines.  The  gold  in  Mon 
tana  is  found  as  in  California,  both  in  gulches  and  in  quartz. 

The  Bannock  or  Grasshopper  mines  were  discovered  in  July,  1862,  and 
are  situated  on  Grasshopper  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Jefferson  fork  of  the 
Missouri,  385  miles  north  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  280  south  of  Fort 
Benton. 

The  mining  district  at  this  point  extends  five  miles  down  the  creek  from 
Bannock  City,  which  is  situated  at  the  head  of  the  gulch ;  while  upon 
either  side  of  the  creek  the  mountains  are  intersected  with  gold-bearing 
quartz  lodes,  many  of  which  have  been  found  to  be  very  rich. 

Bannock  City,  the  county  seat  of  Boise,  county,  and  the  most  populous 
town  in  the  Territory,  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  best  mining  localities  in 
this  whole  region.  It  is  situated  between  two  of  the  best  mining  streams 
in  the  territory,  viz. :  More's  and  Elk  Creek,  which  empty  into  the  Boise 
Eiver,  forty  miles  south  of  Bannock  City. 

The  Centerville  mines  are  six  miles  west  of  Bannock  City.  They  are 
situated  on  Grimes'  Creek,  and  are  similar  to  those  on  Bannock  City. 

The  Virginia  City  mines,  take  their  name  from  Virginia  City,  the  largest 
town  in  Eastern  Montana.  They  are  on  Fairweather's  Gulch,  upon  Alder 
Creek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the  Stinking  Water,  a  small  stream  that 
puts  into  the  Jefferson  Fork,  about  seventy  miles  northeast  of  Bannock. 

"  The  mines  here,"  says  a  late  writer,  "  are  unsurpassed  in  richness ;  not 


MONTANA  TERRITORY.  597 

a  claim  has  been  opened  that  does  not  pay  good  wages,  while  many  claims 
yield  the  precious  ore  by  the  pound."  Two  lines  of  coaches  run  between 
this  point  and  Bannock  City. 

The  following  were  the  prices  of  produce  at  Bannock,  at  the  beginning 
of  1865,  in  gold: 

Flour,  $25  per  cwt.;  Bacon,  30c.  per  lb.;  Ham,  90c.;  Fresh  Steaks,  15 
to  25c.;  Potatoes,  per  lb.,  25c. ;  Cabbage,  per  lb.,  60c.;  Coffee,  80c.;  Sugar, 
60c.;  Fresh  Butter,  $1.25;  Hay,  lOc.  per  lb.,  or  $30  per  tun;  Lumber, 
$150  per  thousand.  Wages  ruled  at  $5  per  day,  for  miners  and  common 
laborers,  and  $6  to  $8  for  mechanics.  Female  labor  ranged  from  $10  to 
$15  per  week.  Washing  from  $3  to  $6,  by  the  dozen. 

At  these  rates,  it  will  be  seen  that  carrying  on  agriculture  by  irrigation, 
which  the  want  of  rain  compels,  pays  the  producer  well. 


IDAHO  TERRITORY. 

IDAHO  is  an  Indian  word,  signifying  "  Gem  of  the  mountains"  It  was 
formed  in  March,  1863,  from  the  territories  of  Washington,  Nebraska  and 
Dakotah.  Its  area  then  was  326,000  square  miles ;  that  is,  seven  times  that 
of  New  York  State.  In  1864,  it  was  reduced  to  about  90,000  square  miles, 
on  the  creation  of  the  territory  of  Montana.  Its  capital  is  Lewiston,  near 
the  "Washington  line  on  Lewis  fork  of  Columbia  Biver. 

Its  great  attraction  was  its  gold  mines,  the  most  important  of  which  ware 
lost  to  her  when  Montana  was  created. 

The  present  gold  mines  of  Idaho  are  in  the  northern  part,  on  branches 
of  the  Columbia,  Salmon  and  Clearwater  Rivers. 

"  The  Salmon  River  mines  were  the  first  to  attract  the  gold-hunter.  The 
gold  obtained  here  is  of  rather  an  inferior  quality,  being  worth  only  $13  to 
$15  an  ounce.  Florence  City  is  the  largest  settlement  in  the  Salmon  River 
country,  and  the  general  depot  for  supplies. 

"  South  of  Salmon  River  is  a  large  extent  of  country  as  yet  wholly  un 
explored.  On  Clearwater  River  and  its  branches  north  of  Salmon  River, 
gold  is  found  over  a  large  extent  of  country,  Elk  City  and  Oro  Fino  being 
the  principal  centers  of  business  and  population." 


34  529 


DACOTAH  TERRITORY. 


DACOTAH,  or  more  correctly  Dahkotah,  is  the  true  name  of  the  Sioux  na 
tion  of  Indians,  and  "  signifies  allied  or  joined  together  in  friendly  compact." 
The  territory  so  named  comprises  the  western  part  of  the  original  Territory 
of  Minnesota,  and  was  excluded  from  its  limits  when,  in  1858,  Minnesota 
was  erected  into  a  state.  It  was  organized  into  a  territory  in  February, 
1861.  It  extends,  in  extreme  limits,  N.  and  S.  450  miles,  and  E.  and  W. 
200:  N.  latitude,  42°  30'  to  49°;  longitude,  W.  from  Greenwich,  9^. .to 
104°.  It  is  bounded  on  the  N.  by  the  British  Possessions,  E.  by  Minnesota 
and  a  small  part  of  Iowa,  on  the  S.  by  Iowa,  and  also  S.  and  partly  on 
the  W.  by  the  Missouri  River,  separating  it  from  the  Territory  of  Nebraska. 

The  eastern  part  is,  like  Minnesota,  covered  with  multitudes  of  small  lakes 
and  ponds.  The  largest  of  these  are  Red  Lake,  about  40  miles  long  and  20 
broad,  and  Mini-wakan,  or  Devil's  Lake,  about  50  miles  long  by  10  broad. 
Lake  Itasca,  the  source  of  the  Mississippi,  is  on  its  eastern  boundary.  The 
Minnesota,  emptying  into  the  Mississippi,  the  Big  Sioux  and  Jacques,  afflu 
ents  of  the  Missouri,  and  the  Great  Red  River  of  the  North,  all  take  their  • 
rise  in  the  high  table  lands  of  the  interior. 

The  territory  contains  numerous  salt  lakes,  and  coal  has  been  found. 
Capt.  Jno.  Pope,  of  the  U.  S.  corps  of  topographical  engineers,  states  that 
"Dacotah  presents  features  differing  but  little  from  the  region  of  prairie  and 
table  land  west  of  the  frontiers  of  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  which  is  mainly 
devoid  of  timber.  From  this  is  to  be  excepted  the  western  half  of  the  val 
ley  of  Red  River  and  the  valleys  of  the  Big  Sioux  and  the  Rio  Jacques,  which 
are  productive,  and  with  the  region  inclosed  contain  arable  and  well  tim 
bered  land  sufficient  for  a  small  state."  These  valleys  are  productive  in 
wheat  of  the  best  qualities.  Population,  in  I860,  4,839. 

Pembina,  the  principal  town  of  the  territory,  is  some  360  miles,  in  an  air 
line,  N.W.  of  St.  Paul,  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  just  below  the  British 
line.  It  was  settled,  in  1812,  by  Scottish  emigrants  under  Lord  Selkirk,  who 
obtained  an  extensive  grant  of  land  from  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  On 
the  running  of  the  boundary  line,  subsequently,  Pembina,  the  southernmost 
point  of  the  colony,  was  found  to  be  just  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States. 

"  The  settlement — which  contains  about  seven  thousand  inhabitants — is 
flourishing,  and  agriculture  is  prosedited  by  the  hardy  settlers  there  with 
considerable  success.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  arc  half  natives 

531 


532  DACOTAH   TEREITOKY. 

» 

and  descendants  of  fur-traders  and  their  servants,  by  native  women.  For 
merly  every  summer,  with  a  team  of  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  and  loaded  with 
pemmican,  furs,  etc.,  they  came  down  to  St.  Pauls  on  a  trading  excursion, 
employing  about  six  weeks  in  making  the  journey.  Their  singularly  con 
structed  carts,  composed  entirely  of  wood,  without  any  tire,  their  peculiar 
dress,  manners  and  complexion,  render  them  an  object  of  curiosity  to  those 
unfamiliar  with  the  various  shades  of  society  intermediate  between  the  sav 
age  and  civilized." 


THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY: 


THE  INDIAN  TERRITORY  is  an  extensive  country  lying  west  of  Arkansas 
and  north  of  Texas,  and  extending  far  into  the  western  wilderness;  and  con 
taining  about  71,000  square  miles.  It  has  been  allotted  by  the  general  gov 
ernment  as  the  permanent  residence  of  those  Indian  tribes  who  emigrate 
from  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi.  "  It  is  about  450  miles  long  east  and 
west,  and  from  35  to  240  miles  in  width  north  and  south.  Kansas  lies  on 
the  north  of  this  tract,  Arkansas  on  the  east,  Texas  on  the  south,  and  New 
Mexico  and  Texas  on  the  west.  In  the  north-western  portion  of  the  Indian 
Territory  are  the  vast  sandy,  barren  lands,  known  as  the  Great  American 
Desert.  Excepting  this  desolate  region,  the  country  is  occupied  by  undulat 
ing  plains  and  prairies,  broken  on  the  east  fty  the  mountain  ridges,  called  the 
Ozark  or  Washita,  which  come  in  from  Arkansas.  Coal  of  an  excellent 
quality  abounds  in  the  eastern  part.  The  great  southern  overland  mail 
route  to  California  passes  through  it. 

The  Choctaws,  the  Chickasaws,  the  Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  the  Senecas,  the 
Seminoles,  and  the  Shawnees  dwell  in  the  east;  while  the  central  and  west 
ern  districts  are  occupied  by  the  Camanches,  the  Osages,  the  Pawnees,  the 
Kioways,  the  Arrapahoes,  and  other  tribes.  The  country  is,  besides,  thickly 
inhabited  by  buffaloes,  wild  horses,  antelopes,  deer,  prairie-dogs,  and  wild 
animals  and  wild  birds  of  many  names.  Kansas  and  Nebraska  were  included 
in  the  Indian  Territory  until  1854." 

The  Indians  within  and  near  the  borders  of  the  territory,  including  the 
uncivilized  tribes,  it  is  supposed,  number  about  90,000.  The  civilized  tribes 
are  the  Cherokees  and  Choctaws,  each  numbering  19,000;  the  Creeks  num 
bering  25,000,  and  the  Chickasaws,  16,000,  all  of  whom  emigrated  from  the 
cotton  states  east  of  the  Mississippi.  These  four  tribes  have  adopted  repub 
lican  forms  of  government,  modeled  after  those  of  our  states,  with  executive, 
legislative  and  judicial  departments. 

Their  principal  wealth  is  vested  in  stock.  Any  amount  of  fine  grazing 
land  is  lying  idle,  and  the  climate  is  so  mild  that  stock  (except  milch  cows 
and  working  cattle)  requires  no  feeding  in  winter.  These  people  are,  as  a  class, 
"  well  to  do  "  in  the  world.  Their  houses  are  ordinarily  of  logs,  but  spacious 
and  comfortable,  and  will  compare  favorably  with  those  of  south-western 
Missouri  and  Arkansas.  Some  of  them  are  hdndsome  frame  buildings. 


WASHINGTON  TERRITORY. 


WASHINGTON  TERRITORY  is  the  extreme  north-western  domain  of  the 
United  States,  and  was  formed  by  act  of  congress,  in  1853,  from  the  north 
part  of  Oregon  Territory.  Its  early  history  is  identified  with  and  partially 
given  in  that  of  Oregon.  Okonogan  and  Spokan,  two  of  the  trading  posts 
of  John  Jacob  Astor,  were  within  its  limits,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay  Compa 
ny  had  also  numerous  posts,  and  carried  on  extensive  trading  operations  on 
its  soil.  In  1806,  the  British  North-west  Fur  Company  established  a  trad 
ing  post  on  Frazer's  Lake,  in  latitude  54°,  which  was  the  first  settlement  of 
any  kind  made  by  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Abouli  the  year  1839,  missions  were  established  by  Protestants  and  Catholics, 
among  the  Indians  of  the  country. 

Down  to  the  period  of  the  administration  of  President  Polk,  the  United 
States  government  claimed  latitude  54°  40'  as  the  northern  boundary.  Then 
the  long  dispute  was  settled  by  fixing  upon  the  49th  parallel,  and  giving  up 
Vancouver's  Island  to  the  British. 

The  Cascade  range  of  mountains  enters  it  from  Oregon,  and  runs  its  entire 
length  north  and  south.  In  a  general  description,  the  face  of  the  country 
is  mountainous,  and  resembles  Oregon,  excepting  that  the  Blue  Mountain 
range  is  more  scattered  north  of  the  Columbia.  Mount  Olympus,  the  high 
est  peak  of  the  Coast  range,  is  8,197  feet  high:  several  of  those  of  the  Cas 
cade  range  are  clothed  in  perpetual  snow,  among  which  are  Mount  St.  Helen's, 
a  volcanic  peak,  and  Mount  Bainer,  each  estimated  at  about  13,000  feet  in 
altitude.  The  Pacific  coast  is  not  so  abruptly  mountainous  as  that  of  Ore 
gon,  and  can  be  traveled  almost  its  entire  length  on  a  beautiful  sand  beach. 
It  shares  with  Oregon  the  grand  scenery  of  the  Columbia,  which  is  its  prin 
cipal  river,  and  its  main  branches  rise  within  it.  On  the  rivers  are  many 
falls  of  magnitude :  one  of  these,  the  celebrated  Snoqualmie,  in  about  47° 
40'  N.  lat.,  and  121°  30'  W.  long.,  has  a  perpendicular  fall  of  260  feet.  The 
mountain  scenery  of  the  country  is  surpassingly  beautiful. 

"  The  climate  is  similar  to  that  of  -Oregon,  with  some  variations  caused  by  differ- 

533 


534  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY. 

ence  of  latitude  and  local  peculiarities.  It  is,  however,  in  all  parts  of  the  territo 
ry,  much  milder  than  in  the  same  parallels  of  latitudes  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains. 

The  soil  of  all  the  prairie  lands,  with  the  exception  of  those  directly  around  Puget 
Sound,  is  exceedingly  fertile.  Those  of  the  sound  are  of  a  sandy,  gravelly  nature, 
not  readily  cultivated,  but  producing  enormous  fir  and  cedar  trees.  The  soil  on  the 
mountains  is  generally  very  rich ;  but  the  dense  growth  of  forest  deters  the  emi 
grant  from  attempting  clearings  on  a  large  extent,  as  the  fine,  fertile  plains  and 
prairie  offer  far  greater  inducements.  Fruit  of  various  kinds,  particularly  apples, 
can  be  cultivated  very  readily,  and  in  the  greatest  perfection.  Indian  corn  does 
not  thrive  well,  as  the  seasons  are  not  hot  enough ;  but  wheat,  barley,  oats,  and 
potatoes  yield  the  most  abundant  crops,  of  the  finest  quality.  The  potatoes,  in 
particular,  are  surpassingly  fine.  The  wheat  grown  on  the  Columbia,  called 
Oregon  wheat,  is  known  for  its  superior  excellence. 

Although  the  territory  is  a  very  mountainous  country,  yet  there  are  many  im 
mense  plains  and  prairies;  and,  by  reference  to  the  map,  it  will  be  seen  that  innu 
merable  streams,  like  veins,  permeate  the  whole  region,  and  each  of  them,  from  the 
largest  to  the  smallest,  flows  in  its  course  through  rich  and  fertile  plains,  of  vari 
ous  sizes,  lying  between  the  mountains.  Governor  Stevens,  in  January,  1854, 
writing  of  the  territory,  says  of  the  waters  of  Puget  Sound,  and  the  adjacent  ones 
of  Hood's  Canal,  Admiralty  Inlet,  and  Fuca  Straits,  '  that  their  maritime  advan 
tages  are  very  great,  in  affording  a  series  of  harbors  almost  unequaled  in  the  world 
for  capacity,  safety,  and  facility  of  access,  and  they  are  in  the  immediate  neighbor 
hood  to  what  are  now  the  best  whaling  grounds  of  the  Pacific.  That  portion  of 
Washington  Territory  lying  between  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the  ocean, 
although  equaling,  in  richness  of  soil  and  ease  of  transportation,  the  best  lands  of 
Oregon,  is  heavily  timbered,  and  time  and  labor  are  required  for  clearing  its  for 
ests  and  opening  the  earth  to  the  production  of  its  fruits.  The  great  body  of  the 
country,  on  the  other  hand,  stretching  eastward  from  that  range  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  while  it  contains  many  fertile  valleys  and  much  land  suitable  to  the 
farmer,  is  yet  more  especially  a  grazing  country — one  which,  as  its  population  in 
creases,  promises,  in  its  cattle,  its  horses,  and,  above  all,  its  wool,  to  open  a  vast 
field  to  American  enterprise.  But,  in  the  meantime,  the  staple  of  the  land  must 
continue  to  be  the  one  which  Nature  herself  has  planted,  in  the  inexhaustible  for 
ests 'of  fir,  of  spruce,  and  of  cedar.  Either  in  furnishing  manufactured  timber,  or 
spars  of  the  first  description  for  vessels,  Washington  Territory  is  unsurpassed  «by 
any  portion  of  the  Pacific  coast.' 

The  internal  improvements  of  Washington  Territory  are  progressing  as  fast  as 
can  be  expected  in  a  new  and  sparsely-populated  country,  situate  so  remote  from 
the  general  government.  In  1853,  Governor  Isaac  I.  Stevens,  the  first  governor  of 
the  territory,  surveyed  a  route  for  a  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  discovered  » 
pass  near  the  sources  of  Maria's  River,  suitable  for  a  railroad,  estimated  to  bf> 
2,500  feet  lower  than  the  south  pass  of  Fremont.  It  is  generally  admitted  that 
Governor  Stevens'  route  is  the  best  one  for  a  railroad  that  has  yet  been  discovered, 
although  the  great,  and,  in  fact  the  principal  objection  urged  against  it  is  that  it  is 
too  far  north,  and,  consequently,  will  not  suit  the  views  nor  accommodate  the  in 
habitants  of  the  more  southern  states  and  California. 

There  is  no  state  in  the  Union  that  has  so  vast  a  communication  by  water  as 
Washington  Territory — the  Columbia  River  on  its  south,  the  Pacific  on  the  west, 
and  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  Hood's  Canal,  Admiralty  Inlet,  and  Puget  Sound  on  the 
north.  There  is  not  a  safer  entrance  from  the  ocean  in  the  world  than  Fuca 
Straits  ;  and  the  deep  waters  that  flow  through  the  whole  of  the  inlets,  bays,  and 
sounds,  enable  ships  of  the  largest  class  readily  to  approach  Olvmpia. 

Gold  and  silver  quartz  has  recently  been  discovered  in  Cascade  range,  near 
Natchez  Pass,  in  immense  deposits. 

Coal  has  been  discovered  of  a  good  quality. 

Otympia  is  the  capital  of  Washington.  Population  of  the  territory,  in 
1863,  12,519. 


UTAH  TERRITORY. 


UTAH  derives  its  name  from  that  of  a  native  Indian  tribe,  the  Pah-Utahs. 
It  formed  originally  a  part  of  the  Mexican  territory  of  Upper  California, 
and  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  with  Mexico,  at  the  close 
of  the  Mexican  war.  In  1850  it  was  erected  into  a  territory  by  Congress. 

"A  large  part  of  Utah  is  of  volcanic  origin.  It  is  supposed,  from  certain 
traditions  and  remains,  to  have  been,  many  hundred  years  ago,  the  residence 
of  the  Aztec  nation — that  they  were  driven  south  by  the  volcanic  eruptions 
which  changed  the  face  of  the  whole  country.  Eventually,  they  became  the 
possessors  of  Mexico,  where,  after  attaining  great  proficiency  in  the  arts  of 
life,  they  were  finally  overthrown  by  the  Spaniards  at  the  time  of  the  con 
quest. 

Utah  was  not  probably  visited  by  civilized  man  until  within  the  present 
century.  There  were  Catholic  missionaries  who  may  have  just  touched  its 
California  border,  and  the  trappers  and  hunters  employed  by  the  fur  compa 
nies.  The  first  establishment  in  Utah  was  made  by  William  H.  Ashley,  a 
Missouri  fur-trader.  In  1824,  he  organized  an  expedition  which  passed  up 
the  valley  of  the  Platte  River,  and  through  the  cleft  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
since  called  "The  South  Pass;1'  and  then  advancing  further  west,  he  reached 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  which  lies  embosomed  among  lofty  mountains.  About 
a  hundred  miles  south-east  of  this,  he  discovered  a  smaller  one,  since  known 
as  "Ashley's  Lake."  He  there  built  a  fort  or  trading  post,  in  which  he  left 
about  a  hundred  men.  Two  years  afterward,  a  six-pound  piece  of  artillery 
was  drawn  from  Missouri  to  this  fort,  a  distance  of  more  than  twelve  hun 
dred  miles,  and  in  1828,  many  wagons,  heavily  laden,  performed  the  same 
journey. 

During  the  three  years  between  1824  and  1827,  Ashley's  men  collected 
and  sent  to  St.  Louis,  furs  from  that  region  of  country  to  an  amount,  in  value, 
of  over  $180,000.  He  then  sold  out  all  his  interests  to  Messrs.  Smith,  Jack 
son,  and  Sublette.  These  energetic  and  determined  men  carried  on  for  many 
years  an  extensive  and  profitable  business,  in  the  course  of  which  they  tra 
versed  a  large  part  of  southern  Oregon,  Utah,  California,  and  New  Mexico 
west  of  the  mountains.  Smith  was  murdered  in  the  summer  of  1829,  by  the 
Indians  north-west  of  Utah  Lake.  Ashley's  Fort  was  long  since  abandoned, 

Unfortunately,  these  adventurous  men  knew  nothing  of  science,  and  but 
little  information  was  derived  from  them  save  vague  reports  which  greatly 

535 


536  UTAH   TERRITORY. 

excited  curiosity;  this  was  only  increased  by  the  partial  explorations  of 
Fremont. 

In  his  second  expedition,  made  in  1843,  he  visited  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
which  appears  upon  old  Spanish  maps  as  Lake  Timpanogos  and  Lake  Tegaya. 
Four  years  after,  in  1847,  the  Mormons  emigrated  to  Utah,  and  commenced 
the  first  regular  settlement  by  whites.  It  was  then  an  isolated  region,  nom 
inally  under  the  government  of  Mexico.  They  expected  to  found  a  Mormon 
state  here,  and  rest  in  quiet  far  from  the  abodes  of  civilized  man;  but  the 
results  of  the  Mexican  war,  the  acquirement  of  the  country  by  the  United 
States,  with  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  brought  them  on  the  line  of 
emigration  across  the  continent,  and  more  or  less  in  conflict  with  the  citizens 
and  general  government. 

Utah  extended  originally  from  the  37th  to  the  42d  degrees  of  north  lati 
tude,  and  between  the  107th  and  120th  degrees  of  west  longitude,  having  a 
breath  of  300,  and  an  average  length,  east  and  west,  of  600  miles,  containing  an 
area  of  about  180,000  square  miles.  It  now  has  110,000  square  miles  only. 

"The  main  geographical  characteristic  of  Utah  is,  that  anomalous  feature  in  our 
continent,  which  is  more  Asiatic  than  American  in  its  character,  known  as  the 
Great  Basin.  It  is  about  500  miles  long,  east  and  west,  by  275  in  breadth,  north 
and  south,  and  occupies  the  greater  part  of  the  central  and  western  portions  of  the 
territory.  It  is  elevated  near  5,000  Feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  shut  in 
all  around  by  mountains  with  its  own  system  of  lakes  and  rivers;  and  what  is  a 
striking  feature,  none  of  which  have  any  connection  with  the  ocean.  The  general 
character  of  the  basin  is  that  of  a  desert.  It  has  never  been  fully  explored,  but 
so  far  as  it  has  been,  a  portion  of  it  is  found  to  consist  of  arid  and  sterile  plains, 
another  of  undulating  table  lands,  and  a  third  of  elevated  mountains,  a  few  of 
whose  summits  are  capped  with  perpetual  snow.  These  range  nearly  north  and 
south,  and  rise  abruptly  from  a  narrow  base  to  a  hight  of  from  2,000  to  5,000  feet. 
Between  these  ranges  of  mountains  are  the  arid  plains,  which  deserve  and  receive 
the  name  of  desert.  From  the  snow  on  their  summits  and  the  showers  of  summer 
originate  small  streams  of  water  from  five  to  fifty  feet  wide,  which  eventually  lose 
themselves,  some  in  lakes,  some  in  the  alluvial  soil  at  their  base,  and  some  in  dry 
plains.  Among  the  most  noted  of  these  streams  is  Humboldt's  or  Mary's  River, 
well  remembered  by  every  California  emigrant,  down  which  he  pursues  his  course 
for  three  hundred  miles,  until  it  loses  itself  in  the  ground,  at  a  place  called  St. 
Mary's  Sink,  where  its  waters  are  of  a  poisonous  character. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  Utah  Lake  are  in  this  basin,  toward  its  eastern 
rim,  and  constitute  its  most  interesting  feature — one  a  saturated  solution  of  com 
mon  salt — the  other  fresh — the  Utah  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  Salt  Lake, 
which  is  itself  about  4,200  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  they  are  connected  by  Utah 
River — or,  as  the  Mormons  call  it,  the  Jordan — which  is  forty-eight  miles  in  length. 
These  lakes  drain  an  area  of  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  square  miles. 

The  Utah  is  about  thirty-five  miles  long,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  numerous  and 
bold  streams  which  it  receives,  coming  down  from  the  mountains  on  the  south-east, 
all  fresh  water,  although  a  large  formation  of  rock-salt,  imbedded  in  red  clay,  is 
found  within  the  area  on  the  south-east,  which  it  drains.  The  lake  and  its  affluents 
afford  large  trout  and  other  fish  in  great  numbers,  which  constitute  the  food  of  the 
Utah  Indians  during  the  fishing  season.  The  Great  Salt  Lake  has  a  very  irregular 
outline  greatly  extended  at  time  of  melting  snows.  It  is  about  seventy  miles  in 
length ;  both  lakes  ranging  north  and  south,  in  conformity  to  the  range  of  the 
mountains,  and  is  remarkable  for  its  predominance  of  salt.  The  whole  lake  water 
seems  thoroughly  saturated  with  it,  and  every  evaporation  of  the  water  leaves  salt 
behind.  The  rocky  shores  of  the  islands  are  whitened  by  the  spray,  which  loaves 
salt  on  everything  it  touches,  and  a  covering  like  ice  forms  over  the  water  which 
the  waves  throw  among  the  rocks.  The  shores  of  the  lake,  in  the  dry  season,  when 
the  waters  recede,  and  especially  on  the  south  side,  are  whitened  with  incrusta 
tions  of  fine  white  salt;  the  shallow  arms  of  the  lake,  at  the  same  time  under  a 


UTAH   TERRITORY.  537 

slight  covering  of  briny  water,  present  beds  of  salt  for  miles,  resembling  softened 
ice,  into  which  the  horses'  feet  sink  to  the  fetlock.  Plants  and  bushes,  blown  by 
the  wind  upoja  these  fields,  are  entirely  incrusted  with  crystallized  salt,  more  than 
an  inch  in  thickness.  Upon  this  lake  of  salt  the  fresh  water  received,  though  great 
in  quantity,  has  no  perceptible  effect.  No  fish  or  animal  life  of  any  kind  is  found 
in  it. 

The  Rio  Colorado,  with  its  branches,  is  about  the  only  stream  of  note  in  Utah 
which  is  not  within  the  Great  Basin.  The  only  valleys  supposed  to  be  inhabitable 
in  the  vast  country  in  the  eastern  rim  of  the  Great  Basin  and  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  are  the  valleys  of  the  Uintah  and  Green  Rivers,  branches  of  the  Colorado, 
and  whether  even  these  are  so,  is  extremely  problematical.  The  country  at  the 
sources  of  this  great  river  is  incapable  of  supporting  any  population  whatever. 

The  climate  oV  Utah  is  milder  and  drier  in  general  than  it  is  in  the  same  parallel 
on  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  temperature  in  the  Salt  Lake  Valley  in  the  winter  is 
very  uniform,  and  the  thermometer  rarely  descends  to  zero.  There  is  but  little 
rain  in  Utah,  except  on  the  mountains,  from  the  1st  of  May  until  the  1st  of  Octo 
ber;  hence  agriculture  can  only  be  carried  on  by  irrigation. 

In  every  portion  of  the  territory  where  it  has  been  attempted,  artificial  irriga 
tion  has  been  found  to  be  indispensable ;  and  it  is  confidently  believed  that  no  part 
of  it,  however  fertile,  will  mature  crops  without  it,  except  perhaps  on  some  small 
patches  on  low  bottoms.  But  limited  portions,  therefore,  of  even  the  most  fertile 
and  warmest  valleys,  can  ever  be  made  available  for  agricultural  purposes,  and  only 
such  as  are  adjacent  to  streams  and  are  well  located  for  irrigation.  Small  valleys 
surrounded  by  high  mountains,  are  the  most  abundantly  supplied  with  water,  the 
streams  being  fed  by  melting  snows  and  summer  showers. 

The  greater  part  of  Utah  is  sterile  and  totally  unfit  for  agriculture,  and  is  unin 
habited  and  uninhabitable,  except  by  a  few  trappers  and  some  roaming  bands  of 
Indians,  who  subsist  chiefly  upon  game,  fish,  reptiles,  and  mountain  crickets.  The 
general  sterility  of  the  country  is  mainly  owing  to  the  want  of  rain  during  the 
summer-months,  and  partly  from  its  being  elevated  several  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea. 

The  whole  country  is  almost  entirely  destitute  of  timber.  The  little  which  there 
is  may  be  found  on  the  side  of  the  high,  rocky  mountains,  and  in  the  deep  moun 
tain  gorges,  whence' issue  the  streams.  On  the  table  lands,  the  gently  undulating 
plains  and  the  isolated  hills,  there  is  none.  There  are,  however,  small  groves  of 
•cotton-wood  and  box-alder  on  the  bottoms  of  some  of  the  principal  streams. 

A  species  of  artemisia,  generally  known  by  the  name  of  wild  sage,  abounds  in 
most  parts  of  the  country,  where  vegetation  of  any  kind  exists,  but  particularly 
where  there  is  not  warmth  and  moisture  sufficient  to  produce  grass. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  is  the  largest  known  in  the  Great  Basin,  being  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  long,  and  from  twenty  to  forty  broad,  but  the  Salt 
Lake  occupies  much  of  its  northern  portion.  The  surface  of  its  center  is  level, 
ascending  gently  on  either  side  toward  the  mountains.  This  valley  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  healthiest  portions  of  the  globe;  the  air  is  very  pure.  Its  altitude  is 
forty  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  and  some  of  the  mountains  on 
the  east  of  the  valley  are  more  than  a  mile  and  a  quarter  high,  and  covered  with  • 
perpetual  snow;  while  in  the  valley  the  thermometer  frequently  rises  above  one 
hundred  degrees. 

By  means  of  irrigation,  the  Mormon  valleys  are  made  productive.  Wheat,  rye, 
barley,  buckwheat,  oats  and  Indian  corn  are  their  agricultural  products,  and  all 
the  garden  vegetables  peculiar  to  the  middle  and  western  states  are  grown.  To 
bacco  and  sweet  potatoes  can  be  produced  in  limited  quantities.  The  system  of 
irrigation  prevents  rust  or  smut  striking  the  crop,  and  renders  it  sure.  rlhe  terri 
tory  of  the  Mormons  is  a  stock-raising  country,  and  they  are,  to  a  great  extent,  a 
pastoral  people.  We  find  here  that  cereal  anomaly,  the  bunch  grass.  It  grows 
only  on  the  bottoms  of  the  streams,  and  on  the  table-lands  of  the  warmest  and  most 
fertile  valleys.  It  is  of  a  kind  peculiar  to  cold  climates  and  elevated  countries,  and 
is,  we  presume,  the  same  as  the  grama  of  New  Mexico.  In  May,  when  the  other 
grasses  start,  this  fine  plant  dries  upon  its  stalk,  and  becomes  a  light  yellow  straw, 
full  of  flavor  and  nourishment.  It  continues  thus  through  what  are  the  dry  months 


538 


UTAH   TERRITORY. 


of  the  climate  until  January,  and  then  starts  with  a  vigorous  growth,  like  that  of 
our  own  winter  wheat  in  April,  which  keeps  on  until  the  return  of  another  May. 
Whether  as  straw  or  grass,  the  cattle  fatten  on  it  the  year  round.  The  numerous 
little  dells  and  sheltered  spots- that  are  found  in  the  mountains  are  excellent  sheep 
walks.  Hogs  fatten  on  a  succulent  bulb  or  tuber,  called  the  seacoe  or  seegose  root, 
which  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  table  vegetable  by  the  Mormons." 

The  population  of  Utah  has  been  nearly  stationary  for  many  years,  and  is 
composed  almost  entirely  of  Mormons.  Population  of  Utah,  in  I860,  was 
50,000. 


View  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

.  The  large  block  on  the  left  contains  the  Church,  Store,  and  Tithing  Office,  where  one  tenth  of  all  the 
produce  is  contributed  to  the  Church  Fund.  On  the  extreme  right  is  the  Harem  of  Brigham  Young,  the 
famous  "  Lion  House,"  so  called  from  the  statues  of  lions  in  front.  The  Wasatch  Mountains  are  seen  in 
the  back  ground. 

SALT  LAKE  CITY  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  gentle  declivity  near  the  base 
of  a  mountain,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  Utah  outlet,  or  the  River  Jordan, 
and  about  twenty-two  miles  south-east  of  the  Salt  Lake.  "  It  is  nearly  on 
the  same  latitude  with  New  York  City,  and  is,  by  air  lines,  distant  from  New 
York  2,100  miles;  from  St.  Louis,  1,200;  from  San  Francisco,  550;  and 
from  Oregon  City  and  Santa  Fe,  each  600.  During  five  months  of  the  year 
it  is  shut  out  from  all  communication  with  the  north,  east,  or  west,  by  moun 
tains  rendered  impassable  from  snow.  Through  the  town  runs  a  beautiful 
brook  of  cool,  limpid  water,  called  City  creek.  The  city  is  laid  out  regu 
larly,  on  an  extensive  scale ;  the  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles, 
and  being  each  eight  rods  wide.  Each  lot  contains  an  acre  and  a  quarter  of 
ground,  and  each  block  or  square  eight  lots.  Within  the  city  are  four  public 
squares.  The  city  and  all  the  farming  lands  are  irrigated  by  streams  of 
beautiful  water,  which  flow  from  the  adjacent  mountains.  These  streams 
have  been,  with  great  labor  and  perseverance,  led  in  every  direction.  In  the 
city,  they  flow  on  each  side  of  the  different  streets,  and  their  waters  are  let 
upon  the  inhabitants'  gardens  at  regular  periods,  so  likewise  upon  the  exten 
sive  fields  of  grain  lying  to  the  south.  The  greater  part  of  the  houses  which. 


UTAH   TERRITORY.  539 

had  been  built  up  to  the  close  of  1850,  were  regarded  as  merely  temporary; 
most  of  them  were  small  but  commodious,  being,  in  general,  constructed  of 
adobe  or  sun-dried  brick.  Among  the  public  buildings  are  a  house  for  pub 
lic  worship,  a  council-house,  a  bath-house  at  the  Warm  Spring;  and  they 
are  erecting  another  temple  more  magnificent  than  that  they  formerly  had  at 
Nauvoo.  Public  free-schools  are  established  in  the  different,  wards  into 
which  the  city  is  divided.  East  of  the  city  a  mile  square  is  laid  off  for  a 
State  University." 


Hon.  John  Cradlebaugh,  late  assistant  judge  of  the  Territory  of  Utah, 
gives  this,  sketch  of  the  Mormons,  their  origin,  doctrines,  practices,  and 
crimes : 

Extent  of  Mormonism — The  Mormon  people  have  possessed  themselves  of  this 
country,  and  although  their  history  has  been  but  a  brief  one,  yet  their  progress 
has  been  so  great  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  world.  Although  they  have 
not  existed  more  than  the  third  of  a  century,  yet  we  find  that  they  have  been 
enabled  to  encompass  the  globe  itself  with  missionaries.  Although  they  have  ex 
isted  but  a  few  years,  we  find  them  rising  from  a  single  family  to  be  now  what  they 
call  a  great  nation.  They  claim  to  be  a  nation  independent  of  all  other  nations. 
They  have  set  up  a  church  government  of  their  own,  and  they  desire  no  other  gov 
ernment  to  rule  over  them. 

It  becomes  necessary  to  know  what  this  Mormonism  "is,  that  has  thus  attracted 
these  deluded  people  to  that  country,  to  seize  this  empire  and  to  attempt  to  estab 
lish  for  themselves  a  government  independent  of  the  world. 

Mormonism,  in  the  view  that  I  take  of  it,  is  a  religious  eccentricity,  as  well  as. 
one  of  the  great  monstrosities  of  the  age.  It  is  not  the  first,  however,  of  the  reli 
gious  monstrosities  and  impositions  that  we  have  had.  Other  religious  impositions 
have  been  invented  by  men  expert  in  tricks.  Knowledge  and  civilization  go  mov 
ing  on  at  a  slow  pace,  and  yet  make  gradual  progress ;  and  every  ray  of  light  that 
is  shed  shows  us  the  gross  absurdity  of  these  frauds  in  religion.  The  idols  of 
wood  and  stone  have  fallen  from  the  sacred  places  which  they  formerly  occupied, 
to  be  trampled  under  the  feet  of  their  former  worshipers,  and  the  cunning  devices 
of  a  more  enlightened  age  have  given  way  to  a  purer  creed.  The  majority  of  the 
heathen  practices  of  the  dark  ages  have  disappeared  before  an  enlightened  Chris 
tianity.  But  an  epoch  came  when  mankind  were  fast  relapsing  into  a  painful  state 
of  ignorance ;  and  about  that  time  arose  that  boldest  and  most  successful  of  all  im- 
posters,  Mohammed,  who,  incorporating  old  and  cherished  doctrines  into  a  volup 
tuous  creed,  went  abroad  with  his  sword  in  one  hand  and  the  Koran  in  the  other, 
conquering  and  to  conquer.  This  was  done  when  darkness  reigned  on  the  earth ; 
but  in  this  nineteenth  century,  favored  as  it  is  by  the  light  of  a  true  religion,  dis 
tinguished  as  it  is  by  its  general  knowledge,  and  refined  as  it  is  beyond  all  pre 
cedent  and  parallel,  a  religious  imposture  grosser  than  all  its  predecessors,  is  being 
successfully  palmed  off  on  mankind;  not  in  the  deserts  of  some  unknown  land; 
not  in  a  secret  corner  of  the  earth ;  but  in  free  America,  where  every  man  can 
worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience,  and  under  his  own 
vine  and  fig  tree. 

Mormon  Doctrines. — This  grotesque,  absurd,  and  monstrous  system,  thus  openly 
paraded  before  the  world,  is  Mormonism.  It  is  a  conglomeration  of  illy  cemented 
creeds  from  other  religions.  It  repudiates  the  celibacy  imposed  by  the  Catholic 
religion  upon  its  priesthood,  and  takes  instead  the  voluptuous  imposition  of  the 
Mohammedan  Church.  It  preaches  openly  that  the  more  wives  and  children  its 
men  have  in  this  world,  the  purer,  and  more  influential  and  conspicuous  they  will 
be  in  the  next;  that  his  wives,  his  property,  and  his  children  will  be  restored  to 
him,  and  even  doubled  to  him  at  the  resurrection.  It  adopts  the  use  of  prayers  for 
the  dead  and  baptism  as  parts  of  its  creed.  They  claim  to  be  favored  with  mar 
velous  gifts,  the  power  of  speaking  in  tongues,  of  casting  out  devils,  of  curing  the 
sick  and  healing  the  lame  and  the  halt;  they  also  claim  to  have  a  living  prophet, 


540 


UTAH   TERRITORY. 


seer,  or  revelator;  they  recognize  the  Bible,  but  they  interpret  it  for  themselves, 
and  hold  that  it  is  subject  to  be  changed  by  new  revelation,  which  they  say  super 
sedes  old  revelation.  One  of  their  doctrines  is  that  of  continued  progression  to 
ultimate  perfection.  They  say  that  God  was  but  a  man  who  went  on  developing 
and  increasing  until  he  reached  his  present  high  capacity;  and  they  teach  that 
good  Mormons  will  be  equal  to  Him — in  a  word,  that  good  Mormons  will  become 

gods.  Their  elders 
teach  the  shedding  of 
blood  for  the  remis 
sion  of  sins;  or,  in 
other  words,  that  if  a 
Mormon  apostatises, 
that  his  throat  shall 
be  cut  and  his  blood 
poured  on  the  ground 
to  save  him  from  his 
sin.  They  also  prac 
tice  other  most  un 
natural  and  revolting 
doctrines,  such  as  are 
only  carried  out  in 
polygamous  countries. 
They  hold  that  the 
prophet's  revelations 
are  binding  on  their 
consciences,  and  that 
A  MORMON  HAREM.  they  must  obey  him 

in   all  things.     They 

claim  to  be  the  people  peculiarly  chosen  of  God,  and  have  christened  themselves 
"The  Church  of  Jesus — the  Latter  Day  Saints."  They  claim  that  Mormonism  is 
to  go  on  spreading  until  it  overthrows  all  the  nations  of  the  earth;  and  that,  if  ne 
cessary,  it  shall  be  propagated  by  the  sword;  and  that,  in  progress  of  time,  all  the 
world  shall  be  subject  to  it.  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  whence  they  were 
driven  for  their  great  crimes,  is  called  their  Zion,  and  their  prophets  have  prophe 
sied  that  there  shall  the  saints  from  throughout  all  the  world  be  assembled,  and 
from  that  Zion  shall  proceed  a  power  that  shall  dethrone  kings,  subvert  dynasties, 
and  subjugate  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Origin. — This  wretched  sect  had  its  origin  in  an  eccentricity  of  a  man  named 
Spaulding,  who  had  failed  as  a  preacher  and  as  a  shopkeeper,  and  who  thought  he 
would  write  an  historical  novel.  He  had  a  smattering  of  Biblical  knowledge,  and 
he  chose  for  his  subject  "the  history  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel."  The  whole  was 
supposed  to  be  communicated  by  Indians,  and  the  last  of  the  series  was  named 
Mormon,  representing  that  he  had  buried  the  book.  It  was  a  large,  ponderous  vol 
ume,  dull,  tedious  and  interminable,  marked  by  ignorance  and  folly.  Spaulding 
made  many  efforts  to  get  it  printed,  but  the  work  was  so  utterly  flat,  stupid  and 
insipid,  that  no  publisher  would  undertake  to  bring  it  before  the  world.  Poor 
Spaulding  at  length  went  to  his  grave,  and  his  manuscript  remained  a  neglected  roll 
in  the  possession  of  his  widow. 

But  now  arose  Joe  Smith,  more  ready  to  live  by  his  wits  than  by  the  labor  of  his 
hands.  This  Smith  early  in  life  manifested  a  turn  for  pious  frauds.  He  had  been 
engaged  in  several  wrestling  matches  with  the  devil,  and  had  been  conspicuous  for 
his  wonderful  experiences  in  religion  at  certain  revivals.  He  announced  that  he 
had  dug  up  the  book  of  Mormon,  that  taught  the  true  religion,  and  this  was  none 
other  but  the  poor  Spaulding  manuscript,  which  he  had  purloined  from  the  house 
of  the  widow.  In  his  unscrupulous  hands  the  manuscript  of  Spaulding  was  de 
signed  to  cause  an  august  apostacy;  he  made  it  the  basis  of  Mormonism. 

Polygamy  Introduced. — Before  the  death  of  Smith,  he  had  made  polygamy  a 
dogma  of  the  Mormon  creed,  and  made  it  known  to  a  few  of  the  leaders,  and  he 
and  they  proceeded  to  put  it  to  practice.  It  was  only  after  they  had  placed  the 
desert  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  between  them  and  civilization  that  they  confessed 


UTAH   TERRITORY.  541 

it  Then  they  not  only  confessed  it,  but  openly  and  boldly  advocated  it  as  a  part 
of  the  religion  of  Utah.  Polygamy  then  is  now  the  rule,  monogamy  is  the  excep 
tion  to  the  rule  among  them.  This  doctrine  is  preached  from  the  pulpit — it  is 
taught  everywhere. 

Education  and  Habits. — The  little  education  the  children  get  consists  in  pre 
paring  them  for  the  reception  of  polygamy.  To  prepare  the  women  for  the  recep 
tion  of  the  revolting  practice  it  is  necessary  to  brutalize  them  by  destroying  their 
modesty.  The  sentiment  of  love  is  ridiculed,  cavalier  gallantry  and  attentions  are 
laughed  at,  the  emblematic  devices  of  lovers  and  the  winning  kindness  that  with 
us  they  dote  on  are  hooted  at  in  Utah.  The  lesson  they  are  taught,  and  that  is  in 
culcated  above  all  others,  is  "increase  and  multiply,"  in  order  that  Zion  may  be 
filled.  The  young  people  are  familiarized  to  indecent  exposures  of  all  kinds  ;  the 
Mormons  call  their  wives  their  cattle. 

A  man  is  not  considered  a  good  Mormon  that  does  not  uphold  polygamy  by  pre 
cept  and  example,  and  he  is  a  suspected  Mormon  that  does  not  practice  it.  .The 
higher  the  man  is  in  the  church  the  more  wives  he  has.  Brigham  Young  and 
Heber  Kimball  are  supposed  to  have  each  between  fifty  and  a  hundred.  The  rev 
erend  Mormon  bishops,  apostles,  and  the  presidents  of  states  have  as  many  as  they 
desire,  and  it  is  a  common  thing  to  see  these  hoary-headed  old  Turks  surrounded 
by  a  troop  of  robust  young  wives.  The  common  people  take  as  many  as  they  can 
support,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  house  of  two  rooms  inhabited  by  a"inan, 
his  half-dozen  of  wives,  and  a  proportionate  number  of  children,  like  rabbits  in  a 
warren,  and  resembling  very  much  the  happy  family  that  we  read  of — the  prairie 
dog,  the  owl,  and  the  rabbit.  Incest  is  common.  Sometimes  the  same  man  has  a 
daughter  and  her  mother  for  wives  at  once;  some  have  as  wives  their  own  nieces, 
and  Aaron  Johnson,  of  Springville,  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in  his  parts, 
has  in  his  harem  of  twelve  women  no  less  than  five  of  his  brothers'  daughters. 
One  Watts,  a'  Scotchman,  who  is  one  of  the  church  reporters,  is  married  to  his 
own  half-sister. 

The  ill-assorted  children — the  offspring  of  one  father  and  many  mothers — run 
about  like  so  many  wild  animals.  The  first  thing  they  do,  after  learning  vulgarity, 
is  to  wear  a  leather  belt  with  a  butcher-knife  stuck  in  it;  and  the  next  is  to  steal 
from  the  Gentiles ;  then  to  ride  animals ;  and  as  soon  as  they  can,  "  by  hook  or  by 
crook,"  get  a  horse,  a  pair  of  jingling  Mexican  spurs  and  a  revolver,  they  are  then 
Mormon  cavaliers,  and  are  fit  to  steal,  rob,  and  murder  emigrants.  The  women 
and  girls  are  coarse,  masculine  and  uneducated,  and  are  mostly  drafted  from  the 
lowest  stages  of  society.  It  is  but  seldom  you  meet  handsome  or  attractive  women 
among  them. 

The  foreign  element  largely  predominates  in  Utah.  The  persons  emigrating  to 
the  territory  are  generally  from  the  mining,  manufacturing  and  rural  districts  of 
England.  The  American  portion  of  the  Mormons  are  generally  shrewder  than  the 
rest,  and  are  chiefly  from  the  New  England  states.  Most  of  these  men  are  no 
doubt  fugitives  from  justice,  and  most  of  them  are  bankrupt  in  both  fortune  and 
character. 

The  three  presidents  of  the  church,  or  rather  the  president,  Rrigham  Young, 
and  his  two  council,  Kimball  and  Grant,  are  all  Americans;  eleven  of  the*  twelve 
apostles  are  Americans.  The  foreigners  are  generally  hewers  of  wood  and  the 
drawers  of  water  for  the  church  and  its  dignitaries.  The  church  is  everything. 
It  is  not  only  an  ecclesiastical  institution,  but  it  is  a  political  engine ;  it  not  only 
claims  to  control  Mormons  in  their  spiritual  matters,  but  to  dictate  to  them  as  to 
the  disposition  of  their  temporal  affairs.  The  church,  by  its  charter,  can  receive, 
hold  or  sell  any  amount  of  property ;  the  charter  provides  for  one  trustee,  and 
twelve  assistant  trustees,  and  Brigham  Young  is  trustee,  president  of  the  church, 
prophet,  seer,  revelator,  and,  the  commission  of  the  United  States  to  the  contrary 
notwithstanding,  he  is  the  real  governor  of  the  territory.  All  Mormons  are  re 
quired  to  yield  to  him  implicit  obedience. 

Each  Mormon  has  to  pay  into  the  church  one  tenth  part  of  all  he  produces,  so 
that  if  a  good  Mormon  sow  bears  ten  pigs,  one  is  a  pious  pig,  because  it  belongs 
to  the  church.  To  collect  these  tithes  officers  have  to  be  appointed,  and  to  gather 
the  results  together  a  great  central  depot  has  to  be  maintained,  and  it  is  situated 


542  UTAH   TERRITORY. 

in  Great  Salt  Lake  City,  within  Brigham's  own  walls ;  and  the  corn,  butter,  eggs, 
and  all  sorts  of  produce  that  is  conveyed  there  and  stored  would  spoil  unless  it  was 
disposed  of;  and  so  we  find  that  they  need  stores,  and  in  Salt  Lake  City  we  find 
an  enormous  store,  with  the  sign  "  Deseret  Store."  So  it  is,  the  church  is  a  trader. 

The  Angelic  Host. — Connected  with  the  Mormon  church  is  a  band  of  men  known 
as  "the  Danites,"  or  "the  avenging  angels."  This  band  is  composed  of  the  bold 
est  of  the  Mormon  ruffians.  They  are  bound  together  by  dreadful  oaths ;  they  are 
the  executioners  of  the  church,  carrying  out  its  vengeance  against  apostates  and 
offenders  against  the  church  discipline;  and  all  church  enemies  are  dealt  with  by 
these  men,  generally  in  a  secret  and  terrible  manner.  None  but  God,  Brigham 
Young  and  themselves  know  the  names  of  their  victims,  or  the  number. 

Missions  and  Missionaries. — The  Mormon  Church  is  recruited  by  meana  of  mis 
sionaries  yearly  sent  out  in  large  numbers  throughout  the  earth,  to  preach  and 
propagate  the  Mormon  religion.  These  missionaries  are  not  selected,  as  are  the 
missionaries  of  other  sects,  for  their  piety  and  devotion,  or  for  their  general  fitness, 
but  as  a  punishment  for  some  offense  against  the  discipline  of  the  church.  The 
doctrine  is  that  they  are  good  enough  to  go  into  the  world,  for  if  they  send  good 
men  they  will  not  believe  them,  and  on  that  account  they  send  their  bad  men  off 
as  teachers  and  missionaries. 

The  missionaries  are  usually  supported  by  voluntary  contributions  raised  from 
the  ignorant  proselytes  that  they  make.  They  picture  Utah  as  a  paradise,  the  Mor 
mons  as  saints,  and  Brigham  Young  as  their  prophet ;  they  promise  their  prophet 
will  heal  the  sick,  restore  sight  to  the  blind,  and  comfort  to  the  afflicted ;  to  the 
wealthy  they  promise  wealth,  and  preferment  is  for  the  ambitious,  while  social 
standing  is  to  be  given  to  the  degraded  of  both  sexes,  and  polygamy  is  the  paradise 
of  all. 

Receiving  Proselytes. — These  missionaries,  when  sent  on  missions,  if  successful, 
are  commanded  to  bring  their  proselytes  with  them  to  Zion.  They  are  generally 
taken  in  large  trains,  and  the  arrival  of  one  of  these  emigrant  trains  is  hailed  as  a 
great  event.  Women  that  are  young  and  pretty  are  greedily  caught  up  by  the 
apostles  and  dignitaries  to  swell  their  harems. 

The  Foreign  Element. — As  I  have  said,  the  Mormons  are  chiefly  foreigners;  and 
rude,  ignorant  foreigners  they  are.  They  have  not  the  first  conceptions  of  their 
duties  to  our  government,  or  of  their  duties  as  American  citizens.  They  come  to 
Zion,  but  they  do  not  come  to  America.  What  do  they  care  for  our  government 
or  for  our  people  ?  The  first  lesson  taught  them  is  to  hate  our  people  for  their 
oppression,  and  to  hate  all  other  people  for  they  are  Gentiles.  They  are  next  sworn 
to  support  the  church  and  the  government  established  in  Utah,  and  bear  an  eter 
nal  hostility  against  every  other  government  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Their  next 
lesson  is  to  revere  Brigham  Young  as  both  the  religious  and  political  head  and 
ruler.  Their  allegiance  is  alone  due  to  him;  he  tells  them  they  are  separate  anol 
distinct  from  all  other  nations — made  up  from  many  nations ;  and  he  said  but  the 
other  day,  "  we  have  been  looked  upon  as  a  nation  by  our  neighbors,  independent 
of  all  other  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  in  their  dealings  they  have  dealt 
with  us  as  such."  He  tells  them  the  present  connection  of  Utah  with  the  United 
States  is  only  nominal,  and  it  is  barely  permitted  by  God  until  things  shall  be  fitted 
for  the  universal  establishment  of  Mormon  ascendency. 

All  these  things  considered,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  Mormons  are  dis 
loyal  to  this  government,  and  that  treason  should  insolently  rear  its  crest  in  Utah? 
The  ignorant  of  the  Mormons  do  not  know  what  treason  is.  They  obey  their 
leaders,  and  these  leaders  are  alone  responsible  for  their  acts.  If  Brigham  Young, 
his  counselors  and  bishops,  and  twelve  apostles,  and  his  generals  had  been  seized 
and  hung,  you  would  never  more  have  heard  of  treason  in  Utah;  but  while  the  Mor 
mon  captains  were  at  the  head  of  their  troops,  while  the  Danites  were  armed  with 
their  butcher  knives,  and  while  the  prophet  hurled  anathemas  against  the  presi 
dent,  the  government,  and  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  while  the  Mormon 
people  were  in  arms  against  the  people  of  the  United  States,  came  a  free  pardon 
to  all  the  traitors,  big  and  little. 

Three  thousand  of  the  federal  troops  were  sent  [in  1858]  to  Utah,  and  they  have 
been  kept  there  at  a  great  expense  to  the  government.  The  government  has  not 


UTAH   TERRITORY.  ,  543 

only  refrained  from  punishing,  but  it  has,  through  the  vast  amounts  expended  for 
the  troops,  which  went  into  the  Mormon  coffers,  enriched  and  built  up  the  terri 
tory.  When  the  troops  went  to  Utah,  the  Mormons  were  naked  and  almost  starv 
ing,  poor  and  wrangling;  but  now  they  are  clothed,  and  money  circulates  freely 
among  them.  Treason  is  lucky,  and  traitors  prosper.  Not  only  are  they  freely 
pardoned,  but  they  are  rewarded  with  pockets  full  of  gold.  When  treason  is  thus 
dealt  with,  traitors  will  be  numerous  indeed. 

An  Irrepressible  Conflict. — Attempts  to  administer  the  laws  of  the  United  States 
have  been  made  by  the  three  sets  of  the  United  States  judges.  These  experiments 
have  all  proved  to'be  failures.  The  concurrent  testimony  of  all  the  judges  is  that 
the  Federal  constitution  and  laws  can  not  be  successfully  administered.  There  is 
a  complete  repugnance  and  antagonism  between  our  institutions  and  the  Mormon 
institutions.  The  churcn,  through  its  rulers,  claims  to  supervise  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  relations  of  the  people.  Whether  it  be  in  the  place  of  business,  in  the 
jury-box,  on  the  witness  stand,  on  the  judge's  bench,  or  in  the  legislative  chair, 
the  Mormon  is  bound  to  obey  the  heads  of  the  church.  If  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  or  the  organic  law  of  the  territory  conflicts,  the  constitution  is 
treated  as  a  nullity;  if  the  laws  of  the  United  States  contravene  the  ordinances 
of  Utah,  the  law  is  disregarded.  The  will  of  the  prophet  is  the  supreme  law  in 
Utah. 

Mormon  grand  and  petit  juries,  on  being  impanneled,  would  go  through  the 
forms  of  business,  but  do  nothing,  while  murder  and  other  felonies  abounded. 
When  warrants  are  issued  for  the  parties  accused,  they  can  not  be  arrested,  for  the 
entire  church  and  the  whole  community  united  in  concealing  and  protecting  the 
offender.  Witnesses  are  prevented  by  church  orders  from  appearing  before  the 
grand  jury,  or  are  forcibly  detained.  Grand  juries  refuse  to  find  bills  upon  testi 
mony  the  most  conclusive,  for  most  of  the  crimes  have  been  committed  by  the 
order  of  the  church  ;  and  to  expose  them  would  be  to  expose  and  punish  the  church 
and  the  functionaries  of  the  church. 

The  most  noted  of  all  the  atrocities  committed  by  the  Mormons  was  the 
"Mountain  Meadow  Massacre."  This  event  occurred  in  the  autumn  of  1857, 
when  about  140  emigrants,  inoffensive,  peaceful  men,  women  and  children, 
on  their  way  overland  from  Arkansas  to  California,-were  waylaid  by  the 
Danite  band  of  Mormons  and  their  Indian  allies,  and  butchered  in  cold  blood. 
Some  of  the  little  children  were  spared,  and  afterward  recovered  from  the 
Mormons ;  and  from  their  lips  these  particulars  were  gathered.  A  corres 
pondent  of  Harpers'  Weekly,  for  August  13,  1859,  presents  this  narrative, 
which  is  substantially  true,  and  otherwise  indubitably  corroborated: 

"A  train  of  Arkansas  emigrants,  with  some  few  Missourians,  said  to  number 
forty  men,  with  their  families,  were  on  their  way  to  California,  through  the  Terri 
tory  of  Utah,  and  had  reached  a  series  of  grassy  valleys,  by  the  Mormons  called 
the  Mountain  Meadows,  where  they  remained  several  days  recruiting  their  animals. 
On  the  night  of  Sept.  9,  not  suspecting  any  danger,  as  usual  they  quietly  retired 
to  rest,  little  dreaming  of  the  dreadful  fate  aAvaiting  and  soon  to  overtake  them. 
On  the  morning  of  thj|  10th,  as,  with  their  wives  and  familes,  they  stood  around 
their  camp-fires  passing  the  congratulations  of  the  morning,  they  were  suddenly 
fired  upon  from  an  ambush,  and  at  the  first  discharge  fifteen  of  the  best  men  are 
said  to  have  fallen  dead  or  mortally  wounded.  To  seek  the  shelter  of  their  corral 
was  but  the  work  of  a  moment,  but  there  they  found  but  limited  protection. 

The  encampment,  which  consisted  of  a  number  of  tents  and  a  corral  of  forty 
wagons  and  ambulances,  lay  on  the  west  bank  of,  and  eight  or  ten  yards  distant 
from,  a  large  spring  in  a  deep  ravine,  running  southward;  another  ravine,  also, 
branching  from  this,  and  facing  the  camp  on  the  south-west;  overlooking  them  on 
the  north-west,  and  within  rifle-shot,  rises  a  large  mound  commanding  the  corral, 
upon  which  parapets  of  stone,  with  loop-holes,  have  been  built.  Yet  another  ra 
vine,  larger  and  deeper,  faces  them  on  the  east,  which  could  be  entered  without 
exposure  from  the  south  and  far  end.  Having  crept  into  these  shelters  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night,  the  cowardly  assailants  fired  upon  their  unsuspecting  victims, 


544  UTAH  TERRITORY. 

thus  making  a  beginning  to  the  most  brutal  butchery  ever  perpetrated  upon  this 
continent. 

Surrounded  by  superior  numbers,  and  by  an  unseen  foe,  wo  are  told  tho  little 
party  stood  a  siege  within  the  corral  of  five  or  seven  days,  sinking  their  wagon 
wheels  in  the  ground,  and  during  the  darkness  of  night  digging  trenches,  within 
which  to  shelter  their  wives  and  children.  A  large  spring  of  cool  water  bubbled 
up  from  the  sand  a  few  yards  from  them,  but  deep  down  in  the  ravine,  and  so  well 
protected  that  certain  death  marked  the  trail  of  all  who  dared  approach  it.  The 
wounded  were  dying  of  thirst ;  the  burning  brow  and  parched  lip  marked  the  de 
lirium  of  fever;  they  tossed  from  side  to  side  with  anguish;  the  sweet  sound  of 
the  water,  as  it  murmured  along  its  pebbly  bed,  served  but  to  highten  their  keen 
est  suffering.  But  what  was  this  to  the  pang  of  leaving  to  a  cruel  fate  their  helpless 
children !  Some  of  the  little  ones,  who  though  too  young  to  remember  in  after 
years,  tell  us  that  they  stood  by  their  parents,  and  pulled  the  arrows  from  their 
bleeding  wounds. 

Long  had  the  brave  band  held  together;  but  the  cries  of  the  wounded  sufferers 
must  prevail.  For  the  first  time,  they  are  (by  four  Mormons)  offered  their  lives  if 
they  will  lay  down  their  arms,  and  gladly  they  avail  themselves  of  the  proffered 
mercy.  Within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  corral  faith  is  broken.  Disarmed  and 
helpless,  they  are  fallen  upon  and  massacred  in  cold  blood.  The  savages,  who  had 
been  driven  to  the  hills,  are  again  called  down  to  what  was  denominated  the  'job,' 
which  more  than  savage  brutality  had  begun. 

Women  and  children  are  now  all  that  remain.  Upon  these,  some  of  whom  had 
been  violated  by  the  Mormon  leaders,  the  savage  expends  his  hoarded  vengeance. 
By  a  Mormon  who  has  now  escaped  the  threats  of  the  Church  we  are  told  that  the 
helpless  children  clung  around  the  knees  of  the  savages,  offering  themselves  as 
slaves ;  but  with  fiendish  laughter  at  their  cruel  tortures,  knives  were  thrust  into 
their  bodies,  the  scalp  torn  from  their  heads,  and  their  throats  cut  from  ear  to  ear." 

Beside  Salt  Lake  City,  the  other  principal  Mormon  settlements  are  Fill' 
more  City,  the  capital,  Brownsville,  Provo,  Ogden,  Manti,  and  Parovan. 


NEW  MEXICO  TERRITORY, 


NEW  MEXICO  is  older  than  any  English  settlement  in  North  America.  It 
was  a  Spanish  province  in  the  century  before  the  cavaliers  had  landed  at 
Jamestown,  and  the  Puritans  had  trod  the  snow-clad  rock  of  Plymouth.  In 
1530,  Nuno  de  Guzman,  president  of  Mexico  or  New  Spain,  had  in  his  ser 
vice  an  Indian,  a  native  of  a  country  called  Tejos  or  Texos,  probably  the 
present  Texas,  who  informed  him  that  when  a  boy  he  used  to  accompany  his 
father,  a  merchant,  on  trading  expeditions  te  a  people  in  a  country  in  the  far 
interior,  when  the  latter,  in  exchange  for  handsome  feathers  to  ornament 
their  heads,  obtained  great  quantity  of  gold  and  silver;  that,  on  one  occa 
sion,  he  had  seen  seven  large  towns,  in  which  were  entire  streets  occupied  by 
people  working  in  precious  metals.  That  to  get  there,  it  was  necessary  to 
travel  forty  days  through  a  wilderness,  where  nothing  was  to  be  obtained  ex 
cepting  short  grass,  and  then  penetrate  into  the  interior  of  the  country  by 
keeping  due  north.  Fired  by  these  reports,  Guzman  organized  an  army  of 
400  Spaniards  and  20,000  Indians,  to  penetrate  this  land  of  gold.  He 
started  from  Mexico  and  went  as  far  as  Culiacan,  the  limit  of  his  govern 
ment,  when  the  obstacles  were  such,  in  passing  the  mountains  beyond,  that 
his  people  deserted  in  great  numbers.  Moreover,  he  heard  that  his  personal 
enemy,  Hernando  Cortez,  was  returning  to  Mexico,  loaded  with  titles  and 
favors.  He  gave  up  the  expedition,  and  was  soon  after  thrown  into  prison ; 
and  the  Tejos  Indian  died. 

In  1528,  Pamphilo  Narvaez,  the  unfortunate  rival  of  Hernando  Cortez, 
being  appointed  governor  of  Florida,  set  sail  from  St.  Domingo  with  400 
men  in  five  ships,  for  that  coast.  The  expedition  was  tragic  in  its  results. 
Soon  after  discovering  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  all  had  perished  but 
three;  some  from  hunger,  some  by  shipwreck,  and  some  by  the  hostility  of 
the  natives. 

"  There  only  survived  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  boatmaster,  Esteva  Dorantes,  an 
Arabian  negro,  and  Castillo  Maldonado.  At  the  end  of  eight  years,  these 
three  men  reached  Mexico,  having  traversed  on  foot  the  American  continent 
from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  They  related  their  adventures, 
declared  that  they  had  met  with  Indian  tribes,  some  of  whom  cultivated 
maize,  "while  others  lived  on  fish  and  the  produce  of  the  chase;  that  they 
had  heard  of  large  towns  with  lofty  houses  containing  many  stories,  and  sit« 
uated  in  the  same  direction  as  those  spoken  of  by  the  Tejos  Indian." 
35  545 


NEW    MEXICO    TERRITORY. 

Mendosa,  the  viceroy  of  New  Spain,  had  these  three  travelers  brought  be~ 
fore  him,  and^  communicated  the  information  they  gave  him  to  Francisco 
Vasquez  Coronado,  governor  of  the  province  of  Culiacan,  the  chief  town  of 
which,  Culiacan,  was  68  miles  west  of  Mexico.  In  March,  1539,  Coronado 
sent  forward  an  exploring  expedition  under  Father  Marcos,  in  company  with 
two  other  monks,  the  negro  Esteva  above  spoken  of,  and  some  friendly  In 
dians. 

As  he  journeyed  along,  Father  Marcos  met  entire  populations,  who  re 
ceived  him  with  pleasure,  and  presented  him  with  provisions  and  flowers. 
He  passed  into  the  valley  of  the  Sonora.  "  The  inhabitants  of  this  valley 
were  numerous  and  intelligent;  the  women  wore  petticoats  of  tanned  deer 
skin.  Every  morning  the  caciques  ascended  little  eminences,  and,  for  above 
an  hour,  would  indicate  aloud  what  each  was  to  do  during  the  day.  At  their 
religious  ceremonies  they  stuck  arrows  around  their  temples,  resembling  in 
this  the  Zunis  of  the  present  day,  who  sometimes  stick  them  round  their 
altars  and  tombs.  Father  Marcos  found,  on  the  borders  of  this  desert,  other 
Indians,  who  were  greatly  surprised  to  see  him,  for  they  had  not  the  slight 
est  idea  of  the  Christians.  Sonie  of  them  would  try  to  touch  his  garments, 
and  would  call  him  Bogota,  which  signifies,  Man  come  down  from  heaven. 
Those  Indians  told  him  that,  should  he  continue  his  route,  he  would  soon 
enter  a  very  extensive  plain,  full  of  large  towns,  which  were  inhabited  by 
people  clad  in  cotton,  wearing  gold  rings  and  earrings,  and  making  use  of 
little  blades  of  the  same  metal  to  scrape  the  perspiration  oif  their  bodies. 

Although  the  information  given  by  Father  Marcos  is  rather  vague,  and 
though  it  is  scarcely  possible  to*state  precisely  the  route  he  followed,  or  to 
indicate  the  geographical  positions  of  the  countries  he  passed  through,  it  is 
probable  that  the  plain  here  spoken  of  is  that  of  the  Rio  de  Las  Casas 
Grande, .situated  150  miles  east  of  the  Rio  Sonora,  which  is  to  this  day  all 
covered  with  imposing  ruins,  reminding  one  of  handsome  and  populous 
cities." 

After  a  few  (Jays  march,  Father  Marcos  arrived  at  Vacapa,  now  known  as 
Magdalena,  in  Sonora,  near  the  American  line,  a  short  distance  below  Tubac, 
Arizona.  Eflbre  Father  Marcos  remained  to  rest  himself,  among  a  friendly 
people;  but  finding  the  negro,  Esteva,  was  abusing  hospitality,  by  miscon 
ducting  himself  toward  the  native  women,  he  sent  him  forward  to  make  dis 
coveries  and  report.  Four  days  afterward,  the  negro  dispatched  to  Marcos 
an  Indian  messenger,  who  related  wonderful  things  of  a  large  town,  called 
Cibola,  known  in  the  present  day  as  Zuni,  and  westward  of  Santa  Fe.  "Ac 
cording  to  the  fashion  of  his  tribe,  the  messenger's  face,  breast,  and  arms, 
were  painted.  Those  Indians,  whom  the  Spaniards  called  Pintados,  lived  on 
the  frontiers  of  the  seven  towns  forming  the  kingdom  of  Cibola;  their  de 
scendants,  now  called  Papagos  and  Pimas,  still  reside  in  the  same  country, 
which  extends  from  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz  to  the  Rio  Gila.  Cibola,  the 
first  of  the  seven  towns  and  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  that  name,  was  situ 
ated  thirty  days'  journey  from  Vacapa.  The  Pintados  said  they  often  went 
there,  and  were  employed  in  tilling  the  ground,  and  received  for  their  wages 
turquoises  and  tanned  hides. 

An  Indian  of  this  town  told  Father  Marcos,  that  'Cibola  was  a  great  city, 
densely  peopled,  with  a  great  number  of  streets  and  squares;  that  in  some 
quarters  there  were  very  large  houses,  with  ten  stories,  where  the  chieftains 
assembled,  at  certain  times  of  the  year,  to  discuss  public  affairs.  The  doors 
and  fronts  of  those  houses  were  adorned  with  turquoises.  The  inhabitants 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY.  547 

had  white  skin,  like  the  Spaniards,  and  wore  wide  cotton  tunics  that  reached 
to  their  feet.  These  garments  were  fastened  round  the  neck  by  means  of  a 
button,  and  were  ornamented  at  the  waist  with  a  belt  studded  with  very  fine 
turquoises.  Over  those  tunics  some  wore  excellent  cloaks,  and  others  very 
richly  wrought  cow-hides.'  The  same  Indian  added:  'that  toward  the 
south-east,  there  existed  a  kingdom  called  Marata,  with  large  populations 
and  considerable  towns,  the  houses  of  which  had  several  stories ;  that  these 
peoples  were  continually  at  war  with  the  sovereign  of  the  seven  towns;  and 
that,  in  the  direction  of  the  south-west,  on  the  Rio  Verde,  was  another  kihg- 
dom,  called  Totonteac,  which  was  as  wealthy  as  it  was  densely  peopled,  and 
whose  inhabitants  were  dressed  in  fine  cloth.'  Although  these  narratives 
were  exaggerated,  it  is  not  less  a  fact  that  all  those  countries  were  thickly 
peopled,  intersected  with  roads,  and  studded  with  towns." 

Having  rested  himself,  Father  Marcos  pushed  forward  to  rejoin  his  negro, 
and  was  everywhere  welcomed  by  the  natives  until  he  had  reached,  on  the 
9th  of  May,  the  last  desert  that  separated  him  from  Cibola.  He  there  had 
stopped  to  dine  at  a  farm  house,  when  he  was  astonished  by  the  entrance  of 
Esteva's  companions,  covered  with  perspiration,  faint  and  trembling  from 
fatigue  and  fear.  He  reported  that  Esteva  had  been  imprisoned,  and  then 
killed  by  the  people  of  Cibola,  together  with  several  of  his  Indian  followers. 
The  negro,  probably,  had  been  guilty  of  some  misconduct.  Marcos,  in  con 
sternation,  took  the  back  track  to  Culiacan. 

"  Captain-General  Vasquez  Coronado,  encouraged  by  the  accounts  given  bv 
Father  Marcos,  and  hoping  to  discover  new  territories,  at  once  organized  in  New 
Spain  a  little  army,  which  assembled  at  Compostella,  and  on  the  day  following 
Easter,  1540,  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  composed  of  150  horsemen, 
200  archers,  and  800  Indians.  Having  reached  Culiacan,  the  army  halted  to  take 
rest.  At  the  end  of  a  fortnight,  Coronado  moved  forward,  accompanied  by  fifty 
horsemen,  a  few  foot  soldiers,  and  his  best  friends,  among  whom  was  Father  Mar 
cos.  The  command  of  the  remainder  of  the  troops  was  confided  to  Don  Tristan 
d' Arellano,  with  orders  to  leave  fifteen  days  after,  and  to  follow  the  same  route  as 
the  captain-general. 

After  a  month  of  fatigue  and  of  privations  of  all  kinds,  Vasquez  Coronado  ar 
rived  at  Chichilticale.  This  name,  which  signifies  Red  Town,  was  given  to  this 
locality  Because  a  large  house  of  that  color  was  to  be  seen  there,  which  was  in 
habited  by  an  entire  tribe  that  came  from  Cibola,  where  the  last  desert  begins.  At 
this  place  the  Spaniards  lost  several  horses,  and  even  some  men,  from  want  of  food. 
Nevertheless,  encouraged  by  their  chief,  they  continued  their  march,  and,  a*  fort 
night  after  they  had  left  Chichilticale,  they  arrived  within  twenty-six  miles  of  Ci 
bola.  They  saw  for  the  first  time  the  natives  of  this  singular  kingdom;  but  the 
latter  immediately  took  to  flight,  spreading  the  alarm  -throughout  the  country  by 
means  of  great  fires  which  they  kindled  on  the  high  mountains — a  custom  in  use 
to  this  day  among  the  tribes  of  New  Mexico. 

Next  day,  Coronado  came  within  sight  of  Cibola ;  the  inhabitants  of  the  provinca 
had  all  assembled  and  awaited  the  Spaniards  with  a  steady  attitude.  Far  from 
accepting  the  proposals  of  peace  which  were  offered  to  them,  they  threatened  the 
interpreters  with  death.  The  Spaniards  then,  crying  out,  'San  Jago  !*  San  Jago!' 
attacked  the  Indians  with  impetuosity,  and  notwithstanding  a  vigorous  resistance, 
Coronado  entered  the  town  of  Cibola  as  conqueror." 

The  remainder  of  the  troops,  under  d'Arellano,  after  a  march  of  975  miles  by 
a  different  route,  in  which  they  crossed  many  rivers  flowing  into  the  California 
Gulf,  rejoined  the  main  army  at  Cibola.  On  their  way  they  founded  the  town  of 
San  Hieronyrno,  and  in  that  vicinity  found  Indian  agricultural  tribes  who  tamed 
eagles,  as  is  yet  the  custom  among  some  tribes  of  New  Mexico. 

Coronado  now  sent  Alvarado,  his  lieutenant,  to  conquer  the  province  of  Tiguex, 
on  the  Kio  Grande,  which  he  subdued  after  a  campaign  of  fifty  days.  "It  con- 


548  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

tained  twelve  towns  governed  by  a  council  of  old  men.  The  whole  community 
aelped  to  construct  each  house ;  the  women  made  the  mortar  and  built  up  the  walls, 
and  the  men  brought  the  wood  and  prepared  the  timbers.  Underneath  the  houses 
and  the  court-yards  were  subterraneous  stoves,  or  drying-places,  paved  with  large 
polished  flagstones.  In  the  middle  was  a  furnace  on" which  they  threw,  from  time 
to  time,  a  handful  of  thyme,  which  was  sufficient  to  keep  up  an  intense  heat  there, 
so  that  one  felt  as  if  in  a  bath.  The  men  spent  a  considerable  part  of  their  time 
in  those  places;  but  the  women  could  not  enter  there,  except  to  carry  food  to  their 
husbands  or  sons.  The  men  spun,  wove,  and  attended  to  the  tillage  of  their 
grounds ;  the  women  occupied  themselves  with  the  care  of  their  children  and  house 
hold  affairs;  they  were  the  mistresses  of  the  house  and  kept  it  remarkably  clean. 
In  the  large  houses,  each  family  had  several  rooms ;  one  served  as  a  sleeping-room, 
another  as  a  kitchen,  and  a  third  for  the  purpose  of  grinding  wheat.  In  the  latter 
was  an  oven  and  three  large  stones ;  three  women  would  seat  themselves  before 
these  stones ;  the  first  would  crush  the  grain,  the  second  bruise  it,  and  the  third 
pulverize  it  completely.  While  they  were  thus  employed,  a  man,  seated  at  the 
door,  played  on  a  kind  of  bagpipes,  and  the  women  worked  to  measure,  all  three 
singing  together,  and  marking  the  rhythm  by  striking  with  their  tools  the  wheat 
they  were  grinding." 

The  young  girls  went  wholly  naked  during  even  the  most  severe  weather,  and 
were  not  allowed  to  cover  themselves  until  they  were  married.  The  object  of  this 
was  that  their  shame  might  be  exposed  in  case  they  misbehaved — a  kind  of  a  guard 
to  chastity.  "  The  young  people  could  only  enter  the  married  state  with  the  per 
mission  of  the  old  men  who  governed  the  town.  The  young  man  had  then  to  spin 
and  weave  a  mantle ;  when  completed,  the  girl  who  was  destined  to  become  his 
bride  was  brought  to  him;  he  wrapped^the  mantle  round  her  shoulders  and  she 
thus  became  his  wife. 

From  Tiguex,  the  Spaniards  went  to  Cicuye — now  called  Pecos — which  they  also 
subdued.  From  thence,  Coronado  started  for  Quivira,  with  a  few  men  chosen 
among  his  best  soldiers,  postponing,  until  the  following  spring,  the  conquest  of  the 
whole  province.  In  1542,  the  Spaniards  found  themselves  masters  of  almost  all 
New  Mexico,  whose  center  was  formed  by  the  province  of  Tiguex,  around  which 
were  grouped  seventy-one  towns  distributed  among  fourteen  provinces,  viz :  Cibola, 
which  contained  seven  towns;  Tucayan,  seven  ;  Acuco,  one;  Tiguex,  twelve ;  Cu- 
tahaco,  eight;  Quivix,  seven ;  the  Snowy  Mountains,  seven;  Ximena,  three;  Cicuye, 
one ;  Hemes,  seven  ;  Aquas  Calientes,  three ;  Yuque-yunque,  six ;  Braba,  one,  and 
Chia,  one.  Besides  these  seventy-one  towns,  there  were  many  others  scattered 
outside  this  circle;  as  also  several  tribes  living  in  tents." 

In  April,  1543,  Coronado  returned  with  his  followers  to  Culiacan.  "Juan  de 
Padilla,  of  the  order  of  Saint  Francis,  preferred  remaining  at  Quivira  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  Indians,  and  became  a  martyr.  Brother  Luis,  of  the  same  order, 
went  to  Cicuye,  but  was  never  more  heard  of.  Such  was  the  end  of  this  expedi 
tion,  which,  instead  of  having  a  favorable  result  for  the  Spaniards,  only  tended  to 
arouse  against  them  the  profound  antipathy  of  the  natives,  who  had  been 'very  ill- 
treated  by  the  conquerors. 

In  1581,  a  band  of  adventurers,  commanded  by  Francisco  de  Leyva  Bonillo,  took 
possession  of  part  of  the  province  of  Tiguex,  and  finding  its  productions,  riches, 
and  inhabitants  very  like  those  of  Mexico,  they  called  it  New  Mexico."* 

"]n  the  year  1595,  Don  Juan  de  Onate  de  Zacatecas,  at  the  head  of  a  band  of 
two  hundred  soldiers,  established  the  first  legal  colony  in  the  province,  over  which 
he  was  established  as  governor.  He  took  with  him  a  number  of  Catholic  priests 
to  establish  missions  among  the  Indians,  with  power  sufficient  to  promulgate  the 
gospel  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  administer  baptism  by  the  force  of  arms. 

The  colony  progressed  rapidly ;  settlements  extended  in  every  quarter ;  and,  as 
tradition  relates,  many  valuable  mines  were  discovered  and  worked.  The  poor  In- 

*  Abridged  from  Domenech's  Seven  Years'  Residence  in  the  Deserts  of  North  America. 
The  Abbe  Domenech  derived  this  history  mainly  from  the  "  Narrative  of  the  Expedition  to 
Cibola  ;  by  Pedro  de  Castaneda  migera."  He  was  in  Coronado's  army,  and  this  narrative 
waa  published  in  Paris  in  1837. 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY.  519 

dians  were  enslaved,  and,  under  the  lash,  were  forced  to  most  laborious  tasks  in 
the  mines,  until  goaded  to  desperation.  In  the  summer  of  1680,  a  general  insur 
rection  of  all  the  tribes  and  Pueblos  took  place  throughout  the  province.  General 
hostilities  having  commenced,  and  a  large  number  of  Spaniards  massacred  all  over 
the  province,  the  Indians  laid  siege  to  the  capital,  Santa  Fe,  which  the  governor 
was  obliged  to  evacuate,  and  retreat  south  three  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  where 
the  refugees  then  founded  the  town  of  El  Paso  del  Norte.  For  ten  years  the  coun 
try  remained  in  possession  of  the  Indians,  when  it  was  reconquered  by  the  Span 
iards.  In  1698,  the  Indians  rose,  but  the  insurrection  was  soon  quelled.  After 
this  they  were  treated  with  more  humanity,  each  pueblo  being  allowed  a  league  or 
two  of  land,  and  permitted  to  govern  themselves.  Their  rancorous  hatred  for  their 
conquerors,  however,  never  entirely  'subsided ;  yet  no  further  outbreak  occurred 
until  1837.  In  that  year  a  revolution  took  place,  by  which  the  government  of  the 
country  was  completely  overthrown,  and  most  atrocious  barbarities  committed  by 
the  insurgents,  including  the  Pueblo  Indians.  The  governor,  Perez,  was  savagely 
put  to  death — his  head  cut  off  and  used  as  a  football  by  the  insurgents  in  their 
camp.  The  ex-governor,  Abrew,  was  butchered  in  a  more  barbarous  manner.  His 
hands  were  cut  off;  his  tongue  and  eyes  were  pulled  out ;  his  enemies,  at  the  same 
time,  taunting  him  with  opprobrious  epithets.  The  next  season  Mexican  authority 
was  again  established  over  the  province." 

The  first  American  who  ever  crossed  the  desert  plains,  intervening  between 
New  Mexico  and  the  settlements  on  the  Mississippi  River,  was  one  James 
Pursley.  While  wandering  over  the  wild  and  then  unexplored*  regions  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  he  fell  in  with  some  Indians  near  the  head-waters  of  the 
Platte  River,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  whom  he  accompanied,  in  1805,  to 
Santa  Fe,  where  he  remained  several  years.  In  1804,  a  ^merchant  of  Kas- 
kaskia,  named  Morrison,  having  heard  by  the  trappers,  through  the  Indians, 
of  this  isolated  province,  dispatched  a  French  Creole,  named  La  Lande,  with 
some  goods,  up  the  Platte,  with  directions  to  make  his  way  to  Santa  Fe.  La 
Lande  never  returned  to  his  employer,  to  account  for  the  proceeds  of  his 
adventure,  but  settled  in  Santa  Fe,  grew  rich  by  trading,  and  died  some  20 
years  after.  In  1806,  the  celebrated  Captain  Pike  visited  this  country :  his 
exciting  descriptions,  as  given  in  his  narrative,  roused  the  western  country, 
and  eventually  led  to  the  overland  trade,  by  caravans,  with  western  Missouri, 
known  as  the  Santa  Fe  trade,  which  finally  grew  into  an  immense  business, 
employing  an  army  of  wagoners,  and  amounting  in  annual  value  to  four  or 
five  millions  of  dollars.  Santa  Fe  was  not  entirely  the  consumer  of  these 
importations,  but  rather  the  depot  from  whence  they  were  distributed  to 
Chihuahua  and  other  portions  of  northern  Mexico. 

When  Texas  achieved  her  independence  she  included  New  Mexico  within 
the  statutory  limits  of  the  republic,  although  Santa  Fe  had  never  been  con 
quered  or  settled  by  Texans.  A  desert  or  uninhabited  country  of  600  miles 
intervened  between  Austin,  the  Texan  capital,  and  Santa  Fe.  The  Texans 
wished  to  divert  the  overland  trade  which  was  going  on  between  the  Mis- 
sourians  and  the  New  Mexicans  to  their  country,  and  their  secretary  o£.  war 
proposed,  as  a  preparatory  step,  the  construction  of  a  military  road  from 
Austin  to  Santa  Fe.  In  the  spring  of  1841,  extensive  preparations  were 
made  in  Texas  for  an  armed  visit  to  Santa  Fe,  the  objects  being  to  induce 
the  New  Mexicans  to  acknowledge  the  right  of  Texas  to  complete  jurisdic 
tion  over  them,  and  to  open  a  trade  with  the  people.  On  the  20th  of  June, 
270  armed  Texans,  under  Gen.  Hugh  M'Leod,  started  from  Brushy  creek, 
near  Austin,  en  route  for  Santa  Fe.  This  expedition,  known  as  the  l<  Santa 
Fe  expedition,"  was  unfortunate  in  its  results.  The  upshot  of  it  was,  that 
they  encountered  great  hardships  on  the  deserts,  and  were  finally,  when  in  a 
half  starved  condition,  near  San  Miguel,  induced  by  treachery  to  surrender 


550  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

to  the  Mexicans  under  Armijo,  governor  of  New  Mexico.  Some  few  were 
shot,  but  the  great  body  of  them,  to  the  number  of  187,  were  sent  to  Mexico, 
and  thrown  into  the  prisons  of  Santiago,  Puebla  and  Perote. 

In  1846,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  the  army  of  the 
west  was  organized,  to  conquer  New  Mexico  and  California.  '  This  army  was 
composed  of  a  mounted  regiment  of  Missourians,  and  a  battalion  each  of 
infantry,  dragoons,  and  light  artillery,  After  a  fifty  days'  march  from  Fort 
Leavenworth,  of  nearly  900  miles,  they  entered  Santa  Fe  on  the  18th  of 
August. 

u  On  their  arrival,  the  American  commander,  General  Kearney,  in  accordance 
with  his  directions,  proclaimed  himself  governor  of  New  Mexico.  l  You  are  now/ 
said  he,  'American  citizens ;  you  no  longer  owe  allegiance  to  the  Mexican  govern 
ment.'  The  principal  men  then  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States, 
and  whoever  was  false  to  this  allegiance,  the  people  were  told,  would  be  punished 
as  traitors.  It  was  questioned  whether  the  administration  had  not  transcended 
its  powers  in  thus  annexing  a  territory  to  the  Union  without  the  permission  of  con 
gress. 

General  Kearney,  having  appointed  Charles  Bent  governor  of  New  Mexico,  on 
the  25th  of  September,  took  a  small  force  with  him  and  proceeded  overland  to  Cal 
ifornia.  Col.  Price  arrived  soon  after  at  Santa  Fe  with  recruits.  The  Navajo  In 
dians  having  commenced  hostilities  against  the  New  Mexicans,  l  new  inhabitants 
of  the  United'States,'  Col.  Doniphan,  who  had  been  left  in  command,  set  out  west 
ward  with  the  Missouri  regiment  to  make  peace  with  them.  Winter  was  fast  ap 
proaching,  and  after  suffering  incredible  hardships  in  crossing  the  mountains, 
poorly  clad  as  they  Avere,  among  snows  and  mountain  storms,  they  finally 
accomplished  their  object.  Capt.  Reid,  of  one  of  the  divisions  of  thirty  men,  vol 
unteered  to  accompany  Sandoval,  a  Navajo  chief,  five  days  through  the  mountain 
hights,  to  a  grand  gathering  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  tribe.  They  were  com 
pletely  in  the  power  of  the  Indians,  but  they  won  their  hearts  by  their  gayety  and 
confidence.  Most  of  them  had  never  seen  a  white  man.  Reid  and  his  compan 
ions  joined  the  dance,  sung  their  country's  songs,  and,  what  pleased  the  Navajoes 
most,  interchanged  with  them  their  costume.  On  the  22d  of  November,  a  treaty 
was  made  in  form,  by  which  the  three  parties,  Americans,  New  Mexicans  and  Na 
vajoes,  agreed  to  live  in  perpetual  peace. 

By  the  middle  of  December,  Col.  Doniphan,  leaving  Col.  Price  in  command  at 
Santa  Fe,  commenced  his  march  with  his  regiment  south  to  Chihuahua,  and  on  his 
route  met  and  defeated  superior  forces  of  the  enemy  at  Bracito,  and  at  the  Sacra 
mento  Pass. 

In  the  meantime,  the  New  Mexicans  secretly  conspired  to  throw  off  the  yoke.  Sim 
ultaneously,  on  the  19th  of  January,  in  the  valley  of  Taos,  massacres  occurred  at 
Fernandez,  when  were  cruelly  murdered  Governor  Bent,  Sheriff  Lee,  and  four 
others;  at  Arroyo  Hondo,  five  Americans  were  killed,  and  a  few  others  in  the 
vicinity.  Col.  Price,  on  receiving  the  intelligence,  marched  from  Santa  Fe,  mefe 
and  defeated  the  insurrectionists  in  several  engagements  in  the  valley,  with  a  loss 
of  about  three  hundred.  The  Americans  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  about  sixty. 
Fifteen  of  the  insurrectionists  were  executed." 

i  New  Mexico  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  the  treaties  with  Mexico  of  1848 
and  of  1854.  The  cession  of  1854  included  that  narrow  strip  of  territory  south 
of  the  Gila  and  west  of  the  Rio  Grande,  known  as  the  "Gadsden  Purchase,"  or 
Arizona,  In  1850,  a  territorial  government  was  established  over  New  Mexico. 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 


551 


The  present  American  territory  of  New  Mexico  comprises  «but  a  small 
part  of  the  original  Spanish  province  of  that  name.  This  territory,  con 
sidered  as  a  whole,  "  is  a  region  of  high  table  lands,  crossed  by  moun 
tain  ranges,  and  barren  to  the  last  degree."  It  has  scarce  a  single  wa 
ter  communication  of  consequence  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  famous 


The,  Giant  Cactus. 

Rio  Grande  is  shallow,  full  of  sand  bars,  and  at  times  almost  too  low  to  float 
an  Indian  canoe.  Many  of  the  streams  run  in  deep,  frightful  chasms,  down 
which  it  is  impossible,  for  days  of  travel,  to  penetrate.  There  is  not  enough 
fertile  land  ever  to  support  any  but  a  slight  agricultural  population,  and  very 
little  timber  excepting  the  mcsqidt — a  tlibrny,  disagreeable  tree,  that  does 
most  of  its  growing  underground:  its  roots  being  multitudinous,  twisting 
and  burrowing  in  all  directions,  and  of  no  use  but  for  fuel.  Beside  this  is 
the  cactus,  in  many  varieties,  that  shown  in  the  engraving  being  confined 
within  narrow  lines  of  latitude.  Mescal,  a  kind  of  whisky,  of  a  most  pun 
gent,  acrid  flavor,  is  made  from  some  varieties  of  this  plant. 

"  The  climate  of  New  Mexico  is  unsurpassingly  pure  and  healthy.  A  sultry  day 
is  very  rare.  The  summer  nights  are  cool  and  pleasant.  The  winters  are  long, 
but  uniform,  and  the  atmosphere  of  an,  extraordinary  dryness;  and  there  is  but 
Httle  rain,  except  from  July  to  October.  The  general  range  of  the  thermometer  is 
from  10  deg.  to  75  deg.  above  Fahrenheit.  Fevers  are  uncommon,  and  instances 
of  remarkable  longevity  are  frequent.  Persons  withered  almost  to  mummies  are 
met  with  occasionally,  whose  extraordinary  age  is  shown  by  their  recollection  of 
certain  notable  events,  which  have  taken  place  in  times  far  remote. 

Agriculture  is  in  a  very  primitive  and  unimproved  state,  the  hoe  being  alone 
used  by  a  greater  part  of  the  peasantry.  Wheat  and  Indian  corn  are  the  princi 
pal  staples;  cotton,  flax,  and  tobacco,  although  indigenous,  are  not  cultivated:  the 
soil  is  finely  adapted  to  the  Irish  potato.  The  most  important  natural  product  of 
the  soil  is  its  pasturage.  Most  of  the  high  table  plains  afford  the  finest  grazing, 
while,  for  want  of  water,  they  are  utterly  useless  for  other  purposes.  That  scanty 
moisture  which  suffices  to  bring  forth  the  natural  vegetation,  is  insufficient  for  agri- 


552  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

cultural  productions,  without  the  aid  of  irrigation.  The  high  prairies  of  all  this 
region,  differ  greatly  from  those  of  our  border  in  the  general  character  of  their 
vegetation.  They  are  remarkably  destitute  of  the  gay  flowering  plants  for  which 
the  former  are  so  celebrated,  being  mostly  clothed  with  different  species  of  a  highly 
nutritious  grass  called  grama,  which  is  of  a  very  short  and  curly  quality.  The 
highlands,  upon  which  alone  this  sort  of  grass  is  produced,  being  seldom  verdant 
until  after  the  rainy  season  sets  in,  the  grama  is  only  in  perfection  from  August  to 
October.  But  being  rarely  nipped  by  the  frost  until  the  rains  are  over,  it  cures 
upon  the  ground  and  remains  excellent  hay — equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  which 
is  cut  and  stacked  from  our  western  prairies.  Although  the  winters  are  rigorous, 
the  feeding  of  stock  is  almost  entirely  unknown  in  New  Mexico ;  nevertheless,  the 
extensive  herds  of  the  country,  not  only  of  cattle  and  sheep,  but  of  mules  and 
horses,  generally  maintain  themselves  in  excellent  condition  upon  the  dry  pastur 
age  alone  through  the  cold  season,  and  until  the  rains  start  up  the  green  grass 
again  the  following  summer. 

The  mechanic  arts  are  very  rude,  even  sawed  lumber  being  absolutely  unknown. 
The  New  Mexicans  are  celebrated  for  the  manufacture  of  a  beautiful  serape  or 
blanket,  which  is-  woven  into  gaudy,  rainbow-like  hues.  Their  domestic  goods  are 
nearly  all  wool,  the  manufacture  of  which  is  greatly  embarrassed  for  the  want  of 
adequate  machinery. 

The  system  of  Peon  slavery  existed  under  the  Mexican  dominion.  By  the  local 
laws,  a  debtor  was  imprisoned  for  debt  until  it  was  paid ;  or,  if  the  creditor  chose, 
he  took  the  debtor  as  a  servant  to  work  out  his  claim.  This  system  operated  with 
a  terrible  severity  upon  the  unfortunate  poor,  who,  although  they  worked  for  fixed 
wages,  received  so  small  a  compensation,  that  if  the  debt  was  of  any  amount,  ifc 
compelled  them  to  a  perpetual  servitude,  as  he  received  barely  sufficient  for  food 
and  clothing." 

Evidences  of  volcanic  action  abound  in  various  parts  of  New  Mexico,  and 
the  country  is  rich  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper.  Anthracite  coal  of  an  excel 
lent  quality  is  found  near  Santa  Fe.  Through  its  mineral  wealth  it  may 
eventually  have  a  considerable  population;  but  most  of  the  food  to  support 
it  will  require  to  be  transported  thither  from  the  agricultural  districts  of  the 
Mississippi  valley. 

The  population  of  New  Mexico  has  been  nearly  stationary  for  a  long 
period.  In  1860,  it  was  ascertained  to  be  about  93,000,  viz:  42,000  Indians, 
about  half  civilized;  41,000  peons;  and  7,300  white  native  citizens,  mostly 
of  Mexican  blood.  The  number  of  Americans  in  the  whole  country,  is  less 
than  is  contained  in  ordinary  agricultural  townships  with  us. 


SANTA  FE,  the  capital  of  New  Mexico,  sometimes  written  Santa  Fe  de 
San  Francisco — i.  e.  Holy  Faith  of  St.  Francis — is  the  only  town  of  import 
ance.  It  is,  by  air  lines,  660  miles  west  of  the  Arkansas  frontier,  450  south 
easterly  from  Salt  Lake  City,  900  east-south-east  of  San  Francisco,  and  260 
north  of  El  Paso,  the  nearest  point  in  Mexico.  "  It  is  on  the  site  of  an 
ancient  Indian  pueblo,  some  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  at  the 
base  of  a  snow-clad  mountain,  and  contains  a  little  over  three  thousand  souls, 
and  with  its  corporate  surrounding  villages  about  double  that  number.  The 
town  is  irregularly  laid  out,  and  is  a  wretched  collection  of  mud  houses, 
much  scattered  with  intervening  corn-fields.  The  only  attempt  at  architec 
tural  compactness,  consists  of  four  tiers  of  buildings  around  the  public 
square,  comprising  the  governor's  house,  the  custom  house,  barracks,  etc." 

In  the  center  of  the  public  square  "all  the  neighboring  rancher  os  assemble  to 
sell  the  produce  of  their  farms  and  industry.  All  day  long  files  of  donkeys  may 
be  seen  arriving  there,  laden  with  barrels  of  Taos  whisky,  bales  of  goods,  forage, 
wood,  earthen  jars,  melons,  grapes,  red  and  green  pimentos,  onions,  pasteques,  eggs, 

1 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 


553 


cheese,  tobacco,  and  pinones  (fruit  of  the  pine),  Finns  monopliylla.  These  pinones 
are  generally  baked  in  the  oven,  or  roasted  on  cinders,  as  a  means  of  preserving 
them  better.  Besides  those  provisions,  the  Santa  Fe  market  also  affords  a  great 
variety  of  bread  and  meat.  The  Indians  of  the  pueblos,  too,  carry  quantities  of 
fish  there,  either  fresh  or  dried  in  the  sun.  In  the  evening,  after  the  AngeluSj  the 
square  is  filled  with  loungers,  who  chat,  play,  laugh,  and  smoke,  until  the  hour  for  the 
fandango;  for  be  it  known,  the  young  people  of  Mexico  could  not  live  if  they  did 
not  dance  at  least  365  fandangos  every  year.  At  Santa  Fe,  as  in  Texas,  and  in 
all  the  provinces  of  Mexico,  the  women  go  to  the  fandangos,  with  their  rebozo 
(mantilla),  and  arrayed  in  a  light  cool  costume  appropriate  to  the  occasion;  seated 
round  the  garden,  or  hall,  where  the  dance  is  to  take  place,  they  smoke  cigarettes 
and  chat  very  loudly  while  awaiting  the  cavaliers'  invitation." 


ZUNI. 

An  Indian  Pueblo  or  Town. 


In  Spanish  the   term  pueblo  means  the  people  and  their  towns;  and  in 

New  Mexico  it  is  applied  to  the  Christianized  Indians  and  to  their  villages. 

"  When  the  country  was  first  discovered,  these  Indians  lived  in  comfortable 

houses,  and  cultivated  the  soil.     Indeed,  now  they  are  the  best  horticulturists  in 

New  Mexico,  furnishing  most 
of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  to 
be  found  in  the  markets.  They 
also  cultivate  the  grape,  and 
have  extensive  herds  of  cattle, 
horses,  etc.  They  are  remark- 
*able  for  sobriety,  honesty,  mor 
ality,  and  industry,  and  are 
much  braver  than  the  other 
classes  of  New  Mexicans,  and  in 
the  war  with  Mexico,  fought 
with  desperation  compared  to 
those  in  the  south.  At  the  time 
of  the  conquest,  they  must  have 
been  a  very  powerful  people, 
numbering  near  one  hundred 
villages,  as  their  ruins  would 
indicate.  The  population  of  their  villages  or  pueblos,  average  about  five  hundred 
souls.  They  assart  that  they  are  the  descendants  of  Montezuma.  They  profess 
the  Catholic  faith,  but  this,  doubtless,  reaches  no  farther  than  understanding  its 
formalities,  and  afc  the  same  time,  they  all  worship  the  sun. 

They  were  only  nominally  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Mexican  government, 
many  features  of  their  ancient  customs,  in  both  government  and  religion,  being 
retained.  Each  pueblo  was  under  the  control  of  a  cacique  chosen  by  themselves, 
who,  with  his  council,  had  charge  of  the  interior  police  of  the  village.  One  of  their 
regulations  was  to  appoint  a  secret  watch  to  suppress  vice  and  disorder  of  every 
description,  and  especially  to  keep  an  eye  over  the  young  men  and  women  of  the 
village. 

Their  villages  are  built  with  adobes,  and  with  great  regularity ;  sometimes  they 
have  but  one  large  house,  with  several  stories,  each  story  divided  into  apartments, 
in  which  the  whole  village  reside.  Instead  of  doors  in  front,  they  use  trap-doors 
in  the  roofs  of  their  houses,  to  which  they  mount  up  on  a  ladder,  which  is  drawn 
up  at  night  for  greater  security.  Their  dress  consists  of  moccasins,  short  breeches, 
and  woolen  jackets  or  blankets;  they  generally  wear  their  hair  long.  Bows  and 
arrows  and  a  lance,  and  sometimes  a  gun,  constitute  their  weapons.  They  manu 
facture  blankets,  as  well  as  other  woolen  stuffs,  crockery  ware,  and  coarse  "pottery. 
The  dress  of  many  is  like  the  Mexican;  but  the  majority  retain  their  aboriginal 
costume. 

Among  the  villages  of  the  Pueblos  Indians,  was  that  of  the  Pecos  tribe,  twenty- 
five  miles  east  of  Santa  Fe,  which  gradually  dwindled  away  under  the  inroads  of 
the  Comanches  and  other  causes,  until  about  the  year  1838,  when  having  been  re 
duced  to  only  about  a  dozen  souls  of  all  ages,  they  abandoned  the  place. 


554  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

Many  tales  are  told  of  the  singular  habits  of  this  ill-fated  tribe,  which  must,  no 
doubt,  have  tended  to  hasten  its  utter  annihilation.  A  tradition  was  prevalent 
among  them  that  Montezuma  had  kindled  a  holy  fire,  and  enjoined  their  ancestors 
not  to  suffer  it  to  be  extinguished  until  he  should  return  to  deliver  his  people  from 
the  yoke  of  the  Spaniards.  In  pursuance  of  these  commands,  a  constant  watch 
had  been  maintained  for  ages  to  prevent  the  fire  from  going  out;  and,  as  tradition 
further  informed  them,  that  Montezuma  would  appear  with  the  sun,  the  deluded 
Indians  were  to  be  seen  every  clear  morning  upon  the  terraced  roofs  of  their 
houses,  attentively  watching  the  appearance  of  the  'king  of  light,1  in  hopes  of 
seeing  him  accompanied  by  their  immortal  sovereign.  This  consecrated  fire  was 
down  in  a  subterranean  vault,  where  it  was  kept  silently  smouldering  under  a  cov 
ering  of  ashes,  in  the  basin  of  a  small  altar.  Some  say  that  they  never  lost  hope 
in  the  final  coming  of  Montezuma  until,  by  some  accident  or  other,  or  a  lack  of  a 
sufficiency  of  warriors  to  watch  it,  the  fire  became  extinguished;  and  that  it  was' 
this  catastrophe  that  induced  them  to  abandon  their  village.  No  other  pueblo  ap 
pears  to  have  adopted  this  extraordinary  superstition ;  like  Pecos,  however,  they 
have  all  held  Montezuma  to  be  their  perpetual  sovereign.  It  would  likewise  appear 
that  they  all  worship  the  sun;  for  it  is  asserted  to  be  their  regular  practice  to  turn 
the  face  toward  the  east  at  sunrise. 

The  wild  tribes  who  inhabit  or  extend  their  incursions  into  New  Mexico,  are 
the  Navajoes,  the  Apaches,  the  Yutas,  the  Kiawas,  and  the  Comanches.  The 
Navajoes  are  estimated  at  about  ten  thousand,  and  reside  in  the  main  range  of  tbe 
Cordilleras,  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Santa  Fe,  on  the  Rio  Colorado,  near  the 
region  from  whence  historians  say  the  Aztecs  emigrated  to  Mexico.  They  are  sup 
posed  to  be  the  remnants  of  that  justly  celebrated  nation  of  antiquity  who  re 
mained  in  the  north.  Although  living  in  rude  wigwams,  they  excel  all  Indian  na 
tions  in  their  manufactures.  They  are  still  distinguished  for  some  exquisite  styles 
of  cotton  textures,  and  display  considerable  ingenuity  in  embroidering  with  feath 
ers  the  skins  of  animals.  The  serape  Navajo  (Navajo  blanket)  is  of  so  dense  a 
texture  as  to  be  frequently  waterproof,  and  some  of  the  finer  qualities  bring  sixty 
dollars  each,  among  the  Mexicans.  Notwithstanding  their  wandering  habits,  they 
cultivate  the  different  grains  and  vegetables,  and  possess  extensive  and  superior 
herds  of  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats. 

The  Apaches  are  mainly  west  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  and  are  the  most  powerful 
and  vagrant  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  northern  Mexico,  and  number,  it  is  estimated, 
fifteen  thousand  souls,  of  whom  two  thousand  are  warriors.  They  cultivate  and 
manufacture  nothing,  and  appear  to  depend  entirely  upon  pillage  for  subsistence. 
The  depredations  of  the  Apaches  have  been  of  so  long  a  duration  that  beyond 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  towns,  the  whole  country,  from  New  Mexico  to  the 
borders  of  Durango,  is  almost  entirely  depopulated." 


m 


The  population  of  New  Mexico,  other  than  the  savage  tribes,  is  mostly 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tribu 
taries.  It  is  almost  exclusively  confined  to  towns  arid  villages,  the  suburbs 
of  which  are  generally  farms,  a  mode  of  living  indispensable  for  protection 
against  the  savages. 

Taos,  north  of  Santa  Fe,  is  a  beautiful  valley  of  nine  miles  in  length,  and 
includes  several  villages  and  settlements.  The  valley  grows  wheat  of  an  ex 
cellent  quality,  produced  on  irrigated  land. 

La  Gran  Quivira,  about  100  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  are  ruins  of  an 
ancient  town,  which  was  supposed  to  have  been  reared  for  mining  purposes. 
The  style  of  architecture  is  superior  to  anything  at  present  in  New  Mexico. 
To  be  seen  are  the  remains  of  Catholic  churches,  and  aqueducts  leading  to 
the  mountains,  eight  or  ten  miles  distant.  Tradition  says,  that,  in  the  gen 
eral  massacre  of  1680,  every  soul  save  one  perished. 

El  Placer,  27  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  is  an  important  mine,  from  which, 
since  its  discovery  in  1828,  half  a  million  of  gold  has  been  taken  out. 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY.  555 

Albuquerque  is  in  the  most  fertile  locality  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  although 
not  as  important  a  place  as  Santa  Fe,  it  is  more  central.  Including  the  neigh 
boring  rancheros,  it  has  a  population  of  1,000  souls.  "Albuqurque  for  a 
Mexican  town,  is  tolerably  well  built.  Its  buildings,  like  those  inhabited  by 
Mexicans,  are  of  a  right  parallelopipedon  shape,  constructed  of  adobes 
(blocks  of  sun  dried  mud),  and  arranged  generally  on  the  four  sides  of  a 
rectangle,  thus  creating  an  interior  court  QoaW),  upon  which  nearly  every 
one  of  the  apartments  opens.  There  is  generally  but  one  exterior  or  street 
entrance;  and  this  is  generally  quite  wide  and  high,  the  usual  width  being 
about  six  feet,  and  the  hight  seven.  They  appear  to  be  made  thus  wide,  at 
least  as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discover,  to  enable  the  burros  (asses)  and 
other  animals  to  go  through  with  their  packs.  They  are  generally  strongly 
secured  by  double  doors.  There  are  two  or  three  buildings  in  the  town  with 
extensive  fronts  and  portables  (porches),  which  look,  for  this  country,  very 
well — one  of  them  being  the  house,  formerly  occupied  by  Governor  Armijo. 
There  is  a  military  post  at  this  place,  garrisoned  by  U.  S.  troops." 

Acoma,  in  the  same  vicinity,  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  extraordinary 
of  the  Indian  pueblos.  "Acoma  is  situated  on  an  isolated  rock  which  rises 
perpendicularly  to  a  hight  of  360  feet  above  the  plain,  and  appears  like  an 
island  in  the  middle  of  a  lake.  The  summit  of  this  rock  is  perfectly  hori 
zontal,  and  its  superficies  is  about  sixty  acres.  To  reach  it  you  must  climb 
over  hillocks  of  sand,  heaped  up  by  the  wind  to  a  third  of  the  hight;  the 
two  other  thirds  of  the  route  are  hewn  in  the  rock  in  the  shape  of  a  spiral 
staircase.  The  town  is  composed  of  blocks,  each  of  which  contains  sixty  or 
seventy  houses,  and  a  large  Catholic  church,  with  two  towers  and  very  pretty 
spires.  The  houses  are  three  stories  high,  and  have  windows  only  in  the 
upper  one;  in  construction,  they  are  quite  similar  to  those  of  the  other 
pueblos  of  New  Mexico.  Acoma  is  in  all  probability  the  Acuco  spoken  of 
by  the  ancient  Spanish  historians,  which,  according  to  them,  was  situated 
between  Cibola  and  Tiguex,  and  built  at  the  top  of  perpendicular  rocks,  whose 
summits  could  only  be  reached  by  means  of  300  steps  hewn  in  the  rock,  at 
the  end  of  which  steps  was  a  kind  of  ladder  eighteen  feet  high,  also  formed 
by  holes  cut  in  the  rock.  Although  this  pueblo  was  deemed  impregnable, 
yet  the  inhabitants  placed  huge  stones  around  it,  that  they  might  roil  them, 
down  on  any  assailant  who  was  bold  enough  to  scale  this  extraordinary 
stronghold.  Near  the  dwellings  might  be  seen  arable  lands  sufficient  to  grow 
the  necessary  quantity  of  maize  for  the  wants  of  the  population  ;  also  large 
cisterns  to  save  the  rain  waters.  The  Aeucos  were  called  banditti  in  all  the 
surrounding  provinces,  into  which  they  made  frequent  excursions." 

Laguna,  a  few  miles  north  of  Acoma,  is  another  ancient  Indian  pueblo, 
and  contains  about  a  thousand  inhabitants,  noted  for  their  honesty,  sobriety. 
and  industry.  "It  has  the  appearance  of  one  of  those  old  German  cities  on 
the  banks  of  the  Rhine  perched  on  a  mountain  peak.  The  houses,  with 
their  graduated  stories,  seem  piled  one  above  the  other,  producing  the  effect 
of  an  immense  amphitheater;  the  river  bathes  the  foot  of  the  eminence  on 
which  Laguna  is  built,  and  flows  in  tortuous  windings  through  the  plain." 

Zuni,  perhaps  the  most  important  of  all  the  pueblos,  is  west  of  Laguna. 
Its  present  population  is  about  2,000.  "The  houses  are  of  the  same  style 
as  those  of  the  other  Indian  pueblos;  their  graduated  stories  are  almost  all 
festooned  with  long  garlands  of  red  pimentos,  that  dry  in  the  sun.  The 
town  possesses  a  Catholic  church  thirty-three  yards  in  length,  by  nine  in 
width,  it  is  built  of  adobes,  and  behind  its  sole  altar  is  suspended  a  paint- 


556  NEW   MEXICO    TERRITORY. 

ing  representing  Our  Lady  of  Gruadaloupe,  the  patroness  of  Mexico;  a  few 
statues  surround  the  painting,  but  the  lateral  walls  arc  completely  bare.  The 
governor  lives  in  a  house  three  stories  high,  wherein  the  caciques  or  chiefs 
of  the  government  frequently  assemble.  The  Zunis  have  a  mania  for  taming 
eagles,  which  they  catch  while  yet  very  young  on  the  neighboring  moun 
tains;  multitudes  of  these  birds  are  to  be  seen  on  the  terraces  of  the  houses, 
spreading  their  enormous  wings  as  they  bask  in  the  sun." 

Zuni  Vieja,  or  Old  Zuni,  the  ancient  Cibola,  stood  in  the  immediate  vicin 
ity.  The  ruins  are  yet  to  be  seen.  They  are  in  the  center  of  a  plateau, 
elevated  more  than  900  feet  above  the  plains,  to  which  access  is  gained  only 
by  climbing  almost  inaccessible  rocks.  It  was  only  in  1694,  that  it  became 
definitely  conquered  by  the  Spaniards. 


ANTIQUITIES   OF   NEW   MEXICO. 

Much  of  New  Mexico  is  as  yet  unexplored;  but  the  various  expeditions 
of  the  scientific  corps  of  the  IT.  S.  army  have,  of  late  years,  given  us  the 
unexpected  information  of  the  existence  of  antiquities  in  the  heart  of  our 
continent,  as  surprising  and  worthy  of  curiosity  as  those  in  Central  America. 
In  the  region  north  and  east  of  the  Grila,  and  east  of  the  Rio  Colorado,  in  a 
space  of  some  few  hundred  square  miles,  the  ruins  of  ancient  walled  cities 
to  the  number,  it  is  estimated  by  an  officer  of  the  topographical  corps  of  en 
gineers,  of  1,000,  are  found  at  this  day.  These  show  that  the  country,  at 
some  very  remote  and  unknown  era,  perhaps  thousands  of  years  since,  was 
densely  populated,  and  by  a  race  to  a  considerable  degree  civilized.  The 
natives  living  in  the  pueblos  of  that  region,  can  give  no  information  respect 
ing  them.  Their  builders  were  far  in  advance  of  any  people  found  when 
the  country  was  conquered  by  the  Spaniards,  more  than  300  years  ago. 
Their  masonry  and  carpentery  show  much  skill.  Beautiful  and  highly  orna 
mented  pottery  also  is  found  in  the  vicinity  of  these  cities ;  but  in  every  in 
stance  it  is  in  fragments,  not  a  single  perfect  utensil  having  ever  been  dis 
covered.  The  immense  amount  of  this  broken  pottery  strewn  around  would 
indicate,  at  some  time  or  other,  a  regular  sacking  of  these  places.  The  cli 
mate  and  soil  must  have  changed  since  this  mysterious  race  dwelt  here;  for 
it  is  now  a  barren,  rainless  region,  incapable  of  supporting  anything  like  the 
population  these  ruins  indicate.  The  extreme  dryness  of  the  climate  has, 
doubtless,  preserved  the  woodwork  to  our  time. 

The  journal  of  Lieut.  James  H.  Simpson,  of  the  corps  of  U.  S.  topographi 
cal  engineers,  of  a  military  reconnoissance  from  Santa  Fe  to  the  Navajo  coun 
try,  in  the  year  1849,  and  published  by  government,  first  gave  to  the  world 
detailed  descriptions  of  some  of  these  ruined  cities.  Others  on  a  larger  scale 
and  more  important  have  been  found  farther  west,  of  which  descriptions  have 
not  as  yet  been  published.  We  derive  the  facts  and  illustrations  given  below 
from  the  work  alluded  to. 

The  command,  consisting  of  175  men  under  Col.  J.  M.Washington,  left  Santa 
Fe  on  the  16th  of  August.  They  passed  southerly  and  westerly,  and  on 
the  2Cth  came  to  the  highest  point  of  land  dividing  the  tributaries  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  from  those  of  the  Pacific,  when  they  commenced  gradually 
descending  the  western  slope,  and  reached  the  Rio  Chaco,  a  tributary  of  the 
San  Juan.  Here,  upon  the  Rio  Chaco,  were  found  a  number  of  the  ancient 
towns  or  pueblos,  named  respectively,  Pueblo  Pintado,  Weje-gi,  Una  Vida, 


NEW   MEXICO    TERRITORY. 


557 


Hungo  Pavie,  Chettro  Kettle,  Del  Arroyo,  and  De  Penasca  Blanca.  These 
ruins  are  between  36°  and  37°  N.  lat.,  and  near  108°  W.  long.  "They  are 
evidently,"  says  Simpson,  "from  the  similarity  of  their  style  and  mode  of 
construction^  of  a  common  origin.  They  discover  in  the  materials  of  which 

they  are  composed,  as  well  as 
in  the  grandeur  of  their  de 
sign  and  superiority  of  their 
workmanship,  a  condition  of 
architectural  excellence  be 
yond  the  power  of  the  Indians 
or  New  Mexicans  of  the  pres 
ent  day  to  exhibit."  He  fur 
ther  adds  there  is  a  great  deal 
to  strengthen  the  hypothesis 
that  they  are  of  Aztec  origin. 
The  largest  was  De  Penasca 
Blanca,  which  in  circuit  was 
1,700  feet,  and  the  number  of 
rooms  on  the  first  floor  112. 
It  differed  in  its  walls  from  the  other  pueblos:  the  stones  composing  them 
being  of  one  uniform  character;  but  in  this  there  is  a  regular  alternation  of 
large  and  small  stones,  the  effect  of  which  is  unique  and  beautiful.  The 
first  pueblo  examined  was  Pintado.  We  annex  Simpson's  description: 


ANCIENT  PUEBLO.* 

The  engraving  shows  Hungo  Pavie,  i.  e.  Crooked  Nose,  in 
its  original  condition. 


GBOTJXI)    PLAN 
Of   THE 

PUEDLO  HUNGO  PAVIE,  (CROOKED  NOSE) 
Canon  de  Chaco. 


.Rums  of  wall  enclosing  court. 

Scale  of  feet 
o  .10       so       50       71       90 


"After  partaking  of  some  refreshments,  I  started  off,  with  high  expectations — my  assist 
ants,  the  Messrs.  Kern,  accompanying  me — to  examine  the  ruins  of  Pueblo  Pintado.  We 
found  them  to  more  than  answer  our  expectations.  Forming  one  structure,  and  built  of 
tabular  pieces  of  hard,  fine  grained,  compact  gray  sandstone  (a  material  entirely  unknown 


*"  Unwittingly  the  artist,"  says  Lieut.  Simpson,  "  has  fallen  one  story  short  of  the  num 
ber  the  ruins  exhibited.     In  their  restored  state,  four  storie?  should  appear." 


558  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

in  tlio  present  architecture  of  New  Mexico),  to  which  the  atmosphere  has  imparted  a  red 
dish  tinge,  the  layers  or  beds  being  not  thicker  than  three  inches,  and  sometimes  as  thin 
as  one  f'ourtb  of  an  inch,  it  discovers  in  the  masonry  a  combination  of  science  and  art 
which  can  only  be  referred  to  a  higher  stage  of  civilization  and  refinement  than  is  discov 
erable  in  the  works  of  Mexicans  or  Pueblos  of  the  present  day.  Indeed,  so  beautifully 
diminutive  and  true  are  the  details  of  the  structure  as  to  cause  it,  at  a  little  distance,  to 
have  all  the  appearance  of  a  magnificent  piece  of  mosaic  work. 

In  the  outer  face  of  the  buildings  there  are  no  signs  of  mortar,  the  intervals  between 
the  beds  being  chinked  with  stones  of  the  minutest  thinness.  The  filling  and  backing  are 
done  in  rubble  masonry,  the  mortar  presenting  no  indications  of  the  presence  of  lime. 
The  thickness  of  the  main  wall  at  base  is  within  an  inch  or  two  of  three  feet;  higher  up, 
it  is  less — diminishing  every  story  by  retreating  jogs  on  the  inside,  from  bottom  to  top. 
Its  elevation,  at  its  present  highest  point,  is  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  feet,  the  series 
of  floor  beams  indicating1  that  there  must  have  been  originally  at  least  three  stories.  The 
ground  plan,  including  the  court,  in  exterior  development,  is  about  403  feet.  On  the 
ground  floor,  exclusive  of  the  outbuildings,  are  fifty-four  apartments,  some  of  them  as 
small  as  five  feet  square,  and  the  largest  ab  >ut  twelve  by  six  feet.  These  rooms  commu 
nicate  with  each  other  by  very  small  doors,  some  of  them  as  contracted  as  two  and  a  half 
by  two  and  a  half  feet;  and  in  the  case  of  the  inner  suite,  the  doors  communicating  with 
the  interior  court  are  as  small  as  three  and  a  half  by  two  feet.  The  principal  rooms  or 
those  most  in  use,  were,  on  account  of  their  having  larger  doors  and  windows,  most  prob 
ably  those  of  the  second  story.  The  system  of  flooring  seems  to  have  been  large  trans 
verse  unhewn  beams,  six  inches  in  diameter,  laid  transversely  from  wall  to  wall,  and  then 
a  number  of  smaller  ones,  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  laid  longitudinally  upon  them. 
What  was  placed  on  these  does  not  appear,  but  most  probably  it  was  brush,  bark,  or  slabs, 
covered  with  a  layer  of  mud  mortar.  The  beams  show  no  signs  of  the  saw  or  axe;  on  the 
contrary,  they  appear  to  have  been  hacked  off'  by  means  of  some  very  imperfect  instru 
ment.  On  the  west  face  of  the  structure,  the  windows  which  are  only  in  the  second  story, 
are  three  feet  two  inches  by  two  feet  two  inches.  On  the  north  side,  they  are  only  in  the 
second  and  third  stories,  and  are  as  small  as  fourteen  by  fourteen  inches.  At  different 
points  about  the  premises  were  three  circular  apartments  sunk  in  the  ground,  the  walls 
being  of  masonry.  These  apartments  the  Pueblo  Indians  call  estiijfas,  or  places  where  the 
people  held  their  political  and  religious  meetings. 

. . .  .Not  finishing  our  examinations  at  the  ruins  of  Pueblo  Pintado  yesterday  afternoon, 
we  again  visited  them  early  this  morning.  On  digging  about  the  base  of  the  exterior  wall, 
we  find  that,  for  at  least  two  feet  (the  depth  our  time  would  permit  us  to  go),  the  same 
kind  of  masonry  obtains  below  as  above,  except  that  it  appears  more  compact.  We  could 
find  no  signs  of  the  genuine  arch  about  the  premises,  the  lintels  of  the  doors  and  windows 
being  generally  either  a  number  of  pieces  of  wood  laid  horizontally  side  by  side,  a  single 
stone  slab  laid  in  this  manner,  or  occasionally  a  series  of  smaller  ones  so  placed  horizon 
tally  upon  each  other  that,  while  presenting  the  form  of  a  sharp  angle,  in  vertical  longi 
tudinal  section,  they  would  support  the  weight  of  the  fabric  above.  Fragments  of  pottery 
lay  scattered  around,  the  colors  showing  taste  in  their  selection  and  in  the  style  of  their 
arrangement,  and  being  still  quite  bright." 

Simpson,  in  his  description  of  the  Pueblo  Hungo  Pavie,  of  which  both  ground 
plan  and  elevation  are  herein  pictorially  given,  says : 

These  ruins  show  the  same  nicety  in  the  details  of  their  masonry  as  already  described. 
The  ground  plan  shows  an  extent  of  exterior  development  of  eight  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  feet,  and  a  number  of  rooms  upon  the  ground  floor  equal  to  seventy-two.  The  struc 
ture  shows  the  existence  of  but  one  circular  estuffa,  and  this  is  placed  in  the  body  of  the 
north  portion  of  the  building,  midway  from  either  extremity,  This  estuffa  differs  from  the 
others  we  have  seen,  in  having  a  number  of  interior  counterforts.  The  main  walls  of  the 
building  are  at  base  two  and  three  quarter  feet  through,  and  at  this  time  show  a  hight  of 
about  thirty  feet.  The  ends  of  the- floor  beams,  which  are  still  visible,  plainly  showing 
that  there  was  originally,  at  least,  a  vertical  series  of  four  floors,  there  must  then  also  have 
been  originally  at  least  a  series  of  four  stories  of  rooms;  and  as  the  debris  at  the  base  of 
the  walls  is  very  great,  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  that  there  may  have  been  even  more.  The 
floor  beams,  which  are  round,  in  transverse  section,  and  eleven  inches  in  diameter,  as  well 
as  the  windows,  which  are  as  small  as  twelve  by  thirteen  inches,  have  been  arranged  hori 
zontally,  with  great  precision  and  regularity.  Pottery,  as  usual,  was  found  scattered  about 
the  premise*. . . . 

The  question  now  arises,  as  we  have  seen  all  the  ruins  in  this  quarter,  what  was  the  form 
of  these  buildings? — I  mean  as  regards  the  continuity  or  non-continuity  of  its  front  and 
rear  walls.  Were  these  walls  one  plain  surface  from  bottom  to  top,  as  in  the  United  States, 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 


559 


or  were  they  interrupted  each  story  by  a  terrace,  as  is  the  case  with  the  modern  pueblo 

buildings  in  New  Mexico? 

The  front  or  exterior  walls  were  evidently  one  plain  surface  from  bottom  to  top;  because 

whenever  we  found  them  in  their  integrity,  which  we  did  for  as  many  as  four  stories  in 

hight,  we  always  noticed  them  to  be  uninterruptedly  plain. 

The  rear  walls,  however,  were,  in  no  instance  that  I  recollect  of,  found  to  extend  higher 

than  the  commencement  of  the  second  story;  and  the  partition  walls  were,  if  my  memory 

is  not  at  fault,  corres-  • 

pondingly  steplike  in 
their  respective  alti 
tudes.  The  idea,  then, 
at  once  unfolds  itself, 
that  in  elevation  the 
inner  wall  must  have 
been  a  series  of  retreat 
ing  surfaces,  or,  what 
would  make  this  neces 
sary,  each  story  on  the 
inner  or  court  side 
must  have  been  ter 
raced.  This  idea  also 
gathers  strength  from 
the  fact  that  we  saw 
no  indications  of  any 
internal  mode  of  ascent 
from  story  to  story,- 
and  therefore  that  some 
exterior  mode  must 
have  been  resorted  to 


CANON  OF  CHELLY. 
About  500  feet  deep. 


HCIKS  OF  AN  ANCIEJJT  PUEBLO. 
In  the  Canon  of  Cbelly. 


— such  as,  probably, 
ladders,  which  the  ter 
race  form  of  the  sev 
eral  stories  would  ren 
der  very  convenient. 
Again,  the  terrace  form 

of  the  stories  would  best  conduce  to  light  and  ventilation  for  the  interior  ranges  of  apart 
ments.  The  idea  then,  which  Mr.  R.  H.  Kern  was  the  first  to  suggest — that  these  pueblos 
were  terraced  on  their  inner  or  court  side — is  not  without  strong  grounds  of  probability; 
and  it  is  in  consonance  with  this  idea  that,  in  his  restoration  of  the  Pueblo  Hungo  Pavie, 
he  has  given  it  the  form  exhibited  in  the  drawing. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  in  no  single  instance  did  we  find  in  these  ruins  either  a  chimney 
or  a  fireplace,  unless,  indeed,  the  recesses  described  as  existing  in  some  of  the  rooms  were 
used  as  fireplaces,  which  their  slight  hight,  as  well  as  deprivation  of  chimney  flues,  would 
scarcely  authorize.  Neither  were  there  any  indications  of  the  use  of  iron  about  the 
premises." 

A  few  days  later  the  command  came  to  the  renowned, Canon  of  Chelly.  This 
gorge  has  long  had  a  distinguished  reputation  among  the  natives  of  this  region, 
from  its  great  depth  and  impregnability.  It  is  inhabited  by  the  Navajoes,  who, 
although  they  possess  the  skill  to  manufacture  one  of  the  most  beautiful  kind  of 
blankets  in  the  world,  possess  no  better  habitations  than  the  conical  pole,  brush 
and  mud  lodge.  This  was  explored  fora  distance  of  over  nine  miles;  and  the 
further  they,  ascended  it  the  greater  was  the  altitude  of  the  inclosing  walls  :  at  their 
furthest  point  of  progress  it  was  502  feet  high,  and  the  average  width  600  feet. 
The  total  length  of  the  canon  was  judged  to  be  about  25  miles.  In  ascending  it 
they  saw  some  fine  caves  here  and  there;  also  small  habitations  made  up  of  over 
hanging  rock,  and  artificial  walls  laid  in  stone  and  mortar — the  latter  forming  the 
front  portion  of  the  dAvelling.  Some  four  miles  from  the  mouth,  they  came  to  the 
ruins  of  a  small  pueblo,  like  those  already  described.  It  stood  on  the  shelf  of  the 
left  hand  wall,  about  50  feet  up  from  the  bottom,  and  the  wall  being  very  nearly 
perpendicular,  it  could  only  be  approached  by  ladders.  Seven  miles  from  the 
mouth  they  fell  in  with  the  ruins  shown  in  the  engraving,  with  the  stupendous 
rocks  in  rear  and  overhanging  them. 

"  These  ruins  are  on  the  left  or  north  side  of  the  canon,  a  portion  of  them  being 
situated  at  the  foot  of  the  escarpment  wall,  and  the  other  portion  upon  a  shelf  in 


5tJO  NEW   MEXICO    TERRITORY. 

the  wall  immediately  back  of  the  other  part,  some  fifty  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 
canon.  The  wall  in  front  of  this  latter  portion  being  vertical,  access  to  it  could 
only  have  been  obtained  by  means  of  ladders.  The  front  of  these  ruins  measures 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet,  and  their  depth  forty-five.  The  style  of  structure 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  pueblos  found  on  the  Chaco — the  building  material  being 
of  small,  thin  sandstones,  from  two  to  four  inches  thick,  imbedded  in  mud  mortar, 
and  chinked  in  the  facade  with  smaller  stones.  The  present  hight  of  its  walls  is 
about  eighteen  feet.  Its  rooms  are  exceedingly  small,  and  the  windows  only  a  foot 
square.  One  circular  estuffa  was  all  that  was  visible." 

In  speaking  of  this  canon,  Simpson  says:  "What  appears  to  be  singular,  the 
sides  of  the  lateral  walls  are  not  only  as  vertical  as  natural  walls  can  well  be  con 
ceived  to  be,  but  they  are  perfectly  free  from  a  talus  of  debris,  the  usual  concom 
itant  of  rocks  of  this  description.  Does  not  this  point  to  a  crack  or  natural  fissure 
as  having  given  origin  to  the  canon,  rather  than  to  aqueous  agents,  which,  at  least 
at  the  present  period,  show  an  utter  inadequacy  as  a  producing  cause?" 

Although  the  canon  of  Chelly  was,  at  the  time,  considered  a  great  curios 
ity,  later  explorers  in  the  wild  waste  country  between  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  California  have  found  numerous  other  of  these  fissures,  to  which  this 
can  bear  no  comparison.  Some  of  them  are  entirely  inaccessible,  without 
outlet  or  inlet,  deep,  gloomy  cracks,  descending  far  down  into  the  earth,  lower 
than  the  bottom  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  bounded  by  forbidding,  perpendicular 
walls,  at  the  base  of  which  the  foot  of  man  has  never  penetrated.  Others 
form  the  valleys  of  streams,  which,  as  one  stands  on  their  verge,  are  seen 
winding  their  serpentine  course  down  in  a  gorge  thousands  of  feet  below. 
The  canon  of  the  Rio  Colorado  is  of  this  character:  Lieut.  Ives,  in  his  ex 
plorations  ascertained  it  to  be  about  11,000  feet,  or  more  than  two  miles  in 
depth. 

About  200  miles  westerly  from  Santa  Fe,  and  near  the  town  of  Zuni,  the  com 
mand  came  to  a  stupendous  mass  of  rock,  about  250  feet  in  hight,  and  strikingly 
peculiar  from  its  massive  character,  and  the  Egyptian  style  of  its  natural  but 
tresses  and  domes.  "Skirting  this  stupendous  mass  of  rock,"  states  Simpson,  "  on 
its  left  or  north  side,  for  about  a  mile,  the  guide,  just  as  we  had  reached  its  eastern 
terminus,  was  noticed  to  leave  us,  and  ascend  a  low  mound  or  rampart  at  its  base, 
the  better,  as  it  appeared,  to  scan  the  face  of  the  rock,  which  he  had  scarcely 
reached  before  he  cried  out  to  us  to  come  up.  We  immediately  went  up,  and, 
sure  enough,  here  were  inscriptions,  and  some  of  them  very  beajutiful ;  and, 
although,  with  those  which  we  afterward  examined  on  the  south  face  of  the  rock, 
there  could  not  be  said  to  be  half  an  acre  of  them,  yet  the  hyperbole  was  not  near 
so  extravagant  as  I  was  prepared  to  find  it.  The  fact  then  being  certain  that  here 
were  indeed  inscriptions  of  interest,  if  not  of  value,  one  of  them  dating  as  far 
back  as  1606,  all  of  them  very  ancient,  and  several  of  them  very  deeply  as  well  as 
beautifully  engraven,  1  gave  directions  for  a  halt — Bird  at  once  proceeding  to  get 
up  a  meal,  and  Mr.  Kern  and  myself  to  the  work  of  making  fac  similes  of  the  in 
scriptions The  greater  portion  of  these  inscriptions  are  in  Spanish,  with 

some  little  sprinkling  of  what  appeared  to  be  an  attempt  at  Latin,  and  the  remain 
der  in  hieroglyphics,  doubtless  of  Indian  origin." 

We  copy  a  few  of  the  inscriptions  from  Simpson,  to  present  an  idea  of 
their  general  character.  The  engraving  is  made  from  one  in  the  work  of 
Domenech : 

"Bartolome  Narrso,  Governor  and  Captain  General  of  the  Provinces  of  New  Mexico,  for 
our  Lord  the  King,  passed  by  this  place,  on  his  return  from  the  Pueblo  of  Zuni,  on  the  29th 
of  July,  of  the  year  1620,  and  put  them  in  peace,  at  their  petition,  asking  the  favor  to  be 
come  subjects  of  his  majesty,  and  anew  they  gave  their  obedience;  all  which  they  did  with 
free  consent,  knowing  it  prudent,  as  well  as  very  Christian  (a  word  or  two  effaced),  to  so 
distinguished  and  gallant  a  soldier,  indomitable  and  famed;  we  love  "(the  remainder 
effaced.) 


NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 


561 


"  By  this  place  passed  Second  Lieutenant  Joseph  de  Payba  Basconzelos,  in  the  year  in 
which  the  council  of  the  kingdom  bore  the  cost,  on  the  18th  of  February,  in  the  year  1726." 

"  Pero  Vacu  (possibly  intended  for  vaca — cow)  ye  Jarde." 
"Alma." 
"Leo." 

"Captain   Jude  Vubarri,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1,"  (probably  meaning  1701.     The 
hieroglyphics,  excepting  what  appears  to  designate  a  buffalo,  not  decipherable.) 


Inscription  Roclt,  near  the  Pueblo  of  Muni. 

On  the  bights  above  the  inscription  are  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  pueblo, 
similar  to  the  others  described,  though  inferior  in  the  style  of  masonry. 

Mr.  Simpson  was  not  enamored  with  New  Mexico.  In  his  journal  he 
states  that  he  had  not  seen  a  rich,  well  timbered,  and  sufficiently  watered 
country  since  he  had  left  the  confines  of  the  states  on  the  borders  of  the 
Mississippi  valley.  He  makes  these  remarks  upon  this  part  of  New  Mexico. 
The  portion  farther  west,  to  the  California  line,  according  to  other  observers, 
is  no  more  alluring.  Says  he  : 

"The  idea  I  pertinaciously  adhered  to,  before  ever  having  seen  this  country, 
was,  that,  beside  partaking  of  the  bold  characteristics  of  the  primary  formation*, 
rocks  confusedly  piled  upon  rocks,  deep  glens,  an  occasional  cascade,  green  fertile 
Yiilleyo — the  usual  accompaniments  of  such  characteristics  with  us  in  the  states — 
ifc  was  also,  like  the  country  of  the  states,  generally  fertile,  and  coveret^with  ver 
dure.  But  never  did  I  have,  nor  do  1  believe  anybody  can  have,  a  full  apprecia 
tion  of  the  almost  universal  barrenness  which  pervades  this  country,  until  they 
eoine  out,  as  I  did,  to  'search  the  land,'  and  behold  with  their  own  eyes  its  general 

36 


562  NEW   MEXICO   TERRITORY. 

nakedness,  The  primary  mountains  present  none  of  that  wild,  rooky,  diversified, 
pleasing  aspect  which  they  do  in  the  United  States,  but,  on  the  contrary,  aro 
usually  of  a  rounded  form,  covered  by  a  dull,  lifeless-colored  soil,  and  generally 
destitute  of  any  other  sylva  than  pine  and  cedar,  most  frequently  of  a  sparse  and 
dwarfish  character.  The  sedimentary  rocks,  which,  contrary  to  my  preconceived 
notions,  are  the  prevalent  formations  of  the  country,  have  a  crude,  half-made-up 
appearance,  sometimes  of  a  dull  buff  color,  sometimes  white,  sometimes  red,  and 
sometimes  these  alternating,  and  being  almost  universally  bare  of  vegetation,  ex 
cept  that  of  a  sparse,  dwarfish,  sickening-colored  aspect,  can  not  be  regarded  as  a 
general  thing — at  least,  not  until  familiarity  reconciles  you  to  the  sight — without 
a  sensation  of  loathing.  The  face  of  the  country,  for  the  same  reason — the  gen 
eral  absence  of  all  verdure,  and  the  dead,  dull,  yellow  aspect  of  its  soil — has  a 
tendency  to  create  the  same  disagreeable  sensation." 


ARIZONA  TERRITORY. 


ARIZONA  originally  comprised  a  long,  narrow  strip  of  territory,  south  of 
the  Gila  River,  extending  from  the  Rio  Grande  on  the  east  to  the  Rio  Col 
orado  on  the  west,  just  above  its  entrance  into  the  Gulf  of  California.  It 
was  purchased,  in  1854,  of  Mexico,  from  the  northern  part  of  the  state  of 
Sonora,  for  ten  millions  of  dollars.  It  was  for  some  time  styled  the  Gads- 
den  Purchase,  out  of  compliment  to  General  Gadsden,  the  American  minis 
ter,  who  negotiated  the  treaty.  It  was  temporarily  attached,  by  congress,  to 
the  territory  of  New  Mexico.  It  was  about  500  miles  long,  with  a  width 
ranging  from  20  to  130  miles,  and  comprising  31,000  square  miles.  It  waa 
separated  from  Texas  by  the  Rio  Grande ;  from  Lower  California  by  the 
Rio  Colorado ;  and  on  the  south  of  it  were  the  Mexican  states  of  Chihuahua 
and  Sonora. 

When  it  was  purchased  of  Mexico  there  was  scarcely  any  inhabitants,  ex 
cept  a  few  scattered  Mexicans  in  the  Mesilla  valley,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  and 
at  the  old  town  of  Tucson,  in  the  center  of  the  purchase.  The  marauding 
Apache  Indians  had  gradually  extirpated  almost  every  trace  of  civilization 
in  what  was  once  an  inhabited  Mexican  province.* 

In  1854,  congress  formed  the  present  territory  of  Arizona  from  the  west 
halves  of  New  Mexico  and  the  Gadsden  Purchase ;  and  the  east  half  of  the 
latter  is  now  the  southern  part  of  New  Mexico.  Arizona  has  an  area  of 
131,000  square  miles.  The  capital,  named  Prescott,  is  in  the  center  of  the 
territory. 

"Much  interesting  information  upon  the  early  history  of  this  compara 
tively  little  known  part  of  the  United  States,  was  obtained  from  the  archives 
of  the  Mexican  government,  by  Capt.  C.  P.  Stone,  late  of  the  U.  S.  army. 
It  appears  that  as  early  as  1687,  a  Catholic  missionary  from  the  province  of 
Sonora,  which,  in  its  southern  portion,  bore  already  the  impress  of  Spanish 
civilization,  descended  the  valley  of  Santa  Cruz  River  to  the  Gila,  which  he 

*  The  following  extract  from  the  report  of  Col.  Chas.  D.  Poston,  agent  of  the  Sonora  Ex 
ploring  and  Mining  Company,  under  date  of  Jan.  31,1857,  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  con 
dition  of  the  country  at  the  period  when  it  came  into  the  possession  of  our  people  :  "  It 
inay  not  fre  amiss,  in  these  desultory  remarks,  to  note  the  improvement  in  Tubac  and  the 
adjacent  country  since  our  arrival.  When  we  forced  our  wagons  here,  over  the  under 
growth  on  the  highway,  in  September  last  (1856),  no  human  being  was  present  to  gvet  our 
coming,  and  desolation  overshadowed  the  scene.  It  was  like  entering  the  lost  city  of 
Pompeii.  The  atmosphere  was  loaded  with  the  malaria  of  a  rank  vegetation,  the  under 
growth  in  the  bottom  served  as  a  lurking  place  for  the  deadly  Apache,  and  the  ravens  in 
the  old  church  window  croaked  a  surly  welcome.  Now  the  highroads  are  alive  with  trains 
and  people.  Commerce,  agriculture,  and  mining  are  resuming  their  wonted  prosperity  under 
the  enterprise,  intelligence,  and  industry  of  our  people.  The  former  citizens  of  Tubac  have 
returned  to  the  occupation  of  their  houses,  set  to  work  vigorously  upon  their  milpas,  and 
are  loud  in  their  praises  of  American  liberty  and  freedom." 

563 


564  ARIZONA    TERRITORY. 

followed  to  its  mouth,  now  the  site  of  Fort  Yuma.  From  this  point  he 
ascended  the  valley  of  the  Gila,  the  Salinas  or  Salt  River,  and  other  branches. 
Proceeding  east,  he  explored  the  valley  of  the  San  Pedro  and  its  branches, 
reached  the  Mimbres,  and  probably  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Mesilla  valley. 
Filled  with  the  enthusiasm  of  his  sect,  he  procured  authority  from  the  head 
of  the  order  in  Mexico,  and  established  missions  and  settlements  at  every 
available  point.  In  a  report  to  the  viceroy  of  Spain,  made  during  the  early 
settlement  of  the  province,  we  find  the  following  statement:  'A  scientific 
exploration  of  Sonora,  with  reference  to  mineralogy,  along  with  the  intro 
duction  of  families,  will  lead  to  a  discovery  of  gold  and  silver,  so  marvelous, 
that  the  result  will  be  such  as  has  never  yet  been  seen  in  the  world.'  A  map 
of  this  and  the  adjoining  territories  was  drawn  by  some  of  the  Spanish  mis 
sionaries  in  1757,  and  dedicated  to  the  king  of  Spain.  The  reports  of  the 
immense  mineral  wealth  of  the  new  country  made  by  the  priests,  induced  a 
rapid  settlement." 

The  sites  of  various  villages,  rafiches,  and  missions,  as  indicated  on  this  map, 
were  principally  in  the  valleys  of  the  San  Pedro,  Santa  Cruz,  and  on  the  Mimbres. 
"The  missions  and  settlements  were  repeatedly  destroyed  by  the  Apaches,  and  the 
priests  and  settlers  massacred  or  driven  off.  The  Indians,  at  length  thoroughly 
aroused  by  the  cruelties  of  the  Spaniards,  by  whom  they  were  deprived  of  their 
liberty,  forced  to  labor  in  the  silver  mines  with  inadequate  food,  and  barbarously 
treated,  finally  rose,  joined  with  the  tribes  who  had  never  been  subdued,  and  grad 
ually  drove  out  or  massacred  their  oppressors.  Civilization  disappeared  before 
their  devastating  career,  and  in  its  place  we  now  find,  with  few  exceptions,  only 
ruins  and  decay,  fields  deserted,  and  mines  abandoned.  The  mission  of  San  Xavier 
del  Bac,  and  the  old  towns  of  Tucson  and  Tubac,  are  the  most  prominent  of  these 
remains.  The  mission  of  San  Xavier  del  Bac  is  a  grand  old  structure,  which,  from 
its  elegant  masonry  and  tasteful  ornaments,  must  have  been  erected  in  times  of 
great  prosperity.  From  1757  down  to  1820,  the  Spaniards  and  Mexicans  continued 
to  work  many  valuable  mines  near  Barbacora,  and  the  ancient  records  and  notes 
mention  many  silver  mines  most  of  which  contain  a  percentage  of  gold.  The 
most  celebrated  modern  localities  are  Arivaca  (also  anciently  famous  as  Aribac), 
Sopori,  the  Arizona  Mountains,  the  Santa  Rita  range,  the  Cerro  Colorado,  the  en 
tire  vicinity  of  Tubac,  the  Del  Ajo,  or  Arizona  copper  mine,  the  Gadsonia  copper 
mine,  and  the  Gila  River  copper  mines.  As  late  as  1820,  the  Nina  Cobre  de  Ic, 
Plata  (silver  and  copper  mines),  near  Fort  Webster,  north  of  the  Gila,  were 
worked  to  great  advantage;  and  so  rich  was  the  ore  th.it  it  paid  for  transportation 
on  mule-back,  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  te  the  city  of  Mexico. 

The  silver  mining  region  of  Arizona  is,  in  fact,  the  north-western  extension  ol 
the  great  silver  region  of  Mexico.  The  mountain  ranges  are  the  prolongations  ol 
those  which  southward  in  Sonora,  Chihuahua,  and  Durango,  have  yielded  silver 
by  millions  for  centuries  past.  The  general  direction  of  the  mountains  and  the 
veins,  is  north-west  and  south-east,  and  there  are  numerous  parallel  chains  or  ranges 
which  form  long  and  narrow  valleys  in  the  same  direction.  Like  most  mineral  re 
gions,  Arizona  is  of  small  value  for  agriculture,  possessing  in  comparison  with  its 
extent  hut  little  arable  land,  and  in  most  parts  is  nearly  destitute  of  water,  and 
desert-like.  Some  of  this  forbidding  and  arid  surface  would,  however,  prove  fertile 
if  irrigated." 

The  population  of  Arizona,  aside  from  the  Indians,  amounted  in*1860  to 
but  a  few  thousand  souls.  In  the  whole  territory,  persons  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race,  aside  from  the  U.  S.  soldiers  in  garrison,  numbered,  at  the  outside,  but 
a  few  hundred  souls;  the  remainder  of  the  inhabitants  consisted  of  Mexi 
cans,  mostly  of  the  peon  class.  The  Pimos  Indians  live  in  villages  on  the 
Gila  River,  in  the  north-western  part  of  the  country,  and  are  a  friendly,  in 
offensive  race,  who  raise  corn  and  wheat,  and  supply  emigrants  who  traverse 
the  southern  route  to  California.  The  Apaches  are  a  wild,  thieving  tribe, 


ARIZONA  TERRITORY. 


565 


of  murderers,  who  live  on  the  head  streams  of  the  Gila,  beyond  the  reach 

of  the  white  man. 

The  southern  boundary  of  Arizona  was  so  run  as  to  exclude  any  part  of 

tiie  Gulf  of  California  from  American  jurisdiction,  so  that  she  has  not  there 

a  single  seaport. 
Tucson,  the 
principal  town,  is 
a  miserable  col 
lection  of  adobe 
houses,  in  the 
valley  of  the  San 
ta  Cruz.  It  con 
tains  about  700 
inhabitants,  near 
ly  all  of  them 
degraded  Mexi 
cans.  The  en 
graving  shows 
the  church  of  the 
place,  an  adobe  or 
sun-burned  brick 
structure;  it  is 
from  a  drawing 
in  outline,  taken 
on  San  Antonio's 
day,  in  1860. 
Among  the  fig- 


CHCBCU  AT  Tucsos. 
On  San  Antonio's  Day,  1860. 


ures  are  one  or  two  of  the  wild  Apache  Indians  and  numerous  females,  etc. 

Tubac,  52  miles  south  of  Tucson,  is  the  business  center  of  the  silver 
mining  district  of  Arizona,  and  contains  a  few  hundred  souls.  The  princi 
pal  mines  worked  in  its  vicinity  are  the  Heintzelman  and  those  of  the  Santa 
Rita  Company.  With  the  pecuniary  success  of  these  mines,  appears  to  be 
connected  the  immediate  progress  of  the  territory,  as,  aside  from  the  mines, 
it  has  no  resources ;  but  in  these  Arizona  has  a  great  future. 

When  our  pioneers  poured  in  upon  the  gold  placers  of  California,  the  in 
trepid  gold-hunter  could,  alone  and  single  handed,  work  his  way  to  wealth, 
with  a  jack-knife  and  tin-pan ;  and,  at  the  end  of  a  day's  labor,  tie  up  the 
avails  in  a  rag,  place  it  under  his  pillow,  and  then  dream  pleasantly  of  wife, 
and  children,  and  home,  far  away  on  the  other  side  of  the  continent. 

Silver  mining  is  a  different  business.  The  eager  novice  might  collect  his 
tuns  of  silver  ore ;  and  then  would  come  the  tantalizing  discovery — it  was 
labor  lost.  To  extract  the  silver  from  its  ores,  is  often  one  of  the  most  dif 
ficult  of  all  chemical  processes,  requiring  practice  with  a  peculiar  aptness 
for  metallurgy,  so  diversified  and  intricate  are  the  combinations  of  this  metal 
with  other  minerals.  No  college  professor,  however  fine  a  metallurgist  he 
might  be,  could  successfully  manage  the  reduction  works  of  a  silver  mine ; 
Americans,  until  they  learn  the  art,  and  "  improve  upon  it,"  as  is  their  na 
tional  bent,  will  be  compelled  to  procure  their  talent  of  this  kind  from  those 
bred  from  youth  to  this  branch,  in  Mexico  and  Germany.  Aside  from  this 
difficulty,  enormous  outlays  are  required  to  start  and  work  a  silver  mine : 
this  can  generally  only  be  obtained  by  associated  capital.  With  this  comes 


566  ARIZONA    TERRITORY. 

the  cumbrous,  awkward  revolving  machinery  of  corporations,  and  its  attend 
ant  evils  of  mismanagement,  in  which  the  interests  of  the  small,  confiding 
stockholder  are  too  apt  to  be  the  last  thing  attended  to  by  directors  and 
agents.  Could  the  amount  of  money  lost  in  our  Union,  within  the  last  ten 


Reduction  Works  of  the  Heinlztlman  Silver  Mine. 

The  engravingis  from  a  drawing  by  IT.  C.  Grosvenor.  This  establishment  is  on  the  famous  ArivacaRanche. 
The  Reduction  Works  are  in  front,  where  the  ore  is  reduced 'to  silver  by  the  German  (Freyburg)  amalgam 
ation  barrel  process.  Ou  the  extreme  right  of  the  inclosure  is  the  corral  for  the  mules.  In  the  rear  is 
seen  the  officers'  quarters  and  store  houses  ;  on  the  left  and  also  in  the.  rear  of  the  store-houses  are  the 
huts  of  the  Mexican  laborers  or  peons,  of  whom  here  and  in  the  mine  several  hundred  are  employed.  The 
buildings  are  all  adobes. 

years  alone,  by  the  selfishness  and  mismanagement  of  men  in  charge  of  cor 
porations  be  ascertained,  it  would  probably  sum  up  many  fold  the  value  of 
all  the  property  more  courageously  stolen  by  the  united  labor  of  all  the  bur 
glars  who  have  been  thrust  into  the  cells  of  our  penitentiaries,  from  the 
foundation  of  the  government  to  the  present  day.  Thus  multitudes,  orphans 
and  widows,  have  been  wronged,  and  the  hard-earned  accumulations  of  vig 
orous  manhood,  laid  by  in  a  spirit  of  self-denial,  as  a  resource  for  old  age, 
irretrievably  and  shamefully  lost.  The  suspicious  and  selfish  carry  in  then 
own  bosoms  a  defense  against  such  allurements:  the  single-hearted  and  inno 
cent  fall  victims.  The  hard  lesson  taught  to  individuals  is,  that  money  if* 
seldom  safely  spent,  excepting  by  the  hand  that  earns  it.  Yet  it  is  only  bj 
associated  capital  great  enterprises  can  be  consummated;  and  so,  through 
more  or  less  of  personal  risk  and  loss,  the  general  welfare  is  promoted. 

Such  are  the  enormous  returns  of  successful  silver  mines,  that  capital  and  enter 
prise  have  always  been  ready  to  embark  in  the  development  of  even  veins  of  mod 
erate  promise.  In  Mexico,  where  silver  mining  has  been,  for  over  two  hundred 
years,  the  great  staple  business  of  the  country,  the  most  enormous  fortunes  have 
been  realized  in  working  mines.  The  famous  Real  Del  Monte,  near  the  city  of 
Mexico,  is  now  1,500  feet  deep,  and  yielded  in  1857,  $3,750,000  of  silver  from  ore 
which  averaged  $56  per  tun.  The  Biscaina  vein,  in  the  12  years  immediately  suc 
ceeding  1762,  in  which  the  adit  of  Moran  was  completed,  yielded  to  its  owner, 
Tereros,  a  clear  profit  of  $6,000,000.  The  produce  of  Catorce,  taking  the  average 
of  the  five  years  from  1800  to  1804,  was  $2,854,000.  Santa  Eulalia,  near  Chihua 
hua,  from  1705  to  1737,  yielded  $55,959,750,  or  an  average  of  $1,748,742  per  an 
num.  These  and  numerous  other  instances  of  successful  mining,  as  published  in 
Ward's  History  of  Mexico,  show  silver  mining  to  be  a  business  of  great  vicissitudes, 
involving  large  expenditures,  with  a  prospect  of  gains  correspondingly  large.  The 


ARIZONA  TERRITORY. 

whole  produce  of  the  Mexican  mines  was  estimated  by  Humboldt,  in  1803,  at  nearly 
two  thousand  millions  of  dollars. 

By  many,  and  especially  the  Mexicans,  the  Gadsden  Purchase  is  regarded  as  the 
richest  portion  of  the  continent,  for  mines  of  silver,  copper  and  lead.  Silver  ore 
has  already  been  reduced  there  which  yielded,  in  large  quantities,  $1,000  to  the 
tun.  The  average  of  the  Heintzelman  mine  has  been  $250,  although  much  of  the 
ore  taken  from  it  yielded  from  $1,000  to  $5,000  per  tun,  and  some  at  the  rate  of 
over  $20,000. 

The  copper  mines  worked  on  the  Mimbres  River,  yield  large  quantities  of  ore 
which  is  95  per  cent,  copper,  while  the  lead  mines  of  the  Santa  Kita  and  Santa 
Cruz  Mountains,  are  really  inexhaustible.  With  these  mineral  treasures,  placed 
by  nature  for  the  use  of  man,  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  Arizona  will  long  remain 
in  its  present  condition.  When  once  the  mining  enterprises  already  begun  shall 
have  demonstrated,  either  in  the  hands  of  their  present  proprietors  or  some  others, 
that  the  precious  metals  not  only  exist  there,  but  may  become  profitable,  a  new 
impetus  will  be  given  to  this  kind  of  industry,  and  the  silver  country  of  Arizona  will 
become  as  widely  known  as  the  golden  fields  of  California. 

Various  modes  are  practiced  of  reducing  silver  from  its  ores.  1.  The 
Furnace.  2.  The  Mexican  or  patio  (floor)  amalgamation,  with  quicksilver. 
3.  The  caze  (or  kettle)  amalgamation.  4.  The  Freyberg  or  German  barrel 
amalgamation.  5.  Augustin's  method,  by  salt,  without  mercury.  6.  Zier- 
vogel's  method,  with  salt  or  mercury,  These  modes  can  not  be  indiscrimin 
ately  applied.  The  character  of  the  ores,  climate,  and  other  circumstances 
will  alone  determine  it.  If  the  ore  of  a  mine,  in  its  mineralogical  consitu- 
ents,  is  not  adapted  to  the  mode  of  operation  to  which  the  operator  is  bred, 
he  is  generally  powerless  to  reduce  it.  One  experienced  in  smelting  ores, 
can  not  reduce  those  which  are  adapted  to  "the  patio;"  or  one  accustomed 
to  "  the  patio,"  can  not  reduce  by  the  German  barrel,  or  by  the  Augustin 
process,  and  vice  versa. 


The  States 

of  the 
SOUTH-WEST. 


569 


ALABAMA. 


ALABAMA  is  an  Indian  expression,  said  to  signify  "here  we  rest."  It  is 
supposed  that  its  soil  was  first  visited  by  white  men  in  1540,  that  being  the 

year  when  its  territory  was  traversed 
by  the  followers  of  De  Soto,  in  his 
celebrated  expedition  through  Florida 
to  the  Mississippi.  After  a  long  and 
disastrous  march,  De  Soto  arrived 
with  his  cavalcade  by  the  waters  of 
the  Coosa,  having  made  his  entry  into 
Alabama  from  the  northern  part  of 
Georgia,  where  he  had  been  searching 
for  gold.  The  country  of  the  Coosa 
tribe  embraced  the  present  counties 
of  Cherokee,  Benton,  Talladega  and 
Coosa. 

From  Coosa  the  expedition  ad 
vanced  toward  Tallapoosa.  Crossing 
the  Tallapoosa,  they  were  received  by 

ARMS  OF  ALABAMA.  Tuscaloosa,  an  Indian  chieftain,  who 

was  "lord  over  many  territories  and 

much  people,  and  was  feared  by  his  neighbors  and  subjects."  Passing 
down  the  western  side  of  Alabama  River  with  Tuscaloosa,  De  Soto  arrived  at 
Maubila,  the  capital  of  the  country.  This  place  consisted  of  eighty  handsome 
houses,  each  sufficiently  capacious  to  contain  a  thousand  men.  They  were 
encompassed  by  a  high  wall  made  of  immense  trunks  of  trees,  set  deep  in  the 
ground  and  close  together,  strengthened  with  cross-timbers  and  interwoven 
with  large  vines.  This  place  is  supposed  to  have  occupied  the  present  site 
of  Choctaw  Bluff,  in  Clarke  county,  about  twenty -five  miles  above  the  con 
fluence  of  the  Alabama  and  Tombigbee. 

It  appears  that  Tusealotfsa  had  taken  measures  after  De  Soto  came  within 
his  capital,  to  seize  him  and  his  men  as  prisoners.  De  Soto  having  discov 
ered  the  plot  took  measures  of  defense.  The  attack  was  begun  by  an  Indian 
chief,  who  rushed  out  of  »  house  and  loudly  denounced  the  Spaniards  as  rob 
bers,  thieves  and  assassins.  A  murderous  conflict  ensued.  The  Indians,  sup 
posed  to  have  been  upward  of  ten  thousand  in  number,  joined  by  many  of 
their  young  women,  fought  desperately,  and  for  a  time  the  conflict  seemed 
doubtful.  De  Soto,  mounted  upon  his  horse,  calling  loudly  upon  "our  Lady 
and  Santiago"  rushed  boldly  upon  the  enemy,  and  forced  his  way  over  hun- 

571 


572  ALABAMA 

dreds  of  fighting  men  and  women.  Followed  by  his  troops,  prodigies  of 
valor  were  performed,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  the  slain.  The  con 
flict  lasted  nine  hours.  Although  victory  was  on  the  side  of  the  Spaniards 
it  was  dearly  bought.  Eighty  of  their  number  were  slain  or  died  of  their 
wounds;  forty-five  horses  were  killed,  an  irreparable  loss  in  their  condition. 
Nearly  all  their  camp  equipage  and  baggage  were  consumed  by  the  flames. 
Maubila  was  laid  in  ashes ;  at  least  six  thousand  Indians  were  slain,  and  the 
tribe  almost  annihilated.  De  Soto  now  proceeded  northward,  crossed  the 
Black  Warrior  and  Tombigbee,  and  proceeded  westward  to  the  Mississippi, 
having  many  conflicts  with  the  Indians  on  his  route. 

"At  the  time  of  De  Soto's  expedition,  Alabama  was  inhabited  by  the 
Coosas,  Talassees,  Mobilians  and  Choctaws.  Being  nearly  destroyed  by  his 
invasion,  the  Muscogees  and  Alabamas,  who  had  been  driven  out  of  Mexico 
by  Cortez,  occupied  their  places.  The  Muscogees  were  a  warlike  race,  and 
conquered  the  tribes  with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  They  extended  their 
conquests,  and  overrun  Georgia  to  the  Savannah  River.  They  received  into 
their  tribe  the  relics  of  the  Alabamas,  Tuskegees,  and  several  other  tribes. 
The  Muscogee  confederacy  at  length  became  the  most  formidable  in  the 
country.  They  received  the  name  of  "Creeks,"  from  the  number  of  beautiful 
streams  flowing  through  their  country. 

After  the  invasion  of  De  Soto,  the  soil  of  Alabama  appears  to  have  been 
untrodden  by  Europeans  for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half.  In  1702,  Bien- 
ville,  the  governor  of  Louisiana,  sailed  up  the  bay  of  Mobile,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  Dog  River  commenced  the  erection  of  a  fort,  a  warehouse,  and  other 
public  buildings.  The  fort  was  long  designated  as  Fort  St.  Louis  de  la  Mo 
bile.  Here  was  the  seat  of  government  for  nine  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
period,  in  1711,  the  French  moved  up  to  the  mouth  of  Mobile  River,  where 
they  founded  the  present  city  of  Mobile. 

.  Bienville,  the  French  governor,  pursued  a  friendly  policy  with  the  natives, 
and  endeavored  to  secure  the  friendship  and  alliance  of  the  various  tribes 
upon  the  Mobile  River  and  its  tributaries.  Mobile  being  the  seat  of  govern 
ment,  various  delegations  of  Indian  chiefs,  Spaniards  from  Vera  Cruz,  and 
Canadians  from  the  northern  lakes  and  rivers,  repaired  there  to  see  Governor 
Bienville  upon  business.  The  English  traders  from  Virginia  and  Carolina 
were  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  the  French.  During  the  wars  between 
France  and  England,  the  latter  power  instigated  the  Indians  against  the 
French  colonists.  To  stop  their  expeditions,  Bienville  located  a  fort  upon 
the  Alabama  at  Tuskegee.  In  1721,  three  French  war-ships,  loaded  with 
African  slaves,  arrived  at  Mobile.  Ultimately  the  disasters  of  the  colonists 
caused  the  abandonment  of  Mobile  to  a  later  period. 

At  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  the  French  gave  up  their  possessions  on 
the  continent  of  America.  The  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  from  its 
source  to  its  mouth,  but  including  the  island  of  New  Orleans  on  the  other 
bank,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Spain,  while  Great  Britain  acquired  Canada, 
all  the  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi  as  far  south  as  the  Bayou  Iberville, 
and  the  whole  of  Florida.  The  whole  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  and  that 
portion  of  Louisiana  north  of  a  line  drawn  through  the  Bayou  Iberville,  the 
Amite,  lakes  Maurepas  and  Pontchartrain,  to  the  sea,  and  east  of  the  Missis 
sippi  River,  became  thus  a  British  possession,  known  until  1781  as  West 
Florida  and  the  province  of  Illinois.  Alabama  was  divided  on  the  parallel 
of  32°  28'  between  West  Florida  and  Illinois,  in  nearly  equal  divisions,  and 
Montgomery  and  Wetumpka,  which  are  but  fifteen  miles  apart,  were  in  difler- 
ent  jurisdictions. 


ALABAMA.  573 

George  Johnson,  the  first  British  governor,  organized  a  military  govern 
ment,  garrisoned  the  fort  at  Mobile,  and  that  of  Toulouse,  up  the  Coosa. 
The  first  English  inhabitants  of  Mobile  died  in  great  numbers,  from  habits 
of  intemperance,  exposure,  and  contagious  disorders,  introduced  by  the  mili 
tary.  The  exports  of  Mobile,  in  1772,  were  indigo,  raw  hides,  corn,  cattle, 
tallow,  rice,  pitch,  bear's  oil,  lumber,  fish,  etc.  Cotton  was  cultivated  in  small 
quantities.  The  charter  granted  to  Georgia  comprised  within  its  limits  all 
the  territory  westward  to  the  Mississippi.  That  state,  considering  its  title  to 
these  lands  as  perfect,  made  grants  to  various  companies,  for  the  purpose  of 
settlement.  Two  sets  of  these,  known  as  the  "  Yazoo  Grants"  have  acquired 
a  celebrity  in  history.  By  the  first,  five  millions  of  acres  in  Mississippi  were 
granted  to  the  South  Carolina  Yazoo  Company;  seven  millions  to  the  Virginia 
Yazoo  Company;  and  3,500,000  acres  in  Alabama  to  the  Tennessee  Compa 
ny.  The  United  States  authorities  opposed  these  grants,  and  the  several 
companies  having  failed  to  pay  the  purchase  money,  Georgia  rescinded  her 
patents.  Several  years  afterward,  Georgia  made  other  and  more  considerable 
grants.  These  sales  raised  a  storm  throughout  the  country;  they  were  de 
nounced  by  Gen.  Washington,  in  his  message  to  congress,  and,  eventually, 
they  were  declared  null  and  void. 

Alabama,  at  this  period,  was  almost  entirely  in  the  occupation  of  the  na 
tives.  There  was  a  garrison  of  Spanish  troops  at  Mobile,  and  also  at  St. 
Stephens,  on  the  Tombigbee,  with  trading  posts  upon  the  Oconee,  and  on 
other  points  in  the  south  and  west.  The  whole  country  west  of  the  present 
limits  of  Georgia,  to  the  Mississippi,  was  now  purchased  by  the  United  States, 
and,  in  1817,  was  erected  into  the  "Mississippi  Territory."  Fort  Stoddard 
was  built  near  the  confluence  of  the  Alabama  and  Tombigbee,  and  the  county 
of  Washington  laid  out,  embracing  a  space  out  of  which  20  counties  in  Ala 
bama  and  12  in  Mississippi  have  since  been  made. 

At  the  period  of  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain,  Alabama  was  a  thea 
ter  of  Indian  warfare,  as  a  great  part  of  the  state  was  then  inhabited  by  a 
number  of  tribes  of  Indians,  of  whom  the  Creeks  were  the  principal.  In 
1812,  the  Creeks  having  been  stirred  up  to  war  by  Tecumseh,  the  celebrated 
Shawnee  warrior,  commenced  hostile  operations.  In  August,  they  fell  on 
Fort  Mimms;  the  garrison  made  a  desperate  resistance,  but  out  of  three 
hundred  men,  women  and  children,  only  seventeen  survived  the  massacre. 
The  adjoining  states  were  now  roused  to  action.  In  November,  Gen.  Jack 
son,  assisted  by  Generals  Coffee,  Floyd,  and  Claiborne,  entered  the  Indian 
country,  and  defeated  the  Indians  at  Talladega,  where  290  of  their  warriors 
were  slain.  In  November,  Gen.  Floyd  attacked  the  Creeks  on  their  sacred 
ground,  at  Autossee.  Four  hundred  of  their  houses  were  burned,  and  200 
of  their  bravest  men  killed,  among  whom  were  the  kings  of  Autossee  and 
Tallahassee. 

The  last  stand  of  the  Creeks  was  at  Tohopeka,  a  place  called  the  "  Horse 
shoe  llend"  Here  the  Indians  fought  desperately,  but  were  entirely  defeated 
with  the  loss  of  nearly  600  men.  The  victory  ended  in  the  submission  of 
the  remaining  warriors,  and  in  1814,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  concluded,  and 
the  Creeks  have  now  removed  westward  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1816,  a  ces 
sion  was  obtained  from  the  Indians  of  all  the  territory  from  the  head  waters 
of  the  Coosa  westward  to  Cotton  Gin  Point,  and  to  a  point  running  thence 
to  Caney  Creek  on  the  Tennessee.  The  territorial  government  being  estab 
lished,  the  seat  of  government  was  located  at  St.  Stephens.  William  W. 
Bibb  was  appointed  governor,  and  the  first  legislature  was  convened  iu  1818. 


571  ALABAMA. 

"  The  flood-gates  of  Virginia,  the  two  Carolinas,  Tennessee,  Kentucky  and 
Georgia  were  now  hoisted,  and  the  mighty  streams  of  emigration  poured 
through  them,  spreading  over  the  whole  territory  of  Alabama."  In  1819, 
Alabama  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  sovereign  state.  The  general 
assembly  convened  at  Huntsville,  and  William  W.  Bibb  was  inaugurated 
governor. 

Alabama  lies  between  31°  and  35°  N.,  and  8°  8'  and  11°  29'  W.  from 
Washington.  It  is  317  miles  long  from  north  to  south,  and  174  miles  broad, 
bounded  N.  by  Tennessee,  E.  by  Georgia  and  Florida,  S.  by  Florida  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  W.  by  Mississippi.  The  north-eastern  part  of  the 
state,  being  the  region  of  the  termination  of  the  range  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  is  hilly,  broken,  and  somewhat  mountainous.  The  southern  part, 
bordering  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  is  low  and  level,  and  mostly  covered  with 
pines.  The  soil  and  climate  of  Alabama  varies  with  the  position  and  eleva 
tion  of  its  parts.  In  the  north  the  soil  is  moderately  fertile;  in  the  central 
part,  which  is  less  elevated  and  undulating,  it  is  well  watered,  and  in  the 
river  bottoms,  the  land  is  extremely  rich  and  productive.  The  most  promi 
nent  productions  of  the  state  are  cotton — of  which  in  yield  it  stands  first  in 
quantity  of  any  state  in  the  Union — corn,  wheat,  and  rice.  Tobacco  and  sugar 
are  also  raised  to  some  extent. 

Alabama  is  rich  in  mineral  productions.  The  whole  central  region  is 
underlaid  with  vast  beds  of  iron  ore,  or  occupied  by  coal  measures  of  great 
thickness  and  extent.  The  coal  is  of  a  bituminous  character,  and  well  adapted 
for  steamboats  and  factories.  Various  establishments  for  manufacturing  iron 
have  been  erected,  and  their  products  have  become  extensive  and  valuable. 
The  river  navigation  in  the  state  is  quite  extensive,  in  its  various  windings 
measuring  at  least  2,000  miles.  The  great  body  of  the  products  of  Ala 
bama  find  their  way  to  Mobile,  the  commercial  emporium,  by  means  of  the 
Alabama  and  Tombigbee  Rivers  and  their  branches.  The  Baptists  and 
Methodists  are  the  most  numerous  religious  denominations  in  the  state. 
Population  in  1820,  was  127,901,  of  whom  41,879  were  slaves;  in  1850,  it 
had  increased  to  771,671,  of  whom  342,892  were  slaves.  In  1860,  the  pop 
ulation  was  955,917,  of  whom  435,473  were  slaves. 

MOBILE,  the  principal  city  and  commercial  emporium  of  Alabama,  is  sit 
uated  on  the  west  bank  of  Mobile  River,  just  above  its  entrance  into  Mobile 
Bay,  330  miles  S.W.  of  Montgomery  by  the  river,  166  N.E.  from  New  Or 
leans,  and  1,566  from  New  York.  Population  is  about  25,000.  The  city  is 
built  on  an  extended  plain,  dry  and  sandy,  and  elevated  about  15  feet  above 
the  highest  tides.  It  has  a  fine  prospect  of  the  bay,  extending  about  30 
miles,  with  an  average  width  of  12  miles,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Immedi 
ately  opposite  the  city  is  a  low  island,  covered  with  high  grass  and  rushes, 
known  as  "the  marsh."  Above,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  is  a  large  swamp; 
back  from  the  city  the  dry,  sandy  hills  commence,  affording  a  delightful  and 
healthy  retreat  from  the  heat  and  sickness  during  the  summer. 

The  streets  of  Mobile  are  generally  wide,  and,  of  late  years,  have  been'  much 
improved  by  shade  trees.  The  warm  season,  though  tempered  by  the  sea  breezes, 
is  somewhat  relaxing  to  the  system.  During  the  coldest  season  the  ground  is  but 
seldom  frozen.  Next  to  New  Orleans,  Mobile  is  the  largest  cotton  market  in  the 
United  States. 

In  1702,  Bienville,  the  French  governor  of  Louisiana,  with  forty  sailors  and 
some  ship  carpenters,  began  the  construction  of  a  warehouse  on  Dauphin  Island, 


ALABAMA. 


575 


at  the  entrance  of  Mobile  Bay.  He  then  sailed  up  the  bay,  and,  at  the  mouth 
of  Dog  River,  began  the  erection  of  a  fort,  a  warehouse,  and  other  buildings. 
This  place  was  called  Mobile,  from  the  spacious  bay  upon  which  it  was  situated, 
BO  named  after  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  had  resolutely  fought  De  Soto  upon  the 
field  of  Maubila. 


North  View  of  St.  Louis  Wharf,  Mobile. 

Showing  one  ol  tne  principal  wharves  for  the  unlading  of  cotton  and  other  articles  ;  some  of  the  stores 
and  warehouses  appear  on  the  right  and  the  shipping  in  the  distance. 

In  1711,  all  the  inhabitants,  excepting  the  garrison  at  the  fort,  removed  to  the 
Mobile  River,  and  established  themselves  on  the  present  site  of  Mobile.  In  1763, 
Mobile  was  ceded  by  France  to  Great  Britain.  In  1780,  it  was  surrendered  to 
Spain,  and  in  April,  1813,  it  became  a  portion  of  the  United  States.  It  was  in 
corporated  as  a  city  in  1819. 

Fort  Morgan,  formerly  Fort  Bowyer,  stands  at  the  mouth  of  Mobile  Bay.  In 
September,  1814,  a  British  fleet,  under  Com.  Percy,  made  an  attack  on  the  fort, 
which  was  defended  by  Major  Lawrence,  with  130  men.  The  British  were  re 
pulsed  with  a  total  loss  of  232  men — the  American  loss  4  killed  and  4  wounded. 
The  victory  of  the  Americans  at  New  Orleans  forced  the  British  to  abandon  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi,  after  which  they  hovered  about  Mobile  Point.  Five 
thousand  men  landed  from  their  ships  and  prepared  to  reduce  the  fort.  Major 
Lawrence,  agreeably  to  a  council  of  officers,  negotiated  for  a  surrender,  and  the 
next  day,  February  12, 1815,  marched  out  of  the  fort  with  his  little  garrison,  with 
colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  They  took  quarters  on  board  the  British  ships- 
of-the-line  as  prisoners  of  war.  Soon  after  the  news  of  peace  was  received.  Great 
mortality  prevailed  among  the  British  shipping  at  this  time,  from  wounds  and 
disease,  and  hundreds  of  British  soldiers  were  entombed  among  the  white  sands 
of  Mobile  Point  and  Dauphin  Island. 

MONTGOMERY  CITY,  the  capital  of  Alabama,  is  on  an  elevated  bluff  on  the 
Alabama  River,  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  118  miles  southeasterly 
from  Tuscaloosa,  the  former  capital.  There  is  a  continuous  line  of  railroads  to 
New  York,  Savannah,  and  Charleston,  being  483  miles  from  the  latter  place.  It 


576 


ALABAMA. 


ia  connected  by  steamboat  navigation  with  Mobile,  from  which  place  it  is  distant, 
by  the  course  of  the  river,  328  miles.  Beside  the  state  house,  the  city  contains  a 
court-house,  churches  for  various  denominations,  and  several  splendid  public 
edifices  It  is  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  cotton  region,  and  commands  an  extensive 
trade.  Population  about  8,000.  Jt  was  laid  out  and  became  the  capital  of  the 
state  in  1817. 


Fort  Morgan,  Mobile  Point. 


Western  View  in  the  Central  part  of  Montgomery. 

The  reservoir  of  waste  water  from  the  Artesian  well  is  seen  in  the  foreground,  in  Gonrt  Square. 
The  State  House,  or  Capitol,  appears  in  the  distance,  on  elevated  ground,  at  the  head  of  Market-street, 
about  half  a  mile  distant  from  the  Reservoir. 

The  territory  of  the  present  county  of  Montgomery  contained  a  few  white  in 
habitants  as  early  as  1792.  The  ancient  Indian  name  for  the  location  on  which 
the  city  of  Montgomery  is  now  built,  was  Econchafe.  or  "Red  Earfh."  The  first 
settlers  were  traders,  who  located  at  the  southern  suburbs  of  the  city. 


ALABAMA.  577 

The  following  account  of  some*of  the  principal  events,  in  this  region  of 
country,  during  the  Creek  war  of  1813-14,  is  extracted  from  Perkins'  His 
tory.  The  massacre  at  Fort  Minims,  in  Aug.,  1813,  spread  consternation 
and  dismay  throughout  all  the  settlements  in  Alabama,  and  the  inhabitants 
fled  without  delay  to  various  places  for  safety.  The  neighboring  states  of 
Tennessee  and  Georgia  were  roused  to  vigorous  exertions.  A  body  of  1,800 
volunteers,  under  Gen.  Floyd,  were  marched  into  the  southern  section  of  the 
Creek  Nation,  from  the  state  of  Georgia.  The  legislature  of  Tennessee  passed 
an  act  to  raise  3,500  men  to  act  against  the  Indians,  and  $300,000  were  voted 
to  be  used  to  defray  the  expenses.  Generals  Jackson  and  Cocke  were  ap 
pointed  commanders. 

"  The  first  object  to  which  the  troops  under  General  Jackson  were  directed,  was 
their  encampments  at  the  Tallustaches  towns,  on  the  Coosa  river,  a  northern  branch 
of  the  Alabama.  On  the  2d  of  November,  General  Coffee  was  detached  with  a 
part  of  his  brigade  of  cavalry,  and  a  corps  of  mounted  riflemen,  amounting  to  nine 
hundred,  against  this  assemblage.  He  arrived  on  the  morning  of  the  third,  and 
encircled  the  encampment  with  his  cavalry  ;  when  he  had  approached  within  half 
a  mile,  the  Creeks  sounded  the  war-whoop  and  prepared  for  action.  Captain  Ham 
mond's  arid  Lieutenant  Patterson's  companies  advanced  within  the  circle  and  gave 
a  few  shots  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  out  the  enemy.  The  Creeks  formed  and  made 
a  violent  charge.  Captain  Hammond,  according  to  his  orders,  gave  way,  and  was 
pursued  by  the  Indians,  until  they  met  the  right  column,  which  gave  them  a  gen 
eral  fire,  and  then  charged.  The  Indians  immediately  retreated  within  and  behind 
their  buildings,  and  fought  with  desperation ;  but  their  destruction  was  soon  ac 
complished.  The  soldiers  rushed  up  to  the  doors  of  their  houses,  broke  them  open, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  killed  the  last  warrior  of  them:  not  one  escaped  to  carry  the 
news.  None  asked  for  quarters,  but  fought  as  long  as  they  could  stand  or  sit,  and 
met  death  in  various  shapes  without  a  groan.  Two  hundred  warriors  were  killed, 
eighty-four  women  and  children  taken  prisoners  and  discharged;  of  General  Coffee's 
troops  only  five  were  killed,  and  forty-one  wounded. 

General  Jackson  established  his  head-quarters  at  the  Ten  Islands  on  the  Coosa, 
and  fortified  his  position,  giving  it  the  name  of  Camp  Strother.  On  the  evening  of 
the  7th  of  November,  a  runner  arrived  from  the  friendly  Indians  at  the  Tallageda 
fort,  thirty  miles  below  on  the  same  river,  giving  information  that  the  hostile  Creeks 
had  encamped  in  great  force  near  that  place,  and  were  preparing  to  destroy  it,  ear 
nestly  soliciting  immediate  assistance.  Genera}  Jackson  determined  on  commenc 
ing  his  march  the  same  night,  and  dispatched  a  runner  to  General  White,  inform 
ing  him  of  his  movement,  and  urging  him  to  hasten  his  march  to  Camp  Strother, 
to  protect  it  in  his  absence.  He  had  previously  ordered  General  White  to  form  a 
junction  with  him  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  received  his  assurances  that  he 
would  be  with  him  on  the  7th.  General  Jackson  immediately  commenced  crossing 
the  river  at  the  Ten  Islands,  leaving  his  baggage  wagons  and  whatever  might  retard 
his  progress  in  the  camp,  and  halted  at  midnight  within  six  miles  of  the  Tallageda. 
Here  a'runner  arrived  with  a  note  from  General  White  informing  him  that  he  had 
altered  his  course,  and  was  on  his  march  back  to  join  General  Cocke  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chataga. 

Battle  of  Tallageda. — It  was  then  too  late  for  the  general  to  change  his  plan  of 
operations,  or  make  any  new  arrangements.  He  renewed  his  march  at  three 
o'clock,  and  at  sunrise,  came  within  half  a  mile  of  his  enemy,  whom  he  found  en 
camped  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  fort.  He  immediately  formed  the 
line  of  battle;  the  militia  on  the  left,  the  volunteers  on  the  right,  and  the  cavalry 
on  the  wings;  and  advanced  in  a  curve,  keeping  his  rear  connected  with  the  ad 
vance  of  the  infantry  line,  so  as  to  inclose  the  enemy  in  a  circle.  The  advance 
guard  met  the  attack  of  the  Indians  with  intrepidity,  and  having  poured  upon  them 
four  or  five  rounds,  fell  back  to  the  main  body.  The  enemy  pursued,  and  were 
met  by  the  front  line.  This  line  was  broken,  and  several  companies  of  militia  re- 

37 


578  ALABAMA. 

treated.  At  this  moment  a  corps  of  cavalry  lender  Lieutenant  Colonel  Dyer,  which 
was  kept  as  a  reserve,  were  ordered  to  dismount  and  fill  the  vacancy.  -The  order 
was  promptly  executed,  the  militia  soon  rallied,  and  returned  to  the  charge.  The 
fire  now  became  general  along  the  first  line  and  the  contiguous  wings.  The  Indi 
ans  fled,  and  were  met  and  pursued  in  every  direction.  The  right  wing  followed 
them  with  a  destructive  fire  to,  the  mountains,  three  miles  distant.  Two  hundred 
and  ninety  of  their  warriors  were  found  dead,  and  a  large  number  killed  in  the 
pursuit,  who  were  not  found.  General  Jackson  lost  fifteen  men  killed,  and  eighteen 
wounded.  In  consequence  of  the  failure  of  General  White  to  proceed  to  Camp 
Strother,  General  Jackson  was  obliged  to  give  up  further  pursuit,  and  immediately 
return  to  his  camp  to  protect  his  sick,  wounded,  and  baggage." 

Gen.  White,  who  considered  himself  as  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Cocke, 
was  ordered  by  that  officer  to  attack  the  Hillabee  towns.  On  the  morning 
of  the  18th  of  November,  he  surrounded  and  surprised  the  town  of  the  Hil- 
labees,  killed  60  warriors,  took  256  prisoners,  and  returned  to  Fort  Arm 
strong  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  either  killed  or  wounded.  While  the 
Tennessee  forces  were  performing  these  operations  in  the  northern  sections 
of  the  Creek  country,  the  Georgia  troops,  under  Gen.  Floyd,  entered  their 
territory  from  the  east. 

"  The  general,  having  received  information  that  a  number  of  hostile  Indians  had 
assembled  at  the  Autosee  towns,  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Talapoosa,  eighteen 
miles  from  the  Hickory  ground,  and  twenty  above  the  junction  of  that  river  with 
the  Coosa,  proceeded  to  that  place  with  a  corps  of  nine  hundred  and  fifty  militia, 
and  four  hundred  friendly  Indians ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  of  November, 
at  half  past  six,  appeared  in  line  of  battle,  in  front  of  the  principal  town.  The 
Indians  presented  themselves  at  every  point,  and  fought  with  desperate  fury.  The 
well  directed  fire  of  the  artillery,  and  the  charge  of  the  bayonet,  soon  drove  them 
from  the  ground,  and  obliged  them  to  take  shelter  in  the  copses,  thickets,  and  out 
houses  in  rear  of  the  town.  Many  concealed  themselves  in  caves  previously  pro 
vided  as  places  of  retreat,  along  the  high  bluffs  on  the  river,  which  were  thickly 
covered  with  reeds  and  brush-wood.  The  friendly  Indians  were  divided  into  four 
companies,  under  leaders  of  their  own  choice,  and  directed  to  cross  Canhabee 
Creek,  and  occupy  that  flank  to  prevent  escapes  from  the  Tallisee  town,  situated 
about  one  hundred  rods  below  the  Autosee.  Instead  of  obeying  this  order,  soon 
after  the  action  commenced,  most  of  them  thronged  in  disorder  into  the  rear  of  the 
lines;  but  the  Covetans  under  M'Intosh,  and  the  Tookabotchians,  under  Mad  Dog's 
son,  joined  the  flanks  of  the  militia,  and  fought  with  a  bravery  equal  to  disciplined 
troops.  At  nine  o'clock,  the  Indians  were  completely  driven  from  the  plain,  and 
the  nouses  of  both  towns  were  in  flames.  Warriors  from  eight  towns  had  assem 
bled  at  Autosee,  which  their  prophets  had  taught  them  to  believe  was  holy  ground, 
on  which  no  white  man  could  tread  without  inevitable  destruction.  Four  hundred 
buildings  were  burned,  some  of  which  were  of  a  superior  cast  for  the  dwellings  of 
savages.  The  loss  of  the  Indians  was  estimated  at  two  hundred  killed ;  among 
whom  were  the  Autosee  and  Tallisee  kings.  The  number  of  wounded  could  not 
be  ascertained,  as  they  were  taken  oft'  by  their  friends,  but  must  have  been  very 
considerable.  General  Floyd  was  severely  wounded,  and  Adjutant  General  New 
man  slightly.  The  whole  loss  of  the  Georgians  was  eleven  killed,  and  fifty-four 
wounded.  The  friendly  Indians  lost  several  killed  and  wounded,  but  their  loss  was 
not  great,  as  most  of  them  sought  places  of  safety  at  the  commencement  of  the 
action.  From  the  Autosee  towns,  General  Floyd,  after  resting  several  days,  pro 
ceeded  to  Camp  Defiance,  fifty  miles  further  to  the  west,  into  the  enemy's  county. 
At  this  place,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  January,  his  camp  was  as 
sailed  by  a  desperate  band  of  hostile  Indians,  who  stole  unobserved  upon  the  sen 
tinels,  fired  on  them,  and  immediately  rushed  on  the  lines.  In  twenty  minutes  the 
troops  were  formed  in  order  of  battle,  and  the  action  became  general.  The  front 
and  both  flanks  were  closely  pressed  once,  but  the  skillful  conduct  of  the  officers, 
and  firmness  of  the  men,  repulsed  the  enemy  at  every  point." 

On  January  17, 1814,  Gen.  Jackson,  finding  himself  in  a  situation  to  com- 


ALABAMA.  579 

mence  fufther  offensive  operations,  marched  from  his  encampment  at  Fort 
Strothcr,  with  900  volunteers,  who  were  soon  afterward  joined  by  300  friendly 
Indians.  Marching  against  the  Creeks,  collected  at  the  great  bend  of  the 
Tallapoosa,  he  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  on  Jan.  22d,  at  Emuckfau,  with 
great  fury.  Gen.  Jackson,  being  on  the  alert,  encamped  his  men  in  a  hollow 
squivc,  stood  his  ground,  and  forced  the  enemy  to  retire.  Being  somewhat 
crippled,  and  rather  short  of  provisions,  Jackson  began  a  retreat  to  Fort 
Strothcr.  When  at  Enotoclwplco  Creek,  he  was  again  attacked,  and  he  once 
more  succeeded  in  putting  his  enemies  to  flight.  In  these  two  conflicts,  the 
American  loss  was  20  killed  and  75  wounded;  among  the  killed  were  Maj. 
Donaldson  and  Capt.  Hamilton.  The  Indians  lost  at  least  189  warriors. 

The  Creeks  still  continued  to  concentrate  their  forces  at  the  great  bend  of 
the  Tallapoosa,  usually  called  Horse  Shoe  by  the  whites,  and  TohopeJca  by  the 
Indians,  a  word  in  their  language  said  to  signify  a  horse  shoe.  The  penin 
sula  formed  by  the  bend  contained  about  100  acres,  on  which  was  a  village 
of  some  200  houses.  About  1,000  Indians,  from  the  adjoining  districts,  had 
fortified  themselves  on  the  peninsula  with  great  skill,  having  a  formidable 
breastwork  built  of  large  logs.  They  had  also  an  ample  supply  of  provis 
ions  and  ammunition. 

"On  the  16th  of  March,  1814,  GeneralJackson,  having  received  considerable 
reinforcements  of  volunteers  from  Tennessee,  and  friendly  Indians,  left  Fort  Stro- 
ther  with  his  whole  disposable  force,  amounting  to  about  three  thousand  of  every 
description,  on  an  expedition  against  this  assemblage  of  Indians.  He  proceeded 
down  the  Coosa  sixty  miles  to  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek,  where  he  established  a 
post  called  Fort  Williams,  and  proceeded  on  the  24th  across  the  ridge  of  land  di 
viding  the  waters  of  the  Coosa  from  the  Tallapoosa;  and  arrived  at  the  great  bend 
on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  having  the  three  preceding  days  opened  a  passage 
through  the  wilderness  of  fifty-two  miles.  On  the  26th  he  passed  the  battle  ground 
of  the  22d  of  January,  and  left  it  three  miles  in  his  rear.  General  Coffee  was  de 
tached  with  seven  hundred  cavalry,  and  mounted  gunmen,  and  six  hundred  friendly 
Indians,  to  cross  the  river  below  the  bend,  secure  the  opposite  banks,  and  prevent 
escape.  Having  crossed  at  the  Little  Island  ford,  three  miles  below  the  bend,  his 
Indians  were  ordered  silently  to  approach  and  line  the  banks  of  the  river,  while 
the  mounted  men  occupied  the  adjoining  hights,  to  guard  against  reinforcements, 
which  might  be  expected  from  the  Oakfusky  towns,  eight  miles  below.  Lieutenant 
Bean,  at  the  same  time,  was  ordered  to  occupy  Little  Island,  at  the  fording-place, 
to  secure  any  that  might  attempt  to  escape  in  that  direction.  In  the  mean  time, 
General  Jackson,  with  the  artillery  and  infantry,  moved  on  in  slow  and  regular 
order  to  the  isthmus,  and  planted  his  guns  on  an  eminence  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  in  front  of  the  breastwork.  On  perceiving  that  General  Coffee  had  completed 
his  arrangements  below,  he  opened  a  fire  upon  the  fortification,  but  found  he  could 
make  no  other  impression  with  his  artillery  than  boring  shot-holes  through  the  logs. 
General  Coffee's  Indians  on  the  bank,  hearing  the  roaring  of  the  cannon  in  front, 
and  observing  considerable  confusion  on  the  peninsula,  supposing  the  battle  to  be 
nearly  won,  crossed  over  and  set  fire  to  the  village,  and  attacked  the  Creeks  in  the 
rear.  At  this  moment  General  Jackson  ordered  an  assault  upon  the  works  in  front. 
The  regular  troops,  led  by  Colonel  Williams,  accompanied  by  a  part  of  the  militia 
of  General  Dougherty's  brigade,  led  on  by  Colonel  Russell,  presently  got  possession 
of  a  part  of  the  works,  amid  a  tremendous  fire  from  behind  thenL  The  advance 
guard  was  led  by  Colonel  Sisler,  and  the  left  extremity  of  the  line  by  Captain  Gor 
don  of  the  spies,  and  Captain  M" Marry  of  General  Johnson's  brigade  of 'West 
Tennessee  militia  The  battle  for  a  short  time  was  obstinate,  and  fought  muskefc 
to  musket  through  the  port-holes;  when  the  assailants  succeeded  in  getting  posses 
sion  of  the  opposite  side  of  the  works,  and  the  contest  ended.  The  Creeks  were 
entirely  routed,  and  the  whole  margin  of  the  river  strewed  with  the  slain.  The 
troops  under  General  Jackson,  and  General  Coffee's  Indians,  who  had  crossed  over 
into  the  peninsula,  continued  the  work  of  destruction  as  long  as  there  was  a 


580  ALABAMA. 

to  be  found.  General  Coffee,  on  seeing  his  Indians  crossing  over,  had  ordered  their 
places  to  be  supplied  on  the  bank  by  his  riflemen;  and  every  Indian  that  attempted 
to  escape  by  swimming  the  river,  or  crossing  the  Little  Island  below,  was  met  and 
slain  by  General  Coffee's  troops.  The  battle,  as  long  as  any  appearance  of  resist 
ance  remained,  lasted  five  hours;  the  slaughter  continued  until  dark,  and  was  re 
newed  the  next  morning,  when  sixteen  more  of  the  unfortunate  savages  wore 
hunted  out  of  their  hiding-places  and  slain.  Five  hundred  and  fifty-seven  warriors 
were  found  dead  on  the  peninsula;  among  whom  was  their  famous  prophet  Mana- 
holl,  and  two  others,  the  principal  instigators  of  the  war;  two  hundred  and  fifty 
more  were  estimated  to  have  been  killed  in  crossing  the  river,  and  at  other  places, 
which  were  not  found.  General  Jackson's  loss  was  twenty-six  white  men,  and 
twenty  three  Indians,  killed ;  and  one  hundred  and  seven  white  men,  and  forty- 
seven  Indians,  wounded. 

This  decisive  victory  put  an  end  to  the  Creek  war.  In  the  short  period  of  five 
months,  from  the  first  of  November  to  the  first  of  April,  two  thousand  of  their 
warriors,  among  whom  were  their  principal  prophets  and  kings,  had  been  slain, 
most  of  their  towns  and  villages  burned,  and  the  strong  places  in  their  territory 
occupied  by  the  United  States  troops.  After  this  battle,  the  miserable  remnant 
of  the  hostile  tribes  submitted.  Weatherford,  the  principal  surviving  chief  and 
prophet,  who  led  the  Indians  at  Fort  Minims,  accompanied  his  surrender  with  this 
address  to  General  Jackson : 

'  I  fought  at  Fort  Minims — I  fought  the  Georgia  army — I  did  you  all  the  injury  I  could.  Had  I  been 
vupported  as  I  was  promised,  I  would  have  done  you  more.  But  my  warriors  are  all  killed.  I  can  fight 
no  longer.  I  look  back  with  sorrow  that  I  have  brought  destruction  upon  iny  nation.  I  urn  now  in  your 
lower.  Do  with  me  as  you  please.  I  am  a  soldier.' " 


Eastern  View  of  Selina. 

The  above  shows  the  appearance  of  Sulma  steamboat  landing,  as  it  is  approached  sailing  down  the  river; 
*»n  tho  right,  on  the  elevated  limestone  banks,  is  seen  the  commencement  of  the  Alabama  and  Tennessee 
Railroad,  also  the  apparatus  for  conveying  coal  to  the  boats  below  The  warehouses  for  cotton,  etc.,  from 
which  cotton  bales  are  conveyed  by  slides  to  the  steamboats,  appear  in  the  central  part. 

SELMA,  Dallas  county,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Alabama  River,  is 
situated  82  miles  westward  of  Montgomery,  by  the  river,  and  10  miles 
above  Cahaba,  and  about  150  above  Mobile.  It  has  about  4000  in 
habitants,  and  several  iron  foundries  and  other  manufacturing  estab 
lishments.  Two  railroads,  the  Alabama  and  Mississippi  and  the  Ala 
bama  and  Tennessee  River,  diverge  from  this  place.  It  is  situated  in 
the  midst  of  a  fertile  cotton  growing  section,  and  large  quantities  of 
cotton  are  shipped  at  this  point. 


ALABAMA.  581 

,  the  capital  of  Perry  county,  is  situated  26  miles  N.  from. 
Sol  ma,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  railroad.  It  is  in  an  elevated, 
broken,  and  dry  region,  distant  from  any  river,  creek,  or  swamp,  and 
is  remarkable  for  salubrity.  The  village  contains  about  three  thous 
and  inhabitants. 

At  the  commencement.of  hostilities  with  Great  Britain  in  1812,  Te- 
cumseh,  the  celebrated  Shavvnee  chieftain,  visited  the  southern  Indians, 
and  by  his  arts  of  persuasion  induced  them  to  take  up  arms  against 
the  United  States.  Gen.  Claiborne,  who  was  appointed  to  the  de 
fense  of  the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Mobile,  proceeded  to  Fort  Stod- 
dart,  situated  on  the  Mobile  River,  upward  of  forty  miles  above  its 
mouth.  From  this  point  he  sent  the  soldiers  under  his  command  to 
defend  the  settlements.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Ten  saw  district,  on 
the  Alabama,  fled  to  Fort  Mimms,  on  that  river,  about  16  miles  above. 
This  fort  was  built  about  the  residence  of  Samuel  Mimms,  a  mile  east 
from  the  Alabama  River,  and  two  miles  below  the  cut-off.  It  was  gar 
risoned  by  150  soldiers,  under  Major  Beasly;  these,  with  the  white 
settlers,  the  friendly  Indians,  and  negroes,  amounted  to  553  persons, 
who  were  crowded  together  in  an  Alabama  swamp,  in  the  month  of 
August.  About  1000  Creek  warriors  stole  up  near  the  fort,  and 
there  lay  in  ambush,  ready  for  a  bloody  onset:  among  their  leaders 
was  the  celebrated  Weatherford.  On  the  30th  of  August,  1813,  in  an 
unsuspecting  moment,  while  the  soldiers  were  about  dining,  the  In 
dians  issued  from  their  hiding-places  and  advanced  to  within  a  few  rods 
before  the  alarm  was  given. 

"As  the  sentinel  cried  out  '  Indians,'  they  gave  a  war-whoop,  and  rushed  in  at 
the  gate  before  the  garrison  had  time  to  shut  it.  This  decided  their  fate.  Major 
Beasly  was  mortally  wounded  at  the  commencement  of  the  assault;  he  ordered 
his  men  to  secure  the  ammunition,  and  retreat  into  the  house ;  he  was  himself 
carried  into  the  kitchen,  and  afterward  consumed  in  the  flames.  The  fort  was 
originally  square,  but  Major  Beasly  had  enlarged  it  by  extending  the  lines  upon 
two  sides  about  fifty  feet,  and  putting  up  a  new  side,  into  which  the  gate  was  re 
moved;  the  old  lines  of  pickets  were  standing,  and  the  Indians,  on  rushing  in  at 
the  gate,  obtained  possession  of  the  outer  part,  and  through  the  port  holes  of  the 
old  line  of  pickets,  fired  on  the  people  who  held  the  interior.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  fort  was  an  offset  or  bastion  made  round  the  back  gate,  which,  being 
open  on  the  outside,  was  occupied  by  the  Indians,  who,  with  the  axes  that  lay 
scattered  about,  cut  down  the  gate.  The  people  in  the  fort  kept  possession  of  the 
port  holes  on  the  other  lines,  and  fired  on  the  Indians  who  remained  on  the  out 
side.  Some  of  the  Indians  ascended  the  block-house  at  one  of  the  corners,  and 
fired  on  the  garrison  below,  but  were  soon  dislodged ;  they  succeeded,  however,  in 
setting  fire  to  a  house  near  the  pickets,  which  communicated  to  the  kitchen,  and 
from  thence  to  the  main  dwelling-house.  When  the  people  in  the  fort  saw  the 
Indians  in  full  possession  of  the  outer  court,  the  gate  open,  the  men  fast  falling, 
and  their  houses  in  flames,  they  gave  up  all  for  lost,  and  a  scene  of  the  most  dis 
tressing  horror  ensued.  The  women  and  children  sought  refuge  in  the  upper 
story  of  the  dwelling  house,  and  were  consumed  in  the  flames,  the  Indians  dancing 
and  yelling  round  them  with  the  most  savage  delight.  Those  who  were  without 
the  buildings  were  murdered  and  scalped  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex;  sev 
enteen  only  escaped.  The  battle  and  massacre  lasted  from  eleven  in  the  forenoon 
until  six  in  the  afternoon,  by  which  time  the  work  of  destruction  was  fully  com 
pleted,  the  fort  and  buildings  entirely  demolished,  and  upward  of  four  hundred, 
men,  women,  and  children  massacred. 

"  General  Claiborne  dispatched  Major  Joseph  P.  Kennedy,  with  a  strong  detach 
ment  to  Fort  Mimms,  from  his  headquarters  at  Mount  Vernon,  for  the  purpose 


582 


ALABAMA. 


of  burying  the  dead.  Upon  arriving  there,  Kennedy  found  the  air  darkened  with 
buzzards,  and  hundreds  of  dogs,  which  had  run  wild,  gnawing  upon  the  human 
carcasses.  The  troops,  with  heavy  hearts,  succeeded  in  interring  many  bodies  1n 
two  large  pits,  which  they  dug.  'Indians,  negroes,  white  men,  women,  and  chil 
dren,  lay  in  one  promiscuous  ruin.  All  were  scalped,  and  the  females  of  every 
age  were  butchered  in  a  manner  which  neither  decency  nor  language  permit  me 
to  describe.  The  main  building  was  burned  to  ashes,  which  were  filled  with  bones. 
The  plains  and  woods  around  were  covered  with  dead  bodies.  All  the  houses  were 
consumed  by  fire,  except  the  block-house,  and  a  part  of  the  pickets.  The  soldiers 
and  officers,  with  one  voice,  called  on  Divine  Providence  to  revertge  the  death  of 
our  murdered  friends.' " 


Outline  Vieio  of  the  University  of  Alabama,  Tuscaloosa. 

William  Weatherford,  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  war  chiefs  of  the  Creek 
Confederacy,  was  born  in  the  Creek  Nation :  his  father  was  an  itinerant  pedlar  and 
his  mother  a  full  blooded  Indian  of  the  Seminole  tribe.  He  is  said  to  have  pos 
sessed  the  bad  qualities  of  both  his  parents,  combined  with  many  traits  peculiarly 
his  own.  In  person  he  was  tall,  strait,  and  well  proportioned.  His  judgment  and 
eloquence  had  secured  the  respect  of  the.  old ;  his  vices  made  him  the  idol  of  the 
young  and  unprincipled.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  entered  fully  into  the  views 
of  Tecumseh,  and  was  the  principal  leader  at  the  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms.  After 
the  final  defeat,  at  the  battle  of  the  Horse-shoe,  he  voluntarily  came  into  the  can>o 
of  Gen.  Jackson ;  it  was  on  this  occasion  that  he  made  his  celebrated  speech 

"  /  am  in  your  power — do  with  me  as  you  please — I  am  a,  soldier.  I  have  done  the  whites  all 
the  harm  I  could.  I  have  fought  them,  and  fought  them  bravely.  If  I  had  an  army,  I  itrottld  y&t 
fight — /  would  contend  to  the  last :  but  I  have  none.  My  people  are  all  gone.  I  can  only  weep 
over  the  misfortunes  of  my  nation." 

General  Jackson  was  pleased  with  his  boldness,  and  told  him  that  though  he  was 
in  his  power,  yet  he  would  take  no  advantage ;  that  he  might  yet  join  the  war  party, 
and  contend  against  the  Americans,  if  he  "chose,  but  to  depend  upon  no  quarter  if 
taken  afterward;  and  that  unconditional  submission  was  his  and  his  people's  only 
safety.  Weatherford  replied,  in  a  tone  as  dignified  as  indignant : 

"  You  can  safely  address  me  in  such  terms  now.  There  ivas  a  time  when  I  could  have  answered 
you — there  was  a  time  when  I  had  a  choice — /  have  none  now.  I  have  not  even  a  hope.  I  could 
once  animate  my  warriors  to  battle — but  I  can  not  animate  the  dead.  My  warriors  can  no  longer 
hear  my  voice.  T heir  bones  are  at  Talladega,  Tallunhatehes,  Emuckfaw,  and  Tohopeka.  I  have 
not  surrendered  myself  without  thought.  While  there  was  a  single  chance  of  success,  I  never  left 
my  post,  nor  supplicated  peace.  But  my  people  are  gone,  and  I  now  asJe  it  for  my  nation,  not  for 
myself.  I  look  back  with  deep  sorrow,  and  wish  to  avert  still  greater  calamities.  If  I  had  been 
left,  to  contend  with  the  Georgia  army,  I  would  have  raised  my  corn  o»  one  bank  of  the  river,  and 
fought  them  on  the  other.  But  your  people  have  destroyed  my  nation.  You  are  a  brave  man.  I 
rely  upon  your  generosity.  You  will  exact  no  terms  of  a  conquered  people,  but  such  as  they  should 
accede  to.  Whatever  they  may  be,  it  would  now  be  madness  and  folly  to  oppose  them.  If  they  are 
opposed,  you  shall  find  me  amongst  the  sternest  enforcers  of  obedience.  Those  who  would  still 
hold  out,  can  be  influenced  only  by  a  mean  spirit  of  revenge.  To  this  they  must  not,  and  shall  not 
sacrifice  the  last  remnant  of  their  country.  You  have  told  our  nation  where  we  might  go  and  be 
safe.  This  is  good  talk,  and  they  ought  to  listen  to  it.  They  shall  listen  to  it." 

After  the  war  was  over,  he  became  a  citizen  of  Monroe  county. 


ALABAMA. 


583 


TUSCALOOSA  is  situated  on  the  S.  E.  side  of  Black  Warrior  River,  94  N.  W.  of 
Montgomery,  120  S.  W.  of  Huntsville,  and  217  from  Mobile.  It  is  regularly 
built,  on  an  elevated  plain  at  the  lower  falls  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  steamboat 
navigation,  and  until  1847  was  the  capital  of  the  state.  It  contains  the  old  state 
house,  the  University  of  Alabama;  population  about  3,000.  The  University  of 
Alabama  went  into  operation  in  1831. 


View  of  the  Public  Square,  ffuntnvillc. 

The  engraving  shows  the  Court  House  iu  tbe  center;  on  the  right,  in  the  distance,  appears  the  front  of 
the  Northern  Bank  of  Alahama.  * 

HUNTSVILLE,  the  shire  town  of  Madison  county,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
well  built  places  in  the  gouthern  States,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Charleston  and  Mem 
phis  railroad,  abont  10  miles  N.  of  the  Tennessee  River,  217  N.  from  Montgomery, 
and  211  from  Memphis,  Tenn.  It  has  many  handsome  private  dwellings,  and 
presents  many  attractions  for  a  permanent  residence.  Population  about  5,000. 
Huntsville  received  its  name  from  Capt.  John  Hunt,  a  revolutionary  soldier,  the 
first  settler,  who  located  himself  near  the  spring  which  supplies  the  city. 

Wetumpka  is  on  the  E.  side  of  Coosa  River,  13  miles  northeasterly  from  Mont 
gomery.  It  has  a  fine  site,  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  and  is  a  place 
of  considerable  trade.  The  state  penitentiary  was  located  here  in  October,  1851. 
Population  about  3,000.  The  Harrowgate  Springs,  in  the  south  border  of  the  city, 
are  much  resorted  to  during  the  summer  months. 

Florence,  the  capital  of  Lauderdale  county,  was  laid  out  in  1818.  It  is  on  the 
N.  side  of  the  Tennessee  River,  immediately  below  the  Muscle  Shoals,  and  197 
miles  N.  W.  of  Montgomery.  It  is  on  an  elevated  plain,  100  feet  above  the  river, 
which,  when  full,  is  navigable  for  steamboats  to  the  Ohio.  Population  about 
2,000. 

Tuscumbia  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  five  miles  below  Florence,  and 
346  miles  N.  from  Mobile.  It  is  on  the  line  of  the  Charleston  and  Memphis 
railroad,  144  miles  east  from  Memphis.  Population  3,000. 


MISSISSIPPI. 


THE  name  of  this  state  is  from  the  Indian  words  Meach-Chassippi,  .signi 
fying  "Father  of  Rivers."  The  first  Europeans  who  traversed  its  soil  were 

De  Soto  and  his  followers,  in  their 
celebrated  expedition  in  search  of 
gold,  about  the  year  1540.  The  In 
dians  inhabiting  its  territory  were  the 
ChoctawSj  Chickasaws,  Natchez,  etc. 
For  a  great  part  of  the  time  until  the 
cession  of  1763,  most  of  these  tribes 
or  nations  were  in  a  state  of  warfare 
with  the  white  intruders.  La  Salle, 
descending  the  rivers  from  the  Illinois 
country,  in  1681,  visited  the  part  of 
the  state  bordering  on  the  Mississippi, 
but  the  first  attempt  to  found  perma 
nent  settlements  on  this  river  were 
made,  in  1698,  by  Ibberville,  the  gov 
ernor  of  Louisiana.  His  colony  ar 
rived  at  Ship  Island  in  1700,  and  after 
exploring  along  and  beyond  the  Mis 
sissippi,  the  parties  returned  and  built  a  fort  at  Biloxi,  at  the  mouth  of  a 
river  of  that  name,  about  20  miles  N.  of  the  island. 

In  1716,  Bienville,  one  of  the  governors  of  Louisiana,  sailed  up  the  Mis 
sissippi  as  far  as  Natchez,  erected  and  garrisoned  a  fortification,  which  he 
called  "Fort  Rosalie."  This  spot  had  been  marked  down  by  Ibberville,  in 
1700,  as  an  eligible  site  for  a  town,  of  which  he  drew  a  plan,  and  which  he 
called  Rosalie,  the  maiden  name  of  the  Countess  Ponchartrain,  of  France. 

In  1729,  the  Natchez  Indians  formed  a  conspiracy  against  the  French  col 
onists,  by  whom  they  considered  themselves  aggrieved.  On  the  28th  of 
November,  they  fell  upon  the  inhabitants  by  surprise,  and  about  700  hun 
dred  Frenchmen  were  massacred.  The  French  governor  of  Louisiana,  M. 
Perier,  resolved  on  avenging  the  massacre,  sent  to  the  Choctaws,  who  fur 
nished  a  body  of  about  1,600  warriors  to  assist  the  French  against  the 
Natchez.  The  Natchez,  being  besieged  in  their  fort  by  the  French,  had  the 
address,  during  the  night,  to  make  their  escape.  Learning  afterward,  that 
they  had  fortified  themselves  west  of  the  Mississippi,  the  French  followed 
them  thither,  and  compelled  them  to  surrender.  They  were  taken  to  New 

585 


Amis  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 


586  MISSISSIPPI. 

Orleans,  and  afterward  transported  as  slaves  to  St.  Domingo.  Thus  perished 
the  Natchez  nation,  "the  most  illustrious  in  Louisiana." 

The  Chickasaws  were  the  dread  of  the  French  colonists,  as  they  had  incited 
the  Natchez  against  them.  They  occupied  a  large  and  beautiful  tract  east 
of  the  Mississippi,  at  the  head  of  the  Tombighee.  This  they  would  not  allow 
the  French  to  settle,  but  maintained  their  independence.  In  1736,  a  force 
from  New  Orleans,  under  Bienville,  sailed  for  Mobile  in  thirty  barges  and 
thirty  large  pirogues.  Proceeding  up  the  Tombigbee,  they  were  joined  by 
1,200  Choctaw  warriors,  and  the  combined  force  moved  up  to  the  present  site 
of  Cotton-gin  Port,  nearly  five  hundred  miles,  by  the  river,  from  Mobile,  to 
within  about  27  miles  of  the  stronghold  of  the  Chickasaws,  in  the  present 
county  of  Pontotoc.  Having  completed  a  stockade,  and  left  a  guard,  Bien 
ville  advanced  against  the  enemy.  A.s  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Chickasaw 
fort,  on  the  26th  of  May,  the  British  flag  was  seen  waving  over  its  walls,  and 
j(>  was  known  that  British  traders  were  in  the  fort  conducting  the  defense. 

The  French  column  advanced  to  the  assault,  with  the  cheering  shout  of 
''  Vive  le  Roi."  Twice  during  the  day  was  the  assault  renewed  with  fire  and 
sword,  but  they  were  repulsed  by  the  terrible  fire  from  the  fort,  and  having 
lost  about  100  men,  in  killed  and  wounded,  Bienville  soon  after  broke  up 
his  encampment  and  took  up  the  retrograde  line. of  march.  Having  dis 
missed  the  Choctaws  with  presents,  he  threw  his  cannon  into  the  Tombigbee, 
and  floated  down  the  river  to  Fort  Conde,  and  from  thence  to  New  Orleans. 

One  important  part  of  the  plan  of  the  campaign  against  the  Chickasaws, 
was  to  have  the  co-operation  of  a  force  of  French  and  Indians  from  Canada. 
D'Artaguette,  the  pride  and  flower  of  the  French  at  the  north,  procured  the 
aid  of  '"Chicago"  the  Illinois  chief  from  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  His 
lieutenant  was  the  gallant  Vincennes,  from  the  settlement  on  the  Wabash. 
These  heroes  came  down  the  river  unobserved  to  the  last  Chickasaw  bluff, 
and  from  thence  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  the  country.  On  the  10th  of 
May,  they  encamped,  it  is  supposed,  about  six  miles  east  of  the  present  town 
of  Pontotoc,  near  the  appointed  place  of  rendezvous  with  the  force  of  Bienville. 
Having  waited  for  some  time  in  vain  for  intelligence  from  the  chief  commander, 
the  Indian  allies  of  D'Artaguette  became  impatient  for  war  and  plunder,  and 
could  not  be  restrained,  when  D'Artaguette  consented  to  lead  them  to  the 
attack.  He  drove  the  Chickasaws  from  two  of  their  fortified  villages,  but 
was  severely  wounded  in  his  attack  on  the  third.  His  allies,  the  red  men  of 
Illinois,  dismayed  at  this  check,  fled  precipitately,  and  D'Artaguette  was 
left  weltering  in  his  blood.  Vincennes,  his  lieutenant,  and  the  Jesuit  Senat, 
their  spiritual  guide  and  friend,  refusing  to  fly,  shared  the  captivity  of  their 
gallant  leader.  They  were  treated  with  great  care  and  attention  by  the 
Chickasaws,  who  were  in  hopes  of  obtaining  a  great  ransom  from  Bienville, 
then  advancing  into  their  country.  After  his  retreat,  the  Chickasaws,  de 
spairing  of  receiving  anything  for  their  prisoners,  tortured  and  burnt  them 
over  a  slow  fire,  leaving  but  one  alive  to  relate  their  fate  to  their  country 
men. 

In  1763,  France  relinquished  to  Great  Britain  all  her  possessions  east  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  to  Spain  all  west  of  that  river,  and  also  the  Island  of 
Orleans.  Spain,  at  the  same  time,  gave  up  Florida  to  the  British.  In  1783, 
the  country  north  of  the  parallel  of  31°  north  latitude,  was  included  in  the 
limits  of  the  United  States,  by  the  treaty  acknowledging  their  independence, 
and  the  Floridas  reverted  to  the  Spanish  crown.  By  its  charter,  the  Georgia 
limits  extended  to  the  Mississippi.  In  1795,  its  legislature  sold  22,000,000 


MISSISSIPPI.    t  587 

acres  of  land  in  Mississippi,  called  the  Tazoo  purchase,  to  four  companies, 
for  $500,000,  who  after.ward  sold  it,  at  advanced  prices,  to  various  persons, 
mostly  in  the  eastern  and  middle  states.  The  next  year  the  legislature  de 
clared  the  sale  unconstitutional,  and  ordered  the  records  of  it  to  be  burnt. 
The  southern  section  of  the  state  was  within  the  limits  of  Florida,  and  was 
purchased  of  Spain  in  1821.  In  1798,  a  large  part  of  the  area  now  com 
prising  the  states  of  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  constituted  the  "Mississippi 
Territory."  In  1817,  the  state  of  Mississippi  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 

Mississippi  is  situated  between  30°  10'  and  35°  N.  Lat.,  and  between  80° 
30'  and  81°  35'  W.  Long.  It  is  339  miles  long  from  N.  to  S.,  and  150 
broad,  containing  47,151  square  miles.  The  southern  part  of  the  state,  for 
about  100  miles  from  the  Gulf  shore,  is  mostly  a  sandy  level  pine  forest,  in 
terspersed  with  cypress  swamps,  open  prairies,  and  a  few  slight  elevations. 
There  are  no  mountains  within  the  limits  of  the  state,  only  numerous  ranges 
of  hills  of  moderate  elevation,  some  of  which  terminate  abruptly  upon  a 
level  plain,  or  upon  the  banks  of  a  river,  bearing  the  name  of  "6/wjfs,"  or 
river  hills.  The  Mississippi  River,  in  its  various  windings,  forms  the  entire 
western  boundary  of  the  state,  and  most  of  the  lands  bordering  it,  from  the 
northern  line  to  the  entrance  of  Yazoo  River,  consist  of  inundated  swamps, 
covered  with  a  large  growth  of  timber.  From  Memphis,  just  above  the 
'northern  line  of  Mississippi  to  Vicksburg,  a  distance  of  450  miles  by  the 
river,  the  uplands,  or  river  hills,  are  separated  by  inundated  bottom  lands 
of  greater  or  less  width,  and  afford  no  site  suitable  for  a  port.  Below  Vicks 
burg,  the  only  eligible  port  is  Natchez,  100  miles  south. 

The  country  in  the  south  part  of  the  state  is  rolling,  healthy,  and  produc 
tive.  The  Yazoo  is  the  largest  river  that  has  its  whole  course  in  the  state, 
and  the  lands  drained  by  it  are  very  fertile.  The  coast,  which  extends  along' 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  for  about  60  miles,  has  no  harbor  for  large  vessels.  A 
chain  of  low  sand  islands,  six  or  seven  miles  from  the  shore,  inclose  several 
bays  or  sounds:  the  largest  are  Pascagoula  Sound  and  Lake  Borgne.  Ship 
and  Cat  Islands  are  eligible  for  ocean  steamers.  The  ports  on  the  Missis 
sippi  are  Vicksburg,  Grand  Gulf,  and  Natchez.  The  great  staple  of  the 
state  is  cotton.  Indian  corn,  rice,  tobacco,  hemp,  etc.,  are  also  important 
productions.  The  fig  and  orange  grow  well  in  the  lower  part  of  the  state, 
and  the  apple  tree  nourishes  in  the  higher  hilly  regions.  Population,  in 
1800,  8,850  ;  in  1820,  75,448  ;  in  1840,  375,651  j  in  1850,  606,555  ;  and  in 
1860,  887,258,  of  whom  479,607  were  slaves. 

JACKSON,  the  capital  of  Mississippi,  is  about  40  miles  east  of  Vicks 
burg,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  railroad.  It  is  on  the  left  bank 
of  Pearl  River,  which  is  navigable  to  this  place  for  small  steamboats. 
It  contains  the  state  buildings,  and  has  about  4.000  inhabitants. 

NATCHEZ  is  on  the  E.  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  87  miles  S.  W.  from 
Jackson,  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  from  New  Orleans,  by  the  river, 
309  miles,  but  in  a  direct  line  127  miles.  This  is  usually  consid 
ered  the  principal  city  of  the  state,  its  importance  arising  from  its 
being  the  depot  of  cotton,  the  product  of  the  lands  around  it,  and 
from  being  also  one  of  the  main  entrepots  of  the  internal  commerce 
of  Mississippi.  The  principal  part  of  the  city  is  built  on  a  clayey 
bluff,  about  150  feet  high.  Natchez  under  the  Hill,  as  it  is  called,  is 


588 


MISSISSIPPI. 


that  part  which  lies  upon  the  margin  of  the  river,  consisting  of  ware 
houses,  stores,  shops,  etc.,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  landing.  The 
city  contains  about  7,000  inhabitants.  It  has  long  been  considered 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  on  the  Lower  Mississippi. 


Southern  View  of  Jackson  (Central  Part.} 


The  view  shows  the  southern  front  of  tho  State  House.     The  Governor's  House  is  soeii  a  little  to  the  left 
also  the  Bowman  House. 


Western  view  of  Natchez. 

The  buildings  near  the  shore  comprise  "  Natchez  under  the  Hill":  part  of  the  city  above  appears. on  the 
bluff.  The  City  Hotel  and  part  of  the  promenade  grounds  on  the  edge  of  the  precipitous  cliffs  are  been  on 
the  left.  The  passage  to  the  landing  appears  in  the  central  part. 

Natchez  was  a  very  important  point  in  the  early  history  of  Mississippi. 


MISSISSIPPI.  589 

In  the  year  1700,  Iberville,  the  first  colonist  of  Louisiana,  ascended  the 
Mississippi  400  miles,  as  far  as  the  Natchez  tribe,  on  a  voyage  of  explora 
tion.  Here  he  selected  an  elevated  bluff  as  the  site  for  the  future  capital  of 
the  province.  It  was  the  bluff  where  the  city  of  Natchez  now  stands:  this 
place  he  named  Rosalie.  He  was  highly  pleased  with  the  Natchez  tribe  and 
their  country.  This  tribe  was  very  powerful  and  highly  improved,  and  in 
many  particulars  differed  from  the  neighboring  tribes  with  whom  they  were 
in  alliance. 

"  Their  religion,  in  some  respects,  resembled  that  of  the  fire-worshipers  of  Per 
sia.  Fire  was  the  emblem  of  their  divinity;  the  sun  was  their  god:  their  chiefs 
were  called  "suns,"  and  their  king  was  called  the  "Great  Sun."  In  their  princi 
pal  temple  a  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burning  by  the  ministering  priest,  who  like 
wise  offered  sacrifices  of  the  first  fruits  of  the  chase.  In  extreme  cases,  they  offered 
sacrifices  of  infant  children,  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  deity.  When  Iberville 
was  there,  one  of  the  temples  was  struck  by  lightning  and  set  on  fire.  The  keeper 
of  the  fane  solicited  the  squaws  to  throw  their  little  ones  into  the  fire  to  appease 
the  angry  divinity,  and  four  infants  were  thus  sacrificed  before  the  French  could 
prevail  on  them  to  desist  from  the  horrid  rites. 

After  Iberville  reached  the  Natchez  tribe,  the  Great  Sun,  or  king  of  the  con 
federacy,  having  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  French  commandant,  determined 
(o  pay  him  a  visit  in  person.  As  he  advanced  to  the  quarters  of  Iberville,  he  was 
borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  some  of  his  men,  and  attended  by  a  great  retinue  of 
his  people.  He  bade  Iberville  a  hearty  welcome,  and  showed  him  the  most 
marked  attention  and  kindness  during  his  stay.  A  treaty  of  friendship  was  con 
cluded,  with  permission  to  build  a  fort  and  to  establish  a  trading-post  among  them; 
which  was,  however,  deferred  for  many  years." 

A  few  stragglers  soon  after  took  up  their  abode  among  the  Natchez ;  but 
no  regular  settlement  was  made  until  1716,  when  Bienville,  governor  of  Lou 
isiana,  erected  Fort  Rosalie,  which  is  supposed  to  have  stood  near  the  east 
ern  limit  of  the  present  city  of  Natchez. 

Grand  or  Great  Sun,  the  chief  of  the  Natchez,  was  at  first  the  friend  of 
the  whites,  until  the  overbearing  disposition  of  one  man  brought  destruction 
on  the  whole  colony.  The  residence  of  the  Great  Sun  was  a  beautiful  vil 
lage,  called  the  White  Apple.  This  village  spread  over  a  space  of  nearly 
three  miles  in  extent,  and  stood  about  twelve  miks  south  of  the  fort,  near 
the  mouth  of  Second  Creek,  and  three  miles  east  of  the  Mississippi.  M.  de 
Chopart,  the  commandant,  was  guilty  of  great  injustice  toward  the  Indians, 
and  went  so  far  as  tip  command  the  "Great  Sun"  to  leave  the  village  of  his 
ancestors,  as  he  wanted  the  ground  for  his  own  purposes.  The  Great  Sun, 
finding  Chopart  deaf  to  all  his  entreaties,  formed  a  plot  to  rid  his  country  of 
the  tyrant  who  oppressed  them.  Previous  to  the  tragedy,  the  Sieur  de  Mace, 
ensign  of  the  garrison,  received  advice  of  the  intention  of  the  Natchez, 
through  a  young  Indian  girl  who  loved  him.  She  told  him,  crying,  that  her 
nation  intended  to  massacre  the  French.  Amazed  at  this  story,  he  ques 
tioned  his  mistress.  Her  simple  answers,  and  her  tender  tears,  left  him  no 
room  to  doubt  of  the  plot.  He  informed  Chopart  of  it,  who  forthwith  put 
him  under  arrest  for  giving  a  false  alarm.  The  following  is  from  Monette's 
History  of  the  Valley  of  Mississippi: 

"  At  length  the  fatal  day  arrived.  It  was  Nov.  29,  1729.  Early  in  the  morning 
Great  Sun  repaired,  with  a  few  chosen  warriors,  to  Fort  Rosalie,  and  all  were  well 
armed  with  knives  and  other  concealed  weapons. 

The  company  had  recently  sent  up  a  large  supply  of  powder  and  lead,  and  pro- 
for  the  use  of  the  post.     The  Indians  had  recourse  to  stratagem  to  procure 


visions  for  the  use  of  the  post.     The  Indians  had  recourse  to  stratagem 

a  supply 

excursion 


ply  of  ammunition,  pretending  that  they  were  preparing  for  a  great  hunting 
•sion.     Before  they  set  out  they  wished  to  purchase  a  supply  of  ammunition, 


590  MISSISSIPPI. 

and  they  had  brought  corn  and  poultry  to  barter  for  powder  and  lead.  Having 
placed  the  garrison  off  their  jyiard,  a,  number  of  Indians  were  permitted  to  enter 
the  fort,  and  others  were  distributee!  about  the  company's  warehouse.  Upon  a 
certain  signal  from  the  Great  Sun,  the  Indians  immediately  drew  their  concealed 
weapons,  and  commenced  the  carnage  by  one  simultaneous  and  furious  massacre 
of  the  garrison,  and  all  who  were  in  and  near  the  warehouse. 

Other  parties,  distributed  through  the  contiguous  settlements,  carried  on  the 
bloody  work  in  every  house  as  soon  as  the  smoke  was  seen  to  rise  from  the  houses 
near  the  fort. 

The  massacre  commenced  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  before  noon  the 
whole  of  the  male  population  of  the  French  colony  on  St.  Catharine  (consisting  of 
about  seven  hundred  souls)  were  sleeping  the  sleep  of  death.  The  slaves  were 
spared  for  the  service  of  the  victors,  and  the  females  and  children  were  reserved 
as  prisoners  of  war.  Chopart  fell  among  the  first  victims ;  and,  as  the  chiefs  dis 
dained  to  stain  their  hands  with  his  despised  blood,  he  was  dispatched  by  the  hand 
of  a  common  Indian.  Two  mechanics,,  a  tailor  and  a  carpenter,  were  spared,  be 
cause  they  might  be  useful  to  the  Indians. 

While  the  massacre  was  progressing,  the  Great  Sun  seated  himself  in  the  spa 
cious  warehouse  of  the  company,  and,  with  apparent  unconcern  and  complacency, 
sat  and  smoked  his  pipe  while  his  warriors  were  depositing  the  heads  of  the 
French  garrison  in  a  pyramid  at  his  feet.  The  head  of  Chopart  was  placed  in  the 
center,  surmounting  those  of  his  officers  and  soldiers.  So  soon  as  the  warriors  in 
formed  the  Great  Sun  that  the  last  Frenchman  had  ceased  to  live,  he  commanded 
the  pillage  to  commence.  The  negro  slaves  were  employed  in  bringing  out  the 
plunder  for  distribution.  The  powder  and  military  stores  were  reserved  for  pub 
lic  use  in  future  emergencies. 

While  the  ardent  spirits  remained,  the  day  and  the  night  alike  presented  one 
continued  scene  of  savage  triumph  and  drunken  revelry.  With  horrid  yells  they 
spent  their  orgies  in  dancing  over  the  mangled  bodies  of  their  enemies,  which  lay 
strewed  in  every  quarter  where  they  had  fallen  in  the  general  carnage.  Here, 
unburied,  they  remained  a  prey  for  dogs  and  hungry  vultures.  Every  vestige  of 
thj  houses  and  dwellings  in  all  the  settlements  were  reduced  to  ashes. 

Two  soldiers  only,  who  happened  to  be  absent  in  the  woods  at  the  time  of  the 
massacre,  escaped  to  bear  the  melancholy  tidings  to  New  Orleans.  As  they  ap 
proached  the  fort  and  heard  the  deafening  yells  of  the  savages,  and  saw  the  col 
umns  of  smoke  and  flame  ascending  from  the  buildings,  they  well  judged  the  fate 
of  their  countrymen.  They  concealed  themselves  until  they  could  procure  a  boat 
or  canoe  to  descend'the  river  to  New  Orleans,  where  they  arrived  a  few  days  after 
ward,  and  told  the  sad  story  of  the  colony  on  the  St.  Catharine. 

The  same  fate  was  shared  by  the  colony  on  the  Yazoo,  near  Fort  St.  Peter,  and 
by  those  on  the  Washita,  at  Sicily  Island,  and  near  the  present  town  of  Monroe. 
Dismay  and  terror  were  spread  over  every  settlement  in  the*  province.  New  Or 
leans  was  filled  with  mourning  and  sadness  for  the  fate  of  friends  and  country 
men. 

The  whole  number  of  victims  slain  in  this  massacre  amounted  to  more  than, two 
hundred  men,  besides  a  few  women  and  some  negroes,  who  attempted  to  defend 
their  masters.  Ninety-two  women  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  children  were 
taken  prisoners.  Among  the  victims  were  Father  Poisson,  the  Jesuit  missionary; 
Laloire,  the  principal  agent  of  the  company;  M.  Kollys  and  son,  who  had  pur 
chased  M.  Hubert's  interest,  and  had  just  arrived  to  take  possession." 

When  the  news  of  this  terrible  disaster  reached  New  Orleans,  the  French 
commenced  a  war  of  extermination  against  the  Natchez.  The  tribe  eventu 
ally  were  driven  across  the  Mississippi,  and  finally  scattered  and  extirpated. 
The  Great  Sun  and  his  principal  war  chiefs,  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
French,  were  shipped  to  St.  Domingo  and  sold  as  slaves.  Some  of  the  poor 
prisoners  were  treated  with  excessive  cruelty,  four  of  the  men  and  two  of 
the  women  were  publicly  burned  to  death  at  New  Orleans.  Some  Tonica 
In-dians,  who  had  brought  down  a  Natchez  woman,  whom  they  had  discov  - 


MISSISSIPPI.  591 

ered  in  the  woods,  were  allowed  to  execute  her  in  the  same  manner.  The 
unfortunate  woman  was  led  forth  to  a  platform  erected  near  the  levee,  and, 
surrounded  by  the  whole  population,  was  slowly  consumed  by  the  flames! 
She  supported  her  tortures  with  stoical  fortitude,  not  shedding  a  tear.  "  On 
the  contrary,"  says  Gayarre,  ushe  upbraided  her  torturers  with  their  want 
of  skill,  flinging  at  them  every  opprobrious  epithet  she  could  think  of." 

"The  scattered  remnants  of  the  tribe  sought  an  asylum  among  the  Chickasaws 
and  other  tribes  who  were  hostile  to  the  French.  Since  that  time,  the  individual 
ity  of  the  Natchez  tribe  has  been  swallowed  up  in  the  nations  with  whom  they 
were  incorporated.  Yet  no  tribe  has  left  so  proud  a  memorial  of  their  courage, 
their  independent  spirit,  and  their  contempt  of  death  in  defense  of  their  rights  and 
liberties.  The  city  of  Natchez  is  their  monument,  standing  upon  the  field  of  their 
glory.  Such  is  the  brief  history  of  the  Natchez  Indians,  who  are  now  considered 
extinct.  In  refinement  and  intelligence,  they  were  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  any 
other  tribe  north  of  Mexico.  In  courage  and  stratagem  they  were  inferior  to  none. 
Their  form  was  noble  and  commanding;  their  stature  was  seldom  under  six  feet, 
and  their  persons  were  straight  and  athletic.  Their  countenance  indicated  more 
intelligence  than  is  commonly  found  in  savages.  The  head  was  compressed  from 
the  os  frontis  to  the  occiput,  so  that  the  forehead  appeared  high  and  retreating, 
while  the  occiput  was  compressed  almost  in  a  line  with  the  neck  and  shoulders, 
This  peculiarit}T,  as  well  as  their  straight,  erect  form,  is  ascribed  to  the  pressure 
of  bandages  during  infancy.  Some  of  the  remaining  individuals  of  the  Natchez 
tribe  were  in  the  town  of  Natchez  as  late  as  the  year  1782,  or  more  than  half  a 
century  after  the  Natchez  massacre." 

By  the  peace  of  1763,  the  Natchez  District  came  into  possession  of  Great 
Britain,  and  the  next  year  it  was  included  in  West  Florida.  In  1783,  when 
Florida  was  ceded  to  Spain,  Natchez  came  under  the  dominion  of  that  power. 
In  1796,  by  the  treaty  of  Madrid,  the  Natchez  district  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States.  That  treaty  defined  the  boundary  of  the  Floridas  to  be  the 
thirty-first  parallel  of  north  latitude,  from  the  Mississippi  eastward  to  the 
Chattahoochee  River;  thence  along  a  line  running  due  east  from  the  mouth 
of  Flint  River  to  the  head  of  St.  Mary's  River,  and  thence  down  the  middle 
of  that  river  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  This  left  to  Spain,  west  of  the  present 
boundary  of  Florida,  a  narrow  strip  along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  of  about  60 
miles  in  width,  of  the  present  states  of  Alabama,  Mississippi  and  Louisiana, 
to  the  Mississippi,  beside  all  of  the  present  Florida  and  a  strip  of  about  25 
miles  in  width  of  the  present  southern  part  of  Georgia.  Spain  was  forced 
to  this  ce'ssion  through  her  political  embarrassments,  and,  from  the  delay  in 
abandoning  the  territory,  it  was  evident  she  had  hopes  that  circumstances 
would  arise  which  would  enable  her  to  retain  possession.  Foiled  in  her  in 
trigues  to  accomplish  this  end,  the  Spanish  governor  general  at  New  Orleans, 
in  January,  1798,  ordered  the  evacuation  of  the  only  Spanish  forts  remain 
ing,  Natchez  and  Nogales.  The  post  at  the  mouth  of  Wolf  River,  near  the 
present  site  of  Memphis,  had  been  evacuated  the  preceding  autumn. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1798,  about  midnight,  the  Spanish  drums  in  the 
fort  at  Natchez  sounded  the  note  of  preparation,  and  before  morning  the 
garrison  had  embarked  on  the  Mississippi,  on  their  way  to  New  Orleans. 
On  the  7th  of  the  following  month,  the  territory  surrendered,  comprising  the 
present  states  of  Mississippi  and  Alabama,  north  of  the  31st  parallel  of 
north  latitude,  was  erected  into  the  Mississippi  Territory,  and  on  the  10th 
of  May,  organized  a  territorial  government.  Winthrop  Sargent,  the  first 
territorial  governor,  and  the  territorial  judges,  arrived  at  Natchez  the  fol 
lowing  August,  and  proceeded  to  establish  the  government.  General  Wil 
kinson  also  arrived  with  the  Federal  troops,  and  established  his  headquarters 


592  MISSISSIPPI. 

at  Natchez.  jSoon  after  he  founded  the  present  Fort  Adams,  on  the  Missis 
sippi,  six  miles  above  the  Florida  line. 

In  1801,  Gov.  Sargent  was  succeeded  by  Win.  C.  C.  Claiborne  as  governor 
of  the  territory,  which  at  that  time  had  about  12,000  inhabitants,  of  whom 
some  2,000  were  slaves.  The  next  year  the  seat  of  the  territorial  govern 
ment  was  removed  to  the  town  of  Washington. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1803,  Natchez  received  a  city  charter  from  the 
territorial  legislature.  It  was  then  a  large  village,  consisting  chiefly  of  small 
wooden  buildings  of  one  story,  distributed  over  an  irregular,  undulating  sur 
face,  with  but  little  regard  to  system  or  cleanliness.  The  year  previous,  the 
Natchez  Gazette,  the  first  newspaper  in  Mississippi,  was  established  by  Col. 
Andrew  Marschalk,  who  had  been  an  officer  in  Wayne's  army.  This  paper, 
under  different  forms  and  names,  was  published  by  this  father  of  the  press 
in  Mississippi  for  nearly  forty  years  afterward. 

Previous  to  the  extension  of  the  America-  jurisdiction  over  the  Natchez 
district,  the  Catholic  powers  forbade  Protestant  worship,  hence  publ;c  preach 
ing  was  unknown.  The  first  Protestant  preacher  was  Tobias  Gibson,  of  the 
South  Carolina  Conference,  who  arrived  at  Natchez  in  the  summer  of  1799, 
and  proceeded  to  organize  societies  at  Washington,  Kingston,  on  Cole's 
Creek  near  Greenville,  and  on  the  Bayou  Pierre.  After  his  death  he  was 
succeeded,  in  1806,  by  Learner  Blackburn.  Thus  was  Methodism  first  in 
troduced  into  the  territory.  Rev.  Mr.  Bowman,  also  a  Methodist,  settled  in 
Natchez  in  1803.  In  1802  came  the  first  Presbyterian  missionaries,  Messrs. 
Hall  and  Montgomery,  the  first  of  whom  labored  several  years  at  Natchez. 
In  1802  came  David  Cooper,  the  first  Baptist  missionary,  to  Natchez,  and 
also,  about  the  same  time,  Rev.  Dr.  Cloud,  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

"The  Mississippi  Territory,  for  several  years  afterward,  with  its  wide  extent  of 
Indian  country,  was  traversed  by  only  three  principal  roads,  or  horse-paths. 
These  were,  first,  the  road  from  the  Cumberland  settlements  through  the  Chicka- 
saw  and  Choctaw nations  to  the  Natchez  District;  second,  from  Knoxville  through 
the  Cherokee  and  Creek  nations,  by  way  of  the  Tombigbee,  to  Natchez;  third, 
that  from  the  Oconee  settlements  of  Georgia,  by  way  of  Fort  Stoddart,  to  Natchez 
and  New  Orleans.  The  Chickasaw,  or  Nashville  Ti'ace,  was  frequented  more  than 
any  other,  it  being  the  traveled  route  for  the  return  journeys  of  all  the  Ohio  boat 
men  and  traders  from  New  Orleans  and  Natchez." 

Natchez  was  the  residence  of  Hon.  Sergeant  S.  Prentiss  and  Gen.  John  A. 
Quitman,  each  of  whom,  in  their  time,  were  men  of  national  reputation. 
Mr.  Prentiss  was  born  in  Portland,  Maine,  in  1810,  and  at 'eighteen  years  of 
age  settled  in  Natchez,  where  he  studied  law  and  became  the  acknowledged 
head  of  his  profession  in  this  region.  As  a  jury  lawyer  he  had  no  equal  in 
the  southwest,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  stump  orators.  In 
1838  and  1839,  he  was  a  representative  in  congress.  He  died  in  1850,  at 
the  age  of  40  years,  and  is  buried  near  the  city.  Gen.  Quitman  was  born  in 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  in  1799,  was  educated  for  the  bar,  and  when 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  removed  to  Natchez.  About  the  year  1840, 
he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  high  court  of  errors  and  appeals.  He  was  a 
major  general  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  gained  great  credit  in  several  battles. 
In  1850,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Mississippi,  and  afterward  served  in 
congress,  where  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  committee  on  military  affairs.  Ilia 
strict  integrity  and  kindness  of  heart  won  him  troops  of  friends  among  all 
parties.  He  was  spoken  of  often  as  the  Democratic  candidate  for  vice  pres 
ident,  and  was  the  recognized  leader  of  those  favorable  to  the  annexation  of 
Cuba.  He  died  in  July,  1858. 


MISSISSIPPI. 


593 


VICKSBURG,  so  named  from  Mr.  Vicks,  an  extensive  landholder,  is  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  41  miles  W.  from  Jackson,  and  by  the  river, 
513  from  New  Orleans.  The  city  is  principally  built  on  a  bluff,  broken  into 
several  eminences,  and  elevated  about  200  feet  above  the  river.  The  build-* 
ings  are  situated  on  and  among  the  shelving  declivities  of  the  hills,  and  the 


View  of  Vicksbury,  fro.n  the  West  bank  of  the  Mississippi.    f 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  th-.t  centra]  part  of  Vuikslnirg,  as  seen  from  thn  Louisiana  side  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  Car  House  of  the  Jackson  11. H.  is  on  the  right.  The  Catholic  and  some  other  churches 
are  seeo  on  the  bights  in  the  central  part. 

many  clusters  of  dwellings  present  a  picturesque  appearance.  The  city  con.- 
tains  the  usual  public  buildings,  several  academies,  five  churches,  and  about 
4,500  inhabitants.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  town  in  1825,  and  as  a  city  in 
1836.  Great  quantities  of  cotton  are  annually  shipped  from  this  place  to 
New  Orleans  and  elsewhere.  The  surrounding  country  is  remarkably  fertile, 
well  adapted  to  the  culture  of  cotton,  grain,  etc*  The  Walnut  Hills,  be 
tween  two  and  three  miles  from  the  city,  rise  to  an  elevation  of  500  feet 
above  the  river. 

OXFORD,  the  capital  of  Lafayette  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Cen 
tral  railroad,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state.  It  is  considered  one 
of  the  healthiest  places  in  Mississippi,  and  is  noted  ns  the  seat  of  the 
University  of  Mississippi.  This  institution  is  about  a  mile  from  the 
village,  and  the  buildings  are  excellent.  Its  origin  was  a  grant  of  36 
sections  of  land  given  for  this  purpose,  by  Congress,  in  1819. 

Cohunbus,  the  shire  town  of'Lowndes  county,  is  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Tombigbee.  :it  an  elevation  of  120  feet  above  the  river,  at  the  or 
dinary  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  150  N.  E.  from  Jackson,  and, 
by  the  river,  480  miles  from  Mobile.  It  has  about  4,000  inhabitants. 
Aberdeen,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Tombigbee,  25  miles  from  Col 
umbus,  is  the  center  and  shipping  place  for  a  fertile  region. 

Canton  is  25  miles  N.  from  Jackson,  on  the  line  ef  the  railroad,  and 
has  about  2,000  inhabitants. 

Yazoo  City  is  a  large  shipping  point  for  cotton  on  the  Yazoo  Kiver, 
38 


594 


MISSISSIPPI. 


50  miles  N.  N.  W.  from  Jackson.  It  is  in  a  rich  cotton  district,  and 
has  about  2,500  inhabitants. 

Holly  Springs,  the  capital  of  Marshall  count}',  is  on  the  line  of  the 
Mississippi  Central  railroad,  210  miles  north  of  Jackson,  and  has  sev 
eral  educational  institutions  of  fine  repute,  and  about  4,000  inhabi 
tants. 

The  Lauderdale  Springs,  sulphur  and  chalybeate,  are  in  Lauderdale 
county,  in  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of  the  st'ate.  Cooper 's 
Well,  12  miles  west  of  Jackson,  is  noted  for  its  mineral  qualities. 


Outline  view  of  the  Observatory  of  the  University  of  Mississippi. 

THE   LYMAN   COLONY  IN   MISSISSIPPI. 

Phineas  Lyman,  a  major  general  in  the  French  Canadian  war,  was  one  of  the 
first  of  the  Anglo  Saxon  race  who  attempted  a  settlement  in  the  present  limits  of 
Mississippi.  He  was  a  native  of  Durham,  Conn.,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College,  a 
distinguished  lawyer,  and  became  commander  of  the  Connecticut  forces  in  1755. 
He  visited  England  as  the  agent  for  an  association,  called  the  "Military  Adventur 
ers,"  whose  design  was  the  colonization  of  a  tract  of  country  upon  the  Mississippi. 
After  sustaining  a  series  of  mortifications  and  delays  from  those  in  power,  for  more 
than  ten  years,  the  grant  upon  the  Mississippi  was  made,  and  he  returned  home  in 
1773. 

In  Dec.,  1773,  Gen.  Lyman  sailed  from  New  England,  in  two  vessels,  for  New 
Orleans,  accompanied  by  the  following  emigrants:  Daniel  and  Eoswell  Magguet 
and  Capt.  Ladley,  of  Hartford;  Thomas  and  James  Lyman,  of  Durham;  Hugh 

White,  Capt.  Ellsworth,  Ira  Whitmore,  and  Sage,  of  Middletown ;  Thaddeus 

and  Phineas  Lyman,  James  Harman  and  family, Moses,  Isaac  Sheldon,  Roger 

Harmon, Hanks,  Elnathan  Smith,  and  eight  slaves,  from  Suffield;  Thomas 

Comstock, Weed,  of  New  Hartford;  Capt.  Silas  Crane,  Robert  Patrick,  Ash- 

bel  Bowen,  John  Newcomb,  and  James  Dean,  of  Lebanon ;  Abram  Knapp,  and 
Capt.  Matthew  Phelps,  of  Norfolk;  Giles  and  Nathaniel  Hull,  James  Stoddart,  and 
Thaddeus  Bradley,  of  Salisbury;  Maj.  Easley,  of  Weathersfield ;  John  Fisk,  and 
Elisha  Hale,  Wallingford,  Timothy  and  David  Hotchkiss,  Waterbury;  John  Hyde, 

William  and  Jonathan  Lyon,  and  William  Davis,  of  Stratford  or  Derby; Al- 

cott  of  Windsor.  All  these  were  from  Connecticut.  The  following  were  from 
Massachusetts:  Moses  Drake,  Buggies  Winchel,  and  Benjamin  Barber,  of  West- 
field;  Seth  Miller,  Elisha  and  Joseph  Flowers,  William  Hurlbut,  and  Elisha  Leon 
ard,  with  a  number  of  slaves,  of  Springfield 

Gen.  Lyman  and  his  company  arrived  at  New  Orleans  in  1774,  and  after  a  labori 
ous  passage  up  the  Mississippi,  reached  the  Big  Black  River,  in  the  "Natchez 
Country,"  as  it  was  called.  Here  he  settled  his  grant,  but  was  too  old  to  cultivate 
it.  In  a  short  time  he  and  his  son  died.  Capt.  Phelps  returned  to  Connecticut, 


MISSISSIPPI.  595 

and  by  his  representations  of  the  fertility  of  the  new  country,  induced  many  of 
the  citizens  to  return  with  him.  After  some  delay,  he  sailed  from  Middletown  in 
1776.  Among  the  emigrants  were  Madame  Lyman,  the  widow  of  the  late  general, 
with  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  Maj.  Timothy,  Sereno,  and  Jonathan  Dwight, 
of  Northampton  ;  Benjamin  Day  and  family,  Harry  Dwight  and  three  slaves,  Jos 
eph  Leonard  and  Joshua  Flowers,  with  their  families,  from  Springfield;  Rev.  Mr. 
Smith  and  his  family,  from  Granville,  Mass.;  Mrs.  Elnathan  Smith  and  children, 
John  Felt,  with  his  family,  Capt.  Phelps  and  family,  from  Suffield,  and  many 
others. 

After  a  voyage  of  three  months,  they  reached  New  Orleans  on  the  1st  of  August. 
Here,  having  obtained  boats,  they  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi.  Capt.  Phelps  and 
all  his  children  becoming  prostrated  by  disease,  his  boat  was  tied  to  the  willows, 
while  the  others  continued  the  voyage.  The  boat  containing  the  Lymans  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Smith  reached  Natchez.  Mr.  Smith  and  Maj.  Dwight  died  in  a  short 
time.  Those  of  the  party  who  were  left  arrived  at  the  Big  Black  and  the  improve 
ments  made  by  Gen.  Lyman.  Here  Madame  Lyman  soon  died,  and  was  buried 
by  the  side  of  her  husband.  Capt.  Phelps  remained  in  his  boat,  which  was  an 
chored  fifteen  miles  above  Point  Coupee,  where  his  son  and  daughter  died  and  he 
was  compelled  to  bury  them  with  his  own  hands :  his  wife  soon  after  died,  and  he 
was  left  alone  with  two  little  children.  These  were  subsequently  drowned  as  he 
came  in  sight  of  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Black  River. 

The  remaining  members  of  the  Lyman  family  continued  in  the  country  until 
it  was  invaded  by  the  Spaniards  in  1781—82.  With  a  number  of  their  friends,  they 
planted  themselves  in  the  neighborhood  of  Natchez.  Being  British  subjects,  and 
having  everything  to  fear  from  the  Spaniards,  they  determined  to  flee  through  the 
wilderness  to  Savannah,  the  nearest  British  post.  The  mother  country  and  her 
colonies  being  at  war,  rendered  a  direct  course  to  Savannah  too  perilous  to  be 
hazarded.  To  avoid  danger  they  were  compelled  to  take  a  very  circuitous  route, 
wandering,  according  to  their  reckoning,  nearly  fourteen  hundred  miles.  Their 
journeyings  occupied  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  days. 

The  caravan  was  numerous,  including  men,  women  and  children,  with  some  at 
the  breast.  They  were  mounted  on  horseback,  but  the  ruggedness  of  the  ground 
obliged  such  as  were  able  to  walk,  to  make  a  great  part  of  their  way  on  foot.  They 
were  in  constant  apprehensions  from  hostile  Indians.  Often  they  suffered  from 
extreme  thirst  and  hunger.  The  first  Indian  town  they  ventured  to  approach  was 
on  the  u  Hickory  ground" — the  site  of  Wetumpka,  Ala.  Supposing  the  company 
were  whigs,  and  enemies  to  King  George,  their  "  Great  Father,"  the  Creeks  appear 
to  have  determined  to  put  them  to  death.  But,  by  the  cunning  and  address  of 
Paro,  the  black  servant  of  McGillivray,  the  Creek  chief,  who  understood  the  Eng 
lish  language,  they  escaped.  The  Indians  told  Paro  that,  if  they  were  English 
men,  u  they  could  make  the  paper  talk,"  i.  e.  they  must  have  kept  a  journal.  Paro 
took  the  hint,  and  as  they  had  kept  none,  he  told  them  any  piece  of  paper  that  had 
writing  upon  it  would  serve  the  purpose.  An  old  letter  was  produced,  from  which 
one  of  the  company  pretended  to  read  the  adventures  of  the  company  since  they 
left  Natchez.  This  was  interpreted  to  the  Indians  by  Paro,  sentence  by  sentence. 
As  the  recital  went  on,  their  countenances  began  to  relax,  and  before  the  reading 
was  finished,  their  ferocity  was  succeeded  by  friendship,  and  all  the  wants  of  the 
wanderers  kindly  supplied. 


THE    BANDIT   MASON. 

"  Among  the  incidents  in  the  early  history  of  the  Mississippi  Territory  was  the 
violent  death  of  the  notorious  robber  Mason.  This  fearless  bandit  had  become 
the  terror  of  the  routes  from  New  Orleans  and  Natchez  through  the  Indian  na 
tions.  After  the  organization  of  the  territorial  government,  and  the  opening  of 
roads  through  the  wilderness  to  Tennessee,  the  return  of  traders,  supercargoes, 
and  boatmen  to  the  northern  settlements,  with  the  proceeds  of  their  voyage,  was 
on  foot  and  on  horseback,  in  parties  for  mutual  protection,  through  the  Indian  na 
tions;  and  often  rich  treasures  of  specie  were  packed  on  mules  and  horses  over 


596  MISSISSIPPI. 

these  Jong  and  toilsome  journeys.  Nor  was  it  a  matter  of  surprise,  in  a  dreary 
wilderness,  that  bandits  should  infest  such  a  route.  It  was  in  the  year  1802,  when 
all  travel  and  intercourse  from  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi  Territory  was  ne 
cessarily  by  way  of  this  solitary  trace,  or  by  the  slow-ascending  barge  and  keel, 
that  Mason  made  his  appearance  in  the  Mississippi  Territory. 

Long  accustomed  to  robbery  and  murder  upon  the  Lower  Ohio,  daring  the  Span 
ish  dominion  on  the  Mississippi,  and  pressed  by  the  rapid  approach  of  the  Ameri 
can  population,  he  deserted  the  'Cave  in  the  Rock,'  on  the  Ohio,  and  began  to  in 
fest  the  great  Natchez  Trace,  where  the  rich  proceeds  of  the  river  trade  were  the 
tempting  prize,  and  where  he  soon  become  the  terror  of  every  peaceful  traveler 
through  the  wilderness.  Associated  with  him  were  his  two  sons  and  a  few  other 
desperate  miscreants;  and  the  name  of  Mason  and  his  band  was  known  and 
dreaded  from  the  morasses  of  the  southern  frontier  to  the  silent  shades  of  the  Ten 
nessee  River.  The  outrages  of  Mason  became  more  frequent  and  sanguinary. 
One  day  found  him  marauding  on  the  banks  of  the  Pearl,  against  the  life  and  for 
tune  of  the  trader ;  and  before  pursuit  was  organized,  the  hunter,  attracted  by  the 
descending  sweep  of  the  solitary  vulture,  learned  the  story  of  another  robbery  and 
murder  on  the  remote  shores  of  the  Mississippi.  Their  depredations  became  at 
last  so  frequent  and  daring,  that  the  people  of  the  territory  were  driven  to  adopt 
measures  for  their  apprehension.  But  such  was  the  knowledge  of  the  wilderness 
possessed  by  the  wily  bandit,  and  such  his  untiring  vigilance  and  activity,  that  for 
a  time  he  baffled  every  attempt  for  his  capture. 

Treachery  at  last,  however,  effected  what  stratagem,  enterprise  and  courage  had 
in  vain  attempted.  A  citizen  of  great  respectability,  passing  with  his  sons  through 
the  wilderness,  was  plundered  by  the  bandits.  Their  lives  were,  however,  spared, 
and  they  returned  to  the  settlement.  Public  feeling  was  now  excited,  and  the  gov 
ernor  of  the  territory  found  it  necessary  to  act.  Governor  Claiborne  accordingly 
offered  a  liberal  reward  for  the  robber  Mason,  dead  or  alive!  The  proclamation 
was  widely  distributed,  and  a  copy  of  it  reached  Mason  himself,  who  indulged  in 
much  merriment  on  the  occasion.  Two  of  his  band,  however,  tempted  by  the  large 
reward,  concerted  a  plan  by  which  they  might  obtain  it.  An  opportunity  soon 
occurred ;  and  while  Mason,  in  company  with  the  two  conspirators,  was  counting 
out  some  ill-gotten  plunder,  a  tomahawk  was  buried  in  his  brain.  His  head  was 
severed  from  his  body  and  borne  in  triumph  to  Washington,  then  the  seat  of  the 
territorial  government. 

The  head  of  Mason  was  recognized  by  many,  and  identified  by  all  who  read  the 
proclamation,  as  the  head  entirely  corresponded  with  the  description  given  of  cer 
tain  scars  and  peculiar  marks.  Some  delay,  however,  occurred  in  paying  over  the 
reward,  owing  to  the  slender  state  of  the  treasury.  Meantime,  a  great  assemblage 
from  all  the  adjacent  country  had  taken  place,  to  view  the  grim  and  ghastly  head 
of  the  robber  chief.  They  were  not  less  inspired  with  curiosity  to  see  and  con 
verse  with  the  individual  whose  prowess  had  delivered  the  country  of  so  great  a 
scourge.  Among  those  spectators  were  the  two  young  men,  who,  unfortunately  for 
these  traitors,  recognized  them  as  companions  of  Mason  in  the  robbery  of  their 
father. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  treachery  met  its  just  reward,  and  that  justice  was 
also  satisfied.  The  reward  was  not  only  withheld,  'but  the  robbers  were  imprisoned, 
and,  on  the  full  evidence  of  their  guilt,  condemned  and  executed  at  Greenville, 
Jefferson  county. 

The  band  of  Mason,  being  thus  deprived  of  their  leader  and  two  of  his  most 
efficient  men,  dispersed  and  fled  the  country.  Thus  terminated  the  terrors  which 
had  infested  the  route  through  the  Indian  nations,  known  to  travelers  as  the  '  Nat 
chez  and  Nashville  Trace.' " 


COTTON. 


Cotton,  only  within  the  memory  of  man,  has  assumed  much  importance  in 
the  agriculture  and  commerce  of  the  world.  With  our  fathers,  cotton  cloth  was 
almost  entirely  unknown,  linen  being  universally  worn.  This  change  has  been 


MISSISSIPPI. 


597 


owing  to  the  invention  of  the  cotton  gin  by  Whitney*  in  1793.  Prior  to  this  time 
it  was  in  vain  to  think  of  raising  cotton  for  the  market,  for  separating  the  seed 
from  a  single 'pound  of  cotton  was  a  day's  work  for  a  single  hand.  At  this  period 
the  whole  interior  of  the  southern  states  was  languishing,  and  the  people  emigrated 
for  want  of  some  object  to  engage  their  attention  and  employ  their  industry,  when 
the  invention  of  this  machine  at  once  opened  new  views  to  them  which  set  the 
whole  country  in  motion. 


Harvesting  Cotton. 

In  1784,  an  American  vessel  arrived  at  Liverpool,  having  on  board,  for  part  of 
her  cargo,  eight  bags  of  cotton,  which  were  seized  by  the  officers  of  customs 
under  the  conviction  that  they  could  not  be  the  growth  of  America,  although 
the  plant  is  natural  to  the  soil.  Now  cotton  is  our  great  article  of  export,  amount 
ing  in  value,  in  1859,  to  $161,000,000,  and  in  total  product  to  about  $250,000,- 
000!!  The-  demand  is  increasing  in  a  greater  ratio  than  we  can  supply;  such 


*«  Eli  Whitney,  the  great  benefactor  of  the  south,  in  the  invention  of  the  cotton  gin,  waa 
born  in  Massachusetts,  and  was  early  distinguished  for  his  mechanical  genius.  After  grad 
uating  at  Yale  CoJlege,  he  visited  Georgia  in  the  prospect  of  securing  a  situation  of  private 
tutor.  He  was  disappointed  in  the  hope,  and  wa,s  received,  almost  in  charity,  under  the 
benevolent  roof  of  Mrs.  Green,  the  widow  of  General  Nathaniel  Green,  of  the  Revolution. 
A  party  of  gentlemen,  conversing  incidentally  on  the  subject,  were  lamenting  that  there 
was  no  means  of  separating  the  seed  from  the  cotton;  and  remarked,  that  until  ingenuity 
could  devise  some  machine  to  effect  the  purpose,  it  was  vain  to  think  of  raising  cotton  to 
export.  "Gentlemen,"  said  Mrs.  Green,  "  apply  to  my  young  friend,  Mr.  Whitney,  he  can 
make  anything."  When  the  matter  was  proposed  to  Whitney,  he  replied  that  he  had  never 
seen  cotton  or  cotton  seed  in  his  life.  The  subject  was  thus,  however,  suggested  to  his 
mind,  and  with  tools  most  inadequate,  and  much  of  the  materials  made  by  himself,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months,  he  perfected  a  machine  which  answered  every  desired  purpose. 
Thus,  by  the  force  of  intuitive  genius,  one  man  called  into  practical  being  the  staple  of  an 
^ntire  country,  revolutionized  its  affairs,  and  added  millions  to  its  wealth;  When  the  fact 
of  such  a  discovery  was  known,  the  populace  was  so  determined  to  possess  the  machine, 
that  they  broke  open  his  house  and  seized  it  Before  WlHtney  was  able  to  make  his  model 
and  procure  his  patent,  many  machines  were  already  in  operation.  This  violent  procedure 
robbed  the  inventor  of  much  of  the  benefit  of  his  discovery.  It  was  emphatically  stated 
by  Whitney,  in  a  subsequent  application  to  congress  for  remuneration,  "  that  his  invention 
had  been  the  source  of  opulence  to  thousands  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  that 
as  a  labor-saving  machine,  it  would  enable  one  man  to  perform  the  work  of  one  thousand 


598  MISSISSIPPI. 

are  our  advantages  of  soil  and  climate,  that  none  can  compete  with  us.  Instead 
of  measuring  the  value  of  this  invention  by  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars,  thous 
ands  of  millions  could  scarce  compass  it.  But  for  it,  it  is  probable  that  the  cotton- 
growing  states  would  have  remained  in  a  wilderness  condition,  and  our  country, 
as  a  whole,  immeasurably  behind  her  present  state,  in  wealth,  power,  and  popula 
tion. 

The  earliest  seat  of  the  cotton  manufacture  known  to  us  was  Hindostan,  where 
it  continues  to  be  carried  on  by  hand  labor.  America  and  Europe  are  now  pour 
ing  back  upon  Asia  her  original  manufacture,  and  underselling  her  in  her  own 
markets.  In  the  manufacture  of  no  one  article  has  the  genius  of  invention  been 
more  called  into  exercise.  It  has  not  only  built  up  our  own  Lowell  and  other 
thriving  towns,  but  large  cities  in  other  lands,  as  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Glasgow, 
Paisley,  etc.  It  is  estimated  to  give  employment  to  over  a  million  of  persons,  and 
an  amount  of  capital  of  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars. 

"  Cotton  goods,  to  a  great  extent,  may  be  seen  freighting  every  vessel,  from  Chris 
tian  nations,  that  traverses  the  globe;  and  filling  the  warehouses  and  shelves  of 
the  merchants,  jOver  two  thirds  of  the  world.  By  the  industry,  skill,  and  enter 
prise  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton,  mankind  are  better  clothed;  their 
comfort  better  promoted;  general  industry  more  highly  stimulated;  commerce 
more  widely  extended;  and  civilization  more  rapidly  advanced  than  in  any  pre 
ceding  age.  When  the  statistics  on  the  subject  are  examined,  it  appears  that 
nearly  all  the  cotton  consumed  in  the  Christian  world,  is  the  product  of  the  slave- 
labor  of  the  United  States."  The  London  Economist  says:  "The  lives  of  nearly 
two  millions  of  our  countrymen  are  dependent  upon  the  cotton  crops  of  America; 
their  destiny  may  be  said,  without  any  kind  of  hyperbole,  to  hang  upon  a  thread. 
Should  any  dire  calamity  befall  the  land  of  cotton,  a  thousand  of  our  merchant 
ships  would  rot  idly  in  dock;  ten  thousand  mills  must  stop  their  busy  looms;  two 
hundred  thousand  mouths  would  starve,  for  lack  of  fbod." 

There  appears  to  be  no  limits  to  the  varieties  of  cotton.  The  varieties  familiar  to  our 
southern  states,  and  known  to  commerce,  are  divided  into  "  short "  and  "  long  staple." 
The  short  staple,  or  upland  cotton,  was  originally  procured  from  the  West  Indies,  and  is 
familiar  to  every  household  in  the  form  of  sheetings  and  shirtings.  The  long  staple,  or 
Sea  Island  cotton,  is  supposed  to  have  originated  in  Persia.  It  is  the  finest  cotton  in  the 
world,  commanding  four  or  five  times  the  price  of  the  other,  and  is  used  only  for  the  finest 
fabrics.  Combined  with  silk  it  often  deceives  the  most  practiced  eye  to  discover  the  mix 
ture. 

An  immense  area  of  the  Union  is  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  cotton,  including  all  the 
slave  states  excepting  the  northern  tier.  What  are  particularly  denominated  the  cotton 
states,  are  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  those  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  These  include 
great  varieties  of  scenery,  and  often  the  cotton  plantations  are  rendered  picturesque  by  the 
combinations  of  hill  and  dale.  Preparations  for  planting  the  cotton  begin  in  January,  by 
collecting  the  old  stalks  of  the  previous  season  in  piles,  and  destroying  them  by  fire.  The 
planting  takes  place  about  the  last  of  March,  two  or  three  bushels  of  seed  being  used  to 
the  acre.  In  about  a  week  the  young  plants  are  seen  making  their  way  above  ground  in 
lines  of  solid  masses.  "  The  field  hand,  however,  will  single  one  delicate  shoot  from  the 
surrounding  multitude,  and  with  his  rude  hoe  he  will  trim  away  the  remainder  with  all  the 
boldness  of  touch  of  a  master;  leaving  the  incipient  stalk  unharmed  and  alone  in  its  glory; 
and  at  nightfall  you  can  look  along  the  extending  rows,  and  find  the  plants  correct  in  line, 
and  of  the  required  distance  of  separation  from  each  other.  Through  the  month  of  July 
the  crop  is  worked  over  the  last  time,  with  the  plow  and  the  hoe,  and  makes  rapid  advances 
to  perfection. 

The  "  cotton  bloom,"  under  the  matured  sun  of  July,  begins  to  make  its  appearance. 
The  announcement  of  the  "  first  blossom  "  of  the  neighborhood  is  a  matter  of  general  in 
terest.  It  should,  perhaps,  be  here  remarked,  that  the  color  of  cotton  in  its  perfection  is 
precisely  that  of  the  blossom — a  beautiful  light,  but  warm  cream  color.  In  buying  cotton 
cloth,  the  "bleached"  and  "unbleached"  are  perceptibly  different  qualities  to  the  most 
casual  observer;  but  the  dark  hues  and  harsh  look  of  the  "unbleached  domestic"  comes 
from  the  handling  of  the  artisan  and  the  soot  of  machinery.  If  cotton,  pure  as  it  looks  in 
the  field,  could  be  wrought  into  fabrics,  they  would  have  a  brilliancy  and  beauty  never  yet 
accorded  to  any  other  material  in  its  natural  or  artificial  state. 

The  '  cotton-picking  season'  is  generally  brought  to  a  close  by  the  middle  of  December. 
The  crop  ready  for  shipment,  the  negroes' are  permitted  to  relax  from  their  labors,  and  are 
in  fine  spirits,  because  *  the  work  of  the  year  is  finished.'  The  Christmas  holidays  are 
strictly  kept,  and  is  the  great  gala  season  of  the  negro. 


LOUISIANA. 


THE  territory  of  Louisiana  was  first  traversed  by  the  Spaniards  under  De 
Soto,  who  died  at  the  mouth  of  Red  River,  in  May,  15-42.  This  celebrated 

adventurer,  finding  that  the  hour  of 
death  was  come,  appointed  a  succes 
sor,  and  with  his  dying  breath,  ex 
horted  his  desponding  followers  to 
"  union  and  confidence"  words  later 
emblazoned  on  the  arms  of  Louisiana. 
De  Soto,  it  is  said,  expended  100,000 
ducats  in  this  expedition,  and  thus 
like  the  fabled  pelican  of  old,  gave 
his  own  blood  for  the  nourishment  of 
his  brood  of  followers. 

In  1682,  La  Salle,  a  French  naval 
officer,  discovered  the  three  passages 
by  which  the  Mississippi  dicharges 
its  waters  into  the  Grulf.  La  Salle, 
having  ascended  the  river  to  a  dry 
spot,  above  inundation,  erected  a  col- 
,umn  with  the  arms  of  France  affixed, 
and  took  possession  of  the  country, 
"in  the  name  of  the  Most  High,  mighty,  invincible,  and  victorious  Prince, 
Louis  the  Great,  by  the  grace  of  God,  King  of  France  and  Navarre,  four 
teenth  of  that  name."  After  the  Te  Deum  was  chanted,  a  salute  of  fire 
arms,  and  cries  of  vive  le  roi.  La  Salle  declared  that  his  majesty,  as  eldest  son 
of  the  church,  would  annex  no  country  to  his  crown,  without  making  it  his 
chief  care  to  establish  the  Christian  religion  therein:  its  symbol  must  now 
be  planted.  Accordingly  a  cross  was  erected,  before  which  religious  services 
were  performed.  The  country  was  named  Louisiana,  in  honor  of  the  French 
king. 

La  Salle  attempted  a  settlement,  but  it  failed.  In  1699,  a  more  successful 
attempt  was  made  by  Iberville  and  others.  He  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  after  making  considerable  explorations,  he  returned  to  the 
Bay  of  Biloxi,  where  he  erected  a  fort,  which  he  left  in  charge  of  his  broth 
ers,  Souvolle  and  JBienville,  and  then  returned  to  France.  In  1712,  the  King 
of  France  granted  a  charter  to  M.  Crozat,  which  covered  the  whole  province, 
with  the  exclusive  privilege  of  trade,  etc.,  for  twenty  years.  This  grant  waa 

599 


AEMS  OF  LOUISIANA. 
Motto— Union  and  Confidence. 


600  LOUISIANA. 

surrendered,  after  five  years,  with  bitter  complaints  that  from  the  imbecility 
of  the  colony,  the  strength  of  the  Indians,  the  presence  of  the  British,  and 
the  sterility  of  the  soil,  it  had  proved  of  no  value  to  him,  b'&t  rather  a  ruin 
ous  expense. 

About  the  year  1717,  John  Law,  a  Scotchman,  but  settled  in  Paris  as  a 
financier,  obtained  a  charter  for  a  bank.  With  this  was  connected  a  great 
commercial  company,  to  whom  was  granted  the  extensive  territory  of  Louis 
iana,  the  mines  of  which,  near  the  Mississippi,  would,  it  was  represented,  re 
imburse  any  investment.  The  Royal  Bank  stock  went  up  to  six  hundred 
times  its  par  value,  and  dividends  were  rendered  at  200  per  cent.  This  bank 
ing  and  stock  jobbing  bubble  soon  burst,  involving  vast  numbers  of  persons 
in  every  rank  of  life  in  ruin,  and  the  "Mississippi  Scheme'  was  a  by-word 
for  a  long  period.  Despairing  of  finding  gold,  and  having  but  poor  success 
in  colonizing  their  lands,  this  "Western  Company"  gave  up  their  charter  in 
1732,  which  the  king  accepted,  and  declared  the  commerce  of  Louisiana 
free. 

In  1760,  war  broke  out  between  Great  Britain  and  France.  Canada  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  English,  and  rather  than  submit  to  their  government, 
many  of  the  inhabitants  sought  a  home  in  southern  climes,  fixing  themselves 
on  the  Acadian  coast  of  Louisiana,  or,  taking  their  course  westward  of  the 
river,  formed  the  settlements  of  Attakapas,  Opelousas,  and  Avoyelles.  In 
1762,  France  ceded  the  territory  of  Louisiana  west  of  the  Mississippi,  with 
New  Orleans,  to  Spain,  and  soon  afterward  abandoned  her  possessions  east 
ward  to  Great  Britain.  When  the  news  of  the  transfer  o£  Louisiana  fell 
upon  the  French  inhabitants,  they  were  filled  with  mourning.  O'Reilly,  with 
^Spanish  military  force,  arrived  and  landed  in  New  Orleans,  and  took  formal 
possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  his  king.  This  commander  soon 
proved  himself  a  tyrant.  Some  of  the  first  citizens  were  arrested,  thrown 
into  prison,  declared  guilty  of  treason,  and  tried  under  the  statute  of  Al- 
phonso,  making  it  death  to  incite  insurrection  against  the  king.  Sentence 
and  execution  followed.  "Posterity,"  says  Martin,  the  historian,  "will  doom 
this  act  to  public  execration." 

The  laws  of  Spain  were  gradually  extended  over  Louisiana.  During  the 
American  Revolution,  Galvez,  governor  of  Louisiana,  captured  the  British 
garrison  at  Baton  Rouge.  The  treaties  between  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Spain  and  the  United  States,  concluded  in  1783,  opened  the  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  ceded  the  Floridas  to  Spain.  These  treaties,  however, 
were  followed  by  embarrassing  disputes,  particularly  respecting  the  naviga 
tion  of  that  part  of  the  Mississippi  which  passed  through  their  territories. 
Any  attempt  to  navigate  the  river,  to  introduce  merchandise  into  New  Or 
leans,  was  resisted  by  the  authorities,  and  the  property  seized.  About  the 
year  1787,  Gen.  Wilkinson  conceived  the  design  of  making  a  settlement  of 
American  families  in  Louisiana,  for  which  he  expected  to  receive  commer 
cial  favors  from  the  Spaniards. 

In  1800,  Spain  reconveyed  the  province  of  Louisiana  to  France.  Bona 
parte,  in  1803,  sold  the  territory  to  the  United  States,  for  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars.  On  the  20th  of  December,  1803,  "the  American  flag  waved  over 
the  city  of  New  Orleans — the  same  day  having  witnessed  the  descent 
of  the  Spanish  ensign,  and  the  elevation  of  the  tri-color,  the  latter 
only  having  been  raised  to  be  replaced  by  the  stars  and  stripes.  Gov.  Clai- 
borrie.  on  taking  the  chair  of  authority,  organized  a  judiciary.  The  act  of 
Congress,  in  1804,  established  a  territorial  government.  The  conflicting 


LOUISIANA.  601 

claims  of  the  United  States  and  Spain,  to  the  strip  of  territory  lying  east  of 
the  Mississippi  River,  were  brought  to  something  like  a  crisis,  in  1810,  by 
the  seizure  of  the  Spanish  post  at  Baton  Rouge.  In  1812,  Louisiana  was 
admitted  into  the  Union  as  a  sovereign  state.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war 
with  Great  Britain,  Gen.  Wilkinson  took  possession  of  the  country  west  of 
the  Perdito,  then  in  the  occupation  of  Spain.  The  memorable  battle  of 
New  Orleans  was  fought  on  the  8th  of  January,  1815.  The  British  troops, 
about  8,000  strong,  were  entirely  defeated  by  a  body  of  about  6,000  Ameri 
can  militia,  with  a  loss  of  about  2,600  men,  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners; 
the  American  loss  was  only  six  killed  and  seven  wounded,  a  disparity  rarely 
if  ever  before  known.  Since  this  period,  Louisiana  has  steadily  advanced  in 
wealth  and  population. 

Louisiana  extends  from  29°  to  33°  N.  latitude,  and  from  88°  40'  to  94° 
25'  W.  longitude;  bounded  N.  by  Arkansas  and  Mississippi,  E.  by  Missis 
sippi,  W.  by  Texas,  and  S.  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Its  length  is  250  miles, 
its  breadth  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  300  miles,  and  at  its  northern  boundary 
is  180,  having  an  area  computed  at  46,431  square  miles.  The  whole  surface 
of  the  state  consists  mostly  of  low  grounds,  with  some  hilly  ranges  in  the 
western  part.  The  southern  portion  of  the  state,  occupying  about  one  fourth 
part  of  its  territory  is  seldom  elevated  more  than  ten  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
is  annually  inundated  by  the  spring  floods.  This  section  is  an  alluvial  de 
posit  from  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  branches.  '  The  territory  be 
tween  the  Atchafalaya  on  the  west,  and  the  Iberville,  etc.,  on  the  east,  is 
called  the  Delta  of  the  Mississippi,  from  its  resemblance  to  the  Greek  letter 
of  that  name. 

The  immense  alluvial  soil  of  Mississippi  may  be  arranged  into  four  classed 
— the  first,  about  two  thirds  of  the  whole,  has  a  heavy  growth  of  timber, 
with  an  almost  impenetrable  undergrowth  of  canes,  etc.,  and  a  soil  of  the 
richest  fertility.  The  second  class  consists  of  cypress  swamps;  these  are 
basins  or  depressions  of  the  surface  from  which  there  is  no  outlet,  and  the 
waters  which  they  receive  from  the  annual  floods  remain  until  they  are  car 
ried  off  by  evaporation  ;  the  third  class  consists  of  the  sea  marsh,  a  belt  of 
land  partially  covered  by  the  common  tides,  and  generally  without  timber; 
the  fourth  class  consists  of  small  bodies  of  prairie  land. 

The  richest  tract  in  the  state  is  a  narrow  belt,  called  "the  coast"  lying 
along  the  Mississippi,  on  both  sides,  extending  from  150  miles  above  to  140 
below  New  Orleans,  and  one  to  two  miles  wide.  This  belt  was  formed  from 
the  annual  deposits  of  the  river,  and  is  a  little  above  the  ordinary  level  of 
the  floods.  To  prevent  the  river  from  inundating  the  valuable  tracts  in  the 
rear,  an  artificial  embankment  has  been  built,  six  or  eight  feet  high,  called 
the  Levee,  which  is  sufficiently  broad  for  a  highway.  The  whole  of  this  tract 
is  under  cultivation,  and  large  quantities  of  sugar  are  annually  produced. 
Below  the  mouth  of  Red  River,  the  Mississippi  separates  into  several  branches 
or  outlets,  which,  diverging  from  each  other,  slowly  wend  their  way  into  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  divide  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  state  into  islands. 
The  climate  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Orleans  is  similar  to  that  of  Charleston, 
S.  C.,  although  two  degrees  further  south.  The  great  agricultural  produc 
tions  of  the  state  are  sugar,  indian  corn,  rice  and  cotton.  Louisiana  is  di 
vided  into  two  districts,  the  eastern  and  western;  the  eastern  contains  21, 
the  western  26  parishes.  Improved  lands,  1,590,025  acres;  unimproved, 
3,939,018.  Population,  in  1810, 76,556 ;  in  1820, 153,407 ;  in  1850, 511,974; 
in  1860,  666,431,  of  whom  312,186  were  slaves. 


602 


LOUISIANA. 


NEW  ORLEANS,  the  great  commercial  emporium  of  the  south  and  west, 
and  the  greatest  cotton  mart  on  the  globe,  is  situated  on  the  E.  or  left  bank 
of  the  Mississippi,  105  miles  above  its  r;  outh,  1,438  S.W.  from  Washington, 
1.663  from  N.  York,  2,025  miles  from  Pittsburgh,  via  Ohio  and  Mississippi 


South-Eastern  view  of  Jackson   Square,  New  Orleans. 

The  Cathedral,  with  its  spires,  appears  in  the  central  part,  the  Statue  of  Gen.  Jackson  within  the 
square  in  front.    The  Court  buildings  oil  either  side. 

Rivers,  and  2,000  from  St.  Anthony's  Falls,  in  Lat.  29°  57'  30"  N.,  Loa.  90° 
W.  from  Greenwich.  The  city  is  built  around  the  river,  which  here  forms 
a  curve  somewhat  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  from  which  circumstance  it  is 


View  on  the  Levee  at  New  Orleans. 

often  called  the  '  Crescent  City."  The  Mississippi,  opposite  New  Orleans,  is 
half  a  mile  wide,  and  100  to  160  feet  deep,  and  continues  this  depth  to  near 
the  Gulf,  where  there  are  bars  having  only  13  to  16  feet  of  water.  The  lo 
cation  is  on  a  piece  of  land  which  inclines  gently  from  the  river  to  the  marshy 
grounds  in  the  rear.  At  high  water  it  is  from  three  to  nine  feet  below  the 


LOUISIANA. 


603 


water  surfaced  To  protect  the  country  against  inundations,  an  embankment,  or 
levee,  fifteen  feet  wide  and  six  feet  high,  has  been  raised,  extending  120  miles 
above,  and  43  below  the  city  to  Fort  Plaquemine. 


m    -=~- •..  ,/=;  pi  ^^  ^ 


View  in  New  Orleans. 

The  engraving  is  a  representation  in  St.  Charles-street,  showing  tho  widely  known  St.  Charlea  Hotel, 
with  the  adjacent  buildings. 

The  New  Orleans  levee  is  one  continuous  landing-place,  or  quay,  four 
miles  in  extent,  and  of  an  average  width  of  100  feet.  It  is  15  feet  above 
low  water  mark,  and  six  feet  above  the  level  of  the  city,  to  which  it  is  grad 
uated  by  an  easy  descent.  During  the  business  season,  from  November  to 
July,  the  river  in  front  of  the  levee  is  crowded  with  vessels,  of  all  sizes  and 
from  all  quarters  of  the  world,  with  hundreds  of  large  and  splendid  steam 
boats,  barges,  flat-boats,  etc.  The  levee  presents  a  most  busy  and  animated 
prospect.  Here  are  seen  piles  of  cotton  bales,  vast  numbers  of  barrels  of 
pork,  flour,  and  liquors  of  various  kinds,  bales  of  foreign  and  domestic  man 
ufactures,  hogsheads  of  sugar,  crates  of  ware,  etc.,  draymen  with  their  carts, 
buyers,  sellers,  laborers,  etc.  Valuable  products  from  the  head  waters  of 
the  Missouri,  3.000  miles  distant,  center  here.  The  Illinois,  the  Ohio,  the 
Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers,  with  the  Mississippi,  are  all  tributaries  to  this 
commercial  depot.  Upward  of  two  hundred  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 


604  LOUISIANA. 

merchandise  are  annually  brought  to  this  market.  Upward  of  2,000  vessels, 
with  a  tunnage  of  more  than  1,000,000,  enter  and  clear  from  this  port  an 
nually. 

The  change  in  the  course  of  the  river  at  New  Orleans,  causes  vast  alluvial 
deposits,  particularly  at  that  point  where  the  commerce  of  the  city  chiefly 
centers.  Here  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  erect  quays,  extending  from 
50  to  100  feet  in  the  river.  In  consequence  of  the  new  formations,  the  levee 
has  been  widened,  and  an  additional  row  of  warehouses  erected  between  the 
city  and  the  river.  The  city  is  built  along  the  river  over  seven  miles,  and 
extends  toward  Lake  Ponchartrain,  nearly  four  miles  from  the  river.  The 
houses  are  mostly  of  brick,  and  many  of  the  residences  in  the  suburbs  are 
ornamented  with  orange  trees  and  gardens.  The  city  was  originally  laid  out 
by  the  French,  in  an  oblong  rectangular  shape,  1,320  yards  in  length,  and 
700  yards  in  breadth.  In  1836,  New  Orleans  was  divided  into  three  muni 
cipalities,  but  in  1852,  this  division  was  abrogated,  and  the  faubourgs,  with 
the  village  of  La  Fayette,  are  now  incorporated  under  one  city  government. 
Algiers,  which  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  suburbs,  is  a  flourishing  village 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  has  several  shipyards  and  extensive 
manufacturing  establishments.  The  inhabitants  of  New  Orleans  are  nearly 
equally  composed  of  Americans,  Creoles,  and  Spaniards.  Population,  in 
1850,  116,375;  in  1860,  170,766. 

Jackson  Square,  with  its  beautiful  statuary,  trees,  shrubbery,  etc.,  in  front 
of  the  Cathedral,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  places  in  the  city.  Formerly 
it  was  known  as  Place  d'Arms,  and  in  early  days  was  used  for  military  pur 
poses.  In  1850  it  was  changed  to  its  present  name,  since  which  time  it  has 
been  tastefully  laid  out  in  walks,  and  ornamented  with  the  rarest  plants  and 
flowers  of  the  south.  In  the  center  of  the  square  is  a  fine  statue  of  Jack 
son,  the  hero  of  New  Orleans,  on  horseback.  In  either  corner  of  the  square 
is  a  statue  representing  the  seasons.  The  Catholic  Cathedral,  fronting  the 
square,  was  erected  in  1792.  The  style  of  its  architecture  is  duplex — the 
first  story  front  is  of  the*  Doric  order,  and  the  second,  the  Tuscan.  The 
belfry  was  erected  in  1850.  The  founder,  Don  Andre,  built  and  dedicated 
this  imposing  structure  to  the  church,  on  condition  that  masses  be  offered 
every  Saturday  evening  at  sunset  for  the  repose  of  his  soul. 

Lafayette  Square,  adorned  with  shade  trees,  is  now  used  as  a  military  pa 
rade  ground,  and  has  several  fine  public  edifices  around  it — the  Odd  Fellows1 
Hall  fronts  the  west  side  of  the  square.  It  is  a  noble  building,  erected  at 
a  cost  of  $200,000.  The  City  Hall,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  square,  is 
a  superb  edifice  of  the  Grecian  Ionic  order,  after  the  Erectheum  at  Athens: 
it  is  built  of  white  marble,  the  basement  being  of  granite.  The  finest  por 
tion  of  the  building  is  the  portico,  with  its  massive  marble  columns.  The 
pediment  contains  a  groupe  in  marble,  representing  Justice  supported  by 
Liberty  and  Commerce.  It  was  commenced  in  1847,  and  completed  in  1850,  at 
an  expense  of  about  $300,000.  Since  the  consolidation  of  the  city,  it  has  been 
known  as  the  City  Hall.  The  First  Presbyterian  Church,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  square,  is  an  architectural  ornament  to  the  city  of  the  first  order.  It 
is  of  Gothic  style,  and  the  largest  building  of  the  kind  in  the  city,  being 
nearly  100  feet  in  breadth  and  194  in  depth,  having  a  steeple  210  feet  high. 
It  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  church,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire,  Oct.  30, 
1854.  The  following  inscription  is  within  the  vestibule: 

In  memory  of  REV.  SYLVESTER  LARKED,  First  Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  this 
City,  who  died  of  the  yellow  fever,  Aug.  31,  1820 ;  aged  24  years.     His  last  sermon  was 


LOUISIANA. 


605 


preached  on  the  27th  of  Aug.,  from  Phil.  I,  21.     For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  ia 
gain. 

There  are  about  50  churches  in  New  Orleans,  about  one  third  of  which 
are  Catholic.  The  Charity  Hospital  is  a  large  building,  three  stories  high 
and  290  feet  in  length.  It  was  instituted  in  1832,  and  the  citizen  and  stranger 


Northern  View  of  Lafayette  Square,  Neiv  Orleans. 

The  first  Presbyterian  Church  is  seen  in  the  central  part,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Square.     Part  of  the 
Odd  Fellows'  Hail  and  Catholic  Church  on  the  left,  and  the  front  of  the  City  Hall  on  the  extreme  right. 

alike  find  admission  and  receive  the  benefits  of  this  institution  during  sick 
ness.  Its  average  yearly  admissions  have  been  latterly  about  11,000,  and  its 
discharges  about  9,000.  Its  disbursements  are  about  $100,000.  The  Uni 
versity  of  Louisiana  was  founded  in  1849.  The  medical  department  has  8 


\ 


Situation  of  New  Orleans. 

The  outline  shows  the  general  appearance  of  New  Orleans,  as  seen  from  -the  south,  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Mississippi.    The  localities  of  Algiers,  MacDonongh,  etc.,  appear  on  the  left ;  part  of  the  Levee  in  front. 

professors,  the  academic  4,  and  the  law  4.  The  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital  ig  at 
MacDonough,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  The  hotels  and  theaters  of 
New  Orleans,  are  among  the  most  splendid  buildings  in  the  city.  St.  Charles 


606  LOUISIANA. 

Theater  is  132  feet  long  and  170  feet  deep,  and  cost  about  $350,000;  the 
French  theater  is  a  large  and  expensive  building ;  the  American  theater  cost 
about  $130,000.  These  three  theaters  will,  in  the  aggregate,  accommodate 
about  4,500  persons,  and  are  nightly  filled,  often  to  suffocation. 

The  New  Orleans  Custom  House  is  stated  to  be  "the  largest  structure  of 
the  kind  under  one  roof  in  the  world."  The  corner  stone  was  laid  by  Henry 
Clay,  in  1849.  The  building  covers  a  whole  square,  an  area  of  two  acres. 
The  whole  cost,  when  completed,  it  is  supposed  will  amount  to  nearly  four 
millions  of  dollars. 

The  statue  of  Henry  Clay  is  one  of  the  objects  of  interest  in  New  Or 
leans.  It  is  in  bronze,  after  the  design  of  Joel  T.  Hart.  It  is  about  twelve 
feet  in  hight,  and  is  mounted  on  a  lofty  pedestal.  Mr.  Clay  is  represented 
in  the  act  of  addressing  the  senate,  the  left  hand  resting  on  the  pedestal,  the 
right  gracefully  extended.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1856,  and  on  the  12th  of  April,  1860,  it  was  inaugurated  in  the  presence  of 
one  of  the  largest  concourses  of  people  ever  assembled  in  the  city.  It  stands 
in  the  heart  of  the  metropolis,  overlooking  the  Mississippi.  New  Orleans 
was  a  place  of  favorite  resort  to  Mr.  Clay,  and  his  memory  is  endeared  to 
her  citizens  by  many  valued  recollections  of  his  social  life  among  them. 

The  history  of  New  Orleans,  in  its  earlier  epochs,  embraces  that  of  the 
whole  French  settlements  in  lower  Louisiana.  It  received  its  name  from 
the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Regent  of  France. 

"In  many  respects  New  Orleans  is  regarded  as  the  most  remarkable  and  attrac 
tive  city  of  the  United  States,  especially  by  those  foreigners  who  are  partial  to  the 
life  of  Southern  Europe.  Its  almost  tropical  climate,  its  semi-French  tone,  its  lux 
uries  and  pleasures,  and  its  being,  so  to  speak,  the  headquarters  of  the  southwest 
ern  states,  whose  inhabitants  are  famed  for  their  frank,  courteous,  and  hospitable 
manners,  all  combine  to  render  New  Orleans  to  the  one  who  perfectly  appreciates 
it  a  place  of  most  delightful  memories  and  associations.  Previous  to  the  be 
ginning  of  the  present  century,  the  history  of  New  Orleans  was  intimately  con 
nected  with  that  of  France  and  Spain.  It  was  settled  by  the  French  in  1717,  and 
owed  its  existence  to  the  famous,  and  until  recently  but  imperfectly  understood 
genius,  John  Law.  The  settlement  of  the  countrydid  not  succeed,  however,  under 
the  Mississippi  scheme,  though  immense  sums  were  expended  upon  it,  and  many 
colonists  sent  there.  All  possible  protection  and  privilege  failed  to  produce  remu 
nerative  returns,  principally  because  gold  and  silver  were  more  sought  for  than 
crops.  In  1,727,  New  Orleans  received  a  great  number  of  Jesuit  priests  and  Ursu- 
line  nuns,  who  remained  there  until  1764.  It  was  in  1769  that  the  first  cases  of 
yellow  fever  occurred — introduced,  it  is  said,  by  a  slaver.  Its  commerce  with  the 
United  States  began  in  1777,  and  during  the  following  year  it  was  nearly  destroyed 
by  a  vast  conflagration.  The  population  of  New  Orleans  in  1785  amounted  to 
four  thousand  seven  hundred;  in  1853  it  was  one  hundred  and  forty-live  thousand 
four  hundred  and  forty-nine,  of  whom  twenty-nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  sev 
enty-four  were  either  slaves  or  'f.p.c.,'  'free  people  of  color.'  In  1762,  by  secret 
treaty,  Louisiana  was  conveyed  to  Spain.  Several  years  elapsed  before  the  occu 
pation  took  place.  The  new  Spanish  government  was  odious  to  the  French  settlers, 
and  so  aggravating  to  their  American  neighbors  that  our  general  government  had 
at  one  time  to  use  strenuous  exertions  to  prevent  a  regular  war  between  the  west 
ern  people  and  the  Spaniards.  New  Orleans  was  reconveyed  to  the  French  in 
1800,  and  included  in  our  purchase  of  Louisiana.  Napoleon  saw  that  the  loss  of 
the  country  was  inevitable,  and  wisely  sold  it  to  the  United  States.  Never  was  a 
monarch  so  willing  to  sell  out,  or  a  government  so  anxious  to  buy  as  ours,  the  only 
difficulty  was  the  price.  It  was  finally  transferred  for  the  valuable  consideration 
of  eighty  millions  of  livres,  deducting  twenty  millions  for  spoliations  of  our  mer 
chant  marine.  In  1804  New  Orleans  was  incorporated  as  a  city;  in  1805  it  be 
came  a  port  of  entry.  From  the  period  of  its  passing  under  'American'  govern- 


LOUISIANA.  607 

merit,  its  progress  was  wonderfully  rapid,  its  population  more  than  doubling  within 
seven  years.  It  was  on  January  8,  1815,  that  the  most  interesting  event  in  its 
history  occurred.  It  was  on  that  day  that  General  Pakenham  approached  the  city 
through  Lakes  Borgne  and  Fonchartrain,  and  was  defeated  by  General  Jackson. 


Battle  Field  of  Plaine  Chalmette,  or  New  "Orleans. 

The  memorable  battle  of  New  Orleans  was  fought  about  four  miles  below 
the  city,  at  a  spot  washed  by  the  Mississippi,  and  surrounded  by  cypress 
swamps  and  cane-brakes.  The  following  account  is  from  Perkins'  History 
of  the  War: 

U0n  his  arrival  in  the  city,  General  Jackson,  in  conjunction  with  Judge  Hall, 
and  many  influential  persons  of  the  city,  on  the  16th  of  December,  issued  an  order 
declaring  the  city  and  environs  of  New  Orleans  to  be  under  strict  martial  law. 
Every  individual  entering  the  city  was  required  to  report  himself  to  the  adjutant- 
general,  and  no  person  by  land  or  water  was  suffered  to  leave  the  city  without  a 
passport.  The  street  lamps  were  ordered  to  be  extinguished  at  nine  o  clock;  after 
which  any  persons  found  in  the  streets,  or  from  their"homes  Avithout  permission  in 
writing,  and  not  having  the  countersign,  were  ordered  to  be  apprehended  as  spies. 
This  measure  at  once  converted  the  whole  city  into  a  camp,  and  subjected  the  per 
sons  and  property  of  the  citizens  to  the  will  of  the  commanding  general.  Writs 
of  habeas  corpus,  and  all  other  civil  process  by  means  of  which  the  lives  and 
properties  of  the  people  are  protected,  were  for  the  time  suspended.  Such  was  the 
alarm  and  confusion  of  the  moment,  that  few  inquiries  were  made  whence  the 
commanding  general  of  a  military  station  derived  such  powers,  to  be  exercised 
over  the  inhabitants  of  the  adjacent  country,  in  nowise  connected  with  his  camp. 
Although  the  brilliant  success  which  afterward  attended  the  operations  of  General 
Jackson  seemed  to  justify  the  measure,  yet  the  people  saw  in  it  a  precedent,  which 
though  it  might  have  saved  New  Orleans,  might  at  some  future  period  extinguish 
their  liberties.  A  most  rigid  police  was  now  instituted.  Spies  and  traitors,  with 
which,  the  governor  complained,  the  city  abounded,  and  who  had  been  industri 
ously  employed  in  seducing  the  French  and  Spanish  inhabitants  from  their  alle 
giance,  now  fled;  and  the  remaining  citizens  cordially  co-operated  with  the  gen 
eral  in  the  means  of  defense.  Fort  St.  Philips,  which  guarded  the  passage  of'the 
river  at  the  Detour  la  Plaquemine,  was  strengthened  and  placed  under  the  com 
mand  of  Major  Overton,  an  able  and  skillful  engineer.  A  site  was  selected  for 
works  of  defense,  four  miles  below  the  city,  where  its  destinies  were  ultimately  to 
be  determined.  The  right  rested  on  the  river,  and  the  left  was  flanked  by  an  im 
penetrable  cypress  swamp,  which  extended  eastward  to  Lake  Ponchartrain,  and 
westward  to  within  a  mile  of  the  river.  Between  the  swamp  and  the  river  was  a 
large  ditch  or  artificial  bayou  which  had  been  made  for  agricultural  objects,  but 
which  now  served  an  important  military  purpose.  On  the  northern  bank  of  this 
ditch,  the  entrenchments  were  thrown  up. 


608  LOUISIANA. 

Each  flank  was  secured  by  an  advance  bastion,  and  the  latter  protected  by  batte 
ries  in  the  rear.  These  works  were  well  mounted  with  artillery.  Opposite  this 
position,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  on  a  rising  ground,  General  Morgan,  with 
the  city  and  drafted  militia,  was  stationed;  and  Commodore  Patterson,  with  the 
crews  of  the  Caroline  and  Louisiana,  and  the  guns  of  the  latter,  formed  another, 
near  General  Morgan's;  both  of  which  entirely  enfiladed  the  approach  of  an  ene 
my  against  the  principal  works.  A  detachment  was  stationed  above  the  town  to 
guard  the  pass  of  the  Bayou  St.  John,  if  an  attempt  should  be  made  from  that 
quarter.  These  arrangements,  promptly  and  judiciously  made,  gave  entire  confi 
dence  to  the  citizens,  and  inspired  them  with  zeal  to  second  the  general's  exertions. 
Rein  force  ments  were  daily  arriving,  and  as  they  arrived  were  immediately  con 
ducted  to  their  respective  stations. 

Landing  of  the  British. — In  the  meantime  the  British  were  actively  employed 
in  making  preparations  for  the  attack;  believing  the  pass  from  Lake  Borgne  to 
Lake  Pontchartrain  to  be  defended  according  to  General  Wilkinson's  plan,  by  the 
fortress  of  Petit  Ooquille,  they  determined  to  land  from  Lake  Borgne  by  the  Bayou 
Bienvenue.  For  this  purpose  they  concentrated  their  forces  on  Ship  Island,  eighty 
miles  distant  from  the  contemplated  place  of  landing.  The  depth  of  water  in  Lake 
Borgne  was  such  that  this  distance  could  be  traversed  only  by  boats  and  small 
craft,  and  must  necessarily  be  passed  several  times  in  order  to  bring  up  the  whole 
armament.  The  first  object  of  the  British  general,  was  to  clear  the  lake  of  the 
American  gun-boats;  and  for  this  purpose,  forty  British  launches  were  sent  in  pur 
suit  of  them,  and,  after  a  desperate  resistance,  captured  and  destroyed  the  wnole 
American  flotilla,  stationed  on  Lakes  Borgne  and  Pontchartrain,  for  the  defense  of 
New  Orleans,  consisting  of  five  gun-boats  and  a  small  sloop  and  schooner.  By  this 
success,  they  obtained  the  undisturbed  possession  of  the  lake;  and  on  the  22d  of 
December,  proceeded  from  their  rendezvous  on  Ship  Island,  with  all  their  boats 
and  small  craft  capable  of  navigating  the  lake,  to  the  Bayou  of  Bienvenue;  and 
having  surprised  and  captured  the  videttes  at  tho  mouth  of  the  bayou,  the  first  di 
vision  accomplished  their  landing  unobserved.  Major  General  Villiere,  of  the  New 
Orleans  militia,  living  on  the  bayou,  to  whom  the  important  service  of  making  the 
first  attack,  and  giving  notice  of  the  enemy's  approach  was  intrusted,  found  them 
on  his  plantation,  nine  miles  below  the  city,  without  any  previous  knowledge  of 
their  approach. 

Skirmishes  on  the  23d — Notice  was  immediately  given  to  General  Jackson,  who 
came  out  and  attacked  them  on  the  evening  of  the  23d.  Jn  this  affair  the  British 
sustained  a  loss;  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  of  five  hundred.  The  British 
entrenched  themselves  at  the  Bienvenue  plantation,  four  miles  from  the  American 
camp,  making  the  plantation  house,  in  the  rear  of  their  works,  their  head-quarters. 
General  Jackson  established  his  head-quarters  at  M'Carty's  plantation,  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  in  full  view  of  the  British  encampment.  Two  armed  schooners, 
the  Caroline  and  Louisiana,  constituting  all  the  American  naval  force  on  the  river, 
dropped  down  from  the  city,  anchored  opposite  the  British  encampment,  and  opened 
a  brisk  fire  upon  their  lines  with  considerable  effect.  On  the  27th,  the  Caroline, 
Captain  Henly,  got  becalmed  within  reach  of  the  British  batteries,  and  was  set  fire 
to  and  destroyed  by  their  hot  shot:  the  other  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  their 
reach.  On  the  28th,  the  British  advanced  within  half  a  mile  of  the  American 
lines,  and  opened  a  fire  of  shells  and  rockets;  but  were  driven  back  by  the  artil 
lery  with  considerable  loss.  On  the  night  of  the  31st  of  December,  the  enemy 
again  advanced  to  within  six  hundred  yards  of  General  Jackson's  position,  and 
erected  three  batteries,  mounting  fifteen  guns,  and  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  opened  a  heavy  fire.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  under  cover  of  these  batteries, 
three  unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  to  storm  the  American  works.  By  four  in 
the  afternoon,  all  their  batteries  were  silenced,  and  in  the  following  night  they  re 
turned  to  their  former  position.  On  the  4th  of  January,  General  Adair  arrived 
with  four  thousand  Kentucky  militia,  principally  without  arms.  The  muskets  and 
munitions  of  war  destined  for  the  supply  of  this  corps,  were  provided  tit  Pitts 
burgh,  and  did  not  leave  that  place  until  the  25th  of  December;  passed  Louisville 
the  6th  of  January,  and  arrived  at  New  Orleans,  several  days  after  the  buttle  of 


LOUISIANA.  609 

the  8th.  On  the  6th,  the  last  reinforcement  of  three  thousand  men  arrived  from 
England,  under  Major  General  Lambert.  Before  the  final  assault  on  the  American 
lines,  the  British  general  deemed  it  necessary  to  dislodge  General  Morgan  and 
Commodore  Patterson  from  their  positions  on  the  right  bank.  These  posts  so  ef 
fectually  enfiladed  the  approach  to  General  Jackson's  works,  that  the  army  advanc 
ing  to  the  assault  must  be  exposed  to  the  most  imminent  hazard.  To  accomplish 
this  object,  boats  were  to  be  transported  across  the  island  from  Lake  Borgne  to  the 
Mississippi;  for  this  purpose  the  British  had  been  laboriously  employed  in  deep 
ing  and  widening  the  canal  or  bayou  Bienvenue,  on  which  they  first  disembarked. 
On  the  7th,  they  succeeded  in  opening  the  embankment  on  the  river,  and  complet 
ing  a  communication  from  the  lake  to  the  Mississippi.  In  pushing  the  boats 
through,  it  was  found  at  some  places  the  canal  was  not  of  sufficient  width,  and  at 
ethers  the  banks  fell  in  and  choked  the  passage,  which  necessarily  occasioned  great 
delay  and  increase  of  labor.  At  length,  however,  they  succeeded  in  hauling 
through  a  sufficient  number  to  transport  five  hundred  troops  to  the  right  bank.  At 
dawn  of  day  on  the  8th,  was  the  period  fixed  for  the  final  assault  on  the  American 
lines.  Colonel  Thornton  was  detached  with  five  hundred  men,  to  cross  the  river 
and  attack  the  batteries  on  that  side,  at  the  same  time  that  the  main  assault  was  to 
be  made,  of  which  he  was  to  be  informed  by  a  signal  rocket.  The  American  gen 
eral  had  detached  Colonel  Davis,  with  three  hundred  Kentucky  militia,  badly  armed, 
to  reinforce  General  Morgan.  These  were  immediately  ordered  to  the  water-edge, 
to  oppose  the  enemy's  landing.  Unable  in  their  situation  to  contend  with  a  supe 
rior  force  of  regular  troops  well  armed,  they  soon  broke  and  fled,  and  the  Louisi 
ana  militia  at  General  Morgan's  battery  followed  their  example.  Commodore  Pat 
terson's  marine  battery,  being  now  unprotected,  his  crews  were  obliged  to  yield  to 
an  overwhelming  force,  and  the  British  succeeded  in  silencing  both;  but  the  oppo 
sition  which  Colonel  Thornton  met  with  prevented  this  operation  from  being  com 
pleted  until  the  contest  was  nearly  ended  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

At  day  light  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  the  main  body  of  the  British  under  their 
commander-in-chief,  General  Pakenham,  were  seen  advancing  from  their  encamp 
ment  to  storm  the  American  lines.  On  the  preceding  evening  they  had  erected  a 
brtttery  within  eight  hundred  yards,  which  now  opened  a  brisk  fire  to  protect  their 
advance.  The  British  came  on  in  two  columns,  the  left  along  the  levee  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  directed  against  the  American  right,  while  their  right  advanced  to  the 
swamp,  with  a  view  to  turn  General  Jackson's  left.  The  country  being  a  perfect 
level,  and  the  view  unobstructed,  their  march  was  observed  from  its  commence 
ment.  They  were  suffered  to  approach  in  silence  and  unmolested,  until  within 
three  hundred  yards  of  the  lines.  This  period  of  suspense  and  expectation  was 
empJoyed  by  General  Jackson  and  his  officers,  in  stationing  every  man  at  his  post, 
and  arranging  everything  for  the  decisive  event.  When  the  British  columns  had 
advanced  within  three  hundred  yards  of  tho  lines,  the  whole  artillery  at  once 
opened  upon  them  a  most  deadly  fire.  Forty  pieces  of  cannon  deeply  charged  with 
grape,  canister,  and  musket  balls,  mowed  them  down  by  hundreds,  at  the  same 
time  the  batteries  on  the  west  bank  opened  their  fire,  while  the  riflemen  in  perfect 
security  behind  their  works,  as  the  British  advanced,  took  deliberate  aim,  and 
nearly  every  shot  took  effect  Through  this  destructive  fire,  the  British  left  column, 
under  the  i'mmediate  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief.  rushed  on  with  their 
fascines  and  scaling  ladders  to  the  advance  bastion  on  the  American  right,  and 
succeeded  in  mounting  the  parapet;  here,  after  a  close  conflict  with  the  bayonet, 
they  succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  the  bastion,  when  the  battery  planted  in 
the  rear  for  its  protection,  opened  its  fire  and  drove  the  British  from  the  ground. 
On  the  American  left,  the  British  attempted  to  pass  the  swamp,  and  gain  the  rear, 
but  the  works  had  been  extended  as  far  into  the  swamp  as  the  ground  would  per 
mit.  Some  who  attempted  it,  sunk  into  the  mire  and  disappeared;  those  behind, 
seeing  the  fate  of  their  companions,  seasonably  retreate-d  and  gained  the  hard 
ground.  The  assault  continued  an  hour  and  a  quarter:  during  the  whole  time  the 
Tiritish  were  exposed  to  the  deliberate  and  destructive  fire  of"  the  American  artil* 
lery  and  musketry,  which  lay  in  perfect  security  behind  their  earthen  breastworks, 
through  which  no  balls  could  penetrate.  At  eight  o'clock,  the  British  columns 
drew  off  in  confusion,  and  retreated  behind  their  works.  Flushed  with  success, 

39 


610  LOUISIANA. 

the  militia  were  eager  to  pursue  the  British  troops  to  their  entrenchments,  and 
drive  them  immediately  from  the  island.  A  less  prudent  and  accomplished  general 
might  have  been  induced  to  yield  to  the  indiscreet  ardor  of  his  troops;  but  Gen 
eral  Jackson  understood  too  well  the  nature,  both  of  his  own  and  his  enemy's 
force,  to  hazard  such  an  attempt.  Defeat  must  inevitably  have  attended  an  assault 
made  by  raw  militia  upon  an  entrenched  camp  of  British  regulars.  The  defense 
of  New  Orleans  was  the  object;  nothing  was  to  be  hazarded  which  would  jeopard 
ize  the  city.  The  British  were  suffered  to  retire  behind  their  works  without  moles 
tation.  The  result  was  such  as  might  be  expected  from  the  different  positions  of 
the  two  armies.  General  Packenham,  near  the  crest  of  the  glacis,  received  a  ball 
in  his  knee.  Still  continuing  to  lead  on  his  men,  another  shot  pierced  his  body, 
and  he  was  carried  off  the  field.  Nearly  at  the  same  time,  Major  General  Gibbs, 
the  second  in  command,  within  a  few  yards  of  the  lines,  received  a  mortal  wound, 
and  was  removed.  The  third  in  command,  Major  General  Keane,  at  the  head  of 
his  troops  near  the  glacis,  was  severely  wounded.  The  three  commanding  generals, 
on  marshaling  their  troops  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  promised  them  a  plenti 
ful  dinner  in  New  Orleans,  and  gave  them  booty  and  beauty  as  the  parole  and 
countersign  of  the  day.  Before  eight  o'clock  the  three  generals  were  carried  off 
the  field,  two  in  the  agonies  of  death,  and  the  third  entirely  disabled;  leaving  up 
ward  of  two  thousand  of  their  men,  dead,  dying,  and  wounded,  on  the  field  of 
battle.  Colonel  Kaynor,  who  commanded  the  forlorn  hope  which  stormed  the 
American  bastion  on  the  right,  as  he  was  leading  his  men  up,  had  the  calf  of  his 
leg  carried  away  by  a  cannon  shot.  Disabled  as  he  was,  he  was  the  first  to  mount 
the  parapet,  and  receive  the  American  bayonet  Seven  hundred  were  killed  on 
the  field,  fourteen  hundred  wounded,  and  five  hundred  made  prisoners,  making  a 
total  on  that  day  of  twenty-six  hundred.  But  six  Americans  were  killed  and  seven 
wounded.  Of  General  Morgan's  detachment  on  the  west  bank,  and  in  a  sortie  on 
the  British  lines,  forty-nine  were  killed,  and  one  .hundred  and  seventy-eight 
wounded. 

After  the  battle,  General  Lambert,  who  had  arrived  from  England  but  two  days 
before,  and  was  now  the  only  surviving  general,  requested  a  truce  for  the  purpose 
of  burying  his  dead.  This  was  granted  until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
9th.  Lines  were  drawn  one  hundred  rods  distant  from  the  American  camp,  within 
which  the  British  were  not  permitted  to  approach.  In  the  ditch,  and  in  front  of 
the  works,  within  the  prescribed  lines,  four  hundred  and  eighty-two  British  dead 
were  picked  lip  by  the  American  troops,  and  delivered  to  their  companions  over  the 
lines  for  burial  The  afternoon  of  the  8th  and  the  whole  of  the  9th,  was  spent 
by  the  British  army  is  burying  their  dead.  The  American  sentinels  guarding  the 
lines  during  this  interval,  frequently  repeated  in  the  hearing  of  the  British,  while 
tumbling  their  companions  by  hundreds  into  pits,  '  Six  killed,  seven  wounded.' 

Retreat  of  the  British. — On  the  night  of  the  18th,  they  broke  up  their  encamp 
ment,  and  commenced  their  retreat  to  the  place  of  their  first  landing.  To  accom 
plish  this  with  safety,  it  was  necessary  that  the  army  should  move  in  one  body. 
With  this  view,  immediately  after  the  battle  of  the  8th,  large  working  parties  had 
been  employed  in  constructing  a  road  through  a  quagmire,  for  a  considerable  dis 
tance  along  the  margin  of  the  bayou:  by  binding  together  large  quantities  of  reeds, 
and  laying  them  across  the  mire ;  in  the  course  of  nine  days,  these  parties  had 
constructed  something  resembling  a  road  from  their  encampment  to  the  place  of 
debarkation.  Along  this  insecure  track,  the  British  army  silently  stole  their  march 
in  the  night  of  the  1 8th  of  January.  By  the  treading  ot  the  first  corps,  the  bun 
dles  of  reeds  gave  way,  and  their  followers  had  to  wade  up  to  their  knees  in  mire. 
Several  perished  in  the  sloughs,  the  darkness  of  the  night  preventing  their  compan 
ions  from  affording  relief.  At  the  mouth  of  the  bayou  were  a  few  huts,  which 
afforded  shelter  for  fishermen  in  the  season  of  catching  fish  for  the  New  Orleans 
market;  here  the  troops  halted  and  bivouacked  previous  to  their  embarkation. 
Their  provisions  being  exhausted,  a  few  crumbs  of  biscuit  and  a  small  allowance 
of  rum  was  their  only  support.  Here  they  were  eighty  miles  from  their  ships,  the 
whole  of  which  distance  they  had  to  traverse  in  small  open  boats;  and  having  but 
few  of  these,  the  embarkation  occupied  ten  days.  On  the  27th,  the  whole  land 
and  naval  forces  which  remained  of  this  disastrous  expedition,  to  their  great  joy, 


LOUISIANA.  611 

found  themselves  on  board  their  ships.  Their  ranks  thinned,  their  chiefs  and 
many  of  their  companions  slain,  their  bodies  emaciated  with  hunger,  fatigue,  and 
sickness,  they  gladly  quitted  this  inauspicious  country.  The  surviving  command 
ing  general  observes,  'that  the  services  of  both  army  and  navy,  since  their  landing 
on  this  coast,  have  been  arduous  beyond  anything  he  ever  before  witnessed,  and 
difficulties  have  been  gotten  over  with  an  assiduity  and  perseverance  beyond  ex 
ample  by  all  ranks.'  A  British  officer  of  distinction,  an  actor  in  the  scene,  thus 
describes  his  tour  from  the  encampment  to  the  embarkation:  'For  some  time,  our 
route  lay  along  the  high  road  beside  the  brink  of  the  river,  and  was  agreeable 
enough ;  but  as  soon  as  we  began  to  enter  upon  the  path  through  the  marsh,  all 
comfort  was  at  an  end.  Being  constructed  of  materials  so  slight,  and  resting  upon 
a  foundation  so  infirm,  the  treading  of  the  first  corps  unavoidably  beat  it  to  pieces : 
those  which  followed  were  therefore  compelled  to  flounder  on  in  the  best  way  they 
could;  and  by  the  time  the  rear  of  the  column  gained  the  morass,  all  trace  of  a 
way  had  entirely  disappeared.  But  not  only  were  the  reeds  torn  asunder  and  sunk 
by  the  pressure  of  those  who  had  gone  before,  but  the  bog  itself,  which  at  first 
might  have  furnished  a  few  spots  of  firm  footing,  was  trodden  into  the  consistency 
of  mud.  The  consequence  was,  that  every  step  sunk  us  to  the  knees,  and  fre 
quently  higher.  Near  the  ditches,  indeed,  many  spots  occurred  which  we  had  the 
utmost  difficulty  of  crossing  at  all;  and  as  the  night  was  dark,  there  being  no  moon, 
nor  any  light,  except  what  the  stars  supplied,  it  was  difficult  to  select  our  steps,  or 
even  to  follow  those  who  called  to  us  that  they  were  safe  on  the  other  side.  At 
one  of  these  places,  I  myself  beheld  an  unfortunate  wretch  gradually  sink,  until 
he  totally  disappeared.  I  saw  him  flounder  in,  heard  him  cry  for  help,  and  ran 
forward  with  the  intention  of  saving  him ;  but  before  I  had  taken  a  second  step,  I 
myself  sunk  at  once  as  high  as  the  breast.  I  could  feel  no  solid  bottom  under  me, 
and  continued  slowly  to  go  deeper  and  deeper  till  the  mud  reached  my  arms.  In 
stead  of  endeavoring  to  help  the  poor  soldier,  of  whom  nothing  now  could  be  seen 
except  the  head  and  hands,  I  was  forced  to  beg  assistance  for  myself,  when  a 
leathern  canteen  strap  being  thrown  me,  1  laid  hold  of  it,  and  was  dragged  out 
just  as  my  fellow  sufferer  became  invisible.  Over  roads  such  as  these,  did  we 
continue  our  march  during  the  whole  of  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  arrived  at 
a  place  called  Fishermen's  huts,  consisting  of  a  clump  of  mud-built  cottages, 
standing  by  the  edge  of  the  water,  on  a  part  of  the  morass  rather  more  firm  than 
the  rest.  Here  we  were  ordered  to  halt;  wearied  with  exertions  and  oppressed 
with  want  of  sleep,  I  threw  myself  on  the  ground  without  so  much  as  taking  off 
my  muddy  garments,  and  in  an  instant  all  cares  and  troubles  were  forgotten.  Nor 
did  I  awake  from  that  deep  slumber  for  many  hours;  when  I  arose,  cold  and  stiff, 
and  addressed  myself  to  the  last  morsel  of  salt  pork  my  wallet  contained.  With 
out  tents  or  huts  of  any  description,  our  bed  was  the  morass,  and  our  only  cover 
ing  the  clothes  which  had  not  quitted  our  backs  for  more  than  a  month;  our  fires 
were  composed  solely  of  reeds,  which,  like  straw,  soon  blaze  up  and  expire  again,, 
without  communicating  any  degree  of  warmth.  But  above  all,  our  provisions  were 
expended,  and  from  what  quarter  an  immediate  supply  was  to  be  obtained,  we 
could  not  discover.  Our  sole  dependence  was  upon  the  boats.  Of  these  a  flotilla 
lay  ready  to  receive  us,  in  which  were  already  embarked  the  black  corps  and  the 
44th ;  but  they  had  brought  with  them  only  food  for  their  own  use,  it  was  there 
fore  necessary  that  they  should  reach  the  fleet  and  return  again  before  we  could 
be  supplied.  But  as  the  nearest  shipping  was  eighty  miles  distant,  and  the  weather 
might  become  boisterous,  or  the  winds  obstinate,  we  might  starve  before  any  sup 
ply  could  arrive.  As  soon  as  the  boats  returned,  regiment  after  regiment  embarked 
and  set  sail  for  the  fleet ;  but  the  distance  being  considerable,  and  the  wind  foul, 
many  days  elapsed  before  the  whole  could  be  got  off;  by  the  end  of  the  month,  we 
were  all  once  more  on  board  our  former  ships.'" 

The  following  respecting  New  Orleans,  is  extracted  from  a  small  work,  en 
titled  "Travels  in  Louisiana  and  the  Floridas  in  the  year  1802,  etc.,"  a  very 
popular  volume,  published  in  Paris,  Aug.,  1803.     Translated  by  John  Davis: 
•  "New  Orleans  ...  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi,  thirty-five  leagues  from 
the  sea.  .  .  .     The  river  forms,  before  the  city,  a  large  creek,  or  kind  of  semi-circu- 


612  LOUISIANA. 

lar  basin,  here  and  there  widening.  It  is  equivalent  for  a  port  on  the  east,  where 
vessels  anchor  close  to  each  other,  and  so  near  the  water  side,  that  by  means  of  a 
couple  of  forts,  in  the  form  of  a  bridge,  there  is  an  easy  communication  from  the 
land  to  each  vessel,  and  their  cargoes  are  discharged  with  the  greatest  care, 

The  depth  of  the  river,  taken  at  the  middle  of  its  bed,  in  front  of  the  city,  is 
about  forty  fathoms;  about  half  a  century  ago  its  depth  at  the  same  place  was  sev 
enty  fathoms.  Hence  it  follows  (if  these  measurements  be  not  faulty)  that  the 
bed  of  the  river  loses  in  depth  what  it  gains  in  breadth;  it  is  considerably  wider 
than  it  was.  Its  breadth  at  the  same  pktce  is  about  five  hundred  fathoms,  propor 
tionate  to  the  elevation  and  depression  of  its  waters. 

Behind  the  city  is  a  communication  by  water  with  Lake  Ponchartrain,  which  is 
not  more  than  two  leagues  distant  in  a  right  line  toward  the  north-east  from  whence 
small  vessels  come  up  with  sails,  by  the  way  of  the  Bayou  Saint  John,  which  there 
empties  itself.  At  this  confluence  is  an  open  canal,  which  was  made  some  years 
ago,  under  the  direction  of  Mons.  Carondelet,  a  work  truly  useful;  which,  in  pro 
curing  to  the  city  the  advantages  of  a  double  port,  purged  and  drained  the  neigh 
boring  swamps.  Formerly,  those  very  vessels  navigated  the  canal  which  now 
anchor  before  the  city,  but  it  having  been  neglected  since  the  departure  of  the 
governor,  it  has  lost  its  advantages  in  being  choked  up,  and  is  now  the  receptacle 
of  only  the  most  diminutive  barks. 

The  city  is  about  3,600  feet  in  length:  to  which  may  be  superadded  the  suburbs 
extending  like  the  city  along  the  river,  and  about  half  as  long ;  but,  strictly  speak 
ing,  both  the  city  and  suburbs  are  mere  outlines,  the  greater  part  of  the  houses 
being  constructed  of  wood,  having  but  one  story,  erected  often  on  blocks,  and 
roofed  with  shingles,  the  whole  being  of  very  combustible  wood,  that  is  of  cypress. 
Hence  this  city  has  been  twice  on  fire,  accidentally,  in  the  interval  of  a  small 
number  of  years,  in  the  month  of  March,  1788,  and  the  month  of  December,  1 794. 
Yet,  notwithstanding,  the  inhabitants  every  day  build  wooden  houses,  regardless 
of  the  consequences. 

There  are  a  few  houses,  more  solid  and  less  exposed,  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
and  in  the  front  streets.  Those  houses  are  of  burnt  brick,  some  one,  others  two 
stories  high,  having  the  upper  part  furnished  with  an  open  gallery,  which  sur 
rounds  the  building.  In  the  heart  of  the  town  one  sees  nothing  but  the  bar 
racks. 

The  streets  are  well  laid  out  and  tolerably  spacious,  but  that  is  all.  Bordered 
by  a  footway  of  four  or  five  feet,  and  throughout  unpaved,  walking  is  inconvenient; 
but  what  more  particularly  incommodes  the  foot-passenger  is  the  projecting  flight 
of  steps  before  every  door.  The  streets  being  flat,  the  filth  of  the  houses  remains 
where  it  was  thrown ;  and  during  a  great  part  of  the  year,  they  are  a  common 
sewer,  a  sink  of  nastiness,  dirt,  and  corruption. 

With  regard  to  the  public  buildings,  these  are  only  the  Hotel  de  Ville  and  the 
Parochial  Church  (a  plain  building  of  the  Ionic  order),  both  built  of  brick;  the 
former  has,  however,  but  one  story.  They  stand  near  each  other,  on  a  spot  con 
tiguous  to  the  river.  At  both  times  they  offered  asylums  to  the  inhabitants,  many 
seeking  safety  under  their  roofs,  instead  of  exerting  themselves  to  extinguish  the 
flames. 

Nearly  in  the  center  of  the  town  is  a  small  theater,  where,  on  my  arrival,  I  saw 
several  dramas  performed  with  considerable  ability.  The  company  was  com 
posed  of  half  a  dozen  actors  and  actresses,  refugees  from  the  theater  of  Cape 
Francais,  in  the  Island  of  St.  Domingo.  Nor  is  this  the  first  instance  of  Louisiana 
having  profited  by  the  calamities  of  that  island.  But  by  some  misunderstanding 
between  the  civil  and  military  of  the  colony,  and  the  indifference  of  the  citizens 
and  colonists,  the  theatrical  troop  has  been  dispersed,  and  the  theater  shut  Not 
long  ago,  however,  some  of  the  citizens  were  seized  with  a  fit  of  play  acting,  and 
a  display  of  their  dramatic  talents  was  made  in  the  Death  of  Csesar.  They  in 
consequence  stabbed  with  great  vigor,  rage,  and  perseverance,  this  enemy  of  Roman 
liberty,  in  the  person  of  an  old  colonist,  bald  hejftled  from  years  and  corpulent 
from  good  living.  The  venerable  colonist  sustained  his  part  well.  But  the  spec 
tators,  who  could  not  yield  themselves  to  the  theatrical  illusion,  ceased  not  to  see, 
through  the  representation,  in  the  hero  of  ancient  Rome,  raised  from  the  dead  am? 


LOUISIANA. 


613 


transported  from  the  banks  of  the  Tiber  to  those  of  the  Mississippi,  they  did  not 
cease  a  moment  to  behold  the  venerable  and  portly  Mr.  B****** 

In  winter,  during  the  Carnival,  there  is  a  public  ball  open  twice  a  week,  one  day 
for  the  grown  people,  and  another  for  children.  It  is  nothing  but  a  kind  of  hall 
made  out  of  a  huge  barrack,  and  stands  in  such  an  unfortunate  part  of  the  city, 
that  it  is  only  accessible  through  mud  and  mire.  Each  side  is  accompanied  with 
boxes,  where  the  mammas  form  a  tapestry,  and  where  ladies  of  younger  date,  who 
come  merely  as  spectators,  are  accommodated  with  seats.  The  latter  in  irony  are 

called  Bredouilles The  musicians  are  half  a  dozen  gypsies,  or  else  people 

of  color,  scraping  their  fiddles  with  all  their  might It  is  hither,  in  the 

months  of  January  and  February,  but  seldom  sooner  or  later,  that  the  inhabitants 
repair,  men  and  women,  to  forget  their  cares  in  dancing;  nor  will  they  tire  at 
their  country  dances,  groso  modo,  from  seven  at  night  till  cock-crowing  the  next 
morning.  The  price  of  admittance  is  four  Dutch  shillings,  or  half  a  piastre,  for 
every  individual." 

The  French  or  Catholic  Cemetery,  in  New  Orleans,  is  an  interesting  spot. 
On  account  of  the  wet  nature  of  the  soil,  almost  all  the  dead  arc  interred 
above  ground.  The  principal  cemetery  (which  is  within  the  city  limits),  is 
in  three  divisions,  each  of  which  is  covered  with  a  profusion  of  elevated 
tombs.  Many  of  these  are  beautifully  constructed,  embracing  a  great  va 
riety  of  architecture.  A  large  portion  of  the  tombs  are  built  against  the 


View  in  ike  French  Cemetery,  New  Orleans. 

walls  which  surround  each  division  of  the  cemetery,  having  tiers  of 
ovenlike  recesses,  one  abo,ve  each  other,  in  each  of  which  a  body  is 
placed  and  then  walled  up  by  masonry,  with  a  marble  slab  in  front 
having  inscriptions  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased  within. 

BATON  ROUGE,  the  capital  of  Louisiana,  and  the  oldest  town  in  the 
state  next  to  New  Orleans,  is  situated  on  the  east  or  left  bank  of  the 
Mississippi,  130  miles  above  New  Orleans,  and  1,120  miles  S.  W.  from 
Washington.  It  is  mostly  built  on  an  elevated  plain  or  bluff,  some 
30  or  40  feet  above  high  water,  being  the  first  elevation  on  the  Mis 
sissippi  from  its  entrance  into  the  gulf  of  Mexico.  The  city  contains 
about  4,000  inhabitants. 

The  first  settlement  of  Baton  Eouge  was  made  by  the  French,  but 
the  difficulty  in  navigating  the  river  with  sail  vessels  to  such  a  distance 
from  the  Gulf  was' such  that  it  never  increased  to  any  great  extent.  At 


614 


LOUISIANA. 


the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  Baton  Rouge  being  then  in  the  hands  of  the 
Spaniards,  was  taken  by  Gen.  Thomas,  and  the  Spanish  rule  annihilated. 
The  place  is  said  to  have  derived  its  name  from  the  symbols  of  a  bloody 
massacre  by  the  Chickasaw  Indians.  A  Spanish  family,  residing  here,  were 
murdered  by  the  Indians,  and  their  heads  placed  on  poles  along  the  margin 
of  the  river.  A  party  of  French,  under  La  Salle,  shortly  afterward  ap 
proached  the  place,  and  were  appalled  by  the  ghastly  sight,  and  named  it 
Baton  Rouge  (Red  Stick.) 

General  Zachary   Taylor  had  his  family  residence,  for  many  years,  at 

Baton  Rouge.  It  was  a  small  cot 
tage  built  house,  standing  upon  the 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  was 
originally  inhabited  by  the  com 
mandant  of  the  old  Spanish  fort. 
"  It  contained  but  three  large  rooms, 
to  which  were  added  in  course  of 
time  a  surrounding  veranda,  and 
some  out-buildings  devoted  to  do 
mestic  purposes.  Here  Col.  Taylor, 
when  ordered  to  take  a  command  in 
the  army  south,  refusing  the  more 
ostentatious  quarters  of  'the  garri 
son,'  established  himself,  and  here 
the  members  of  his  family  resided, 
more  or  less,  for  the  quarter  of  a 
century  that  preceded  his  translation 
to  the  '  White  House/  At  the  time 
of  the  'Presidential  contest/  the 
thousands  who  traveled  upon  the 
great  highway  of  the  south  and  west, 
the  Mississippi,  were  accustomed  to 
stop  their  steamers  in  front  of  this 
humble  looking  house,  and  make  the 

GEN.  TAYLOR'S  RESIDENCE.  Welkin    ri.ng    with    exulting    cheers  ; 

and  nothing  could  exceed  the  enthu 
siasm  when  'old  Whitey/  grazing  in  his  retirement,  would  start  at  the  enli 
vening  sounds,  and  sweep  along  the  bluff  in  graceful  movements,  as  if  cor 
dially  acknowledging  the  honors  paid  to  his  master." 


Western  mew  of  Raton  Rouge. 


LOUISIANA.  615 


PURCHASE   OF  LOUISIANA.* 

Tn  1763,  Louisiana  was  ceded  to  Spain,  and  by  a  secret  article  in  the  treaty  of 
St.  Ildefonso,  concluded  in  1800,  that  power  ceded  it  back  to  France.  Napoleon, 
however,  wished  to  keep  this  cession  secret  until  he  should  have — as  he  hoped  to 
do — reduced  St.  Domingo  to  submission.  Failing  in  this,  he  was  rendered  indif 
ferent  to  his  new  acquisition.  ]n  January,  1803,  he  sent  out  Laussat  as  prefect  of 
the  colony,  which  was  the  first  intimation  that  the  inhabitants  had  of  the  transfer 
which  gave  them  great  joy. 

On  being  informed  of  this  retrocession,  President  Jefferson  had  dispatched  in 
structions  to  Robert  Livingston,  the  American  minister  at  Paris,  to  represent  to 
the  First  Consul  that  the  occupation  of  New  Orleans  by  France  would  endanger 
the  friendly  relations  between  the  two  nations,  and,  perhaps,  even  oblige  the  United 
States  to  make  common  cause  with  England;  as  the  possession  of  this  city  by  the 
former,  by  giving  her  the  command  of  the  Mississippi,  the  only  outlet  to  the  pro 
duce  of  the  western  states,  and  also  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  so  important  to  Amer 
ican  commerce,  would  render  it  almost  certain  that  the  conflicting  interests  of  the 
two  nations  would  lead  to  an  open  rupture.  Mr.  Livingston  was  therefore  in 
structed  not  only  to  insist  upon  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  but  to  nego 
tiate  for  the  acquisition  of  New  Orleans  itself  and  the  surrounding  territory;  and 
Mr.  Monroe  was  appointed  with  full  powers  to  assist  him  in  the  negotiation. 

Bonaparte,  who  always  acted  promptly,  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  what 
he  could  not  defend,  he  had  better  dispose  of  on  the  best  terms ;  but  before  decid 
ing,  he  summoned  two  of  his  ministers  in  council,  on  the  10th  of  April,  1803,  and 
thus  addressed  them : 

"I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  value  of  Louisiana,  and  it  was  my  wish  to  repair  the 
error  of  the  French  diplomatists  who  abandoned  it  in  1763.  I  have  scarcely  re 
covered  it  before  1  run  the  risk  of  losing  it;  but  if  I  am  obliged  to  give  it  up,  it 
shall  hereafter  cost  more  to  those  who  force  me  to  part  with  it  than  to  those  to 
whom  1  yield  it.  The  English  have  despoiled  France  of  all  her  northern  posses 
sions  in  America,  and  now  they  covet  those  of  the  south.  I  am  determined  that 
they  shall  not  have  the  Mississippi.  Although  Louisiana  is  but  a  trifle  compared 
to  their  vast  possessions  in  other  parts  of  the  globe,  yet,  judging  from  the  vexation 
they  have  manifested  on  seeing  it  return  to  the  power  of  France,  1  am  certain  that 
their  first  object  will  be  to  gain  possession  of  it.  They  will  probably  commence 
the  war  in  that  quarter.  They  have  twenty  vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  our 
affairs  in  St.  Domingo  are  daily  getting  worse  since  the  death  of  Le  Clerc.  The 
conquest  of  Louisiana  might  be  easily  made,  and  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in 
putting  it  out  of  their  reach.  I  am  not  sure  but  what  they  have  already  begun  an 
attack  upon  it.  Such  a  measure  would  be  in  accordance  with  their  habits;  and  in 
their  place  I  should  not  wait.  1  am  inclined,  in  order  to  deprive  them  of  all  pros 
pect  of  ever  possessing  it,  to  cede  it  to  the  United  States.  Indeed,  I  can  hardly 
say  that  I  cede  it,  for  I  do  not  yet  possess  it;  and  if  I  wait  but  a  short  time,  my 
enemies  may  leave  me  nothing  but  an  empty  title  to  gfant  to  the  Republic  I  wish 
to  conciliate.  They  only  ask  for  one  city  of  Louisiana,  but  I  consider  the  whole 
colony  as  lost;  and  I  believe  that  in  the  hands  of  this  rising  power  it  will  be  more 
useful  to  the  political,  and  even  the  commercial  interests  of  France,  than  if  I 
should  attempt  to  retain  it.  Let  me  have  both  your  opinions  on  the  subject." 

One  of  the  ministers,  Barbe  Marbois,  fully  approved  of  the  cession,  but  the  other 
opposed  it.  They  debated  the  matter  for  a  long  time,  and  Bonaparte  concluded  the 
conference  without  making  his  determination  known.  The  next  day,  however,  he 
sent  for  Marbois,  and  said  to  him : 

"  The  season  for  deliberation  is  over:  I  have  determined  to  renounce  Louisiana. 
I  shall  give  up  not  only  New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  colony,  without  reservation. 
That  I  do  not  undervalue  Louisiana  I  have  sufficiently  proved,  as  the  object  of  my 
first  treaty  with  Spain  was  to  recover  it.  But,  though  I  regret  parting  with  it,  I 
am  convinced  it  would  be  folly  to  persist  in  trying  to  keep  it.  I  commission  you, 

*This  article  is  extracted  from  Bonner's  History  of  Louisiana. 


616  LOUISIANA. 

therefore,  to  negotiate  this  affair  with  the  envoys  of  the  United  States.  Do  not 
wait  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Monroe,  but  go  this  very  day  and  confer  with  Mr.  Livings 
ton.  Remember,  however,  that  I  need  ample  funds  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  I 
do  not  wish  to  commence  it  by  levying  new  taxes.  For  the  last  century  France 
and  Spain  have  incurred  great  expense  in  the  improvement  of  Louisiana,  for  which 
her  trade  has  never  indemnified  them.  Large  sums  have  been  advanced  to  differ 
ent  companies,  which  have  never  returned  to  the  treasury.  It  is  fair  that  I  should 
require  repayment  for  these.  Were  I  to  regulate  my  demands  by  the  importance 
of  this  territory  to  the  United  States,  they  would  be  unbounded;  but,  being  obliged 
to  part  with  it,  I  shall  be  moderate  in  my  terms.  Still,  remember,  I  must  have  fifty 
millions  of  francs,  and  I  will  not  consent  to  take  less.  I  would  rather  make  some 
desperate  effort  to  preserve  this  fine  country." 

The  negotiations  commenced  that  very  day.  Mr.  Monroe  arrived  at  Paris  on 
the  12th  of  April,  and  the^two  representatives  of  the  United  States,  after  holding 
a  private  conference,  announced  that  they  were  ready  to  treat  for  the  cession  of 
the  entire  territory,  which  at  first  Mr.  Livingston  had  aesitated  to  do,  believing  the 
proposal  of  the  First  Consul  to  be  only  a  device  to  gain  time. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1803,  the  treaty  was  signed.  The  United  States  were  to 
pay  fifteen  million  dollars  for  their  new  acquisition,  and  be  indemnified  for  some 
illegal  captures;  while  it  was  agreed  that  the  vessels  and  merchandise  of  France 
and  Spain  should  be  admitted  into  all  the  ports  of  Louisiana  free  of  duty  for 
twelve  years. 

Bonaparte  stipulated  in  favor  of  Louisiana  that  it  should  as  soon  as  possible  be 
incorporated  into  the  Union,  and  that  its  inhabitants  should  enjoy  the  same  rights, 
privileges,  and  immunities  as  other  citizens  of  the  United  States;  and  the  third 
article  of  the  treaty,  securing  to  them  these  benefits,  was  drawn  up  by  the  Firsfc 
Consul  himself,  who  presented  it  to  the  plenipotentiaries  with  these  words: 

"Make  it  known  to  the  people  of  Louisiana  that  we  regret  to  part  with  them; 
that  we  have  stipulated  for  all  the  advantages  they  could  desire;  and  that  France, 
in  giving  them  up,  has  insured  to  them  the  greatest  of  all.  They  could  never  have 
prospered  under  any  European  government  as  they  will  when  they  become  inde 
pendent.  But,  while  they  enjoy  the  privileges  of  liberty,  let  them  ever  remember 
that  they  are  French,  and  preserve  for  their  mother-country  that  affection  which  a 
common  origin  inspires." 

The  completion  of  this  important  transaction  gave  equal  satisfaction  to  both 
parties.  "  I  consider,"  said  Livingston,  "that  from  this  day  the  United  States  takes 
rank  with  the  first  powers  of  Europe,  and  now  she  has  entirely  escaped  from  the 
power  of  England;  "  and  Bonaparte  expressed  a  similar  sentiment  in  these  words: 
"  By  this  cession  of  territory  I  have  secured  the  power  of  the  United  States,  and 
given  to  England  a  maratime  rival,  who  at  some  future  time  will  humble  her 
pride."  These  words  appeared  prophetic  when  the  troops  of  Britain,  a  few  years 
after,  met  so  signal  an  overthrow  on  the  plains  of  Louisiana. 

The  boundaries  of  the  colony  had  never  been  clearly  defined,  and  one  of  Bona 
parte's  ministers  drew  his  attention  to  his  obscurity.  "No  matter,"  said  he,  "if 
there  was  no  uncertainty,  it  would,  perhaps,  be  good  policy  to  leave  some;  "  and, 
in  fact,  the  Americans,  interpreting  to  their  own  advantage  this  uncertainty,  some 
few  years  after  seized  upon  the  extensive  territory  of  Baton  Rouge,  which  was  in 
dispute  between  them  and  the  Spaniards. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1803,  Laussat  took  possession  of  the  country,  when 
Casa  Calvo  and  Salcedo,  the  Spanish  commissioners,  presented  to  Him  the  keys  of 
the  city,  over  which  the  tri-colored  flag  floated  but  for  a  short  time.  The  colony 
had  been  under  the  rule  of  Spain  for  a  little  more  than  thirty-four  years. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  in  the  same  year,  Gen.  Wilkinson  and  Gov.  Claiborne, 
who  were  jointly  commissioned  to  take  possession  of  the  country  for  the  United 
States,  made  their  entry  into  New  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the  American  troops. 
Laussat  gave  up  his  command,  and  the  star-spangled  banner  supplanted  the  tri- 
colored  flag  of  France. 

The  purchase  of  Louisiana,  which  gave  the  United  States  their  sole  claim  to  the 
vast  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi,  extending  on  the  north  through  Oregon  to 
the  Pacific,  and  further  south  to  the  Mexican  dominions,  was  the  most  important 


LOUISIANA. 


617 


event  to  the  nation  which  has  occurred  in  this  century.  From  that  moment,  the 
interests  of  the  whole  people  of  the  Mississipi  valley  became  as  one,  and  its  vast 
natural  resources  began  to  be  rapidly  developed.  So  great  are  they  that  it  is 
destined  to  become  the  center  of  American  power — "  the  mistress  of  the  world" 

CULTIVATION    OF    SUGAR    CANE.* 

Louisana,  before  the  rebellion,  produced  about  half  the       amount  of  sugar  used 
in   the  Union,  or  more  than   350,000  hogheads  yearly.          Sugar  is    a    modern 

production:  it  was  unknown  to  the 
ancients,  and  even  in  the  middle  ages 
was  a  luxury  seldom  indulged  in  even 
by  the  wealthiest.  It  is  generally 
conceded  that  the  plant  originated  in 
China.  The  cane  was  first  introduced 
into  Europe  by  the  Saracens,  who  cul 
tivated  it  in  Sicily,  and  the  islands  in 
the  vicinity:  by  the  middle  of  the 
13th  century,  it  became  generally 
known  to  the  European  world.  Soon 
after  the  discovery  of  America  the 
sugar  cane  was  introduced  by  the 
early  colonists  of  St.  Domingo  and 
other  West  India  islands,  which  soon 
became  famous  for  its  cultivation  and 
the  extraordinary  improvements  in 
troduced  there  in  the  manufacture  of 
sugar.  In  1751,  the  cane  was  intro 
duced  into  Louisiana  by  Jesuit  priests 
from  St.  Domingo,  who,  by  the  indus 
try  of  negroes  familiar  with  its  cul 
tivation,  planted  it  upon  lands  now 
occupied  by  the  most  densely  popu 
lated  part  of  New  Orleans.  The  cli 
mate  of  Louisiana  is  far  inferior  to 
that  of  the  West  Indies  for  the  pro 
duction  of  sugar;  but  the  cane  in  time 
becomes  acclimated  and  insensible  to 
the  cold  which  would  destroy  that 
grown  farther  south. 

Until  within  the  memory  of  those 
now  living,  the  cultivation  of  the  cane 
was  confined  to  the  vicinity  of  Now 
Orleans.  A  great  change  has  taken 
place:  for  over  two  hundred  miles  on 
either  side  of  the  Mississippi,  and  on 
the  banks  of  many  of  its  tributaries,  together  with  the  rich  country — almost  un 
known  except  to  its  inhabitants — of  Opelousas  and  Attakappas,  lying  westwardly 
on  the  Gulf  coast,  the  sugar  cane  nourishes  in  the  greatest  perfection.  A  large 
number  of  the  great  cotton  farms  on  lower  Red  River,  have  been  successfully 
changed  into  the  cultivation  of  cane,  and  the  "high  lands,"  which  mean  those 
above  the  annual  nse  of  the  Mississippi,  have  gratefully  rewarded  the  labor  of  the 
sugar  planter. 

Sugar  cane  is  classed  by  botanists  among  the  grasses.  Its  technical  description, 
except  to  the  initiated,  gives  but  an  indefinite  idea  to  the  general  reader.  Super 
ficially,  it  resembles,  in  the  field,  the  growing  corn;  but,  on  examination,  it  will  be 
found  to  be  very  different.  The  stem,  in  every  species  of  cane,  is  round  and  hard, 
and  divided,  at  short,  irregular  intervals,  with  joints.  When  it  is  considered,  that 


GATHERING  SUGAR  CANE. 


"•Abridged  from  an  article  in   Harper,  by  T.  B.  Thorpe,  entitled  "  Sugar  and  the  Sugar 
Region  of  Louisiana/'  and  from  Olmsted's  "Seaboard  Slave  States." 


618  LOUISIANA. 

in  Louisiana,  the  sugar  crop  has  to  be  gathered  and  manufactured  in  ninety  days, 
or  be  destroyed  by  the  frost,  and  that  one  third  of  the  entire  crop  has  to  be  put 
into  the  ground  for  "seed."  and  that  in  the  West  Indies  the  season  is  always  favor 
able  for  the  perfection  of  the  cane,  a  tolerably  correct  idea  can  be  formed  of  the 
disadvantages  under  which  the  Louisiana  planter  labors,  compared  to  those  simi 
larly  engaged  in  more  tropical  regions. 

The  largest  and  most  important  sugar  plantations  of  Louisiana  lie,  with  few  ex 
ceptions,  upon  the  low  lands  of  the  Mississippi  and  its  outlets.  The  consequence 
is,  that  they  are  beautifully  level,  and  present  a  different  appearance  from  any  other 
agricultural  portion  of  the  Union.  The  prairies  of  the  West  roll  like  the  swells  of 
the  sea,  but  the  fields  of  Louisiana  spread  out  with  an  evenness  of  surface  that 
finds  no  parallel,  except  in  the  undisturbed  bosom  of  the  inland  lake. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  picturesque  portions  of  Louisiana  devoted  to 
the  cultivation  of  sugar,  lying  off  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River,  is  the  coun 
try  of  "  the  Attakappas."  This  earthly  paradise — for  such  a  name  it  really  deserves 
' — lies  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  borders  upon  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  describe  its  character,  it  is  so  composed  of  bayous, 
lakes,  rivers,  prairies,  and  impenetrable  swamps.  To  even  a  large  portion  of  the 
oldest  inhabitants  of  the  state,  Attakappas  is  an  unknown  region,  and  so  it  is  des 
tined  to  remain,  except  to  its  immediate  inhabitants,  if  artificial  means  are  not 
adopted  to  facilitate  communication.  Jn  the  spring  you  can  reach  the  Attakappas 
in  a  comfortable  steamer;  later  in  the  season  all  direct  communication  is  cut  off 
by  the  "low  water." 

Here,  upon  the  borders  of  the  Teche,  is  the  most  enchanting  scenery  and  the 
richest  sugar  farms  of  Louisiana.  Unlike  the  Mississippi,  the  Teche  has  no  levees : 
its  waters  never  overflow.  The  stately  residences  of  the  planters  are  surrounded 
by  gardens,  the  shrubbery  of  which  reaches  to  the  water's  edge,  and  hedges  of  rose 
and  hawthorn,  of  lemon  and  orange,  every  where  meet  the  ravished  eye.  Along 
its  shores  the  magnificent  live  oak  rears  itself  in  all  the  pride  of  vigorous  "ancient 
youth,"  and  gives  to  the  gently  undulating  landscape,  the  expression  so  often  wit 
nessed  in  the  lordly  parks  of  England. 

The  pleasant  town  of  FRANKLIN  lies  upon  the  Teche,  and  is  the  shipping  port 
of  the  richest  sugar  parish  of  the  state.  Vessels  of  large  size  while  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  turn  aside  from  the  mud-choked  mouths  of  the  Mississippi,  and  floating 
and  cordelling  through  innumerable  bays  and  bayous,  finally  work  their  way  into 
the  "interior,"  and  mingle  their  rigging  with  the  foliage  of* the  forest.  Here  these 
argosies,  born  in  the  cold  regions  of  the  Aroostook,  fill  their  holds  with  sugar  and 
molasses,  and,  once  freighted,  wing  their  way  to  the  north. 

Running  parallel  with  the  Teche  are  magnificent  lakes,  that  consequently  lie 
upon  the  rear  of  the  plantations.  It  is  the  mists  from  these  inland  sens,  with 
those  of  the  rivers,  that  rise  over  the  sugar  cane  in  winter,  and  protect  it  from 
frosts  which  in  less  favored  regions  destroy  the  planter's  prospects.  To  the  acci 
dental  location  of  a  plantation  with  regard  to  water, it  is  often  indebted  fora  com 
parative  exemption  from  freezing  cold. 

Immediately  after  the  business  of  one  year  is  closed,  and  the  holidays  are  at  an 
end,  one  of  the  first  things  attended  to,  as  a  commencement  of  the  year's  labor,  is 
the  clearing  out  of  the  ditches,  that  have  become  choked  up  by  vegetation  in  the  course 
of  the  summer  and  fall  months.  The  ditches  form  one  of  the  most  important  and  ex 
pensive  necessities  of  a  sugar  estate;  for,  with  the  exception  of  frost,  standing  water 
is  the  most  destructive  thing  to  cane.  Rains  that  fall  in  torrents  in  these  latitudes, 
not  only  have  to  be  guarded  against,  but  also  the  more  insidious  fnd  ever-encroach 
ing  "  transpiration  water."  To  form  an  idea  of  what  is  meant  by  this  term,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  lands  on  the  Mississippi  River  are  protected  from 
annual  inundation  by  embankments  known  as  "  levees."  In  the  spring  of  the  year, 
the  Mississippi,  as  the  conductor  to  the  ocean  of  more  than  half  the  running  water 
of  the  North  American  continent,  rises  not  only  until  its  banks  are  full — but  would, 
if  left  to  itself,  overflow  for  a  season  the  whole  lower  country  through  which  it 
passes.  To  remedy  this  evil,  from  below  New  Orleans  and  up  toward  the  north 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  the  river  is  lined  with  an  embankment,  which,  in  times  of 
flood,  confines  its  waters  within  its  usual  channel.  These  embankments  vary  from 


LOUISIANA.  619 

six  to  twelve  feet  in  hight.  When  the  river  is  full,  it  will  be  noticed  that  there  is 
an  inconceivable  pressure  made  by  this  artificial  column  upon  the  water  that  lies 
Tinder  the  soil  of  the  plantations.  Consequently,  there  is  a  constant  percolation 
tip  to  the  surface;  and  if  this  were  not  provided  against  by  the  most  liberal  and 
scientific  method  of  ditching,  although  the  sun  might  shine  uninterruptedly  for 
weeks,  the  cane  crop  would  sicken  and  die,  not  as  we  have  seen  by  the  descending 
rains,  but  by  the  ascending  flood  that  at  these  particular  times  literally  boils  and 
billows  under  the  earth. 

.  The  Jiighest  lands  upon  the  Mississippi  Kivei^are  those  forming  the  banks;  as 
you  go  inland,  they  gradually  sink.  In  draining  a  plantation,  it  is  customary  to 
cut  parallel  ditches  about  two  hundred  feet  apart,  from  the  front  to  the  rear  of  the 
plantation,  with  cross  ditches  every  six  hundred  feet.  This  complication  of  artifi- 
jial  canals  requires  not  only  an  enormous  outlay  of  capital  and  occupation  of  val 
uable  land,  but  also  taxes  the  scientific  engineer  to  give  them  their  proper  levels. 
In  many  instances,  it  is  found  impossible  to  accomplish  this,  and  costly  draining- 
machines  have  to  be  called  into  service.  There  is  erected  the  steam-engine,  that 
in  every  revolution  tumbles  the  superabundant  water  that  is  running  so  merrily  in 
the  ditches  over  the  back  levee  into  the  swamp. 

There  are  plantations  on  which  within  a  square  mile  can  be  found  from  twenty 
to  thirty  miles  of  ditching.  Often  the  "bayous"  of  the  country  are  cleared  out, 
and  form  an  important  natural  adjunct  in  carrying  off  the  surplus  water,  but  to 
the  labor  of  man  is  to  be  ascribed  the  making  of  the  most  formidable  channels; 
for  on  some  plantations  can  be  seen  a  regular  system  of  deep  and  carefully  con 
structed  canals.  It  may  be  with  truth  said,  that  the  industry  and  capital  expended 
in  Louisiana  alone,  to  preserve  the  state  from  inundation,  have  erected  works  of 
internal  improvement  which,  united,  far  surpass  in  extent,  and  if  concentrated 
within  the  vision  of  a  single  eye,  would  be  superior  in  magnificence  to  the  re 
nowned  pyramids  of  Egypt. 

This  extensive  ditching  has  required  the  labor  of  years  to  accomplish.  At  first 
very  little  was  needed,  for  only  the  highest  lands  of  the  river  were  cultivated.  As 
plantation  after  plantation  was  opened,  and  the  levees  increased,  this  ditching  be 
came  more  important — in  fact,  the  value  of  the  plantation  for  productiveness  de 
pended  upon  their  construction.  Where  the  "  plantation  force  "  is  large,  the  negroes 
do  most  of  this  important  work,  and  generally  are  able  to  keep  all  clean  when 
once  they  are  made.  But  the  same  hardy  and  improvident  son  of  Erin  that  levels 
mountains  at  the  north,  or  tunnels  through  their  rocky  hearts,  that  flourishing 
cities  may  be  built,  and  railways  be  constructed,  finds  his  way  to  the  distant  south"; 
and  with  spade  and  wheelbarrow,  is  ever  ready  to  move  about  the  rich  soil  with 
an  energy  and  ease  that  finds  no  rival  except  in  the  labors  of  an  earthquake. 

For  planting,  new  or  fallow  ground  is  prepared  by  plowing  the  whole  surface. 
The  ground  being  then  harrowed,  drills  are  opened  with  a  double  mold-board  plow 
seven  feet  apart  Cuttings  of  cane  for  seed  are  to  be  planted  in  them.  These  are 
reserved  from  the  crop  in  the  autumn,  when  some  of  the  best  cane  on  the  planta 
tion  is  selected  for  this  purpose,  while  still  standing.  This  is  cut  off  at  the  roots, 
and  laid  up  in  heaps  or  stacks,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  leaves  and  tops  protect 
the  stalks  from  frost.  The  heaps  are  called  mattresses ;  they  are  two  or  three  feet 
high,  and  as  many  yards  across.  At  the  planting  season  they  are  opened,  and  the 
cane  comes  out  moist  and  green,  and  sweet,  with  the  buds  or  eyes,  which  protrude 
at  the  joints,  swelling.  The  immature  top  parts  of  the  stalk  are  cut  off,  and  they 
are  loaded  into  carts,  and  carried  to  the  ground  prepared  for  planting.  The  carts 
used  are  large,  with  high  side-boards,  and  are  drawn  by  three  mules — one  large 
one  being  in  the  shafts,  and  two  lighter  ones  abreast,  before  her.  The  drivers  are 
boys,  who  use  the  whip  a  great  deal,  and  drive  rapidly.  In  the  field,  says  Olmsted, 
in  his  book,  I  found  the  laborers  working  in  three  divisions — the  first,  consisting 
of  light  hands,  brought  the  cane  by  armsfull  from  the  cart,  and  laid  it  by  the  side 
of  the  furrows ;  the  second  planted  it,  and  the  third  covered  it.  Planting  is  done 
by  laying  the  cuttings  at  the  bottom  of  the  furrow,  in  such  a  way  that  there  shall 
be  three  always  together,  with  the  eyes  of  each  a  little  removed  from  those  of  the 
others — that  is,  all  "  breaking  joints."  They  are  thinly  covered  with  earth,  drawn 
over  them  with  hoes.  The  other  tools  woro  so  well  selected  on  this  plantation. 


620  LOUISIANA. 

that  I  expressed  surprise  at  the  clumsiness  of  the  hoes,  particularly  as  the  soil 
was  light,  and  entirely  free  from  stones.  "  Such  hoes  as  you  use  at  the  north 
would  not  last  a  negro  a  day,"  said  the  planter. 

Cane  will  grow  for  several  years  from  the  roots  of  the  old  plants,  and,  when  it 
is  allowed  to  do  so,  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  expense  is  avoided ;  but  the 
vigor  of  the  plant  is  less  when  growing  from  this  source  than  when  starting  from 
cuttings,  and  the  crop,  when  thus  obtained,  is  annually  less  and  less  productive, 
until,  after  a  number  of  years,  depending  upon  the  rigor  of  the  seasons,  fresh 
shoots  cease  to  spring  from  the  stubble.  This  sprouting  of  cane  from  the  stools 
of  the  last  crop  is  termed  "ratooning."  In  the  West  India  plantations  the  cane 
is  frequently  allowed  to  ratoon  for  eight  successive  crops.  In  Louisiana  it  is  usual 
to  plant  once  in  three  years,  trusting  to  the  ratooning  for  two  crops  only,  and  this 
was  the  practice  on  Mr.  R.'s  plantation.  The  cost  of  sugar  growing  would  be  very 
greatly  increased  if  the  crop  needed  planting  every  year:  for  all  the  cane  grown 
upon  an  acre  will  not  furnish  seed  for  more  than  four  acres — consequently  one 
twelfth  of  the  whole  of  each  crop  has  to  be  reserved  for  the  planting  of  the  fol 
lowing  crop,  even  when  two  thirds  of  this  is  to  be  of  ratoon  cane. 

Planting  is  finished  in  a  favorable  season — early  in  March.  Tillage  h  com 
menced  immediately  afterward,  by  plowing  from  the  rows  of  young  cane,  and  sub 
sequently  continued  very  much  after  the  usual  plan  of  tillage  for  potatoes,  when 
planted  in  drills,  with  us.  By  or  before  the  first  of  July,  the  crop  is  all  well 
earthed  up,  the  rows  of  cane  growing  from  the  crest  of  a  rounded  bed,  seven  feet 
wide,  with  deep  water-furrows  between  each.  The  cane  is  at  this  time  five  or  six 
feet  high;  and  that  growing  from  each  bed  forms  arches  with  that  of  the  next,  so 
as  to  completely  shade  the  ground.  The  furrows  between  the  beds  are  carefully 
cleaned  out;  so  that  in  the  most  drenching  torrents  of  rain,  the  water  is  rapidly 
carried  off"  into  the  drains,  and  thence  to  the  swamp;  and  the  crop  then  requires 
no  further  labor  upon  it  until  frost  is  apprehended,  or  the  season  for  grinding 
arrives. 

The  nearly  three  months'  interval,  commencing  at  the  intensest  heat  of  summer, 
corresponds  in  the  allotment  of  labor  to  the  period  of  winter  in  northern  agricul 
ture,  because  the  winter  itself,  on  the  sugar-plantations,  is  the  planting-season. 
The  negroes  are  employed  in  cutting  and  carting  wood  for  boiling  the  cane-juice, 
in  making  necessary  repairs  or  additions  to  the  sugar-house,  and  otherwise  pre 
paring  for  the  grinding-season. 

The  grinding-season  is  the  harvest  of  the  sugar-planter;  it  commences  in  Octo 
ber,  and  continues  for  two  or  three  months,  during  which  time,  the  greatest  possi 
ble  activity  and  the  utmost  labor  of  which  the  hands  are  capable,  are  required  to 
secure  the  product  of  the  previous  labor  of  the  year.  Mr.  R.  assured  me  that 
during  the  last  grinding-season  nearly  every  man,  woman,  and  child  on  his  planta 
tion,  including  his  overseer  and  himself,  were  at  work  fully  eighteen  hours  a  day. 
From  the  moment  grinding  first  commences,  until  the  end  of  the  season,  it  is  never 
discontinued;  the  fires  under  the  boiler  never  go  out,  and  the  negroes  rest  only 
for  six  hours  in  the  twenty-four,  by  relays — three  quarters  of  them  being  constantly 
at  work. 

Notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  labor  required  of  them  at  this  time,  Mr.  R. 
said  that  his  negroes  were  as  glad  as  he  was  himself  to  have  the  time  for  grinding 
arrive,  and  they  worked  with  "greater  cheerfulness  than  at  any  other  season.  How 
can  those  persons  who  are  always  so  ready  to  maintain  that  the  slaves  work  less 
than  free  laborers  in  free  countries,  and  that  for  that  reason  they  are  to  be  envied 
by  them,  account  for  this?  That  at  Mr.  R.'s  plantation  it  was  tfle  case  that  the 
slaves  enjoyed  most  that  season  of  the  year  when  the  hardest  labor  was  required 
of  them,  1  have,  in  addition  to  Mr.  R.'s  own  evidence,  good  reason  to  believe,  which 
I  shall  presently  report.  And  the  reason  of  it  evidently  is,  that  they  are  then  bet 
ter  paid;  they  have  better  and  more  varied  food  and  stimulants  than  usual,  but 
especially  they  have  a  degree  of  freedom,  and  of  social  pleasure,  and  a  variety  of 
occupation  which  brings  a  recreation  of  the  mind,  and  to  a  certain  degree  gives 
them  strength  for,  and  pleasure  in,  their  labor.  Men  of  sense  have  discovered 
that  when  they  desire  to  get  extraordinary  exertions  from  their  slaves,  it  is  better 
to  offer  them  rewards  than  to  whip  them ;  tc  encourage  them  rather  than  drive  them. 


LOUISIANA.  621 

II  tbi!  season  has  been  favorable,  so  that  the  cane  is  strong,  and  well  matured, 
it  wi>.  tudure  a  smart  early  frost  without  injury,  particularly  if  the  ground  is  well 
drains ,  but  as  rapidly  as  possible,  after  the  season  has  arrived  at  which  frosts 
are  to  be  expected,  the  whole  crop  is  cut,  and  put  in  mattresses,  from  which  it  is 
taken  to  the  grinding-mill  as  fast  as  it  can  be  made  to  use  it. 

The  business  of  manufacturing  sugar  is  everywhere  carried  on  in  connection 
with  the  planting  of  the  cane.  The  shortness  of  the  season  during  which  the  cUne 
•?an  be  used  is  the  reason  assigned  for  this:  the  proprietors  would  not  be  willing 
,o  trust  to  custom  mills  to  manufacture  their  produce  with  the  necessary  rapidity" 
If  cane  should  be  cultivated  in  connection  with  other  crops — that  is,  on  small 
'arms,  instead  of  great  "sugar  only"  pkntations — neighborhood  custom-mills 
wuold  probably  be  employed. 

The  other  prominent  towns  of  Louisiana  are  Opelousas,  Nachitoches,  Alexan 
dria,  and  Shreveport,  the  last  named,  on  Red  River,  being  the  most  important 
commercial  town  in  Western  Louisiana,  and  with  a  population  of  about  3,000. 


TENNESSEE. 


TENNESSEE  was  originally  included  within  the  limits  of  North  Carolina 
The  first  establishment  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  within  its  borders  was  Foil 

Loudon,  on  the  north  bank  of  Lit' 
tie  Tennessee  or  Watauga  River,  about 
a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Tellicc 
River,  and  some  30  miles  south-we£t* 
erly  from  Knoxville.  This  fortifica 
tion  was  erected  by  Andrew  Lewis,  in 
1756,  who  was  sent  here  for  that  pur 
pose  by  the  Earl  of  Loudon,  the  go^- 
ernor  of  Virginia  and  commander  it* 
the  King's  troops  in  America.  Th* 
fort  was  garrisoned  by  British  troong. 
and  this,  with  other  fortified  places 
established  afterward,  induced  large 
numbers  of  emigrants  to  settle  in  the 
vicinity.  In  the  spring  of  1758,  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Loudon  was  augment 
ed  to  200  men.  In  a  few  months,  by 
the  arrival  of  traders  and  hunters,  it 
grew  into  a  thriving  village.  At  the  time  Tennessee  was  first  explored,  its 
territory  was  a  vast  and  almost  unoccupied  wilderness,  over  which  the  Indian 
hunters  seldom  roamed.  Being  equi-distant  from  the  settled  territories  of 
the  southern  and  northern  tribes,  it  remained  a  kind  of  neutral  ground.  By 
reason  of  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  the  rich  pasturage  furnished  by 
its  varied  ranges  of  plain  and  mountain,  in  common  with  Kentucky,  it  had 
become  a  great  park  in  which  the  beasts  of  the  fores-t  ranged  without  much 
molestation.  The  Cherokees,  in  the  south-east  corner  of  the  territory,  appear 
to  have  been  the  only  Indian  tribe  who  had  any  permanent  location  in  the 
state.  The  other  parts  of  Tennessee  were  either  claimed  or  occupied  as 
hunting  grounds  by  the  Chickasaws,  Choctaws,  and  Shawnees.  The  Six 
Natiojis  also  claimed  a  right  to  the  grounds  north  and  east  of  the  Tennessee 
Uiver,  and  the  first  cession  of  lands  by  any  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  was  made 
*>y  them. 

The  second  fort  built  in  Tennessee  was  m  Ihe  north  east  corner  of  the 
<ifate,  within  the  present  limits  of  Sullivan  count f,  near  the  Virginia  line,  in 
1758,  by  Col.  Bird,  in  the  French  and  Ip'xian  war.  It  was  erected  on  a 

623 


STATE  ABMS  OF  TENNESSEE, 


624  TENNESSEE. 

beautiful  eminence  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Holston,  opposite  the  upper  end 
of  Long  Island,  and  from  this  circumstance  called  Long  Island  Fort.  The 
army  wintered  here  in  1758.  It  was  at  that  time  supposed  to  be  within  the 
limits  of  Virginia.  After  the  treaty  with  the  Indians  in  1768,  many  emi 
grants  nocked  into  Tennessee,  and  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Holston  and 
Watauga  Rivers.  North  of  Holston,  in  what  is  now  Sullivan  and  Hawkins 
counties,  was  believed  to  be  in  Virginia;  south  of  the  Holston  was  admitted 
to  be  within  North  Carolina.  Of  those  who  ventured  furthest  into  the  wilder 
ness,  with  their  families,  was  Capt.  William  Bean.  He  came  from  Virginia, 
and  settled  early  in  1769  on  Boone's  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Watauga.  His 
son,  Russel  Bean,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Tennessee. 

In  1769  or  1770,  a  company  of  ten  hunters  built  two  boats  and  trapping 
canoes,  loaded  them  with  the  results  of  their  hunting,  and  descended  the 
Cumberland  River — the  first  navigation  and  the  first  commerce  probably  ever 
carried  on  upon  that  stream  by  the  Anglo-Americans.  Where  Nashville  now 
stands  they  discovered  the  French  Lick,  and  found  immense  numbers  of  buf 
falo  and  other  wild  game.  Descending  the  river  to  the  Ohio,  they  met  with 
Indians,  who,  while  they  stole  a  few  articles,  offered  them  no  personal  injury. 
On  descending  the  Ohio  they  met  with  Frenchmen  trading  to  the  Illinois, 
who  treated  them  with  friendship.  From  thence  they  sailed  down  the  Mis 
sissippi  as  far  as  the  then  Spanish  town  of  Natchez.  Here  some  of  them 
remained  while  the  others  returned. 

In  1760,  the  Cherokees  besieged  Fort.Loudon,  with  its  garrison  of  200 
men.  The  garrison,  having  subsisted  for  a  month  principally  on  the  flesh 
of  horses  and  dogs,  agreed  to  capitulate,  on  condition  they  should  be  allowed 
to  return  to  Virginia  or  Fort  Prince  George.  After  marching  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  fort,  they  were  surrounded  and  treacherously  attacked  by 
nearly  500  warriors;  with  horrid  yells  they  rushed,  tomahawk  in  hand,  upon 
the  feeble  and  emaciated  troops,  and  massacred  nearly  all  of  them  on  the 
spot.  The  next  year,  Col.  Grant,  with  a  body  of  2,600  men  (Highlanders, 
Provincials  and  friendly  Indians),  marched  into  the  Cherokee  country,  gave 
battle  to  the  Indians,  burned  their  dwellings,  and  laid  waste  their  country. 

The  celebrated  Francis  Marion  was  a  subordinate  officer  in  this  campaign,  and 
in  writing  to  a  friend,  he  gave  the  following  touching  and  picturesque  account : 
'•  We  arrived  at  the  Indian  towns  in  the  month  of  July.  As  the  ground  was  rich 
and  the  season  had  been  favorable,  the  corn  was  bending  under  the  double  weight 
of  lusty  roasting  cars  and  pods  and  clustering  beans.  The  furrows  seemed  to  re 
joice  under  their  precious  loads — the  fields  stood  thick  with  bread.  We  encamped 
the  first  night  in  the  woods,  near  the  fields,  where  the  whole  army  feasted  on  the 
young  corn,  which,  with  fat  venison,  made  a  most  delicious  treat.  The  next  morn 
ing,  we  proceeded,  by  order  of  Col.  Grant,  to  burn  down  the  Indian  cabins.  Some 
of  our  men  seemed  to  enjoy  this  cruel  work,  laughing  very  heartily  at  the  curling 
flames,  as  they  mounted,  loud  crackling,  over  the  tops  of  the  huts.  But  to  me,  it 
appeared  a  shocking  sight.  'Poor  creatures!'  thought  I,  'we  surely  need  not 
grudge  you  such  miserable  habitations.'  But  when  we  came,  according  to  orders, 
to  cut  down  the  fields  of  corn,  1  could  scarcely  refrain  from  tears.  For  who  could 
see  the  stalks,  that  stood  so  stately,  with  broad,  green  leaves,  and  gayly  tasseled 
shocks,  filled  with  sweet,  milky  fluid,  and  flour,  the  staff  of  life — who,  I  say,  with 
out  #rief,  could  see  these  sacred  plants  sinking  under  our  sword,  with  all  their  pre 
cious  load,  to  wither,  and  rot  untasted  in  the  mourning  fields!  I  saw  everywhere 
around,  the  footsteps  of  little  Indian  children,  where  they  had  lately  played  under 
the  shelter  of  the  rustling  corn.  No  doubt  they  had  often  looked  up  with  joy,  to 
the  swelling;  shocks,  and  gladdened  when  they  thought  of  their  abundant  cakes 
for  the  coming  winter.  When  we  are  gone,  thought  I,  they  will  return,  and,  peep- 


TENNESSEE.  625 

ing  through  the  weeds  with  tearful  eyes,  will  mark  the  ghastly  ruin  poured  over 
their  homes,  and  the  happy  fields  where  they  had  so  often  played." 

The  result  of  these  measures  was  decisive,  and  a  deputation  of  chiefs  visited 
the  camp  to  sue  for  peace.  Among  them  was  Attakulla,  a  chief  who  had  been 
opposed  to  the  war,  and  who  thus  addressed  Col.  Grant: 

"  You  live  at  the  water  side,  and  are  in  light.  We  are  in  darkness  ;  but  hope  all  will  be 
clear.  I  have  been  constantly  going  about  doing  good;  and  though  I  am  tired,  yet  I  atn 
come  to  see  what  can  be  done  for  my  people,  who  are  in  great  distress.  As  to  what  has 
happened,  I  believe  it  has  been  ordered  by  our  Father  above.  We  are  of  a  different  color 
from  the  white  people.  They  are  superior  to  us.  But  one  God  is  Father  of  us  all,  and  we 
hope  what  is  past  will  be  forgotten.  God  Almighty  made  all  people.  There  is  not  a  day 
but  that  some  are  coming  into,  and  others  going  out  of  the  world.  The  Great  King  told 
me  the  path  should  never  be  crooked,  but  open  for  every  one  to  pass  and  repass.  As  we  all 
live  in  one  land,  I  hope  that  we  shall  all  live  as  one  people." 

Peace  was  formally  ratified,  and  both  expressed  the  hope  that  it  might  last  as 
long  as  the  sun  would  shine  and  the  rivers  run. 

In  1773,  the  population  of  Tennessee  was  found  to  have  increased  to  a 
very  considerable  extent.  In  the  succeeding  year  a  war  broke  out  with  the 
northern  Indians,  residing  across  the  Ohio,  and  terminated  by  their  suing  for 
peace.  The  year  1776  is  rendered  memorable  by  a  formidable  invasion  of 
the  Cherokees,  whom  the  British  had  incited  to  attack  the  infant  settlements. 
A  strong  force  from  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  soon  dispersed  the  Indians, 
and  peace  was  again  restored.  When  the  constitution  of  North  Carolina 
was  formed,  in  1776,  Tennessee  (then  the  District  of  Washington)  sent 
deputies  to  the  convention.  In  the  southern  campaign  of  1780,  at  the  bril 
liant  exploit  at  King's  Mountain,  when  the  British  troops  under  Col.  Fer 
guson,  were  either  taken  or  slain,  the  Tennessee  settlers,  under  Col.  Sevier, 
bore  a  most  important  share  in  the  conflict.  Col.  Sevier's  command  was  240 
men,  all  well  mounted  and  nearly  all  armed  with  a  Deckhard  rifle.*  The  fol 
lowing  relative  to  this  period  is  from  Ramsay's  Annals  of  Tennessee: 

"The  camp  on  Watauga,  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  September,  presented  an  ani 
mated  spectacle.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  colonists  on  the  distant  Cumber 
land,  the  entire  military  force  of  what  is  now  Tennessee  was  assembled  at  the 
Sycamore  Shoals.  Scarce  a  single  gunman  remained,  thiit  day,  at  his  own  house. 
The  young,  ardent  and  energetic  had  generally  enrolled  themselves  for  the  cam 
paign  against  Ferguson.  The  less  vigorous  and  more  aged,  were  left,  with  the  in 
ferior  guns,  in  the  settlements  for  their  protection  against  the  Indians;  but  all  had 
attended  the  rendezvous.  The  old  men  were  there  to  counsel,  encourage  and 
stimulate  the  youthful  soldier,  and  to  receive,  from  the  colonels,  instructions  for 
the  defense  of  the  stations  during  their  absence.  Others  were  there  to  bring,  in 
rich  profusion,  the  products  of  their  farms,  which  were  cheerfully  furnished  gratu 
itously  and  without  stint,  to  complete  the  outfit  of  the  expedition.  Gold  and  silver 
they  had  not,  but  subsistence  and  clothing,  and  equipment  and  the  fiery  charger — 
anything  the  frontier-man  owned,  in  the  cabin,  the  field  or  the  range,  was  offered, 
unostentatiously,  upon  the  altar  of  his  country.  The  wife  and  the  sister  were 
there,  and,  with  a  suppressed  sigh,  witnessed  the  departure  of  the  husband  and  the 
brother.  And  there,  too,  were  the  heroic  mothers,  with  a  mournful  but  noble 
pride,  to  take  a  fond  farewell  of  their  gallant  sons. 

The  sparse  settlements  of  this  frontier  had  never  before  seen  assembled  together 
a  concourse  of  people  so  immense  and  so  evidently  agitated  by  great  excitement. 
The  large  mass  of  the  assembly  were  volunteer  riflemen,  clad  in  the  home-spun  of 
their  wives  and  sisters,  and  wearing  the  hunting  shirt  so  characteristic  of  the 
back-woods  soldiery,  and  not  a  few  of  them  the  moccasins  of  their  own  manufac 
ture.  A  lew  of  the  officers  were  better  dressed,  but  all. in  citizens'  clothing.  The 

*  Tins  rifle  was  remarkable  for  the  precision  and  distance  of  its  shot.  It  was  generally 
three  feet  six  inches  long,  weighed  about  seven  pounds,  and  ran  about  seventy  bulleta  t» 
the  pound  of  load.  It  was  so  called  from  Deckhard,  the  maker,  in  Lancaster,  P». 

40 


626  TENNESSEE. 

mien  of  Campbell  was  stern,  authoritative  and  dignified.  Shelby  was  grave,  taci 
turn  and  determined.  Sevier,  vivacious,  ardent,  impulsive  and  energetic.  Mc 
Dowell,  moving  about  with  the  ease  and  dignity  of  a  colonial  magistrate,  inspiring 
veneration  for  his  virtues  and  an  indignant  sympathy  for  the  wrongs  of  himself 
and  his  co-exiles.  All  were  completely  wrapt  in  the  absorbing  subject  of  the  rev 
olutionary  struggle,  then  approaching  its  acme,  and  threatening  'the  homes  and 
families  of  the  mountaineers  themselves.  Never  did  mountain  recess  contain 
within  it,  a  loftier  or  a  more  enlarged  patriotism — never  a  cooler  or  more  deter 
mined  courage." 

At  the  peace  these  brave  men  again  sought  their  mountain  homes  and  de 
voted  themselves  to  the  improvement  of  their  settlements.  In  1782,  com 
missioners  were  appointed  by  government  to  explore  Davidson  county  (at  that 
time  quite  extensive),  and  report  which  part  was  best  for  the  payment  of  the 
bounty  promised  to  officers  and  soldiers  of  North  Carolina  during  the  Revolu 
tion.  A  settlement  had  been  made  in  this  part  of  Tennessee,  by  Col.  Rob 
ertson  and  some  two  or  three  hundred  followers,  at  Nashville,  in  1780,  and 
the  county  received  its  name  in  honor  of  Gen.  Davidson,  who  fell  in  oppos 
ing  Cornwallis  in  1781.  The  military  warrants  were  made  out,  many  of  the 
officers  and  soldiers  came  to  this  section  to  secure  and  settle  their  lands,  and 
many  purchasers  from  various  states  of  the  Union  became  settlers. 

In  1785,  the  inhabitants  of  the  counties  of  Sullivan,  Washington,  and 
Greene,  lying  directly  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  feeling  the  incon 
veniences  of  having  a  government  so  remote  as  that  of  North  Carolina, 
framed  a  constitution,  elected  their  governor,  and  erected  themselves  into  an 
independent  state  by  the  name  of  the  State  of  Franklin.  This  premature 
state  was  to  comprehend  "all  that  tract  of  country  which  lies  between  the 
mountains  and  the  suck  or  whirl  of  Tennessee  River."  The  legislature  of 
the  new  state  met  at  Jonesboro':  John  Sevier  was  elected  governor;  a  judi 
ciary  system  was  established,  David  Campbell,  Joshua  Gist,  and  John  An 
derson  were  appointed  judges.  These  proceedings  occasioned  great  confu 
sion  and  warm  disputes,  which  continued  until  1788,  when  the  thoughts  of 
independency  were  relinquished  and  tranquillity  was  restored.  The  territory 
was  finally  ceded  to  the  United  States  in  1790,  and  a  territorial  government 
was  established  under  the  name  of  the  "Territory  of  the  United  States 
south-west  of  the  river  Ohio."  William  Blount,  of  North  Carolina,  was 
appointed  the  first  governor. 

In  1794,  Tennessee  was  constituted  a  separate  territory,  the  general  assem 
bly  of  which  met  at  Knoxville.  In  1795,  the  inhabitants  of  the  territory 
numbered  77,262,  of  which  number  10,613  were  slaves.  The  next  year, 
1796,  a  convention  met  at  Knoxville  and  formed  a  constitution  for  state  gov 
ernment,  and  the  name  of  Tennessee  was  adopted  for  the  new  state.  The 
constitution  was  approved  by  congress,  June  1,  1796,  and  Tennessee  en 
tered  the  Union.  John  Sevier  was  elected  the  first  governor.  William 
Blount  and  William  Cocke  were  elected  the  first  senators  to  congress.  The 
first  constitution  remained  unaltered  for  about  forty  years.  The  present  con 
stitution  was  adopted  in  1835. 

Tennessee  is  bounded  N.  by  Kentucky  and  Virginia,  S.  by  Georgia,  Ala 
bama  and  Mississippi,  E.  by  North  Carolina,  and  W.  by  Arkansas  and  Mis 
souri,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Mississippi  River.  It  extends  east 
and  west  between  81°  37'  and  90°  28'  W.  long.,  and  between  35°  and  36° 
35'  N.  lat.  Its  mean  length  from  east  to  west  is  400  miles,  breadth,  114. 
Its  area  is  computed  at  about  45,000  square  miles. 

The  gtate  is  usually  considered  as  being  divided  into  three  nominal  divisions, 


TENNESSEE. 


627 


severally  known  as  East,  West,  and  Middle  Tennessee.  East  Tennessee,  bor 
dering  on  North  Carolina,  is  an  elevated  region,  containing  numerous  lofty 
and  picturesque  ranges  of  the  Cumberland  and  Laurel  Mountains,  and  other 
conspicuous  branches  of  the  Alleghany  range,  mostly  covered  to  their  sum 
mits  with  noble  forests.  West  Tennessee,  between  the  Mississippi  and 
Tennessee  Rivers,  has  generally  an  undulating  surface,  though  some  parts  are 
quite  level,  with  a  light  but  productive  soil,  producing  large  quantities  of 
cotton.  Middle  Tennessee  is  uneven  and  hilly,  though  not  mountainous,  and 
the  lands  are  of  good  quality. 

Tennessee  is  watered  in  various  directions  by  important  streams.  The 
Mississippi  washes  its  western  borders ;  the  Tennessee  crosses  the  state  be 
tween  Middle  and  Western  Tennessee ;  the  Cumberland  has  its  principal 
course  in  this  state;  the  Holston,  Clinch,  French,  Broad,  and  Hiwassee,  are 
branches  of  the  Tennessee.  The  mineral  resources  of  the  state  are  very  great, 
consisting  of  iron,  coal,  copper,  lead,  etc.  Indian  corn,  tobacco  and  cotton 
are  the  principal  staples.  In  1851,  at  the  World's  Fair,  the  wool  of  Ten- 
ne&see  was  awarded  the  premium  of  the  "Golden  Fleece."*  The  climate  is 
mild  and  genial,  being  free  from  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  Population 
in  1790,  35,791;  in  1820,  422,813;  in  1840,  829,215;  in  1850,  1,002,725, 
in  1860,  1,146,640,  of  whom  287,112  were  slaves. 


Koriliern  view  of  Nashville. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Nashvillo  as  it  is  entered  upon  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad. 
On  the  left  is  seen  the  suspension  bridge  over  Cumberland  J liver,  with  part  of  the  steamboat  landing 
and  the  steam  printing  establishment  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  The  State  House  appears 
on  the  extreme  right. 

NASHVILLE,  city,  port  of  entry,  county  seat  for  Davidson  county,  and  cap 
ital  of  the  state  of  Tennessee,  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  Cumberland 
River,'  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  about  200  miles,  following  the 


#"  The  mountain  district  of  Tennessee,  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  combine  every  chief 
feature  which  adapts  a  country  to  the  raising  of  sheep  on  a  large  scale.  The  warm  and 
sheltered  valleys  where  little  snow  ever  falls,  afford  a  winter  home  for  the  flocks,  where  lit 
tle  defense  from  storms  and  cold  is  required,  and  where  much  of  their  food  can  be  obtained 


628 


TENNESSEE. 


State  House  of  Tennessee,  Nashville. 


The  State  House,  a  most  noble  and  magnificent  structure,  stand*  on  the  highest  ground  of  the  city,  ona 
hundred  and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  river.  Its  dimensions  are  210  by  KJ5  feet,  and  cost  about  a  million 
of  dollars. 


in  the  fields  and  woodlands  ;  while  the  hill  slopes  and  mountain  sides  will  afford  precisely 
the  kind  of  pasture  most  conducive  to  the  health  of  the  animals  and  the  excellence  of  the 
fleece.  In  such  a  climate,  and  in  such  circumstances,  the  finest  and  softest  wools  of  the 
world  are  produced.  In  proof  of  this,  it  may  be  stated  that  at  the  World's  Fair,  in  Lon 
don,  when  all  the  world  was  engaged  in  competition,  the  wool  which  received  the  prize  aa 
the  best  which  the  nations  then  could  boast,  was  sheared  from  the  flocks  which  had  been 
reared  in  this  very  region,  on  the  hills  of  East  Tennessee.  Mark  R.  Cockrell,  Esq.,  an  ex 
tensive  wool  grower  of  Tennessee,  attended  the  World's  Fair  in  London,  in  1851,  and  pre 
sented  some  of  his  wool  in  competition  with  the  wools  of  Europe.  The  contest,  under  the 
rules,  was  between  countries,  not  individuals.  The  premium  of  the  'Golden  Fleece'  was' 
awarded  to  Tennessee.  The  legislature  of  that  state,  the  winter  following,  passed  a  reso 
lution  tendering  Mr.  C.  its  thanks,  and  ordering  the  preparation  of  a  gold  medal,  to  be 
given  to  him  as  a  token  of  respect.  On  its  presentation  he  said,  '  Germany,  Spain,  Saxony 
and  Silesia  were  there ;  the  competition  was  honorable,  strong  and  fair.  Nature  gave  me 
the  advantage  in  climate,  but  the  noble  lords  and  worthy  princes  of  Europe  did  not  know 
it  until  we  met  in  the  Crystal  Palace,  in  London,  before  millions  of  spectators.  While  their 
flocks  were  housed  six  months  in  the  year,  to  shelter  thorn  from  the  snow  of  a  high  latitude, 
mine  were  roaming  over  the  green  pastures  of  Tennessee,  wanned  by  the  genial  influence 
of  a  southern  sun — the  fleece  thus  softened  and  rendered  oily  by  the  warmth,  and  green 
food  producing  a  fine,  even  fiber.' " — Prof.  Chrvtty's  Report. 

The  mountain  regions  of  this  section,  elevated  above  the  frost  belt,  it  is  believed,  possess 
the  very  best  climate  and  soil  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  for  the  production  of  fruit, 
particularly  the  peach  and  the  grape.  On  the  elevations  grapes  and  peaches  are  as  certain 
a  crop,  as  is  corn  generally  elsewhere.  In  some  instances,  European  grapes  have,  for  twenty 
years,  borne  twenty  consecutive  crops,  without  mildew  or  rot,  and  producing  a  third  more 
than  in  Franco.  The  dried  peaches  of  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina  have  an  unrivaled 
reputation  in  northern  markets.  In  time  this  will  probably  become  the  great  wool  growing, 
wine  producing*  and  fruit  raising  region  of  the  Atlantic  states.  Population,  capital,  and 
improved  railroad  facilities  are  alone  wanting  to  soon  bring  this  consummation.  The  great 
tide  of  emigration  has  now  nearly  reached  the  broad  belt  of  arid  land  that  stretches  for 
hundreds  of  miles  across  the  continent,  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  When  its  streams 
are  diverted  southward,  to  the  beautiful  climate  of  the  south-western  Alleghanies,  we  shall 
see  this  noble  country  rapidly  developing  its  natural  riches  to  the  hand  of  industry  and  en 
terprise. 


TENNESSEE. 


629 


course  of  the  river,  from  its  entrance  into  the  Ohio;  it  is  684  miles 
W.  by  S.  from  Washington,  230  N.  E.  from  Memphis,  and  206  S.  W. 
of  Lexington,  Ky.  The  city,  built  on  an  elevated  bluff  of  limestone, 
from  50  to  175  feet  above  the  river,  presents  an  imposing  appearance, 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country.  On  the  public 
square  is  the  court-house,  market-house,  and  other  fine  buildings. 
The  University  of  Nashville,  founded  in  1806,  and  its  medical  school 
long  have  had  a  fine  reputation.  Population  in  1860.  23,715. 

In  1779,  Capt.  James  Robertson,  with  two  or  three  hundred  others, 
left  the  Holston  country  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  settlement  at 
French  Lick,  where  it  appears  that  some  Frenchmen  had  a  station 
as  early  as  1764.  This  was  on  the  spot  where  the  city  of  Nashville  is 
now  built.  Capt.  Robertson's  company  brought  with  them  a  good 
many  horses  and  cattle.  Their  route  lay  through  the  Kentucky 
country,  and  as  there  were  no  roads,  and  being  impeded  with  snow 
storms,  they  did  not  arrive  at  the  French  Lick  until  January,  1780. 
The  snow  was  of  great  deplh  and  continued  for  an  extraordinary 
length  of  time,  Ho  that  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that  men  and  beasts 
could  travel,  and  they  suffered  greatly  in  obtaining  food,  or  died  of 
want  and  cold  combined.  In  1783,  the  Legislature  of  North  Carolina 
established  a  town  here  calling  it  Nashville,  in  honor  of  Col.  Francis 
Nash,  who  fell  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  at  the  battle  of  German- 
town. 


The  following  is  the  inscription  on  the  monument  standing  in  the  front  yard  of 
the  Polk  mansion,  on  Vine-street  in  the  city  of  Nashville: 

"The  mortal  remains  of  JAMES  KNOX  POLK  are  resting  in  the  vault  beneath.     lie 
was  born  in  Mecklenburgli  Co.,  North  Carolina,  and  emigrated  with  his  father, 

Samuel  Polk,  to  Tennessee 
The  beauty  of  vir- 
was    illustrated   in    his 


in  1806. 
tue 

life:  the  excellence  of  Christ 
ianity  was  exemplified  in  his 
death.  His  life  was  devoted 
to  the  public  service.  He 
was  elevated  successively  to 
the  first  places  in  the  State 
and  Federal  Government :  a 
member  of  the  General  As 
sembly  ;  a  member  of  Con 
gress,  and  chairman  of  the 
most  important  Congression 
al  Committees;  Speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representa 
tives;  Governor  of  Tennes 
see,  and  President  of  the 
United  States.  By  his  pub 
lic  policy  he  defined,  estab 
lished  and  extended  the 
boundaries  of  his  Country. 
He  planted  the  Laws  of  the 
American  Union  on  the 
shores  of  the  PACIFIC.  His 

influence  and  his  counsels  tended  to  organize  the  National  Treasury  on  the  princi 
ples  of  the  Constitution,  and  apply  the  rules  of  Navigation,  Trade  and  Industry. 
James  Knox  Polk,  10th  President  of  the  U.  S.,  born  Nov.  2,  1795.  died  June  15, 
1849." 


MANSION  AND  MONUMENT  OF  PitKPn>ENT  TOLK. 


630 


TENNESSEE. 


MEMPHIS,  city,  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  beautifully  situated 
on  a  bluff  some  twenty  to  thirty  feet  above  the  highest  floods,  191  miles 
W.S.W.  from  Nashville;  420  below  St.  Louis,  and  781  miles  above  New  Or 
leans.  It  lies  on  one  of  the  only  three  bluffs  on  the  Lower  Mississippi, 
where  it  is  possible,  without  great  expense  for  artificial  works,  to  build  a 


View  of  Memphis  from  the  West  banJc  of  ike  Mississippi. 

The  Exchange,  or  Court  House  building,  is  seen  on  the  left ;  the  principal  Steamboat  Landing  on  the  ex 
treme  right.  The  front  row  of  mercantile  buildings  appear  on  the  summit  of  the  Bluff.  The  view  shows 
the  city  as  seen  from  the  Memphis  and  Little  l\ock  Bailrottd,  on  the  Arkansas  side  of  the  Mississippi. 

large  town.  It  has  great  commercial  advantages,  and  is  on  the  line  of  im 
portant  railroads,  built  or  contemplated,  in  almost  every  direction.  Mem 
phis,  since  1850,  when  its  'population  was  6,427,  has  taken  an  astonishing 
stride  in  commercial  prosperity,  it  being  now  the  most  growing  and  prosper 
ous  city  of  the  south-west,  and  second  in  importance  only  to  New  Orleans. 
It  has  a  superior  system  of  free  schools,  and  a  large  number  of  mercantile 
and  manufacturing  establishments.  Connected  with  the  rich  cotton  growing 
region  of  North  Mississippi,  it  is  a  great  point  for  the  shipment  of  cotton. 
Population  is  about  35,000. 

The  adjacent  country  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  extensive  bodies  of 
tillable  land  contiguous  to  the  Mississippi  River,  between  the  mouth  of  the 
Ohio  and  New  Orleans.  It  is  elevated,  dry  and  level,  possessing  a  fertile 
and  productive  soil,  and  extending  east,  north-east,  south  and  south-east  for 
nearly  one  hundred  miles.  Corn,  cotton,  wheat,  and  tobacco,  caa  be  culti 
vated  to  great  advantage. 

As  early  as  1736,  the  Bluff  on  which  Memphis  now  stands,  was,  on  ac 
count  of  its  superior  advantages,  selected  by  the  French  as  a  suitable  posi- 
tion  for  a  garrison.  It  appears,  however,  to  have  been  inhabited  by  uncivil 
ized  Indians  and  wild  beasts,  in  1782.  In  1783,  the  Spanish  government 
directed  W.  H.  Gayoso,  then  acting  governor  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana, 
to  take  steps  for  the  occupation  of  this  point.  The  following  historical  items 
are  extracted  from  Rainey's  Memphis  City  Directory  for  1855—6 : 


TENNESSEE.  631 

"The  Indians  manifesting  a  disposition  to  receive  the  officers  of  the  Spanish 
Government,  Gov.  Gayoso  came  up- with  a  sufficient  number  of  troops  and  built 
Fort  St.  Fernando,  on  the  bluff,  at  the  mouth  of  Wolf  River,  the  site  of  which  is 
now  covered  by  a  portion  of  the  Navy  Yard.  The  Spanish  continued  in  occupa 
tion  of  this  garrison,  until  the  ratification  of  the  treaty  by  which  Louisiana  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States  Government,  and  33  degrees  of  north  latitude  estab 
lished  as  the  boundary  line  between  the  two  governments. 

Soon  after  this,  Gen.  Pike  (then  Lieut.  Pike),  was  sent  by  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  with  troops,  to  occupy  Fort  St.  Fernando,  and  the  Spanish  troops 
evacuating  it,  crossed  the  river  and  established  Camp  'Lesperance  (afterward 
called  Camp  Good  Hope),  at  or  near  the  termination  of  the  Military  Road.  Gen. 
Wilkinson  came  on  soon  after  Lieut.  Pike  arrived,  and  dismantled  Fort  St  Fer 
nando,  and  established  Fort  Pickering. 

In  1783,  the  government  of  the  United  States  granted  to  John  Rice  the  tract  of 
land  on  which  Memphis  stands,  who  devised  it  to  Elisha  Rice,  and  he  sold  it  to 
John  Overton. 

In  1819,  John  Overton  sold  one  undivided  half  of  the  tract  to  Gen.  Andrew 
Jackson  and  Gen.  James  Winchester,  and  these  three  (Overton,  Jackson  and  Win 
chester),  laid  out  the  town  of  Memphis." 

The  first  public  sale  of  lots  was  made  in  1820,  at  which  front  lots  were 
deemed  high  at  one  hundred  dollars  each,  and  back  lots  in  proportion.  The 
principal  business  of  the  place  was  confined  to  the  Indian  trade  for  several 
years  afterward,  and  the  new  town  attracted  but  little  attention  until  after 
1830,  in  which  year  it  was  but  a  village  of  704  inhabitants. 

"In  1841,  Congress  appointed  Commissioners  to  select  and  survey  a  site  fora 
Navy  Yard  upon  the  Mississippi  River,  who,  after  a  toilsome  examination  of  its 
whole  length,  from  New  Orleans  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  reported  the  position 
at  the  mouth  of  Wolf,  as  being  the  most  suitable  one  they  could  find  for  the  pur- 
Dose;  and,  at  the  session  of  1842-3,  Congress  passed  a  bill  for  the  erection  of  a 
Navy  Yard  at  Memphis. 

The  principal  portion  of  the  ground  which  the  Navy  Yard  occupies,  has  been 
formed  by  deposites  of  sand  and  mud  from  the  river,  since  1830. 

KNOXVILLE  is  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  Holston  River,  4  miles  be 
low  the  junction  of  the  French  Broad  River,  185  miles  east  from  Nashville, 
and  204  from  Lexington,  Ky.  It  is  quite  a  flourishing  place,  a  central  point 
of  intersection  of  all  the  '^reat  railroads  of  the  country,  east,  west,  north  and 
south.  Fine  marble  quarries  and  iron  ore  abound  in  this  section,  and  beds 
of  bituminous  coal  on  the  line  of  the  railroads.  The  river  is  navigable 
downward  for  steamboats  at  all  seasons,  and  in  the  spring  some  30  or  40  miles 
above  to  Dandridge.  Few  places  possess  such  a  variety  of  scenery  as  can 
be  found  within  the  limits  of  Knoxville,  exhibiting  on  the  banks  of  the 
Holston  the  wild  and  picturesque  beauty  of  nature,  the  hills  and  valleys  of 
the  cultivated  country,  the  manufacturing  village,  and  the  features  of  the 
city.  Knoxville  contains  six  churches,  the  county  buildings,  of  which  the 
jail,  a  castellated  building,  makes  a  striking  appearance,  the  University 
buildings,  and  the  State  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum.  Population  about  9,000. 
East  Tennessee  College,  or  University,  is  located  on  a  commanding  eminence, 
upward  of  200  feet  high,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the  court  house.  This 
institution  was  founded  in  1792. 

Knoxville  was  first  laid  out  by  Gen.'  James  White,  the  first  patentee.  East 
Knoxville  was  laid  out  by  Moses  White,  his  son,  and  at  first  was  called 
Mechanicsburg.  The  west  end  of  the  town  was  laid  out  by  Col.  John  Wil 
liams,  and  was  for  some  time  called  Williamsburg.  Gov.  Blount's  residence 
was  on  Barbara  Hill,  where  the  University  buildings  now  stands.  The  hill 
received  its  name  from  Barbara,  the  daughter  of  the  governor,  who  was 


632 


TENNESSEE. 


born  on  its  summit.  The  Presbyterian  church  was  the  first  house  of  wor 
ship  erected  in  the  place,  Rev.  Wm.  Carrick  the  first  minister.  Dr.  Strong, 
the  first  physician,  was  previously  a  surgeon  on  board  the  U.  S.  frigate  Con 
stitution.  John  Crosier,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  post-master.  The  Hon. 


South-western  view  of  KnoxviUe. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  KnoxviUe,  descending  the  hill  on  the  old  country  road  in  front  of  the 
University.  Part  of  Cumberland-street  is  seen  on  the  left ;  Main-street  on  the  right ;  the  Cupola  of  the 
Court  House  in  the  central  part ;  Hampden  Sidney  Academy  on  the  extreme  left ;  the  Female  Institute  on 
the  right. 

Hugh  L.  White,  U.  S.  senator,  who  died  in  1840,  was  the  son  of  Gen.  White. 
Robert  Huston  was  the  first  sheriff,  and  Robert  Armstrong  the  first  surveyor. 
John  Hood  was  the  first,  or  one  of  the  first  printers  in  KnoxviUe;  he  printed 
the  KnoxviUe  Gazette. 

The  following  are  towns  of  local  note  in  different  parts  of  Tennessee,  of 
from  1,000  to  4,000  inhabitants  each:  Chattanooga  is  situated  on  the  left  or 
south  bank  of  Tennessee  River,  in  the  south  part  of  the  tate,  and  near  the 
boundary  lines  of  Georgia  and  Alabama,  150  miles  S.E.  of  Nashville,  447 
from  Charleston,  S.  C.,  and  432  from  Savannah,  Geo.  It  is  the  center  of 
several  important  railroads,  both  completed  and  progressing,  which  extend 
from  Richmond,  Charleston  and  Savannah  on  the  Atlantic,  to  the  Mississippi 
and  Ohio  Rivers.  The  place  is,  for  the  most  part,  situated  in  a  narrow  val 
ley,  in  the  midst  of  hills  or  mountainous  elevations  on  almost  every  side. 
Murfreesboro\  the  county  seat  of  Rutherford  county,  is  on  the  line  of  the 
Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  about  30  miles  S.E.  from  Nashville. 
It  was  the  capital  of  the  state  from  1817  to  1827.  It  contains  several 
churches,  the  county  buildings,  an  academy,  and  Union  College,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  established  in  1848.  Murfreesboro' 
is  well  laid  out,  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  region  of  corn  and  tobacco  land,  and 
has  a  large  trade  in  the  products  of  'an  extensive  and  highly  cultivated  dis 
trict.  Jonesborrf,  the  county  seat  of  Washington  county,  about  100  miles 
north-easterly  from  Knoxville,  cont.iins  about  700  inhabitants.  It  was  laid 
off  and  established  as  a  seat  of  justice  for  Washington  county,  in  1779,  by 


TENNESSEE.  633 

the  legislature  of  North  Carolina:  it  is  the  oldest  town  in  Tennessee.  It 
was  named  in  honor  of  Willie  Jones,  Esq.,  of  Halifax  county,  North  Caro 
lina,  a  friend  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  western  counties,  and  an 
active  patriot  of  the  Revolution.  Lebanon,  capital  of  Wilson  county,  30 
miles  east  of  Nashville,  is  distinguished  as  a  seat  of  learning.  Here  is  Cum 
berland  University,  a  nourishing  institution,  founded  in  1844,  under  the  di 
rection  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians;  the  law  school  attached  to  it  was 
founded  in  1847,  and  has  more  students  than  any  other  in  the  Union.  Shel- 
byville,  capital  of  Bedford  county,  is  on  Duck  River,  and  at  the  end  of  a 
branch  of  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  59  miles  S.S.E  of  Nash 
ville.  McMinnville,  capital  of  Warren  county,  on  the  McMinnville  and 
Manchester  Railroad,  75  miles  S.E.  from  Nashville.  Winchester,  capital  of 
Franklin,  on  the  Winchester  and  Alabama  Railroad,  2  miles  south  from  the 
Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  and  84  miles  S.E.  of  Nashville.  A 
branch  of  the  Winchester  and  Alabama  Railroad  connects  this  place  with 
Huntsville,  Alabama.  The  tunnel  which  has  been  cut  in  this  county, 
through  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  for  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Rail 
road,  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  works  of  the  kind  in  the  Union,  extend 
ing  2200  feet,  mostly  through  solid  rock.  Fayetteville  is  the  capital  of  Lin 
coln  county,  73  miles  S.  by  E.  from  Nashville.  Cleveland,  county  seat  of 
Bradley,  on  the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia  Railroad,  83  miles  S.W.  of 
Knoxville,  is  the  shipping  point  for  the  rich  copper  mines  of  East  Tennes 
see.  Athens,  capital  of  McMinn  county,  154  miles  E.S.E.  of  Nashville. 
Greenville,  capital  of  Green  county,  is  (J6  miles  E.  by  N.  from  Knoxville. 
Columbia,  the  capital  of  Maury  county,  is  41  miles  S.  by  W.  from  Nashville, 
on  the  Tennessee  and  Alabama  Railroad.  It  is  the  seat  of  Jackson  College, 
founded  in  1833,  and  also  three  female  seminaries.  The  town  is  in  a  beau 
tiful  country,  is  noted  for  its  educational  institutions,  has  a  fine  trade,  and 
was  the  residence  of  President  Polk,  previous  to  his  election  in  1844.  Gal- 
latin,  county  seat  of  Sumner,  is  25  miles  N.W.  of  Nashville.  Clarksville  is 
on  the  Cumberland,  at  the  mouth  of  Red  River,  about  50  miles  N.W.  of 
Nashville :  it  is  an  important  point  for  the  manufacturing  and  shipping  of 
tobacco,  and  a  very  flourishing  business  town.  Jackson,  capital  of  Madison 
county,  in  West  Tennessee,  is  on  the  line  of  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad. 

The  COPPER  MINES  of  East  Tennessee  are  proving  a  most  important 
element  in  the  industry  of  the  country.  The  famous  Ducktown  mines  are  in 
Polk  county,  forty  miles  easterly  from  the  little  thriving  town  of  Cleveland, 
on  the  East  Tennessee  and  Georgia  Railroad,  which  is  their  point  of  ship 
ment.  The  first  mine  was  discovered  in  1850,  and,  for  want  of  roads,  it  was 
a  long  time  before  any  ore  could  be-  sent  away.  The  earlier  shipments  had 
to  be  made  to  Dalton,  Georgia,  a  distance  of  seventy-four  miles.  Notwith 
standing  these  inconveniences,  there  had  been  14,291  tuns  of  copper  ore 
shipped  from  these  mines  before  the  close  of  1855,  which  was  sold  for  more 
than  a  million  of  dollars.  In  September  of  1855,  seven  of  the  mines  pro 
duced  ore  to  the  value  of  $80,000,  or  at  the  rate  of  nearly  a  million  of  dol 
lars  per  annum.  The  discovery  of  these  mines  led  to  great  excitement  and 
large  expectations  when  it  was  known  that  the  supply  of  copper  throughout 
the  world  was  not  equal  to  the  demand.  Lands  which  were  nearly  quite 
worthless  before  the  veins  were  discovered  rose  to  a  great  value.  In  one  in 
stance,  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  with  a  mine  fully  developed,  sold  for 
$460,000.  A  late  visitor  at  Ducktown  thus  gives  us  his  experience  there : 


G34  TENNESSEE. 

The  Ducktown  copper  mines  have  been  opened  in  some  low  ranges  of  hills  which 
seem  to  form  the  highest  point  in  a  broad,  rolling  plain,  surrounded  on  all  sides, 
apparently,  by  lofty  mountains,  so  distant  as  to  be  clothed  with  blue,  and  lifting 
many  a  bold  peak  far  into  the  sky.  The  scene  is  one  of  great  beauty,  when  seen 
as  we  first  beheld  it,  at  sunset,  when  the  western  crests  of  the  far-away  hills  seemed 
to  blaze  in  the  sunbeams,  while  their  bases  lay  in  a  shadow  of  the  deepest  blue, 
deepening  every  moment  into  the  evening  gloom,  and  the  eastern  ridges  were  yet 
purple  with  the  fading  glory  of  the  day.  Woodlands  thinned  by  the  ax,  and  spoiled 
of  half  their  beauty,  were  near  at  hand,  but  at  a  little  distance  the  dark,  dense 
forest  seemed  to  begin  and  stretch  away  almost  unbroken  to  the  distant  mountains. 
The  few  clearings  scarcely  broke  the  continuity  of  the  woods,  and  man  seemed  not 
much  to  have  marred  the  beauty  of  the  works  of  God.  Before  us,  as  we  approached 
Ducktown,  tall  columns  of  smoke,  from  the  furnaces,  marked  its  situation,  and  this 
smoke  was  already  settling  into  and  filling  to  the  brim  the  eastern  valley. 

It  presents,  however,  the  usual  aspect  of  a  mining  village,  and  the  buildings,  per 
haps,  are  all  that  circumstances  require.  The  people  had  comfortable,  though  not 
elegant  dwellings,  plenty  of  proper  food,  schools  for  their  children,  and  preaching 
on  the  Sabbath.  There  is  here  a  population  of  about  five  thousand,  many  of  whom 
are  English  and  Scotch,  with  a  few  Irish  and  Welsh.  The  mines  are  mostly  con 
trolled  by  English  capitalists,  and  no  slaves  are  employed  in  them.  There  is,  in 
deed,  no  mechanical  work  in  which  slaves  as  a  body  can  be  profitably  used. 


BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 

Gen.  James  Robertson,  one  of  the  principal  fathers  of  Tennessee,  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  the  patriarch  of  Watauga,  and  the  founder  of  the  Cumberland 
settlements.  He  emigrated  to  Watauga  in  1769.  uTo  his  wife  he  was  indebted 
for  a  knowledge  of  the  alphabet,  and  for  instruction  how  to  read  and  write.  To 
his  Creator  he  was  indebted  for  rich  mental  endowments — to  himself  for  mental 
improvement.  To  his  God  he  was  indebted  for  that  firmness  and  indomitable  cour 
age  which  the  circumstances  that  surrounded  him  called  so  constantly  into  exer 
cise.  A  detail  of  his  acts  in  behalf  of  his  country,  and  an  enumeration  of  his  suffer 
ings  by  personal  exposure  in  the  wilderness,  in  the  field  of  battle,  in  the  besieged 
fort  and  the  assaulted  station,  in  losses  of  relatives  and  of  private  property,  would 
fill  a  volume.  Previous  to  ar(d  at  the  time  of  his  death,  Gen.  Robertson  was  the 
United  States  agent  at  the  Chickasaw  nation."  He  continued  to  the  close  of  his 
•tfsei'ul  life  an  active  friend  to  his  country,  and  by  his  services  to  the  western  settle 
ments,  in  peace  and  in  war,  he  has  caused  his  name  to  be  remembered  with  grati 
tude  and  veneration.  He  died  at  the  Chickasaw  agency,  Sept.  1,  1814. 

John  Sevier,  the  first  governor  of  Tennessee,  the  compatriot  and  colleague  of 
Gen.  James  Robertson,  was  born  in  Shenandoah  county,  Va.,  in  1744.  His  ances 
tors  were  French  Huguenots;  the  family  name  in  France  is  Xavier.  The  Earl  of 
Dunmore,  then  governor  of  Virginia,  appointed  young  Sevier  a  captain  in  the  mili 
tary  service  of  the  colony.  Not  long  after  the  family  emigrated  to  the  west  to  the 
Holston,  and  finally  to  the  Watauga.  Inheriting  the  sprightliness,  gallantry  and 
generosity  of  his  French  ancestry,  Capt.  Sevier  soon  became  a  favorite  in  the  wilds 
of  Watauga.  In  the  revolution,  when  the  British  troops  were  sweeping  the  friends 
of  liberty  before  them  in  the  southern  states,  Sevier  and  his  companions  in  arms 
hastened  to  the  rescue.  His  services  in  the  important  conflict  at  King's  Mountain 
are  well  known.  He  was  the  first  to  introduce  the  Indian  war-whoop  among  the 
soldiery.  The  British  prisoners  at  King's  Mountain  said  they  could  stand  the  fight 
ing,  but  the  hallooing  confused  them,  making  them  believe  that  uthe  mountains 
had  regiments  instead  of  companies."  Sevier  was  the  idol  of  his  soldiers,  who  were 
generally  his  neighbors  and  the  members  of  his  own  family.  Often  no  public  pro 
vision  was  made  for  their  pay  and  equipments.  These  were  furnished  by  himself, 
he  being  at  once  commander,  commissariat  and  paymaster.  On  the  formation  of 
the  new  "State  of  Franklin,"  Sevier  was  chosen  governor.  In  the  trouble  and  con- 


TENNESSEE.  635 

fushn  which  followed  that  event,  he  was  seized  by  an  armed  posse,  and  conveyed 
to  Morgantown  on  a  charge  of  treason  against  the  state  of  North  Carolina.  At  the 
time  of  his  trial  he  was  rescued  by  his  friends,  and  his  return  was  everywhere  wel 
comed  with  joy.  He  was  afterward  restored  to  favor,  and  was  elected  the  first 
member  of  congress  from  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1815,  he  was  ap 
pointed  commissioner  by  President  Monroe  to  run  the  boundary  of  territory  ceded 
by  the  Creeks  to  the  United  States.  He  left  his  home,  near  Knoxville,  in  June,  for 
that  purpose,  and  died  of  a  fever  September  24th,  in  the  71st  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  buried,  with  the  honors  of  war,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  'tallapoosa,  near  Fort 
Decatur,  in  Alabama. 

William  Blount,  the  first  governor  of  the  "Territory  south-west  of  the  River 
Ohio,"  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  his  relatives  were  distinguished  during 
the  revolutionary  period.  He  received  the  appointment  of  governor  under  the  ad 
ministration  of  Washington  in  1790.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  urbanity,  hospi 
tality  and  commanding  presence.  At  first  he  made  his  residence  in  the  fork  of 
Holston  and  Watauga  Rivers,  at  the  house  of  Wm.  Cobb,  where  he  held  his  courl 
in  the  ancient  woods  of  Sullivan.  After  he  removed  to  Knoxville,  the  friendly  In 
dian  chiefs  paid  frequent  visits  to  the  new  capital.  Mrs.  Blount,  the  wife  of  the 
governor,  an  accomplished  lady,  became  much  interested  in  them,  and  by  her  ad 
dress  and  persuasion  induced  them  to  restrain  their  young  warriors  from  aggres 
sion  upon  the  frontier  people.  Grainger  county  and  Fort  Grainger,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee,  were  named  from  the  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Blount.  Governor 
Blount  was  cut  off  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  the  bury 
ing  ground  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  having  a  slab  with  the  simple  inscrip 
tion:  "William  Blount.  died  March  21,  1800,  aged  53  years." 

Andrew  Jackson.  "'Ask  nothing  but  what  is  right — submit  to  nothing  wrong,' 
was  Andrew  Jackson's  great  political  maxim,  and  it  was  an  abiding  principle  in 
his  character  from  his  earliest  youth  until  the  close  of  his  life.  That  noble  princi 
ple  was  the  key  to  his  great  success  in  whatever  he  undertook,  and  is  worthy  of 


adoption  by  every  young  man  when  he  sets  out  upon  the  perilous  voyage  of  active 
life.  Jackson's  parents  were  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  were  among  the  early 
Scotch-Irish  settlers  in  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina,  in  the  vicinity  of  Waxhaw 
creek.  Jackson's  father  lived  north  of  the  dividing  lin«  between  North  and  South 
Carolina,  in  Mecklenburg  county,  and  there  Andrew  was  born  on  the  15th  of 
March,  1797.  His  father  died  five  days  afterward,  and  a  month  later  his  mother 
took  up  her  abode  in  South  Carolina,  near  the  meeting-house  of  the  Waxhaw  set 
tlement.  He  received  a  fair  education,  but  his  studies  were  interrupted  by  the  tu 
mults  of  the  on-coming  revolution,  and  soon  after  the  fall  of  Charleston  the  Wax- 
haw  settlement  became  a  terrible  scene  of  blood,  in  the  massacre  of  Buford's  regi 
ment  by  the  fiery  Tarleton.  Every  element  of  the  lion  in  young  Jackson's  nature 
was  aroused  by  this  event,  and,  boy  as  he  was,  not  yet  fourteen  years  of  age,  he 
joined  the  patriot  army  and  went  to  the  field.  One  of  his  brothers  was  killed  at 
Stono,  and  himself  and  another  brother  were  made  captives  in  1781.  The  widow 
was  soon  bereaved  of  all  her  family  but  Andrew,  and  after  making  a  journey  of 
mercy  to  Charleston,  to  relieve  sick  prisoners,  she  fell  by  the  wayside,  and  'the 
place  of  her  sepulcher  is  not  known  unto  this  day.'  Left  alone  at  a  critical  period 
of  life,  with  some  property  at  his  disposal,  young  Jackson  commenced  a  career 
that  promised  certain  destruction.  He  suddenly  reformed,  studied  law,  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  in  1786.  Ho  was  soon  afterward  appointed  solicitor  of  the 
western  district  of  Tennessee,  and  journeying  over  the  mountains,  he  commenced, 


636 


TENNESSEE. 


in  that  then  wilderness,  that  remarkable  career  as  attorney,  judge,  legislator  and 
military  commander,  which  on  contemplation  assumes  the  features  of  the  wildest 
romance,  viewed  from  any  point  of  appreciation.  His  lonely  journeyings,  his  col 
lisions  with  the  Indians,  his  difficulties  with  gamblers  and  fraudulent  creditors  and 
land  speculators,  and  his  wonderful  personal  triumphs  in  hours  of  greatest  danger, 
make  the  record  of  his  life  one  of  rare  interest  and  instruction. 

In  1790,  Jackson  made  his  residence  at  Nashville,  and  there  he  married  an  ac 
complished  woman,  who  had  been  divorced  from  her  husband.  In  1795,  he  as 
sisted  in  forming  a  state  constitution  for  Tennessee,  and  was  elected  the  first  rep 
resentative  in  congress  of  the  new  state.  In  the  autumn  of  1797,  he  took  a  seat  in 
the  United  States  senate,  to  which  he  had  been  chosen,  and  was  a  conspicuous  sup 
porter  of  the  democratic  party.  He  did  not  remain  long  at  Washington.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  senate,  he  was  appointed. judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  his  state.  He 
resigned  that  office  in  1804,  and  retired  to  his  beautiful  estate  near  Nashville. 
There  he  was  visited  by  Aaron  Burr,  in  1805,  and  entered  warmly  into  his  schemes 
for  invading  Mexico.  When  Burr's  intentions  were  suspected,  Jackson  refused 
further  intercourse  with  him  until  he  should  prove  the  purity  of  his  intentions. 
For  many  years  Jackson  was  chief  military  commander  in  his  section,  and  when 
war  against  Great  Britain  was  proclaimed  in  LS12,  he  longed  for  employment  in 
the  field.  He  was  called  to  duty  in  1813.  Early  the  following  3rear  he  was  made 
a  major-general,  and  from  that  time  until  his  great  victory  at  New  Orleans,  on  the 
8th  of  January,  1815,  his  name  was  identified  with  every  military  movement  in  the 
south,  whether  against  the  hostile  Indians,  Britons  or  Spaniards.  In  1818,  he  en 
gaged  successfully  in  a  campaign  against  the  Seminoles  and  other  southern  Indi 
ans,  and,  at  the  same  time,  he  taught  the  Spanish  authorities  in  Florida  some  use 
ful  lessons,  and  hastened  the  cession  of  that  territory  to  the  United  States. 

In  1821,  President  Monroe  appointed  General  Jackson  governor  of  Florida,  and 

in  1823  he  offered  him  the 
*  station  of  resident  minister  in 
Mexico.  He  declined  the 
honor,  but  accepted  a  seat  in 
the  United  States  senate,  to 
which  the  legislature  of  Ten 
nessee  had  elected  him.  He 
was  one  of  the  four  candidates 
for  president  of  the  United 
States  in  1824,  but  was  un 
successful.  He  was  elevated 
to  that  exalted  station  in  1828, 
by  a  large  majority,  and  was 
re-elected  in  1832.  His  ad 
ministration  of  eight  years 
was  marked  by  great  energy, 
and  never  were  the  affairs  of 
the  Republic,  in  its  domestic 
and  foreign  relations,  more 
THE  HERMITAGE.  prosperous  than  at  the  close 

of  his  term  of  office.     In  the 

spring  of  1837,' he  retired  from  public  life  forever,  and  sought  repose  after  a  long 
and  laborious  career,  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country.  He  lived  quietly  afc 
his  residence  near  Nashville,  called  the  Hermitage,  until  on  a  calm  Sunday,  the  8th 
of  June,  1845,  his  spirit  went  home.  He  was  then  a  little  more  than  seventy-eight 
years  of  age.  The  memory  of  that  great  and  good  man  is  revered  by  his  country 
men,  next  to  that  of  Washington,  and  to  him  has  been  awarded  the  first  equestrian 
statue  in  bronze  ever  erected  in  this  country.  It  is  colossal,  and  occupies  a  con 
spicuous  place  in  President's  Square,  Washington  City,  where  it  was  reared  in 
1852.*" 

Parton,  in  his  three  volume  biography  of  Jackson,  has  given  some  facts 

*Lossing's  Eminent  Americans. 


TENNESSEE  637 

upon  his  boyhood  days,  that  interesting  era  in  the  history  of  great  men. 
These  we  find  grouped  to  our  hand  by  a  reviewer,  and  so  present  them,  with 
his  dove-tailing  paragraphs: 

His  parents  were  Scotch  Irish  emigrants  from  Carrackfergus,  of  the  humblest 
condition  in  life,  and  to  add  to  the  struggles  of  the  family  with  adversity,  his  father 
died  just  after  the  birth  of  his  son.  His  mother  was  obliged  to  find  a  home,  as 
housekeeper  and  poor  relation,  in  the  family  of  a  brother-in-law,  and  here  young 
Andrew  passed  the  first  ten  or  twelve  years  of  his  life.  He  soon  acquired  the  rep 
utation  of  being  the  most  mischievous  boy  in  the  neighborhood,  always  full  of 
pranks  and  getting  into  trouble.  His  school-days  were  not  of  the  most  promising 
character;  nor,  judging  from  Mr.  Parton's  lively  description,  was  his  youthful  brain 
in  danger  of  being  turned  by  any  superfluity  of  book-learning. 

'In  due  time  the  boy  was  sent  to  an  'old-field  school,'  an  institution  not  much 
unlike  the  road-side  schoo-ls  in  Ireland  of  which  we  read.  The  northern  reader 
is,  perhaps,  not  aware  that  an  'old-field'  is  not  a  field  at  all,  but  a  pine  forest. 
When  crop  after  crop  of  cotton,  without  rotation,  has  exhausted  the  soil,  the 
fences  are  taken  away,  the  land  lies  waste,  the  young  pines  at  once  spring  up,  and 
soon  cover  the  whole  field  with  a  thick  growth  of  wood.  In  one  of  these  old  fields, 
the  'rudest  possible  shanty  of  a  log  house  is  erected,  with  a  fire-place  that  extends 
from  side  to  side,  and  occupies  a  third  of  the  interior.  In  winter,  the  interstices 
of  the  log  walls  are  filled  up  with  clay;  which  the  restless  fingers  of  the  boys  make 
haste  to  remove  in  time  to  admit  the  first  warm  airs  of  spring.  An  itinerant 
schoolmaster  presents  himself  in  a  neighborhood;  the  responsible  farmers  pledge 
him  a  certain  number  of  pupils,  and  an  old-field  school  is  established  for  tho 
season.  Such  schools,  called  by  the  same  name,  exist  to  this  day  in  the  Carolinas, 
differing  little  from  those  which  Andrew  Jackson  attended  in  his  childhood.  Read 
ing,  writing  and  arithmetic  were  all  the  branches  taught  in  the  early  day.  Among 
a  crowd  of  urchins  seated  on  the  slab  benches  of  a  school  like  this,  fancy  a  tall, 
•lender  boy,  with  bright  blue  eyes,  a  freckled  face,  an  abundance  of  long,  sandy 
hair,  and  clad  in  coarse,  copperas-colored  cloth,  with  bare  feet  dangling  and  kick 
ing,  and  you  have  in  your  mind's  eve  a  picture  of  Andy  as  he  appeared  in  his  old- 
field  school  days  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement.' 

His  mother  seems  to  have  had  more  ambitious  views  for  her  son,  and  hoped  that 
by  being  enabled  to  obtain  for  him  a  liberal  education  she  would  have  the  pleasure 
to  see  him  'wag  his  pow  in  a  pulpit'  as  a  clergyman  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  wras  not  destined,  however,  to  'beat  the  drum  ecclesiastic,'  though  if  his  good 
mother's  wishes  could  have  been  realized,  he  would  doubtless  have  proved  a  valiant 
soldier  of  the  'church  militant,1  and  dealt  thick  and  heavy  blows  on  the  sinner 
and  heretic  with  as  much  unction  as  he  subsequently  discomfited  the  invaders  of 
his  country  at  New  Orleans.  He  was  a  fighter  from  his  earliest  boyhood.  Not  a 
drop  of  tame  blood  ran  in  his  veins. 

'Andy  was  a  wild,  frolicsome,  willful,  mischievous,  daring,  reckless  boy;  gen 
erous  to  a  friend,  but  never  content  to  submit  to  a  stronger  enemy.  He  was  pas 
sionately  fond  of  those  sports  which  are  mimic  battles — above  all,  wrestling.  Be 
ing  a  sle.nder  boy,  more  active  than  strong,  he  was  often  thrown. 

'1  could  throw  him  three  times  out  of  four,'  an  old  schoolmate  used  to  say,  'but 
he  would  never  stay  throwed.  He  was  dead  game,  even  then,  and  never  would 
give  up.' 

He  was  exceedingly  fond  of  running  foot  races,  of  leaping  the  bar,  and  jumping, 
and  in  such  sports  he  was  excelled  by  no  one  of  his  years.  To  younger  boys,  who 
never  questioned  his  mastery,  he  was  a  generous  protector;  there  was  nothing  he 
would  not  do  to  defend  them.  His  equals  and  superiors  found  him  sell-willed, 
somewhat  overbearing,  easily  offended,  very  irascible,  and,  upon  the  whole,  'difficult 
to  get  along  with.'  One  of  them  said,  many  years  after,  in  the  heat  of  controversy, 
that  of  all  the  boys  he  had  ever  known,  Andrew  Jackson  was  the  only  bully  who 
•was  not  also  a  coward. 

But  the  boy,  it  appears,  had  a  special  cause  of  irritation  in  a  disgraceful  disease, 
name  unknown,  which  induces  a  habit  of— not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  oii  it — 'slob 
bering.'  Woe  to  any  boy  who  presumed  to  jest  at  this  misfortune  1  Andy  was 


638 


TENNESSEE. 


upon  him  incontinently,  and  there  was  either  a  fight  or  a  drubbing.  There  is  a 
story,  too,  of  some  boys  secretly  loading  a  gun  to  the  muzzle,  and  giving  it  to  young 
Jackson  to  fire  off,  that  they  might  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  it  'kick'  him  over. 
They  had  that  pleasure.  Springing  up  from  the  ground,  the  boy,  in  a  frenzy  of 
passion,  exclaimed:  'By  -  ,  if  one  of  you  laughs  I'll  kill  him!' 

He  soon  had  an  opportunity  for  pursuing  higher  game.  He  was  nine  years  old 
when  the  declaration  of  independence  was  signed.  By  the  time  the  war  approached 
the  obscure  settlement  in  the  region  of  the  Catawba,  where  he  was  born,  he  was  a 
little  more  than  thirteen.  A  change  now  came  over  his  rustic  life.  The  school- 
house  was  closed,  the  peaceful  labors  of  the  people  interrupted.  His  elder  brother 
Hugh  had  already  mounted  his  horse  and  ridden  southward  to  meet  the  bloody 
strife.  4It  was  on  the  29th  of  May,  1780,  that  Tarleton,  with  three  hundred  horse 
men,  surprised  a  detachment  of  militia  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  and  killed  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  of  them,  and  wounded  a  hundred  and  fifty.  The  wounded; 
abandoned  to  the  care  of  the  settlers,  were  quartered  in  the  houses  of  the  vicinity, 
the  old  log  Waxhaw  meeting-house  itself  being  converted  into  a  hospital  for  the 
most  desperate  cases.  Mrs.  Jackson  was  one  of  the  kind  women  who  ministered 
to  the  wounded  soldiers  in  the  church,  and  under  that  roof  her  boys  first  saw  what 
war  was.  The  men  were  dreadfully  mangled.  Some  had  received  as  many  as 
thirteen  wounds,  and  none  less  than  three.  For  many 
=*  ..^sr-  _====?  days  Andrew  and  his  brother  assisted  their  mother  in 

waiting  upon  the  sick  men;  Andrew,  more  in  rage 
than  pity,  though  pitiful  by  nature,  burning  to  avenge 
their  wounds  and  his  brother's  death. 

Tarleton  's  massacre  at  the  Waxhaw  settlement 
kindled  the  flames  of  war  in  all  that  region  of  the  Car- 
olinas.  Andrew,  with  his  brother  Robert,  was  present 
at  Sumpter's  attack  on  the  British  post  at  Hanging 
Rock,  where  he  might  have  received  his  first  lesson  in 
the  art  of  war.  Soon  after  he  passed  his  fourteenth 
birth  day  there  ensued  a  fierce,  intestine  warfare  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home  —  a  war  of  whig  and  tory, 
neighbor  against  neighbor,  brother  against  brother, 
and  even  father  against  son.  Among  other  instances 
of  the  madness  that  prevailed,  a  case  is  related  of  a 
whig,  who,  having  found  a  friend  murdered  and  mu 
tilated,  devoted  himself  to  the  slaying  of  tories.  He 
hunted  and  lay  in  wait  for  them,  and  before  the  war 
ended  had  killed  twenty,  and  then,  recovering  from 

that  insanity,  lived  the  rest  of  hisdays  a  conscience-stricken  wretch.  Andrew  and 
his  brother  soon  began  to  take  a  personal  share  in  the  eventful  conflict.  Without 
enlisting  in  any  regular  corps,  they  plunged  into  the  fight  on  their  own  hook,  join 
ing  small  parties  that  went  out  on  single  enterprises  of  retaliation,  mounted  on  their 
own  horses,  and  carrying  their  own  weapons.  Mr.  Parton  gives  a  description  of 
one  of  his  adventures  in  this  line  which  illustrates  both  the  time  and  the  boy: 

'In  that  fierce,  Scotch-Indian  warfare,  the  absence  of  a  father  from  home  was 
often  a  better  protection  to  his  family  than  his  presence,  because  his  presence  in 
vited  attack.  The  main  object  of  both  parties  was  to  kill  the  fighting  men,  and  to 
avenge  the  slaying  of  partisans.  The  house  of  the  quiet  hero  Hicks,  for  example, 
was  safe  until  it  was  noised  about  among  the  tories  that  Hicks  was  at  home.  And 
thus  it  came  to  pass,  that  when  a  whig  soldier  of  note  desired  to  spend  a  night  with 
his  family,  his  neighbors  were  accustomed  to  turn  out  and  serve  as  a  guard  to  his 
house  while  he  slept.  Behold  Robert  and  Andrew  Jackson,  with  six  others,  thus 
employed  one  night  in  the  spring  of  1781,  at  the  domicil  of  a  neighbor,  Capt.  Sa-uls. 
The  guard  on  this  occasion  was  more  a  friendly  tribute  to  an  active  partisan  than 
a  service  considered  necessary  to  his  safety.  In  short,  the  night  was  not  far  ad 
vanced  before  the  whole  party  were  snugly  housed  and  stretched  upon  the  floo  •*,  all 
sound  asleep  except  one,  a  British  deserter,  who  was  restless,  and  dozed  at  inter 
vals. 

Danger  was  near.     A  band  of  tories,  bent  on  taking  the  life  of  Capt.  Sands,  ap 


TOMB  OF  JACKSON 


TENNESSEE.  6:J!) 

preached  the  house  in  two  divisions,  one  party  moving  toward  the  front  door,  the 
other  toward  the  back.  The  wakeful  soldier,  hearing  a  suspicious  noise,  rose,  went 
out  of  doors  to  learn  its  cause,  and  saw  the  foe  stealthily  nearing  the  house.  He 
ran  in  in  terror,  and  seizing  Andrew  Jackson,  who  lay  next  the  door,  by  the  hair, 
exclaimed:  'The  tories  are  upon  us!' 

Andrew  sprang  up  and  ran  out.  Seeing  a  body  of  men  in  the  distance,  he  placed 
the  end  of  his  gun  in  the  low  fork  of  a  tree  near  the  door  and  hailed  them.  No 
reply.  He  hailed  them  a  second  time.  No  reply.  They  quickened  their  pace,  and 
had  come  within  a  few  rods  of  the  door.  JSy  this  time,  too,  the  guard  in  the 
house  had  been  roused,  and  were  gathered  in  a  group  behind  the  boy.  An 
drew  discharged  his  musket,  upon  which  the  tories  fired  a  volley,  which  killed  the 
hapless  deserter  who  had  given  the  alarm.  The  other  party  of  tories,  who  were  ap 
proaching  the  house  from  the  other  side,  hearing  this  discharge,  and  the  rush  of 
bullets  above  their  heads,  supposed  that  the  firing  proceeded  from  a  party  that  had 
issued  from  the  house.  They  now  fired  a  volley,  which  sent  a  shower  of  balls 
whistling  about  the  heads  of  their  friends  on  the  other  side.  Both  parties  hesitated 
and  then  halted.  Andrew  having  thus,  by  his  single  discharge,  puzzled  and  stoj  ped 
the  enemy,  retired  to  the  house,  where  he  and  his  comrades  kept  up  a  brisk  fire 
from  the  windows.  One  of  the  guard  fell  mortally  wounded  by  his  side,  and  an 
other  received  a  wound  less  severe.  In  the  midst  of  this  singular  contest,  a  bugle 
was  heard,  some  distance  off,  sounding  the  cavalry  charge,  whereupon  the  tories, 
concluding  that  they  had  come  upon  an  ambush  of  whigs,  and  were  about  to  be  as 
sailed  by  horse  and' foot,  fled  to  where  they  had  left  their  horses,  mounted,  dashed 
pell-mell  into  the  woods,  and  were  seen  no  more.  It  appeared  afterward  that  the 
bugle  charge  was  sounded  by  a  neighbor,  who,  judging  from  the  noise  of  musket 
ry  that  Captain  Sands  was  attacked,  and  having  not  a  man  with  him  in  his 
house,  gave  the  blast  upon  the  trumpet,  thinking  that  even  a  trick  so  stale,  aided 
by  the  darkness  of  the  night,  might  have  some  effect  in  alarming  the  assailants.' 

After  peace  was  restored  to  his  neighborhood,  young  Jackson  embraced  every 
opportunity  to  engage  in  a  'free  fight,'  beside  sharing  largely  in  the  fun  and  frolic, 
which  were  almost  as  congenial  to  his  disposition  as  the  drubbing  of  an  adversary. 
Several  Charleston  families  of  wealth  and  distinction  were  waiting  in  the  settlement 
for  the  evacuation  of  their  city.  With  the  young  men  whose  acquaintance  he  thus 
made,  Andrew  led  a  life  in  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1782  that  was  more  merry 
than  wise.  He  now  began  to  betray  that  taste  for  horse-flesh  which  became  such  a  de 
cided  passion  in  after  life.  He  ran  races  and  rode  races,  gambled  a  little,  drank  a 
little,  indulged  in  a  cock-fight  occasionally,  and  presented  a  glorious  specimen  of 
the  young  America  at  that  day.  He  seems  to  have  had  but  a  faint  love  for  his  Car 
olina  relations,  and  was  probably  regarded  as  the  scapegrace  of  the  family. 

It  is  credibly  related  that  his  first  attempt  at  earning  a  living  for  himself  was  in 
the  capacity  of  a  country  schoolmaster,  but  after  trying  his  hand  in  this  unconge 
nial  employment  for  a  short  time  he  resolved  to  study  law.  Gathering  together  his 
scanty  earnings,  he  mounts  his  horse,  sets  his  face  to  the  northward  in  quest  of  a 
master  with  whom  to  pursue  his  law  studies,  and  finally  enters  an  office  in  Salis 
bury,  N.  C.,  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Of  his  residence  in  that  pleasant  old  town, 
Mr.  Parton  has  succeeded  in  bagging  some  characteristic  if  not  altogether  edifying 
reminiscences: 

'Salisbury  teems  with  traditions  respecting  the  residence  there  of  Andrew  Jack 
son  as  a  student  of  law.  Their  general  tenor  may  be  expressed  in  the  language  of 
the  first  old  resident  of  the  town,  to  whom  I  applied  for  information :  'Andrew 
Jackson  was  the  most  roaring,  rollicking,  game-cocking,  horse-racing,  card-playing, 
mischievous  fellow  that  ever  lived  in  Salisbury.'  Add  to  this  such  expressions  as 
these:  'He  did  not  trouble  the  law  books  much,'  'he  was  more  in  the  stable  than  in 
the  office,'  'he  was  the  head  of  all  the  rowdies  hereabouts.'  That  is  the  substance 
of  what  the  Salisbury  of  1859  has  to  say  of  the  Andrew  Jackson  of  1785. 

Nothing  is  more  likely  than  that  he  was  a  roaring,  rollicking  fellow,  overflowing 
with  life  and  spirits,  and  rejoicing  to  engage  in  all  the  fun  that  was  going,  but  I  do 
not  believe  that  he  neglected  his  duties  at  the  office  to  the  extent  to  which  Salis 
bury  says  he  did.  There  are  good  reasons  for  doubting  it.  At  no  part  of  Jack- 
eon's  career,  when  we  can  get  a  look  at  him  through  a  pair  of  trustworty  eyes,  do 


610 


TENNESSEE. 


we  find  him  trifling  with  life.  We  find  him  often  wrong,  but  always  earnest.  lie 
never  so  much  as  raised  a  field  of  cotton  which  he  did  not  have  done  in  the  best 
manner  known  to  him.  It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  this  young  man  to  take  a  great 
deal  of  trouble  to  get  a  chance  to  study  law,  and  then  entirely  to  throw  away  that 
chance.  Of  course  he  never  became,  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word,  a  lawyer, 
but  that  he  wars  not  diligent  and  eager  in  picking  up  the  legal  knowledge  necess'urv 
for  practice  at  that  day,  will  become  less  credible  to  the  reader  the  more  he  kno\vs 
of  him.  Once,  in  the  White  House,  forty-five  years  after  this  period,  when  some 
one  from  Salisbury  reminded  him  of  his  residence  in  that  town,  he  said,  with  a 
smile,  and  a  look  of  retrospection  on  his  aged  face,  'Yes,  I  lived  at  old  Salisbury. 
1  was  but  a  raw  lad  then,  but  I  did  mybcst.'  " 

Annexed  is  a  view  of  the  residence  of  the  celebrated  Col.  David  Crockett, 
at  the  time  he  was  a  member  of  congress.     It  is  in  Gibson  county,  in  the 

north-western  corner 
of  Tennessee,  about 
4  miles  easterly  from 
Rutherford's  Station, 
on  the  Mobile  and 
Ohio  llailroad.  It  is 
the  present  residence 
of  Moses  F.  White- 
hurst,  and  stands  in 
the  forks  of  Obi  on 
River,  a  stream  fam 
ous  in  the  history  of 
Crockett's  hunting 
adventures.  The 
house  is  of  hewn  logs: 
originally  it  had  "cat 
and  clay  "  chimneys. 
These  have  given 
place  to  stone,  and 
the  logs  are  n  o  \v 
weather  boarded.  It 
is  about  40  feet  long 
double  cabin11 — a  favorite  kind  of 
The  open  space  between  the  difter- 


DAVID  CKOCKF.TT'S  CABIN. 


[Drawn  by  Henry  Howe,  Nov.,  1859.] 


and  14  wide,  and  is  what  is  termed  "a 
backwoods  structure  in  the  south-west, 
ent  parts  of  the  cabin,  in  the  heats  of  summer,  is  a  common  place  for  the 
families  to  partake  of  their  meals,  for  the  females  to  sew,  and  for  general  social 
intercourse.  Independence,  buoyant  health,  solid,  substantial  comfort,  and 
general  freedom  from  oppressive  care,  may  be  said  to  be  the  general  condi 
tion  of  Americans  who  find  their  homes  in  double  cabins. 

The  country  in  the  vicinity  of  Crockett's  cabin  is  yet  in  a  somewhat  wil 
derness  condition,  though  it  is  now  rapidly  improving  under  the  impetus 
given,  of  late  years,  to  the  cotton  growing  region.  When  in  the  county  to 
make  a  sketch  of  the  place  for  this  work,  we  became  acquainted  wifh  several 
gray-headed  men,  who  evidently  took  pride  in  stating  they  had  "voted  for 
Crockett."  They  described  him  as  a  man  tall  in  stature,  rising  six  feet,  of 
sinewy  frame,  independent  in  manner,  and  an  excellent  story-teller.  In  his 
lust  canvass  for  congress  he  was  beaten,  and  therefore  emigrated  to  Texas. 
They  related  many  anecdotes  of  his  goodness  of  heart  and  generosity — 
among  them  this:  In  the  autumn  of  1838,  a  general  migration  of  squirrels 
from  the  north  crossed  that  section  of  country,  devouring  all  the  corn  in 
their  path,  so  that  a  famine  threatened  the  inhabitants.  Crockett,  upon  this, 


TENNESSEE.  641 

went  to  the  Wabash  country,  bought  a  flat-boat  loaded  it  with  corn,  and 
floating  down  the  Ohio  into  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Obion,  a  distance  of  several  hundred  miles,  poled  it  up  that  stream  130  miles 
further  by  its  various  windings,  to  the  forks  of  the  Obion,  and  there  distri 
buted  it  among  his  suffering  neighbors.  His  first  question,  when  a  man 
came-  to  buy,  was,  "Have  you  got  money  to  pay  for  it?"  If  the  reply  was, 
"Yes,"  Crockett  would  rejoin,  "then  you  can't  have  a  kernel.  I  brought  it 
here  to  sell  to  those  who  have  no  money."  Another  question  was,  "how 
many  have  you  in  your  family?"  This  ascertained,  he  would  sell  none 
more  than  their  share,  taking  from  all  due  bills,  and  refusing  credit  to  none, 
however  untrustworthy  their  reputation,  or  great  their  poverty.  The  fol 
lowing  sketch  is  from  Lossing's  American  Biography: 

"  lBe  sure  you  are  right,  then  go  ahead,'  is  a  wise  maxim  attributed  to  .one  whose 
life  was  a  continual  illustration  of  the  sentiment.  Every  body  has  heard  of  '  Davy 
Crockett.'  the  immortal  backwoodsman  of  Tennessee — the  'crack  shot'  of  the  wil 
derness — the  eccentric  but  honest  member  of  congress — the  '  hero  of  the  Alamo' 
— yet  few  knew  his  origin,  his  early  struggles,  and  the  general  current  of  his  life. 
History  has  but  few  words  concerning  him,  but  tradition  is  garrulous  over  his 
many  deeds. 

David  Crockett  was  born  at  the  mouth  of  the  Limestone  River,  Greene  county, 
East  Tennessee,  on  the  17th  of  August,  1786.  His  father  was  of  Scotch-Irish  de 
scent,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  War  for  Independence.  It  was  all  a  wil 
derness  around  David's  birth-place,  and  his  soul  communed  with  nature  in  its  un 
broken  wildness,  from  the  beginning.  He  grew  to  young  manhood,  without  any 
education  from  books  other  than  he  received  in  his  own  rude  home.  When  only 
seven  years  of  age,  David's  father  was  stripped  of' most  of  his  little  property,  by 
iire.  He  opened  a  tavern  in  Jefferson  county,  where  David  was  his  main  'help' 
until  the  age  of  twelve  years.  Then  he  was  hired  to  a  Dutch  cattle-trader,  who 
collected  herds  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and  drove  them  to  the  eastern  mar 
kets.  This  vagrant  life,  full  of  incident  and  adventure,  suited  young  Crockett,  hut 
becoming  dissatisfied  with  his  employer,  he  deserted  him,  and  made  his  way  back 
to  his  father's  home.  After  tarrying  a  year,  he  ran  away,  joined  another  cattle  mer 
chant,  and  at  the  end  of  the  journey,  in  Virginia,  he  was  dismissed  with  precisely  four 
dollars  in  his  pocket.  For  three  years  he  was  'knocking  about,'  as  he  expressed 
it,  and  then  he  sought  his  father's  home  again.  He  now  enjoyed  the  advantages 
of  a  school  for  a  few  weeks;  and,  finally,  after  several  unsuccessful  love  adven 
tures,  he  married  an  excellent  girl,  and  became  a  father  in  1810,  when  24  years  of 
age.  lie  settled  on  the  banks  of  Elk  River,  and  was  pursuing  the  quiet  avocation 
of  a  farmer  in  summer,  and  the  more  stirring  one  of  hunter  in  the  autumn,  when 
war  was  commenced  with  Great  Britain,  in  1812.  Crockett  was  one  of  the  first  to 
respond  to  Gen.  Jackson's  call  for  volunteers,  and  under  that  brave  leader  he  was 
engaged  in  several  skirmishes  and  battles.  He  received  the  commission  of  colonel 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  as  a  testimonial  of  his  worth.  His  wife  had  died  while  he 
was  in  the  army,  and  several  small  children  were  left  to  his  care.  The  widow  of 
a  deceased  friend  soon  came  to  his  aid,  and  in  this  second  wife  he  found  an  excel 
lent  guardian  for  his  children.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  he  removed  to  Laurena 
county,  where  he  was  made  justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  chosen  to  represent 
the  district  in  the  state  legislature.  Generous,  full  of  fun,  possessing  great  shrewd 
ness,  and  '  honest  to  a  fault,'  Crockett  became  very  popular  in  the  legislature  and 
among  his  constituents.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  he  removed  to  Western  Ten 
nessee,  where  lie  became  a  famous  hunter.  With  the  rough  backwoodsmen  there 
he  was  a  man  after  their  own  hearts,  and  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in  congress,  in  1828^ 
and  again  in  1830.  He  and  the  opposing  candidate  canvassed  their  district  to 
gether,  and  made  stump  speeches.  Crockett's  opponent  had  written  his  speech, 
and  delivered  the  same  one  at  different  places.  David  was  always  original,  and  he 
readily  yielded  to  his  friend's  request  to  speak  first.  At  a  point  where  both  wished 
t.o  make  a  good  impression,  Crockett  desired  to  speak  first.  His  opponent  could 
not  refuse;  but,  to  his  dismay,  he  heard  David  repeat  his  own  speech.  Tho  colo- 

41 


642  TENNESSEE. 

nel  had  heard  it  so  often  that  it  was  fixed  in  his  memory.  Tho  other  candidate 
was  speechless,  and  lost  his  election.  When  the  Americans  in  Texas  commenced 
their  war  for  independence,  toward  the  close  of  1835,  Crockett  hastened  thitherto 
help  them,  and  at  the  storming  of  the  Alamo,  at  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  on  the 
6th  of  March,  1836,  that  eccentric  hero  was  killed.  He  was  afterward  found  dead, 
surrounded  by  a  pile  of  the  enemy,  who  had  fallen  beneath  his  powerful  arm.  He 
was  then  fifty  years  of  age." 

Hugh  Lawson  White,  an  eminent  statesman  and  jurist,  was  born  in  North  Caro 
lina,  in  1773,  and  when  13  years  of  age  emigrated  with  his  father's  family  to  Knox 
county  Tennessee.  He  was  educated  to  the  law  in  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1796,  be 
gan  the  practice  at  Knoxville.  Though  his  education  was  limited,  he  was  clear 
headed,  logical  and  self-relying,  and  attained  distinction  throughout  the  entire 
south-west,  where  he  was  "familiarly  compared  to  Aristides,  and  reverently  re 
garded  as  the  Cato  of  the  republic."  He  served  in  many  offices  of  trust,  as  tl.  S. 


Brainerd,  the  Ancient  Missionary  Station  among  the  Cherokees. 

The  engraving  shows  the  Mission  Church,  Store  House,  and  other  buildings  connected  with  the  Mission 
as  they  appeared  about  the  year  1821.  The  grave  of  Dr.  Worcester*  is  seen  on  the  left,  at  the  spot  where 
two  persons  are  sta/iding. 

district  attorney,  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Tennessee,  state  senator,  president 
of  the  state  bank,  etc.  He  was  appointed  commissioner  by  President  Monroe  to 
adjust  claims  of  our  citizens  against  Spain.  In  1825,  1831,  and  1837,  he  was  suc 
cessively  elected  to  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  where  he  served  with  signal 
ability.  At  the  election  for  vice  president  of  the  United  States,  in  1836,  he  re 
ceived  all  the  votes  of  Georgia  and  Tennessee.  In  1839,  having  received  instruc 
tions  from  the  legislature  of  Tennessee  to  vote  in  the  senate  contrary  to  his  own 
judgment,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  that  body,  which  he  had  held  sixteen  years.  He 
died  at  his  residence  in  Knoxville,  April  10,  1840,  in  the  68th  year  of  his  age. 

THE    CHEROKEE    MISSION. 

The  first  mission  of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions  among  the  Cherokees,  was  commenced  in  1817  at  Brainerd,  a  spot 
within  the  limits  of  Tennessee,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Chickamauga 
Creek,  which  is  navigable  to  Brainerd,  being  about  15  miles  from  its  conflu 
ence  with  the  Tennessee.  It  was,  at  that  time,  nearly  equi-distant  from  the 
eastern  and  western  extremities  of  the  Cherokee  country,  and  perhaps  25  or 
30  miles  from  the  northern  limit,  which  was  the  mouth  of  Hiawassee.  A 

#Rev.  Dr.  Worcester,  of  Massachusetts,  an  active  member  of  the  American  Board,  died 
in  his  visit  to  the  Cherokees,  at  Brainerd,  June  7,  1821,  and  was  interred  on  the  Mission 
premises.  His  remains  were  taken  up  several  years  since,  and  carried  to  Massachusetts,  by 
his  son,  a  clergyman  of  that  state.  The  mission  grounds  are  now  owned  by  A.  E.  Blunt, 
Esq.,  who  was  formerly  connected  with  the  mission  as  a  farmer,  mechanic  and  teacher.  The 
wife  and  two  children  of  Mr.  Blunt  were  buried  by  the  side  of  Dr.  Worcester,  with  others  of 
the  mission  family.  The  old  Mission  Church,  is  still  standing. 


TENNESSEE.  643 

church  was  organized  in  Sept.  1817,  and  Catherine  was  the  first  fruit  of  mis* 
sionary  labor.  This  place  was  visited  by  President  Monroe,fin  May,  .1819 
on  his  grand  tour  through  the  United  States. 

The  missions  continued  to  flourish:  8  churches,  or  stations,  were  estab 
lished,  and  the  mass  of  the  people  became  civilized,  and,  externally,  embraced 
the  Christian  religion.  In  1828  and  1829,  the  state  of  Georgia,  repudiating 
the  independent  government  which  the  Cherokees  attempted  to  establish 
among  themselves,  extended  her  laws  over  them,  and  forbade  the  missiona 
ries  of  the  board  to  reside  among  them.  Mr.  Worcester  and  Dr.  Butler,  for 
violating  this  law,  were  imprisoned  in  the  Georgia  penitentiary.  The  case 
was  brought  before  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  in  1832,  which 
ordered  their  release.  The  bill  for  the  removal  of  the  Indians  .west  of  the 
Mississippi,  passed  congress  in  1830.  On  Sunday,  the  19th  of  Aug.,  1835, 
the  church  at  Brainerd  gathered,  for  the  last  time  in  that  place,  around  the 
sacramental  table.  In  1836,  some  of  the  principal  chiefs  negotiated  a  treaty 
at  New  Echota,  for  the  sale  of  all  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  for  five 
millions  of  dollars.  In  1838,  the  whole  nation,  16,000  in  number,  were  on 
their  march  for  the  west,  in  fourteen  companies.  Several  missionaries  accom 
panied  them  on  their  way.  Their  journey  of  600  or  700  miles,  was  per 
formed  in  four  or  five  months.  On  the  22d  of  June,  1839,  Major  Ridge, 
his  son,  John  Ridge,  and  Elias  Boudinot,  Cherokee  chiefs,  were  assassinated 
by  their  countrymen,  for  the  part  they  took  in  selling  the  lands  of  the 
nation. 

THE    JERKS. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  religious  meetings  of  the 
west  were  attended  by  singular  mental  and  physical  phenomena,  resembling, 
in  some  of  their  phases,  the  mesmeric  phenomena  of  our  time.  These  were 
comprised  under  the  general  name  of  "the  Jerks"  The  first  recorded  in 
stance  was  at  a  sacrament  in  East  Tennessee,  when  several  hundred  of  both 
sexes  were  seized  with  this  strange  and  involuntary  contortion.  A  clerical 
writer,  Rev.  Barton  W.  Stone,  has,  in  his  biography,  left  an  account  of  what 
he  personally  witnessed  of  these  strange  phenomena,  which  we  here  tran 
scribe  : 

The  bodily  agitations  or  exercises  attending  the  excitement  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century  were  various,  and  called  by  various  names,  as  the  falling  exercise, 
the  jerks,  the  dancing  exercise,  the  barking  exercise,  the  laughing  and  singing  ex 
ercises,  and  so  on.  The  falling  exercise  was  very  common  among  all  classes,  the 
saints  and  sinners  of  every  age  and  grade,  from  the  philosopher  to  the  clown.  Tho 
subject  of  this  exercise  would  generally,  with  a  piercing  scream,  fall  like  a  log  on 
the  floor  or  earth,  and  appear  as  dead.  Of  thousands  of  similar  cases,  I  will  men 
tion  one.  At  a  meeting,  two  gay  young  ladies,  sisters,  were  standing  together,  at 
tending  the  exercises  and  preaching  at  the  same  time,  when  instantly  they  both 
fell  with  a  shriek  of  distress,  and  lay  for  more  than  an  hour  apparently  in  a  life 
less  state.  Their  mother,  a  pious  Baptist,  was  in  great  distress,  fearing  they  would 
not  revive.  At  length  they  began  to  exhibit  signs  of  life,  by  crying  fervently  for 
mercy,  and  then  relapsed  into  the  same  death-like  state,  with  an  awful  gloom  on 
their  countenances;  after  a  while,  the  gloom  on  the  face  of  one  was  suc 
ceeded  by  a  heavenly  smile,  and  she  cried  out,  '  Precious  Jesus ! '  and  spoke  of  the 
glory  of  the  gocpel  to  the  surrounding  crowd  in  language  almost  superhuman,  and 
exhorted  all  to  repentance.  In  a  little  while  after,  the  other  sister  was  similarly 
exercised.  From  that  time  they  became  remarkably  pious  members  of  the  church. 

I  have  seen  very  many  pious  persons  fall  in  the  same  way,  from  a  sense  of  the 
danger  of  their  unconverted  children,  brothers,  or  sisters,  or  from  a  sense  of  the 
danger  of  their  neighbors  in  a  sinful  world.  I  have  heard  them  agonizing  in  tears, 


644  TENNESSEE. 

and  strongly  crying  for  mercy  to  be  shown  to  sinners,  and  speaking  like  angels  all 
around. 

The  jerks  can  not  be  so  easily  described.  Sometimes  the  subject  of  the  jerks 
would  be  affected  in  some  one  member  of  the  body,  and  sometimes  in  the  whole 
system.  When  the  head  alone  was  affected,  it  would  be  jerked  backward  and  for 
ward,  or  from  side  to  side,  so  quickly  that  the  features  of  the  face  could  not  be 
distinguished.  When  the  whole  system  was  affected,  I  have  seen  the  person  stand 
in  one  place,  and  jerk  backward  and  forward  in  quick  succession,  the  head  nearly 
touching  the  floor  behind  and  before.  All  classes,  saints  and  sinners,  the  strong 
as  well  as  the  weak,  were  thus  affected.  I  have  inquired  of  those  thus  affected  if 
they  could  not  account  for  it,  but  some  have  told  me  that  those  were  among  the 
happiest  seasons  of  their  lives.  I  have  seen  some  wicked  persons  thus  affected, 
and  all  the  time  cursing  the  jerks,  while  they  were  thrown  to  the  earth  with  vio 
lence.  Though  so  awful  to  behold,  I  do  not  remember  that  any  one  of  the  thou 
sands  I  have  seen  thus  affected,  ever  sustained  any  injury  in  body.  This  was  as 
strange  as  the  exercise  itself. 

The  dancing  exercise  generally  began  with  the  jerks,  and  was  peculiar  to  pro 
fessors  of  religion.  The  subject,  after  jerking  awhile,  began  to  dance,  and  then 
the  jerks  would  cease.  Such  dancing  was  indeed  heavenly  to  the  spectators. 
There  was  nothing  in  it  like  levity,  nor  calculated  to  excite  levity  in  the  beholders. 
The  smile  of  Heaven  shone  on  the  countenance  of  the  subject,  and  assimilated  to 
angels  appeared  the  whole  person.  Sometimes  the  motion  was  quick,  and  some 
times  slow.  Thus  they  continued  to  move  forward  and  backward  in  the  same 
track  or  alley  till  nature  seemed  exhausted ;  and  they  would  fall  prostrate  on  the 
floor  or  earth,  unless  caught  by  those  standing  by.  While  thus  exercised,  I  have 
heard  their  solemn  praises  and  prayers  ascend  to  God. 

The  barking  exercise,  as  opposers  contemptuously  called  it,  was  nothing  but  the 
jerks.  A  person  affected  with  the  jerks,  especially  in  his  head,  would  often  make 
a  grunt  or  a  bark,  from  the  suddenness  of  the  jerk.  This  name  of  barking  seems 
to  have  had  its  origin  from  an  old  Presbyterian  preacher  of  East  Tennessee.  He 
had  gone  into  the  woods  for  private  devotion,  and  was  seized  with  the  jerks. 
Standing  near  a  sapling,  he  caught  hold  of  it  to  prevent  his  falling,  and,  as  his 
head  jerked  back,  he  uttered  a  grunt,  or  a  kind  of  noise  similar  to  a  bark,  his  face 
being  turned  upward.  Some  wag  discovered  him  in  this  position,  and  reported 
that  he  had  found  the  old  preacher  barking  up  a  tree. 

The  laughing  exercise  was  frequent — confined  solely  to  the  religious.  It  was  a 
loud,  hearty  laughter,  but  it  excited  laughter  in  none  that  heard  it.  The  subject  ap 
peared  rapturously  solemn,  and  his  laughter  excited  solemnity  in  saints  and  sin 
ners:  it  was  truly  indescribable ! 

The  running  exercise  was  nothing  more  than  that  persons  feeling  something  of 
these  bodilv  agitations,  through  fear,  attempted  to  run  away  and  thus  escape  from 
them;  but  it  commonly  happened  that  they  ran  not  far  before  they  fell,  where  they 
became  so  agitated  they  could  not  proceed  any  farther. 

I  knew  a  young  physician,  of  a  celebrated  family,  who  came  some  distance  to  a 
big  meeting,  to  see  the  strange  things  he  had  heard  of.  He  and  a  young  lady  had 

rrtively  agreed  to  watch  over  and  take  care  of  each  other  if  either  should  fall 
length,  the  physician  felt  something  very  uncommon,  and  started  from  the  con 
gregation  to  run  into  the  woods.  He  was  discovered  running  as  for  life,  but  did 
not  proceed  far  until  he  fell  down,  and  there  lay  until  he  submitted  to  the  Lord, 
and  afterward  became  a  zealous  member  of  the  Church.  Such  cases  were  com 
mon. 

The  singing  exercise  is  more  unaccountable  than  any  thing  else  T  ever  saw.  The 
subject,  in  a  very  happy  state  of  mind,  would  sing  most  melodiously,  not  from  the 
mouth  or  nose,  but  entirely  in  the  breast,  the  sounds  issuing  thence.  Such  noise 
silenced  everything,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  all.  It  was  most  heavenly; 
none  could  ever  be  tired  of  hearing  it. 


ARKANSAS. 


The  first  European  who  traversed  the  territory  of  Arkansas  was  De  Soto, 
the  celebrated  Spanish  adventurer,  who  after  his  wanderings  east  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  about  the  1st  of  May,  1541, 
reached  the  great  river  of  the  west, 
not  far  from  the  site  of  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  where  he  encamped  and  tarried 
for  about  twenty  days,  in  order  to 
construct  boats  to  cross  the  river. 
On  the  opposite  bank  a  great  multi 
tude  of  Indian  warriors  assembled, 
well  armed,  and  with  a  fleet  of  canoes, 
to  defend  the  passage.  The  morning 
after  De  Soto  had  encamped,  some  of 
the  natives  visited  him.  "Advancing 
without  speaking  a  word,  and  turning 
their  faces  to  the  east,  they  made  a 
profound  genuflexion  to  the  sun ;  then 
facing  to  the  west,  they  made  the 
same  obeisance  to  the  moon,  and  con 
cluded  with  a  similar,  but  less  humble, 
reverence  to  De  Soto."  They  in 
formed  him  they  came  in  the  name  of  the  chief  of  the  province,  to  bid  them 
welcome,  and  offer  their  friendship  and  services.  When  the  time  had  arrived 
for  crossing  over,  De  Soto,  about  three  hours  before  day,  ordered  the  four 
boats  he  had  built  and  launched  to  be  manned,  and  four  troopers  of  tried 
courage  to  go  in  each.  As  they  came  near  the  other  shore,  meeting  with  no 
opposition,  the  troopers  dashed  into  the  water,  easily  effected  a  landing,  and 
made  themselves  masters  of  the  pass.  Two  hours  before  the  sun  went  down 
the  whole  army  had  passed  over  the  Mississippi.  "  The  river  in  this  place," 
says  the  Portuguese  historian,  "was  half  a  league  from  one  shore  to  the 
other,  so  that  a  man  standing  still  could  scarce  be  discerned  from  the  oppo 
site  bank.  The  stream  was  of  great  depth,  very  muddy,  and  was  filled  with 
trees  and  timber  carried  along  by  the  rapidity  of  the  current." 

De  Soto  now  pursued  his  way  northward,  and  then  turning  westward  again, 
they  marched  more  than  two  hundred  milea  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  high- 

645 


ARMS  OF  ARKANSAS. 
MOTTO— Regnant  populi— The  people  govern. 


646  ARKANSAS. 

lands  of  White  Eiver.  But  still  they  found  no  gold  (the  object  of  their 
search),  no  gerns,  no  cities :  only  bare  prairies,  tangled  forests,  and  deep  mo 
rasses.  To  the  south  they  again  toiled  on,  and  passed  the  winter  wandering 
upon  the  Washita.  In  the  following  spring  (1542),  De  Soto,  weary  with 
hope  long  deferred,  descended  the  river  to  its  junction  with  Red  River  and 
the  Mississippi.  His  men  and  horses  wasted  away,  the  Indians  around  him 
were  hostile,  and,  his  hopes  being  blasted,  he  sickened  and  died,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Mississippi,  "thus  meeting,  in  all  his  travels,  with  nothing  so  remark 
able  as  his  burial  place." 

The  territory  of  Arkansas  appears  to  have  been  next  visited  by  Father 
Marquette,  and  a  few  others,  who  came  down  from  Canada  in  1673.  The 
French  voyageurs,  from  the  Ohio,  passed  down  the  river  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  "Arkaniseas,"  or  Arkansas,  where  they  were  kindly  received.  Accord 
ing  to  some  accounts,  the  French  had  a  settlement  or  military  establishment 
at  Arkansas  Post,  as  early  as  1685.  It  is  stated,  also,  in  1748  (whether  here 
or  at  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas,  does  not  distinctly  appear),  "the  Chicka- 
saws  attacked  the  post,  slew  many,  took  thirteen  prisoners,  and  drove  the  rest 
into  the  fort."  At  this  time,  "from  the  Arkansas  to  the  Illinois,  near  five 
hundred  leagues,  there  was  not  a  settlement." 

This  state  was  originally  included  within  the  limits  of  Louisiana,  from 
which,  in  conjunction  with  Missouri,  it  was  set  off,  becoming  a  part  of  the 
latter,  under  the  name  of  Missouri  Territory.  In  1819  Missouri  was  divided, 
and  the  southern  portion  became  the  Territory  of  Arkansas.  The  seat  of 
government  was  originally  located  at  Arkansas  Post.  Gen.  James  Miller,  a 
distinguished  officer,  and  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  was  the  first  governor. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  George  Izard.  The  first  territorial  election  took 
place  in  Nov.,  1819.  The  first  legislature  met  at  Arkansas  Post,  Feb.  20, 
1820.  The  members  of  the  general  assembly  were  as  follows:  Sylvanus 
Phillips,  William  0.  Allen,  and  Wm.  B.  R.  Horner,  Arkansas  county;  Ed 
ward  McDonald,  Jo.  Hardin,  and  Joab  Hardin,  Lawrence  county;  David 
Clark,  Wm.  Stephenson,  and  John  English,  Hempstead  county;  John  McEl- 
murry,  Radford  EJlis,  and  Thos.  H.  Tindell,  Pulaski  county ;  Jacob  Bark- 
man  and  Thos.  Fish,  Clark  county.  Gen.  Wm.  Allen,  who  afterward  lost 
his  life  in  a  duel,  was  appointed  brigadier  general  of  the  Arkansas  militia. 
James  Woodson  Bates  was  elected  delegate,  and  Robert  Crittenden,  secre 
tary.  The  seat  of  government  was  removed  to  Little  Rock  in  1820.  In 
1836,  Arkansas  was  admitted  as  an  independent  state,  constituting  the  twenty- 
sixth  member  of  the  American  Union. 

Arkansas  is  bounded  N.  by  Missouri,  on  the  E.  by  the  Mississippi  River, 
separating  it  from  Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  S.  by  Louisiana,  and  W.  by  the 
Indian  Territory  and  Texas.  It  extends  between  33°  and  36°  30'  N.  Lat., 
and  between  89°  30'  and  94°  30'  W.  Long.  It  is  242  miles  long  from  N. 
to  S.,  and  from  170  to  258  wide  from  E.  to  W.,  having  an  area  of  52,198 
square  miles. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  large 
rivers  which  empty  into  it,  the  coutitry  is  low  and  swampy,  with  a  heavy 
growth  of  timber,  and  is  frequently  overflowed.  Toward  the  central  part  it  is 
generally  hilly  and  broken,  though  interspersed  with  numerous  prairies.  The 
western  section  is  crossed  by  several  mountainous  ridges.  The  Ozark  Mountains 
rise  to  an  elevation  of  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet.  The  Washita  Hills  have 
also  a  considerable  elevation. 

"Arkansas  gives  indications  of  considerable  affluence  in  mineral  resources,  which 


ARKANSAS.  647 

arc  principally  coal,  iron,  lead,  zinc,  manganese,  gypsum,  and  salt.  The  coal  field 
of  Arkansas  commences  40  miles  above  Little  Rock,  and  extends  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  beyond  the  western  boundary  of  the  state.  Cannel,  anthracite  and  bitu 
minous  coal  are  found  in  the  state.  Gold  is  said  to  have  been  discovered  in  White 
county.  Near  the  Hot  Springs  is  a  celebrated  quarry  of  oil  stone,  superior  to  any 
thing  else  of  the  kind  in  the  known  world :  the  quantity  is  inexhaustible:  there 
arc  great  varieties,  exhibiting  all  degrees  of  fineness.  According  to  a  writer  in 
De  Bow's  Resources  of  the  South  and  West,  there  is  manganese  enough  in  Arkan 
sas  to  supply  the  world ;  in  zinc  it  excels  every  state  except  New  Jersey ;  and  has 
more  gypsum  than  all  the  other  states  put  together,  while  it  is  equally  well  sup 
plied  with  marble  and  salt  The  lead  ore  of  this  state  is  said  to  be  particularly 
rich  in  silver." 

"Among  objects  of  interest  to  tourists,  are  the  Hot  Springs,  about  60  miles  S.W. 
of  Little  Rock.  From  a  point  or  ridge  of  land,  forming  a  steep  bank  from  150  to 
200  feet  high,  projecting  over  Hot  Spring  Creek,  an  affluent  of  the  Washita,  more 
than  100  springs  issue  at  different  elevations,  and  at  different  temperatures,  from 
135  dcg.  to  160  deg.  of  Fahrenheit.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  bank  consists 
of  calcareous  deposits,  formed  from  the  water  as  it  is  exposed  to  the  air.  These 
springs  are  visited  annually  by  thousands  of  people.  The  waters  are  esteemed 
particularly  beneficial  to  persons  suffering  from  the  chronic  effects  of  mercury ; 
also  in  rheumatism,  stiffness  of  the  joints,  etc.  Near  the  top  of  the  bank  above 
alluded  to,  there  is  a  fine  cold  spring,  so  near  to  the  warm  springs  that  a  person 
can  put  one  hand  into  cold  and  the  other  into  warm  water  at  the  same  time.  The 
creek  below  the  springs  is  rendered  warm  enough  to  bathe  in,  even  in  the  coldest 
season.  Cane  Hill,  in  Washington  county,  elevated  about  1,000  feet,  is  flat  or  roll 
ing  on  the  top,  with  exactly  the  same  growth  of  trees,  etc.  (including  the  grape 
vine,  pawpaw  and  gum  trees)  as  on  the  river  bottoms.  It  was  originally  covered 
with  cane,  hence  the  name.  It  is  four  or  five  miles  wide,  and  perhaps  ten  miles 
long,  and  densely  populated.  The  mountains  on  the  western  border  of  the  state, 
abound  with  picturesque  and  romantic  scenery.  There  is  in  Pike  county,  on  the 
Little  Missouri  River,  a  mountain  of  alabaster,  said  to  be  of  the  finest  quality,  and 
white  as  the  driven  snow.  In  the  same  county  also  there  is  a  natural  bridge, 
which  is  regarded  as  a  great  curiosity." 

The  state  is  traversed  or  washed  by  several  of  the  largest  rivers  in  Amer 
ica.  The  Mississippi  laves  its  eastern  front  for  more  than  350  miles  by  its 
windings.  The  Arkansas,  one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi, 
traverses  the  whole  breadth  of  the  state,  through  its  center  by  a  very  tortu 
ous  course,  and  is  navigable  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year  far  beyond  its 
western  limits.  The  Red  River  flows  through  the  south-western  corner  of 
the  state  :  the  White  River  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and  the  Washita 
in  the  southern,  are  both  important  and  navigable  streams. 

The  soil  is  of  every  variety,  from  the  most  productive  to  that  which  is 
sterile.  On  the  margins  of  rivers,  it  is  exceedingly  fertile,  but  back  of  this  the 
land  in  many  places  is  sterile,  there  being  a  scarcity  of  water.  Cotton  and  In 
dian  corn  are  staple  productions,  but  the  country  is  well  calculated  for  raising 
cattle.  Wild  animals  and  fowls  abound,  such  as  buffaloes,  deer,  beaver,  wild 
turkeys,  geese,  quails,  etc.  Within  the  last  few  years,  the  state  has  rapidly 
advanced  in  wealth  and  population,  consequent  upon  the  impetus  given  to  the 
cultivation  of  cotton.  Population,  in  1850,  209,639,  of  whom  46,982  were 
slaves;  in  1860,  435.427,  including  1J1,104  slaves. 

LITTLE  ROCK,  the  capital  and  chief  town  in  Arkansas,  is  situated  on  the 
Arkansas  River,  about  100  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  Napoleon,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  but  more  than  double  that  distance  following  the  course  of  the 
stream:  distant  from  New  Orleans,  by  the  rivers,  905  miles,  and  1,086  W. 
from  Washington.  The  town  is  built  on  a  rocky  bluff,  some  40  or  50  feet 


648 


ARKANSAS. 


high.  It  contains  the  state  capitol,  the  state  penitentiary,  U.  S.  arsenal,  5 
or  6  churches,  several  literary  institutions,  manufacturing  establishments,  and 
4,000  inhabitants. 


Little  Rock. 

The  view  shows  Little  Rock,  as  it  appears  from  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Arkansas.  The  Steamboat 
and  Ferry  Landings  are  seen  on  the  right.  Part  of  the  city  buildings  appear  on  the  bluff,  the  Postoffice 
on  the  left,  and  the  State  House  on  the  right. 

The  first  rock  which  appears,  in  ascending  the  Arkansas  from  the  Missis 
sippi,  is  seen  in  the  bank  near  the  steamboat  landing  in  this  place.  About 
one  and  a  half  miles  above  the  town,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  is  a 
large  perpendicular  rock,  some  300  feet  high ;  this  is  called  ''''Big  Rock" 
while  the  other  was  known  by  the  name  of  "  Little  Rock''  Hence  the  present 
name  of  the  city,  which  was  originally  called  Arkopolis.  The  seat  of  gov 
ernment  for  Arkansas  Territory  was  laid  out  here  in  1820,  at  which  time  the 
steamboat  Comet  arrived,  in  eight  days  from  New  Orleans,  the  first  steamboat 
that  ascended  the  Arkansas.  The  river  at  Little  Rock  is  about  half  a  mile 
in  width.  In  the  summer  months,  when  the  water  is  at  a  low  stage,  only 
boats  of  a  light  draught  can  ascend  as  high  as  this  point.  During  flood 
times  the  river  has  been  known  to  rise  twenty  feet  in  twelve  hours.  In 
severe  weather  in  winter,  it  is  sometimes  frozen  over.  Opposite  the  city  the 
soil  is  very  fertile,  producing  cotton  from  five  to  eight  feet  high. 

Batesville,  the  county  seat  of  Independence  county,  95  miles  north 
erly  from  Little  Rock,  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the  White  River,  about 
250  miles  southwesterly  from  St.  Louis,  and  1,040  from  Washington. 
It  lies  at  the  head  of  steam  navigation,  small  steamboats  ascending 
at  nearly  all  seasons.  The  place  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants. 
In  1826,  says  Col.  Noland,  in  his  sketches  of  "  Early  Times  in  Arkan 
sas,"  Batesville  was  the  second  town  in  importance  in  Arkansas.  At 


ARKANSAS. 


649 


that  time  there  were  no  towns  or  villages  on  White  River  from  Bates- 
ville  to  its  mouth. 

HELENA,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  is  100  miles  from. 
Little  Rock,  100  from  Napoleon,  and  100  from  Memphis.  It  has  a 
large  trade  with  the  back  country  and  the  settlements  on  St.  Francis 


Helena. 

River,  from  which  it  receives  considerable  cotton  for  shipment.  There 
is  a  fine  range  of  hills  back  of  the  landing,  the  first  to  be  seen  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  Mississippi. 


Napoleon. 

The  view  shows  the  appearance  of  Napoleon  aa  seen  from  the  northern  bank  of  the  Arkansas,  at  the 
point  where  it  enters  the  Mississippi.  The  U.  S.  Hospital  and  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  are  seen  on  the 
right ;  the  Steamboat  Landing  and  the  Catholic  Church  on  the  left ;  the  Ferry  Landing  and  Court  House 
in  the  central  part. 

NAPOLEON  is  situated  on  the  southern  side  of  Arkansas  River,  at 
its  entrance  into  the  Mississippi,  about  100  miles  in  a  direct  line  from 
Little  Rock,  by  the  river  about  600  from  New  Orleans,  1,087  from  St. 
Louis,  and  1,583  from  Cincinnati.  It  has  600  inhabitants. 

Arkansas  Post,  the  oldest  settlement  in  Arkansas,  is  situated  on  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Arkansas  river  about  50  miles  above  its  junction 


650 


ARKANSAS. 


the  Mississippi.  The  French  located  themselves  here  as  early  as  1685.  It 
was  formerly  a  place  of  some  importance,  being  the  chief  depot  of  the  pel 
tries  of  the  country  far  around.  There  is  now  scarcely  a  single  house  re 
maining.  "A  happier  people,"  says  Col.  Noland,  "than  those  who  once 
lived  here  were  not  to  be  found  anywhere.  Principally  of  French  descent, 
they  were  fond  of  frolic ;  dancing,  balls,  and  card  playing  were  the  order  of 
the  day.  Hospitable  as  people  ever  get  to  be,  every  man's  latchstring  hung 
on  the  outside  of  his  door.  The  great  man  of  the  place  was  Frederick  Fo- 
trebe,  of  great  strength  of  mind  and  business  capacity.  He  was  the  great 
merchant  for  all  Arkansas  east  of  Little  Rock." 


View  on  the  Arkansas. 

Pine  Bluff,  the  county  seat  of  Jefferson  county,  on  the  right  or  southern 
bank  of  Arkansas  River,  is  by  land  45  miles  south-westerly  from  Little 
Rock,  and  90  by  land  from  Napoleon,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  place 
derives  its  name  from  the  pines  growing  on  the  bluff  (some  40  or  50  feet 
high),  on  which  the  place  is  situated.  The  village  contains  three  churches, 
a  fine  court  house,  erected  at  an  expense  of  $18,000,  and  about  1,000  in 
habitants. 

The  White  Sulphur  Springs,  about  seven  miles  from  Pine  Bluff,  is  begin 
ning  to  be  quite  a  place  of  resort,  from  the  medicinal  properties  of  its 
waters. 

Fort  Smith  is  about  160  miles  from  Little  Rock,  on  the  W.  line  of 
the  state,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  Arkansas  River,  also  on  the  line 
of  the  great  overland  mail  route  from  St.  Louis  to  San  Francisco.  It 
has  long  been  noted  as  a  military  post  on  the  Indian  frontier.  St. 
Andrew's  College,  a  Catholic  institution,  is  located  near  this  place. 
The  Ecclesiastical  Seminary,  considered  one  of  the  finest  edifices  in 
the  country,  is  located  on  the  college  grounds.  Steamboats  ply  be 
tween  this  place  and  New  Orleans. 

Van  Buren  is  on  the  N.  bank  of  the  Arkansas  River,  five  miles  from 
the  state  line  dividing  it  from  the  Indian  Territory.  It  has  a  large 
commerce  with  the  Indians  and  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

Hot  Springs,  in  Hot  Springs  county,  is  a  small  village  47  miles  S. 


ARKANSAS.  651 

W.  of  Little  Eock.  It  is  distinguished  as  being  the  seat  of  a  large 
number  of  hot  springs.  The  temperature  of  the  several  springs  vary 
from  110°  to  150°  Fahrenheit.  About  three  miles  1ST.  E.  are  the  chaly 
beate  springs,  the  waters  of  which  are  cold,  and  in  Montgomery 
county,  50  miles  westward,  are  also  sulphur  springs.  The  whole 
neighborhood  fs  of  volcanic  formation,  and  the  scenery  romantic. 
The  springs  are  a  highly  popular  place  of  resort  for  invalids  and 
pleasure  seekers. 

Fayetteville,  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  the  state,  is  a  beautiful 
town,  long  noted  for  its  literary  institutions. 


TEXAS. 


^  THE  signification  of  the  word  Texas  is  unknown.  The  name,  on  the  first 
discovery  of  the  country,  was  that  of  an  Indian  town  on  the  Neches.  In 

very  early  times,  Texas  was  known  aa 
the  "JVcto  Philippines"  and  was  BO 
alluded  to  in  Spanish  official  papers. 
The  first  landing  of  any  white  per 
sons  on  the  soil  of  Texas  was  made 
by  La  Salle  and  his  companions,  Feb. 
18,  1685.  This  adventurer,  who  was 
under  the  patronage  of  Louis  XIV, 
of  France,  after  his  discovery  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1682, 
was  sent  out  on  a  second  expedition 
to  take  possession  of  the  Mississippi 
country  and  that  adjacent,  in  the  name 
of  the  king  of  France,  and  to  secure 
the  same  by  actual  settlement.  This  ex 
pedition  consisted  of  four  vessels  and 
about  300  men.  La  Salle,  by  mistak 
ing  his  course,  proceeded  too  far  to 
the  south-west,  and  made  his  entrance  into  Matagorda  Bay,  which  he  sup 
posed  to  be  one  of  the  mouths  or  outlets  of  the  Mississippi,  which  river  he 
had  previously  discovered.  He  proceeded  about  six  miles  up  the  Lavacca 
River,  and  built  a  fort  on  its  banks,  which  he  called  Fort  St.  Louis.  He 
afterward  explored  the  country  to  the  eastward  as  far  as  the  Colorado  River, 
when  he  became  satisfied  of  his  error,  and  that  he  was  still  far  to  the  west 
of  the  Mississippi. 

Having  ascertained  nearly  his  actual  position,  he  determined  on  opening  a 
communication  with  the  French  settlements  in  Illinois,  and  for  this  purpose, 
on  March  22,  1686,  with  twenty  of  his  men,  set  out  on  a  journey  of  2,000 
miles,  over  an  unexplored  country.  He  encountered  many  difficulties  on  his 
progress  toward  Eastern  Texas.  He  proceeded,  it  is  supposed,  as  far  as  tho 
Neches  River,  where  he  was  taken  sick.  He  was  kindly  treated  there  by  tho 
Oenis  tribe  of  Indians,  but  on  his  recovery,  he  found  his  stock  of  ammuni 
tion  so  reduced  that  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  his  small  colony  for 

653 


ARMS  OF  TEXAS. 


654  TEXAS. 

another  outfit.  From  various  causes  the  number  of  the  colonists  was  reduced 
to  forty  men.  Leaving  one  half  of  these  at  the  fort,  La  Salle,  on  the  12th 
of  Jan.,  1687,  commenced  a  second  journey  to  Illinois.  Having  arrived 
again  among  the  friendly  Cenis  Indians,  his  men  being  quarrelsome,  killed 
several  of  their  companions,  and  afterward  murdered  La  Salle  himself,  on 
the  20th  of  March,  1687.  The  survivors  continued  their  quarrels  till  the 
murderers  themselves  were  assassinated.  Finally  Joutil,  the  historian  of  the 
expedition,  with  six  others,  continued  their  journey  to  Illinois,  where  five  of 
them  arrived  in  safety,  and  thence  proceeded,  by  way  of  Canada,  to  France. 
When  the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lavacca  heard  of  the  death  of  La 
Salle,  they  attacked  the  garrison  in  St.  Louis,  and  killed  all  but  four,  whom 
they  took  prisoners.  Thus  ended  the  first  attempt  at  a  settlement  of  Texas. 

The  Spanish  government  having  heard  of  La  Salle's  expedition  to  Texas, 
and  wishing  to  contest  the  claim  of  France  to  the  country,  sent  Captain  De 
Leon  with  an  expedition  to  Matagorda  Bay.  They  arrived  at  Fort  St.  Louis 
April  22,  1689.  From  this  point  he  proceeded  to  the  Cenis  nation,  where 
he  found  two  of  the  French  colonists,  whom  he  took  and  sent  to  the  mines 
in  Mexico.  De  Leon  was  afterward  sent  into  Texas  a  second  time,  where  he 
established  several  missions  and  military  posts.  In  1691,  Teran  was  ap 
pointed,  by  the  government  of  Spain,  governor  of  Texas  and  Coahuila,  *his 
being  the  first  attempt  to  organize  a  government  here.  Teran  established 
posts  and  formed  settlements  on  Red  River,  on  the  Neches  and  Guadaloupe. 
About  this  time  was  established  the  missions  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Juan 
Bautista.  This  last  was  situated  on  the  "old  San  Antonio  road,"  which  was 
laid  out  about  this  time,  by  St.  Denis,  the  French  commandant  at  Nachito- 
ches,  with  a  view  to  open  a  trade  with  Mexico,  and  which  continued  to  be 
traveled  by  Mexican  traders  and  others,  for  140  years  afterward. 

The  hostility  of  the  Indians,  and  the  heavy  expenses  attending  these  efforts 
to  colonize  Texas,  caused  the  king  of  Spain  to  abandon,  for  a  time,  this  en 
terprise.  The  missions,  however,  struggled  along  under  many  discourage 
ments.  In  1712,  Louis  XIV,  of  France,  still  disputing  the  Spanish  claim, 
granted  a  charter  to  Crozat,  including  both  Louisiana  and  Texas,  and  ap 
pointed  Condillac  governor  of  the  whole  territory.  In  order  to  obtain  pos 
session  of  the  rich  mines  in  the  interior  of  Mexico,  Condillac  sent  St.  Denis 
with  a  command,  to  establish  settlements  and  open  a  way  to  the  mining  re 
gions.  The  Spanish  authorities  in  Mexico  became  alarmed  by  these  pro 
ceedings,  and  in  order  to  defeat  the  enterprise,  sent  Capt.  Don  Ramon  to 
establish  new  posts  and  fortify  the  missions  previously  established.  Ramon 
established  many  missions,  in  different  parts  of  Texas,  in  the  year  1715, 
which  ha-s,  therefore,  been  called  the  "year  of  missions  in  Texas."  From 
this  year  the  permanent  occupancy  of  Texas  by  Spain  may  be  dated. 

In  1721,  De  Bienville,  the  governor  of  Louisiana,  fitted  out  an  expedition 
to  drive  out  the  Spaniards  from  Texas.  The  expedition  landed  in  Matagorda 
Bay,  but  on  account*  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians,  they  soon  returned.  In 
1728,  the  Spanish  government  made  an  order  to  send  400  families  to  Texas, 
to  be  taken  from  the  Canary  Islands.  The  first  of  these  emigrants  settled 
in  San  Antonio;  and  these,  together  with  others  from  the  city  of  Mexico, 
who  arrived  about  the  same  time,  laid  the  first  permanent  foundation  of  that 
city.  About  this  time,  the  Natchez,  a  powerful  tribe  of  Indians  in  Louisi 
ana,  and  the  Apaches,  and  some  other  warlike  tribes  in  Texas,  made  war 
against  both  the  French  and  Spanish  settlements.  The  Apaches  made  fre 
quent  incursions  upon  San  Antonio,  and  greatly  harassed  the  inhabitants; 


TEXAS  655 

while  the  Natchez  attacked  the  French  garrison  at  Natchitoches.  This  war 
broke  out  in  1730,  and  continued  for  two  years,  when  the  Spaniards  defeated 
the  Indians  in  a  great  battle,  which,  for  a  time,  gave  peace  to  the  country. 

In  1762,  France  ceded  Louisiana  to  Spain,  who,  having  thus  acquired 
possession  of  both  Louisiana  and  Texas,  established  some  new  frontier  de 
fenses,  but  allowed  only  two  garrisons  to  Texas,  the  one  at  San  Antonio,  and 
the  other  at  La  Bahia.  The  trade  of  Texas,  consisting  almost  entirely  in 
horses,  cattle  and  sheep,  was,  after  this,  prosecuted  with  New  Orleans  with 
less  difficulty,  and  the  precious  metals  from  various  parts  of  Mexico  passed 
through  Texas  without  opposition.  The  policy,  however,  of  the  Spanish 
government,  in  not  allowing  any  free  trade,  cut  off  all  commerce  from  the 
coast  of  Texas,  which  was  but  imperfectly  known,  only  now  and  then  a  con 
traband  trader,  or  a  piratical  cruiser,  coming  into  Galveston  to  conceal  a 
prize. 

"In  1765,  the  population  of  Texas,  confined  almost  entirely  to  Adaes,  San 
Antonio,  La  Bahia,  with  a  few  at  Nacogdochcs.  Orquisaco  and  Mound  Prairie, 
is  said  not  to  have  exceeded  1,500,  one  half  of  whom  were  Indians  domicil- 
iated."  When  Spain  declared  war  against  Great  Britain,  in  1779,  Don  Jose 
Galvez,  then  governor  of  Louisiana,  engaged  in  active  hostilities,  and  re 
ceived  a  few  recruits  from  Texas,  who  aided  in  the  victories  at  Natchez,  Pen- 
sacola,  and  other  places.  Previous  to  and  during  the  American  Revolution, 
an  active  trade  was  carried  on  by  the  Spanish  settlement  at  Natchez,  through 
Nacogdoches,  to  the  interior  of  Texas,  and  it  was  through  those  engaged  in 
this  trade  that  its  beauty  and  fertility  became  known  to  the  Americans,  and 
attracted  adventurers  from  the  United  States. 

In  Oct.,  1800,  Spain,  by  secret  treaty,  retroceded  Louisiana  back  to  France. 
In  1803,  Bonaparte,  being  in  want  of  money,  sold  the  whole  of  Louisiana  to 
the  United  States.  The  western  boundaries  of  this  territory  were  quite  un 
defined,  but  the  River  Sabine  was  finally,  in  1819,  in  treaty  with  Spain, 
agreed  upon  as  the  boundary  upon  the  gulf.  At  the  close  of  1806,  Texas 
was  comparatively  prosperous,  owing  chiefly  to  the  disbursement  of  money 
for  the  support  of  the  troops  at  the  fortified  places ;  the  population  at  this 
time  was  estimated  at  about  7,000.  Some  few  Americans  had  settled  along 
the  San  Antonio  road,  in  spite  of  the  hostile  disposition  manifested  toward 
them.  Nacogdoches,  at  this  time,  contained  about  500  inhabitants,  among 
whom  were  quite  a  number  of  Americans. 

West  of  the  Sabine  was  a  tract,  called  the  "  Neutral  Ground,"  which  was 
occupied  by  bands  of  outlaws  and  desperate  men,  who  lived  as  buccaneers, 
by  robbery  and  plunder,  perpetrated  upon  the  traders.  The  Spanish  author 
ities  had  endeavored  to  expel  them,  but  could  not.  The  United  States  sent 
a  force  against  them  and  drove  them  away,  but  they  returned  again,  and  re 
newed  their  depredations.  About  this  time,  Lieut.  A.  W.  Magee,  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  who  had  commanded  an  expedition  against  these  outlaws, 
conceived  the  idea  of  conquering  Texas  to  the  Rio  Grande,  and  of  establish 
ing  a  republican  government.  This  enterprize  was  undertaken  in  the  name 
of  Don  Bernardo  Gutierres,  though  Magee  was  in  reality  at  the  head  of  the 
movement.  The  freebooters  of  the  neutral  ground  joined  his  standard,  in 
June,  1812.  The  civil  war  at  this  time  raging  in  Mexico,  favored  the  de 
signs  of  Magee,  who  had  with  him  nearly  every  able  bodied  man  east  of  the 
Trinity.  He  crossed  the  Colorado  with  about  800  men.  At  this  point,  he 
learned  that  Sulcedo,  the  royalist  governor  of  Texas,  had  come  out  airainst 
him  as  far  as  the  Guadaloupe,  with  1,400  men,  where  he  lay  in  ambush.  Magee 


656  TEXAS. 

then  made  a  forced  march,  and  reached  La  Bahia  on  the  14th  of  November, 
which  was  surrendered  to  him  with  but  little  opposition.  Here  Magee  was 
besieged  by  Salcedo  for  three  weeks.  Previous  to  the  last  assault,  Magee 
agreed  to  deliver  up  the  fort  and  return  home.  When  this  agreement  was 
made  known  to  the  army,  it  was  unanimously  voted  down.  Major  Kemper, 
the  next  in  command,  took  the  lead.  Magee,  deeply  mortified,  retired  to  his 
tent,  and,  it  is  said,  died  by  his  own  hand  a  little  after  midnight.  The  Span 
iards  withdrew  to  San  Antonio,  after  having  continued  the  siege  till  the  12th 
of  March,  1819. 

The  Americans,  being  reinforced,  marched  on  San  Antonio.  When  with 
in  about  nine  miles  of  that  place,  they  came  upon  the  Spanish  army,  under 
Gov.  Salcedo.  about  2,500  strong,  being  about  double  the  number  of  the 
Americans.  The  battle  of  Rosalis  ensued,  nearly  1,000  of  the  Spaniards 
were  slain,  and  some  few  taken  prisoners.  The  next  day  Gov.  Salcedo  sur 
rendered,  and  being  put  in  charge  of  a  company  of  Bexar  Mexicans  to  bo 
transported  to  New  Orleans,  he,  with  13  other  officers,  among  whom  was  ex- 
Governors  Herrera  and  Cordero,  were  taken  to  the  bank  of  the  river  below 
the  town,  where  they  were  stripped  and  tied,  and  their  throats  cut!  Col. 
Kemper,  Maj.  Rqiss.  and  others,  being  disgusted  with  such  treachery  and 
barbarity,  left  the  army  and  returned  home.  Capt.  Perry  now  took  the  com 
mand,  and  on  the  night  of  June  4th,  attacked  and  routed  an  army  of  over 
2,000  sent  against  them.  The  Republicans,  however,  were  finally  defeated  by 
another  army,  under  Gen.  Arredondo,  on  the  Medina,  with  great  slaughter. 
Only  93  Americans  reached  Natchitoches,  among  whom  were  Col.  Perry  and 
Capts.  Taylor  and  Ballard.  The  Spaniards  being  successful,  in  revenge,  com 
mitted  horrid  atrocities  upon  the  friends  of  the  Republican  party.  Thus  ended 
the  first  effort  at  Texan  independence. 

In  Feb.,  1819,  in  a  treaty  with  Spain,  the  Floridas  were  ceded  to  the 
United  States,  and  the  Sabine  agreed  upon  as  the  boundary  of  the  Spanish 
possessions.  Texas  thus  being  relinquished  for  Florida,  a  far  less  valuable 
territory,  gave  much  dissatisfaction  to  the  southern  portion  of  the  people  of 
the  United  States.  Early  in  1819,  Dr.  James  Long  raised  a  company  in 
Natchez,  of  75  men,  and  proceeded  to  Nacogdoches,  and  on  his  arrival,  being 
joined  by  Col.  Davenport  and  Bernardo  Gutierres,  his  command  was  in 
creased  to  300.  A  provisional  government  was  then  formed,  and  Texas  waa 
declared  to  be  a  "free  and  independent  republic."  They  also  enacted  laws, 
and  fixed  the  price  of  lands,  those  on  Red  River  being  estimated  at  a  dollar 
per  acre.  They  also  established  the  first  printing  office,  Horatio  Bigelow 
being  the  editor  of  the  paper.  Gen.  Long  posted  a  few  troops  at  the  cross 
ing  of  the  Trinity,  the  falls  of  the  Brazos,  and  at  other  places;  he  also  dis 
patched  Col.  Gaines  to  GaK7eston,  in  order  to  obtain  the  co-operation  of  La- 
fitte,  the  freebooter,  in  the  revolution.  This  was  declined,  Lafitte  stating  the 
forces  were  entirely  inadequate  for  the  purpose.  Meantime,  the  royalists, 
under  Col.  Parez,  came  and  took  the  post  on  the  Brazos,  with  eleven  prison 
ers,  Oct.  11,  1819,  and  on  the  15th  they  took  La  Bahia  (now  Goliad),  and 
•afterward  the  post  on  the  Trinity,  and  then  proceeded  to  Nacogdoches,  den. 
Long  and  his  men  having  barely  made  their  escape  to  the  Sabine.  Parez 
proceeded  to  Cooshattie  village,  and  about  40  miles  below  that  place,  after  a 
severe  conflict  with  the  Republicans,  routed  them.  The  latter  fled  to  Boli 
var  Point,  near  Galveston.  where  Gen.  Long  afterward  joined  them. 

Gen.  Long  appears  to  have  continued  his  head-quarters  at  Bolivar  Point 
for  some  time  ;  meanwhile  Lafitte  was  obliged  to  leave  Gulveston.  On  the 


TEXAS.  657 

very  day  on  winch  he  left,  Gen.  Long,  with  Col.  Milam  and  others,  came 
over  from  Bolivar  Point,  and  dined  with  Lafitte.  Soon  after,  Long, 
Milam,  and  Trespalacios,  collecting  their  forces  sailed  with  them  down  the 
coast.  Gen.  Long  landed  near  the  mouth  of  the  San  Antonio,  and  proceed 
ing  with  a  party  took  possession  of  La  Bahia.  Milam  and  Trespalacios  soon  . 
after  went  to  Mexico,  in  order  to  raise  funds  from  the  Republican  govern 
ment,  for  at  this  time  the  Revolutionary  cause  was  gaining  ground  in  Mex 
ico.  Notwithstanding  this,  it  appears  that  the  royalists  succeeded  in  captur 
ing  Gen.  Long  soon  after,  when  he  was  sent  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  then 
set  at  liberty,  and  finally  assassinated.  The  wife  of  Gen.  Long,  who  re 
mained  at  Bolivar  Point,  during  the  absence  of  her  husband,  having  heard 
of  his  death,  returned  to  her  friends  in  the  United  States.*  LX 

In  Dec.,  1820,  Moses  Austin,  a  native  of  Connecticut^  but  for  some  time 
a  resident  of  Missouri,  set  out  for  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  to  solicit  the  sanc 
tion  of  the  government,  and  to  procure  a  tract  of  land,  for  the  settlement  of 
an  Anglo-American  colony  in  Texas.  On  presenting  himself  to  the  gov 
ernor,  he  was,  according  to  the  Spanish  regulations  respecting  foreigners,  or 
dered  to  leave  the  province  immediately.  On  crossing  the  public  square,  he 
accidentally  met  the  Baron  de  Bastrop,  with  whom  he  had  a  slight  acquaint 
ance  in  the  United  States,  many  years  before.  By  his  influence  he  obtained 
a  second  interview  with  the  governor,  the  result  of  which  was  that  his  peti 
tion  to  introduce  three  hundred  American  families  into  Texas,  was  recom 
mended  and  forwarded  to  the  proper  authorities  in  Mexico.  It  was  granted 
in  Jan.,  1821:  Mr.  Austin  returned  before  its  fate  was  known,  and  died 
shortly  afterward.  He  left  special  injunctions  to  his  son,  Stephen  F.  Austin, 
to  carry  out  his  cherished  plan  to  establish  a  colony. 

On  July  21,  1821,  Stephen  F.  Austin,  accompanied  by  Senor  Seguin  and 
seventeen  pioneers,  entered  the  wilderness  of  Texas  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
her  present  prosperity.  He  explored  various  parts,  and  after  meeting  with 
losses  and^dimculties,  located  his  colony  on  the  Brazos.  Austin  soon  repaired 
to  San  Antonio,  to  report  to  the  governor,  who  appears  to  have  been  friendly 
to  the  enterprise.  When  he  arrived  there,  in  March,  1822,  he  learned,  with 
much  regret,  that  it  was  necessary  to  make  a  journey  to  the  city  of  Mexico, 
to  procure  a  grant  from  the  supreme  authorities.  On  the  29th  of  April  en 
suing,  Col.  Austin  arrived  in  Mexico,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  from  Itur- 
bide,  then  emperor,  a  confirmation  of  the  grant  made  to  his  father.  When 
about  to  return  to  Texas,  Iturbide  was  overthrown,  and  his  acts  declared  null 
and  void.  Austin  was  again  obliged  to  apply  to  the  reigning  authorities, 
who  renewed  the  grant,  and  in  effect  clothed  him  with  almost  sovereign 
power.  In  conjunction  with  Baron  Bastrop,  Austin  fixed  his  colonial  capital 
on  the  Brazos,  calling  it  San  Felipe  de  Austin. 

*Mrs.  Long,  formerly  Miss  Wilkinson,  of  Maryland,  remained  for  a  considerable  period 
with  two  young  children,  attended  by  only  a  single  servant.  While  in  this  lonesome  situ 
ation,  exposed  to  many  dangers,  her  youngest  child,  a  daughter,  was  born,  being,  it  is  be 
lieved,  the  first  born  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  in  southern  Texas,  and  possibly  the  first  in 
the  state.  She  was  born  Dec.  14, 1820,  and  died  at  the  age  of  1%  years,  in  Jefferson  county, 
Miss.,  near  Rodney.  She  named  her  little  daughter  Mary  James^ut  in  accordance  with 
fcbe  wishes  of  some  of  her  Mexican  friends,  she  received  the  baptismal  name,  at  San  Anto- 
,nio,  of  Marie  Aranna*  Jacoba  Pedro.  While  Mrs.  L.  remained  alone  on  the  point,  she  lived 
iu  apprehension  of  a  visit  from  the  Cannibal  Indians,  a  murderous  race  who  frequented  the 
«oast  und  Galveston  Island.  By  the  aid  of  a  spy  glass,  she  could  discern  the  movement* 
»f  th«  Indians,  and  when  they  appeared  to  be  making  for  the  Point,  she  raised  a  flag  and 
fired  off  a  cannon,  and  by  this  means  probably  saved  the  lives  of  herself  and  children. 
Mrs.  Long,  at  present,  resides  at  her  plantation,  near  Richmond,  Texas. 

42 


658  TEXAS. 

When  the  Mexican  government,  in  1825,  abolished  slavery  within  her 
limits,  most  of  the  settlers  in  Texas  being  planters  from  the  southern  states, 
who  had  brought  their  slaves  with  them,  felt  themselves  aggrieved,  and  pe 
titioned  the  Mexican  congress  in  vain  for  relief.  On  the  establishment  of 
Centralism,  under  Santa  Anna,  Texas,  in  1835,  declared  her  independence. 
In  1836,  Santa  Anna,  president  of  Mexico,  with  a  force  of  several  thousand 
men,  moved  forward,  threatening  to  exterminate  the  Americans,  or  to  drive 
them  from  the  soil  of  Texas.  In  March,  San  Antonio  de  Bexar  was  be 
sieged  ;  the  Alamo  there,  defended  by  only  187  Americans,  was  carried  by 
storm,  and  all  slain:  among  them  were  Col.  Travis,  Col.  David  Crockett  and 
Col.  Bowie,  the  inventor  of  the  bowie-knife.  While  Santa  Anna  was  engaged 
at  San  Antonio,  Gen.  Urrea  marched  upon  Goliad.  He  had  a  severe  contest 
with  Col.  Fannin's  troops,  who,  on  March  20th,  surrendered  themselves  as 
prisoners  of  war.  'Nine  days  afterward  the  Texan  prisoners  were  led  out  and 
massacred,  to  the  number  of  330,  in  cold  blood. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1836,  Santa  Anna  arrived  at  San  Felipe  with  the  di 
visions  of  Sesma  and  Tolsa.  He  proceeded  down  the  west  bank  of  the 
Brazos,  crossed  the  river  at  Richmond,  and  on  the  16th  reached  Harrisburg. 
The  Texans,  under  Gen.  Houston,  now  reduced  to  less  than  800  men,  retiring 
before  his  advance,  proceeded  down  the  bank  of  the  Buffalo  Bayou,  and  took 
a  position  near  the  River  San  Jacinto.  On  the  21st  of  April,  1836,  Santa 
Anna,  with  a  force  of  over  1,700  men,  being  encamped  near  Gen.  Houston, 
was  attacked  by  the  Texans.  When  within  about  600  yards,  the  Mexican 
line  opened  their  fire  upon  them,  but  the  Texans,  nothing  daunted,  pressed 
on  to  a  close  conflict,  which  lasted  about  eighteen  minutes,  when  the  enemy 
gave  way,  and  were  totally  routed,  nearly  every  man  was  either  killed, 
wounded,  or  taken  prisoner.  The  Texan  loss  was  but  2  killed,  and  23 
wounded.  This  victory  secured  the  independence  of  Texas. 

In  1841,  President  Lamar  organized  what  has  been  termed,  the  "Santa  Fe  Ex 
pedition,"  the  object  of  which  was,  to  open  a  trade  with  Santa  Fe,  and  to  establish 
Texan  authority,  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  of  Santa  Anna,  over  all*  the  territo 
ry  east  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Santa  Fe,  lying  east  of  that  river,  was  still  in  posses 
sion  of  the  Mexicans.  On  the  18th  of  June,  the  expedition,  numbering  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five  men  under  Gen.  M'Leod,  left  Austin,  the  capital  of  Texas, 
and  after  a  journey  of  about  three  months,  arrived  at  the  Spanish  settlements  in 
New  Mexico.  They  were  intercepted  by  a  vastly  superior  force,  and  surrendered 
on  condition  of  their  being  allowed  to  return ;  but  instead  of  this,  they  were  bound 
with  ropes  and  leather  thongs,  in  gangs  of  six  or  eight,  stripped  of  most  of  their 
clothing,  and  marched  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  1,200  miles.  On  their 
route,  they  were  treated  with  cruelty,  beaten,  and  insulted ;  forced  to  inarch  at 
times  by  night,  as  well  as  by  day;  blinded  by  sand;  parched  by  thirst,  and  fam 
ishing  with  hunger. 

Having  arrived  at  Mexico  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  they  were,  by  the  or 
ders  of  Santa  Anna,  thrown  into  filthy  prisons.  After  a  while,  part  were  com 
pelled  to  labor  as  common  scavengers  in  the  streets  of  the  city ;  while  others  were 
sent  to  the  stone  quarries  of  Pueblo,  where,  under  brutal  taskmasters,  they  labored 
\rith  heavy  chains  fastened  to  their  limbs.  Of  the  whole  number,  three  were  mur 
dered  on  the  inarch ;  several  died  of  ill-treatment  and  hardship ;  some  few  escaped, 
some  were  pardoned,  and  nearly  all  eventually  released. 

Soon  after  the  result  of  this  expedition  was  known,  rumors  prevailed  of  an  in 
tended  invasion  of  Texas.  In  September,  1842,  twelve  hundred  Mexicans  under 
Gen.  Woll,  took  the  town  of  Bexar ;  but  subsequently  retreated  beyond  the  Rio 
Grande.  A  Texan  army  was  collected,  who  were  zealous  to  carry  the  war  into 
Mexico.  After  various  disappointments  and  the  return  of  most  of  the  volun 
teers,  three  hundred  Texans  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  and  attacked  the  town  of 
Mier,  which  was  .garrisoned  by  .more  than  two  thousand  Mexicans  strongly  posted. 


TEXAS.  659 

In  a  dark,  rainy  night,  they  drove  in  the  guard,  and  in  spite  of  a  constant  fire  of 
the  enemy,  effected  a  lodgment  in  some  houses  in  the  suburbs,  and  with  the  aid 
of  the  deadly  rifle,  fought  their  way  into  the  heart  of  the  place.  At  length,  Am- 
pudia  sent  a  white  flag'  which  was  accompanied  by  Gen.  La  Vega  and  other  officers, 
to  inform  the  Texans  of  the  utter  hopelessness  of  resistance  against  an  enemy  ten 
times  their  number.  The  little  band  at  length  very  reluctantly  surrendered,  after 
a  loss  of  only  thirty-five  in  killed  and  wounded,  while  the  Mexicans  admitted  theirs 
to  have  been  over  five  hundred. 

The  Texans,  contrary  to  the  stipulations,  were  marched  to  Mexico,  distant  one 
thousand  miles.  On  one  occasion,  two  hundred  and  fourteen  of  them,  although 
unarmed,  rose  upon  their  guard  of  over  three  hundred  men,  overpowered  and  dis 
persed  them,  and  commenced  their  journey  homeward;  but  ignorant  of  the  coun 
try  and  destitute  of  provisions,. and  being  pursued  by  a  large  party,  they  were 
obliged  to  surrender.  Every  tenth  man  was  shot  for  this  attempt  at  escape.  The 
others  were  thrown  into  the  dungeons  of  Perote,  where  about  thirty  died  of  cruel 
treatment.  A  few  escaped,  and  the  remainder  were  eventually  released. 

Early  application  was  made  by  Texas  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States. 
Several  years  passed  over  without  any  serious  attempts  having  been  made  by 
Mexico  to  regain  Texas,  and  the  political  freedom  of  the  country  was  thus 
considered  as  established.  Presidents  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  in  turn,  ob 
jected  on  the  ground  of  the  unsettled  boundary  of  Texas,  and  the  peaceful 
relations  with  Mexico.  President  Tyler  brought  forward  the  measure,  but 
it  was  lost  in  congress.  It  having  been  the  test  question  in  the  ensuing  pres 
idential  election,  and  the  people  deciding  in  its  favor  by  the  election  of  the 
democratic  candidates,  Texas  was  annexed  to  the  Union  by  a  joint  resolution 
of  congress,  Feb.  28,  1845. 

The  Mexican  minister,  Afmonte,  who  had  before  announced  that  Mexico 
would  declare  war  if  Texas  was  annexed,  gave  notice  that  since  America  had 
consummated  "the  most  unjust  act  in  her  history,"  negotiations  were  at  an 
end. 

"War  with  Mexico  then  ensued.  The  theater  of  war  in  this  state  was  on 
the  Rio  Grande.  Gen.  Taylor,  with  the  American  troops,  routed  the  Mexi 
cans  on  the  soil  of  Texas,  at  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  and  the 
arms  of  the  United  States  were  every  where  triumphant.  The  state  govern 
ment  was  organized  on  the  19th  of  Feb.,  1846.  The  boundary  between  New 
Mexico  and  Texas,  the  latter  of  which  claimed  the  line  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
was  adjusted  by  treaty  in  1850. 

The  joint  resolution  by  which  Texas  was  annexed  to  the  Union,  gives  per 
mission  for  the  erection  of  four  additional  states  .from  its  territory,  and  in 
these  words — "New  states,  not  exceeding  four  in  number,  in  addition  to  said 
state  of  Texas,  and  having  sufficient  population,  may  hereafter,  by  the  con 
sent  of  said  state,  be  formed  out  of  the  territory  thereof,  which  shall  be  en 
titled  to  admission  under  the  provisions  of  the  Federal  constitution." 

The  opposition  to  the  annexation  of  Texas  was,  at  the  time,  very  great  in 
the  North.  Massachusetts,  through  her  legislature,  declared  "that  re-annex- 
atiori  of  Texas  was  a  virtual  dissolution  of  the  Union."  The  term  re-annex 
ation,  used  at  that  period,  grew  out  of  the  claims  acquired  by  the  purchase 
of  Louisiana  of  France,  in  1803.  The  French  claimed,  at  the  time  of  the 
sale  to  the  United  States,  that  the  western  limit  of  Louisiana,  on  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  was  the  Rio  Grande,  500  miles  west  of  the  Sabine.  The  limit, 
however,  was  undefined,  and  a  large  tract  west  of  the  Sabine,  as  before  ob 
served,  bore  for  many  years  the  term  of  "Neutral  Ground,"  which  was,  by 
the  citizens  of  the  south,  considered  of  right  as  belonging  to  the  United 
States.  When  the  Sabine  was  fixed  upon  as  the  boundary,  by  the  treaty  of 


660  TEXAS. 

1819,  with  Spain,  which  gave  us  Florida,  all  the  territory  west  of  that  stream 
was  lost,  until  it  became  securely  fastened  by  what  has  been  termed  the  "re- 
annexation  of  Texas." 

Texas  is  bounded  N.  by  New  Mexico  and  the  Indian  Territories,  from  the 
latter  it  is  divided  chiefly  by  the  Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers ;  E.  by  Arkansas 
and  Louisiana,  being  separated  from  the  latter  by  Sabine  River;  S.  by  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico ;  and  west  by  Mexico  and  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico, 
being  separated  from  Mexico  by  the  River  Rio  Grande.  It  is  situated  be 
tween  26°  and  36°  30'  N.  Lat.,  and  between  93°  30'  and  110°  W.  Long,  from 
Greenwich.  It  is  800  miles  long  from  E.  to  W.,  and  700  from  N.  to  §.,  con 
taining,  it  is  estimated  237,321  square  miles. 

The  surface  of  the  country  has  been  described  as  that  of  a  vast  inclined 
plane,  gradually  sloping  from  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  west  toward 
the  sea  coast  in  the  south-east,  and  traversed  by  numerous  rivers,  all  having 
that  direction.  Texas  may  be  divided  into' three  regions:  the  first,  which  is 
level,  extends  along  the  coast,  with  a  breadth  varying  from  50  to  100  miles, 
being  narrowest  at  the  south-west;  this  part  of  the  state  has  a  rich,  alluvial 
soil,  and  is  singularly  free  from  swamps  and  lagoons.  Broad  woodlands 
fringe  the  rivers,  between  which  are  extensive  and  rich  pasture  lands.  The 
second  division,  the  largest  of  the  three,  is  the  undulating  prairie  region, 
which  extends  from  150  to  200  miles  further  inland  from  the  level  section. 
Here  are  the  beautiful  "islands  of  timber."  Here  the  soil,  a  little  broken, 
is  as  rich  as  the  land  in  the  alluvial  country  below,  more  easily  worked,  and 
produces  a  greater  variety  of  products.  In  this  region,  the  planter  may  raise 
all  the  cotton,  corn,  rice,  grain  and  tobacco  he  requires,  and  stock  to  any  ex 
tent,  without  much  labor  or  care.  The  third,  or  mountainous  region,  in 
the  W.  and  S.W.,  forming  part  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  or  Mexican  Alps,  has 
been  but  little  explored.  Texas  abounds  with  minerals,  and  is  interesting 
in  its  geology.  Silver,  gold,  lead,  copper,  alum,  etc.,  are  found.  Iron  ore 
pervades  the  greater  part  of  the  country,  and  bituminous  coal  on  the  Trinity 
and  Upper  Brazos. 

The  Texan  year  is  divided  into  a  wet  and  dry  season.  The  former  lasts 
from  December  to  March,  and  the  latter  from  March  to  December.  Though 
varying  with  location  from  tropical  to  temperate,  the  climate  is  remarkably 
delightful  and  salubrious.  During  the  heat  of  summer,  refreshing  breeze 
blow  from  the  south,  almost  without  interruption.  In  the  winter  ice  is  sel 
dom  seen,  except  in  the  .northern  part  of  the  state.  Cotton,  tobacco  and 
sugar  are  the  great  agricultural  staples  :  in  cotton  it  is  pre-eminent.  Fruits 
of  almost  every  kind  flourish.  Great  numbers  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses 
are  reared,  vast  herds  of  buffalo  and  wild  horses  roam  over  the  prairies,  while 
deer  and  game  are  abundant.  Population,  in  1850,  212,592;  in  1860, 
601,039  including  180,388  slaves. 


GALVESTON  CITY,  the  commercial  capital  of  Texas,  is  situated  at  the  east 
ern  end  of  Galveston  Island,  Lat.  29°  18'  14"  N.,  Long.  84°  46'  34"  W., 
about  300  miles  westward  of  New  Orleans,  and  upward  of  250  from  Austin, 
the  capital  of  the  state.  The  island  on  which  the  city  is  built  is  very  level, 
slightly  elevated  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  about  28  miles  long,  and  from 
1J  to  8J  miles  broad.  There  is  12  feet  water  over  the  bar  at  low  tide.  Ves 
sels  of  800  tuns  can  cross  it  with  1,200  bales  of  cotton,  and  receive,  by  light- 
ering,  800  bales  more  at  the  outer  bar. 


TEXAS. 


661 


When  the  island  was  first  discovered  by  La  Salle,  in  1686,  it  was  called  San 
Louis,  but  afterward  it  was  named  Galveston,  from  Galvez*  a  Spanish  nobleman. 
The  first  settlement  was  about  the  year  1836,  by  persons  who,  during  the  Texas 
Revolution,  fled  from  the  interior.  'At  the  period  of  the  war  of  l<S12,"Lafitte,  the 
pirate,  had  a  port  here.  His  vessels  lay  where  the  wharf  is  represented  in  the 
foreground  of  the  picture.  Population,  7,000. 


North  eastern  view  of  Galveston. 

The  riew  shows  the  appearance  of  the  most  compact  part  of  Galveston,  as  seen  from  Kuhn  or  Hendley's 
wharf,  which,  like  the  others  extends  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore.  The  towers  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  the  Market  cupola,  and  the  Movable  Light  are  seen  ou  the  left,  and  the  tower  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  on  the  right.  The  Railroad,  extending  over  the  bridge  from  Virginia  Point  to  the  island,  is  in  the 
extreme  distance  on  the  right. 


SAN  ANTONIO  stands  on  both  sides  of  the  San  Antonio,  and  is  about  70  miles 
&  W.  of  Austin,  and  1,476  from  San  Diego,  California,  and  has  about  8,000  in 
habitants.  It  was  for  years  the  headquarters  of  the  United  States  army  in  Texas: 
the  great  starting  point  for  military  expeditions  across  the  plains,  between  here 
and  the  Pacific.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  population  are  of  the  Mexican 
race,  and  Mexican  habits,  manners,  and  customs  are  largely  prevalent.  The 
ALAMO,  so  celebrated  in  Texan  history,  is  in  San  Antonio,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  river,  the  public  square  and  the  principal  part  of  the  town  being  on  the  west 
side.  The  word  alanio,  in  Spanish,  signifies  "cottonwood,"  from  which  it  is  in 
ferred  that  a  grove  of  cottonwood  stood  on  or  near  its  site. 

Col.  Ed.  E.  Cross,  of  the  5th  New  Ham psliire  Volunteers,  killed  at  Gettysburg, 
gave  this  description  of  San  Antonio  about  the  year  1859: 

"San  Antonio  is  like  Quebec,  a  city  of  the  olden  time,  jostled  and  crowded  by 
modern  enterprise.  The  latter-day  American  building,  with  its  four  or  five  stories, 
and  half  glass  front,  overtops  the  grim  old  Spanish  wall  and  the  dilapidated  Mexi- 
.can  '  hacal,' which  betokens  a  by-gone  era.  Here  have  the  Germans  settled  in 
large  numbers,  bringing  good  old  fashioned  industry  along  with  their  lager  beer. 
Their  aeat  cottages  and  vegetable  gardens  are  noticeable  all  about  the  suburbs.  As 


662 


TEXAS. 


a  general  thing,  they  are  a  better  class  of  emigrants  than  those  found  in  our  large 
cities.  There  is  not  a  steam  engine  nor  a  flour  mill  in  San  Antonio.  All  the  dry 
goods,  groceries,  and  manufactured  articles  needed  for  a  city  of  eight  thousand  or 
ten  thousand  people,  whose  trade  with  the  frontiers  amounts  to  millions  every  year, 
are  hauled  from  the  sea  coast,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  upon  wagons  and  rude 


Main  Plaza,  San  Antonio. 

S;m  Antonio  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  the  United  States.  "  The  Public  Square  is  divided  by  th» 
Church  and  some  other  buildings  into  two;  or  rather  the'  original  square,  or  military  plaza,  was  laid  off 
and  improved  in  1715,  having  on  its  east  side  the  Church  and  the  offices  of  priests  and  officers.  In  1731 
was  laid  off  the  main  square  or  Plaza  of  the  Constitution." 

carts.  Flour,  potatoes  and  onions  are  among  the  articles  of  import,  the  attention 
of  the  inhabitants  being  concentrated  upon  cotton  and  cattle.  There  is  not  a  good 
bakery,  a  first  nor  even  a  second  class  hotel  in  the  city.  Ice,  cut  from  the  ponds 
of  Massachusetts  sells,  whenever  there  is  a  load  in  town,  at  from  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  cents  per  pound.  Nothing  is  cheap  but  the  tough,  stringy  grass-fed  beef,  which 
may  be  bought  in  the  hoof  for  from  two  to  two  and  one  half  cents  per  pound.  One 
of  our  New  Englanders  who  spent  a  day  or  two  in  the  city,  declared  that  the  op 
portunities  for  making  money  were  so  many  and  varied  fora  man  of  small  capital, 
that  the  very  contemplation  made  him  feel  worth  at  least  half  a  million. 

Walking  about  the  city  and  its  environs,  you  may  well  fancy  yourself  in  some 
strange  land.  The  houses,  many  of  them  built  of  adobe,  one  story  high,  and 
thatched,  swarm  with  their  mixed  denisons,  white,  black,  and  copper-colored.  The 
narrow  streets,  the  stout  old  walls,  which  seem  determined  not  to  crumble  away, 
the  aqueducts,  along  which  run  the  waters  of  the  San  Pedro,  the  Spanish  language, 
which  is  spoken  by  almost  everybody,  the  dark,  banditti-like  figures  that  gaze  at 
you  from  the  low  doorways — everything,  in  the  Mexican  quarter  of  the  city  espe 
cially,  bespeaks  a  condition  widely  different  from  what  you  are  accustomed  to  be 
hold  in  any  American  town.  To  conduct  trade  successfully,  it  is  necessary  to  em 
ploy  clerks  who  understand  Spanish,  or  the  tongue  spoken  by  Mexicans  and  called 
Spanish,  as  a  large  amount  of  trade  is  done  by  Mexicans. 

The  better  class  of  people,  Americans  and  foreigners,  speak  of  "the  states  "  and 
"news  from  the  states,"  when  referring  to  any  other  portion  of  the  country  than 
Texas,  except  to  the  west. 

A  large  element  of  the  population  of  San  Antonio  is  Mexican.  There  are  a  few  re 
spectable,  intelligent  and  wealthy  families,  but  the  majority  are  of  the  lower  order,  with 
all  the  Tices  and  none  of  the  virtues  belonging  to  the  better  situated.  The  men,  whenever 
they  work,  are  employed  as  teamsters,  herders  and  day  laborers.  It  is  the  general  belief, 


TEXAS. 


663 


THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  ALAMO. 


founded  as  I  believe  on  fact,  that  a  Mexican  is  good  for  nothing  unless  in  service  over  cat 
tle,  horses  and  mules.  The  bend  of  their  talent  is  toward  live  stock.  As  little  Cape  Cod- 
ites  divert  themselves  by  playing  whalemen,  and  in  that  amusement  harpoon  kittens  and 
chickens,  so  does  the  juvenile  Mexican  take  at  once  to  the  lasso,  and  with  precocious  skill 
lariat  dogs,  goats  and  calves;  and  thus,  growing  up  in  constant  practice,  the  lariat  becomes 
in  his  hands  a  deadly  snare.  Its  throw  is  swift  and  certain,  and  it  is  alike  dreaded  by  man 
and  beast.  Every  cattle  farm  and  horse  range  has  its  lasso  men,  or  "  ropers  "  as  they  are 
called  in  Texas,  whose  duty  it  is  to  catch  runaway  and  refractory  mules,  horses  and  cattle, 
and  in  this  business  they  become  wonderfully  expert.  It  is  ludicrous  to  see  the  chopfallen 
air  which  at  once  comes  over  an  old  mule  when  the  lasso  has  tightened  around  his  throat. 
Experience  has  taught  him  that  all  attempts  at  escape  are  vain,  and  with  a  miserable  look 
of  resignation  he  submits  to  be  led  off. 

The  free-and-easy  style  of  life  which  is  characteristic  of  the  lower  order  of  Mexicans  is 

sure  to  surprise  a  stranger.  He 

,i:i  sees   children   of   both  sexes, 

from  two  to  six  years  of  age, 
strolling  about  in  the  econom 
ical  and  closely -fitting  costume 
bestowed  upon  them  by  nature. 
Women,  short  and  dumpy, 
with  forms  guiltless  of  artifi 
cial  fixtures,  and  in  the  single 

, ,,.._,,  ESJS,        article  of  attire  denominated 

!i$j.    ~lffi  a  petticoat,  brief  at  both  ends, 

*&"*-  ai>e  observed  in -doors  and  out, 

"    v"vfe-  manifesting  not  the  slightest 

regard  for  the  curious  glances 
of  the  passers  by.  Parties  of 
men,  women  and  children 
bathe  in  the  San  Antonio 
River,  just  outside  the  corpor- 
"ate  limits,  without  the  annoyance  of  dresses.  This  comfortable  fashion  was  formerly  in 
vogue  within  the  city,  until  the  authorities  concluded  it  might  with  propriety  be  dispensed 
with. 

Mexican  amusements,  in  the  shape  of  cockfights  and  fandangoes,  help  to  elevate  and 
refine  the  people  of  San  Antonio,  such  as:  choose  to  participate.  Every  Sunday,  just  after 
mass  at  the  old  Mission  Church,  there  is  a  cockfight,  generally  numerously  attended. 
The  pit  is  located  in  rear  of  the  church,  about  one  square  distant.  On  last  Sabbath,  going 
past  the  church  door  about  the  time  of  service,  I  observed  a  couple  of  Mexicans  kneeling 
near  the  door  in  a  pious  attitude,  which  would  doubtless  have  appeared  very  sober  and 
Christianlike,  had  not  each  one  held  a  smart  gamecock  beneath  his  arm!  Pious  souls! 
They  had  evidently  paused  a  moment  on  their  way  to  the  cockpit,  in  order  to  brush  over 
their  little  shortcomings  for  the  past  week. 

The  fandangoes  take  place  every  evening,  and  are  patronized  by  the  lower  orders  of 
people,  who,  as  the  sapient  circus  proprietor  in  "  Hard  Times  "  would  declare,  "  must  be 
amushed."  A  large  hall  or  square  room,  lighted  by  a  few  lamps  hung  from  the  walls,  or 
lanterns  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  a  pair  of  negro  fiddlers  and  twenty  or  thirty  couples 
in  the  full  enjoyment  of  a  "  bolero,"  or  the  Mexican  polka,  help  make  up  the  scene.  In 
the  corners  of  the  room  are  refreshment  tables,  under  the  charge  of  women,  where  coffee, 
frijoles,  tortillas,  boiled  rice  and  other  eatables  may  be  obtained,  whisky  being  nominally 
not  sold.  From  the  brawls  and  free  fights  which  often  take  place,  it  is  surmised  that  the 
article  may  be  had  in  some  mysterious  manner.  At  these  fandangoes  may  be  seen  the 
muleteer,  fresh  from  the  coast  or  the  Pass,  with  gay  clothes  and  a  dozen  or  so  of  silver 
dollars;  the.  United  States  soldiers  just  from  the  barracks,  abounding  in  oaths  and  tobacco; 
the  herdsman,  with  his  blanket  and  long  knife,  which  seems  a  portion  of  every  Mexican; 
the  disbanded  ranger,  rough,  bearded  and  armed  with  his  huge  holster  pistol  and  long 
bowie-knife,  dancing,  eating,  drinking,  swearing  and  carousing,  like  a  party  of  Captain 
Kidd's  men  just  in  from  a  long  voyage.  Among  the  women  may  be  seen  all  colors  and 
ages  from  ten  to  forty;  the  Creole,  the  Poblano,  the  Mexican,  and  rarely  the  American  or 
German — generally,  in  such  cases,  the  dissipated  widow  or  discarded  mistress  of  some  sol 
dier  or  follower  of  the  army. 

San  Antonio  is  rapidly  improving.  Near  the  Alamo  a  fine  hotel  of  stone  is  being 
erected  by  an  enterprising  German.  The  new  Catholic  Church  is  a  grand  edifice  for 
Texas.  Near  the  city  is  a  quarry  of  limestone,  so  soft  that  it  can  be  cut  with  a  common 
knife.  Exposed  to  the  air  for  any  length  of  time,  it  hardens  and  becomes  solid.  Some 
fine  warehouses  have  just  been  completed;  one  is  rented  by  the  United  States  for  a  store- 


TEXAS. 

nouse  and  barrack  building.  The  wealthy  and  refined  portion  of  the  inhabitants  do  not 
seem  disposed  to  erect  costly  dwellings,  probably  for  the  reason  that  a  building  of  any 
pretensions  to  style  and  finish  is  a  remarkably  costly  affair.  Everything  but  the  stone 
must  be  imported;  iron  from  Cincinnati;  window  frames  from  Boston;  and  pine  lumber 
from  Florida.  Even  shingles  are  brought  from  Michigan,  and  glass  from  Pittsburg.  A 
railway  from  some  point  on  the  coast  is  needed  to  develop  and  improve  the  country,  and 
until  one  is  constructed  San  Antonio  will  be  a  peculiar  and  isolated  city. 

The  foundation  of  San  Antonio  was  an  Indian  mission,  as  were  generally 
the  first  settlements  under  the  Spaniards  in  Texas.  This  work  was  under 
taken  in  Texas  by  the  Franciscans,  a  religious  order  founded  by  St.  Francis 
d'Assisi,  at  Naples,  in  1208.  Before  giving  a  particular  history  of  this  mis 
sion,  we  extract  from  Yoakum  a  description  of  these  establishments,  with 
their  mode  of  government  and  discipline  : 

The  establishments  formed  in  Texas  were  known  as  presidios*  or  missions. 
There  was  a  mission  at  each  presidio;  but  many  missions  were  without  soldiers, 
at  least  in  any  considerable  numbers.  Each  presidio  was  entitled  to  a  command 
ant,  and  the  necessary  officers  for  a  command  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men; 
though,  from  various  circumstances,  the  number  constantly  varied,  and  was  gen 
erally  less.  The  troops  were  inferior,  badly  clothed,  idle,  and  disorderly.  The 
buildings  were  erected  around  a  square,  plaza  de  armas,  and  consisted  of  the 
church,  dwellings  for  officers,  friars,  and  soldiers,  with  storehouses,  prisons,  etc. 
The  size  of  the  square  depended  on  the  population,  the  strength  of  the  force  in 
tended  to  be  stationed  there,  and  also  upon  the  extent  of  the  district  dependent  on 
the  presidio.  Huts  were  erected  at  a  short  distance  from  the  principal  edifices, 
for  the  converted  Indians.  The  unmarried  of  either  sex  were  placed  in  separate 
huts,  and  at  night  locked  up  by  the  friars,  who  carried  the  keys.  They  encour 
aged  chastity  among  the  Indians,  and  punished  its  violation  by  public  or  private 
whipping,  as  the  offender  was  a  male  or  a  female. 

Forts  were  erected  near  the  presidios,  and  sometimes  the  church  was  fortified. 
The  civil  and  military  authority  was  united  in  the  commandant,  which,  in  some 
matters,  was  subordinate  and  in  others  superior  to  the  ecclesiastical  power.  The 
principal  duty  of  the  military  was  to  repel  the  invasion  of  the  wild  Indians,  and 
to  suppress  the  rebellious  spirit  of  the  converts.  The  Indians  were  well  fed, 
clothed,  and  cared  for;  their  labors  were  not  heavy;  and,  in  these  particulars,  they 
could  not  complain.  But  they  were  compelled  to  perform  certain  religious  cere 
monies  before  they  could  understand  anything  of  their  meaning.  Sundry  rules 
were  laid  down  for  their  every  motion,  a  departure  from  which  was  severely  pun 
ished.  It  was  this  tyranny  over  the  minds  and  bodies  of  the  Indians  that  enfee 
bled  and  wasted  them.  They  were  willing  to  forego  the  food  and  raiment  of  the 
missions,  for  the  sublime  scenery  of  the  vast  prairies,  the  liberty  of  roaming  un 
molested  over  them,  and  chasing  the  buffalo  and  the  deer.  Freedom,  dear  to  all, 
is  the  idol  of  the  Indian.  He  worships  the  liberty  of  nature.  When  restrained 
from  his  loved  haunts,  he  pines,  and  sickens,  and  dies.  Had  the  Franciscans,  like 
the  Jesuits  on  the  lakes,  gone  with  their  flocks  on  their  hunting  excursions,  joined 
them  in  their  feasts,  and  praised  them  for  their  skill  in  the  chase,  they  would  have 
met  with  greater  success.  But  the  Jesuits  possessed  a  twofold  advantage  :  they 
had  the  power  of  dispensing  with  tedious  and  uninteresting  prayers  and  ceremo 
nies;  and  they  also  enjoyed  the  aid  of  the  cheerful,  talkative,  open-hearted  French; 
while  the  Franciscans,  without  such  dispensing  power,  were  likewise  bound  to  co 
operate  with  the  gloomy,  suspicious,  and  despotic  Spaniards. 

The  Franciscan  fathers  made  regular  reports  of  the  success  of  their  missions  to  the 
superior,  and  the  latter  to  the  general  of  the  order.  On  these  reports  depended  to  a 
great  extent  the  favor  shown  the  missionaries;  hence  they  were  excited  to  zeal  in 
their  efforts  to  make  converts.  Not  content  with  the  fruits  of  persuasion  and  kind 
treatment,  they  made  forays  upon  the  surrounding  tribes.  The  soldiers  performed 

*Preeidio,  a  garrison  of  soldiers. 


TEXAS.  665 

this  duty.  The  prisoners  taken,  especially  the  young,  were  trained  alike  in  the  mys 
teries  of  the  Christian  faith  and  agriculture.  To  effect  their  training,  they  were 
divided  among  the  older  and  more  deserving  Indians  of  the  mission,  who  held  them 
in  servitude  until  they  were  of  an  age  suitable  to  marry.  At  the  proper  timo  this 
rite  was  faithfully  performed,  and  thus  there  grew  up  a  race  of  domestic  Indians 
around  the  missions. 

To  add  to  the  strength  of  the  missions  and  the  number  of  the  converts,  reliable 
Indians  of  these  establishments  were  sent  out  among  their  wild  brethren  to  bring 
them  in.  This  was  sometimes  done  by  persuasion,  and  sometimes  by  deception 
and  force.  However,  they  were  brought  to  the  missions,  and  incorporated  among 
the  learners  and  workmen  of  the  fold. 

When  we  call  to  mind  the  fanaticism  and  ignorance  of  that  age,  and  the  import 
ant  fact  that  the  Indians  who  remained  long  in  the  missions  became  greatly  at 
tached  to  their  spiritual  guides  and  the  form  of  their  worship,  we  must  admit  that 
these  pioneers  of  religion  deserved  some  praise.  Their  toils  and  privations  evinced 
their  faith — their  patience  and  humility  should  satisfy  the  world  of  their  sincerity. 

Until  the  present  century,  the  Catholics  did  more  for  the  cause  of  missions  than 
the  Protestants ;  and  if,  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  they  committed  fatal  errors  in 
their  religious  enterprises,  it  is  no  more  than  has  since  been  done.  The  fate  of 
the  aboriginal  races  of  the  New  World,  and  even  of  the  Pacific  islands,  is  peculiar. 
A  well-defined  instance  of  any  tribe  or  nation  that  has  been  civilized,  without  a 
total  or  partial  destruction  of  its  people,  can  scarcely  be  produced.  This  may,  to 
some  extent,  be  attributed  to  the  vices  introduced  by  the  friends  of  the  mission 
aries. 

Yoakum  gives  this  history  of  the  founding  of  the  mission  at  San  Antonio: 

The  venerable  mission  of  the  Alamo,  the  second  in  Texas,  deserves  some  consideration. 
It  was  first  founded  in  the  year  1703  by  Franciscans  of  the  apostolic  college  of  Queretaro, 
in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  under  the  invocation  of  San  Francisco  Solano.  Here  it 
remained  for  five  years,  but  for  some  reason  was  removed  to  a  place  called  San  Ildephonso, 
where  it  seems  to  have  remained  till  1710,  at  which  time  it  was  moved  back  to  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  reinvocated  as  the  mission  of  San  Jose.  Here  it  remained  under  the  guid 
ance  of  the  good  father  Jose  de  Soto  till  the  1st  of  May,  1718,  when,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  water,  it  was  removed  to  the  west  bank  of  the  San  Pedro,  about  three  fourths 
of  a  mile  north-west  of  the  present  parish  church  of  San  Antonio.  Here  it  remained,  un 
der  the  protection  of  the  post  [fort]  of  San  Antonio  de  Valero,  whose  name  it  assumed, 
until  1722,  when,  on  account  of  troubles  with  the  Indians,  it  was  once  more  removed,  with 
the  post,  to  what  is  now  known  as  the  Military  Plaza.  The  main  square,  or  Plaza  of  the 
Constitution,  was  formed  in  1730,  by  the  colonists  sent  out  at  the  request  of  De  Aguayo.*  ' 
The  establishment  around  the  Military  Plaza  was  properly  called  San  Antonio  de  Bexar 
(Vejar),  while  the  town  on  the  east  of  the  church  was  known  as  San  Fernando. 

In  May,  1774,  the  people,  tired  of  the  lawsuit  between  the  ex-governors  Sandoval  and 
Franquis,  laid  the  foundation  of  the  church  of  their  old  mission,  where  it  now  stands  un 
finished,  as  the  church  of  the  Alamo.  It  had  been  seeking  a  resting  place  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  and  it  was  time  that  it  should  find  one.  From  this  period  until  1783,  it  was  still 
known  and  conducted  as  the  mission  of  San  Antonio  de  Valero.  In  the  meantime,  the 
number  of  Indians  under  its  charge  increased,  and  as  they  became  civilized,  were  settled 
around  the  mission,  thus  forming  a  town  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  company  of 
San  Carlos  de  Parras  was  stationed  there  for  the  protection  of  the  town  and  mission.*  It 
enjoyed  a  separate  organization,  and  had  its  own  alcalde,  and  place  of  worship.  But,  about 
this  last-named  period,  the  place  ceased  to  be  a  missionary  station.  All  the  Indiana 
brought  in  for  conversion  had  for  some  time  previously  been  taken  to  the  missions  below 
the  town — perhaps  the  better  to  secure  them  against  its  corrupting  influences;  so  that,  hav 
ing  no  further  missionary  work  to  perform,  San  Antonio  de  Valero  became  an  ordinary 

*"  In  the  course  of  that  year,  says  the  ancient  record,  came  twelve  families  of  pure  Spanish  blood,  from 
the  Canary  Islands,  who  laid  out  and  founded  the  city  of  San  Antonio.  Among  the  settlers  was  a  Garcia, 
a  Flores,  a  Navarro  and  a  Garaza,  names  afterward  prominent  in  the  revolutionary  history  of  Texas,  whilo 
it  was  claimed  as  a  Spanish  colony.  One  year  after  their  arrival  the  colonists,  assisted  by  the  Franciscan 
fathers  and  their  crowds  of  Indian  converts,  erected  the  quaint  church  which  now,  defaced  and  battered 
by  the  storms  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  years,  stands  in  the  main  plaza  of  the  city,  a  monument 
of  the  almost  buried  past.  Its  evening  bells  echo  sweetly  their  chimes  as  in  the  days  of  long  ago,  and 
crowds  of  worshi|>ers  still  knoel  upon  the  old  stone  floor,  and  bow  before  the  venerable  picture  of  th« 
Crucifixion  which  hangs,  all  dim  and  discolored,  above  the  altar." 


666 


TEXAS. 


MISSION  OF  SAN  JOSE. 


Spanish  town,  and  the  old  missionary  church  of  the  Alamo  became  a  common  parish- 
church. 

The  traveler  already  quoted  from,  in  describing  the  Missions  on  the  San 
Antonio  River,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town,  which  were  named  respectively 
San  Jose,  La  Espada,  San  Juan  and  Concepcion,  says: 

They  were  large,  strong,  half  church,  half  fortress  edifices,  in  appearance  some 
thing  like  the  feudal  castles  of 
olden  time,  whose  ruins  are  scat 
tered  all  over  Europe,  surround 
ed  by  a  high  and  massive  stone 
wall,  with  only  one  entrance. 
The  buildings,  consisting  of 
chapels,  dormitories,  halls,  cells 
and  kitchens,  were  all  built  of 
limestone,  the  quarrying  and 
transporting  of  which  must 
alone  have  been  an  immense  la 
bor,  as  some  of  the  edifices  were 
of  great  extent.  Each  mission 
was  surrounded  by  an  extensive 
farm,  whose  acequias  and  irri 
gating  ditches  are  yet  visible. 
Among  all  the  missions  in  this 
section  that  of  San  Jose  must 
have  been  conspicuous  from  its 
size,  its  strength,  and  the  rude  splendor  with  which  it  was  decorated.  Still  may  be 
Been  carvings  of  saints  and  sacred  relics  upon  the  walls  and  ceilings.  Over  the 
main  entrance,  which  is  garnished  by  many  ornaments,  there  is  yet  a  battered  re 
presentation  of  the  Virgin  and  her  infant,  and  the  patron,  San  Jose,  cut  in  the  hard 
limestone.  Profane  heritics  have  used  the  eyes  and  nose  of  the  venerable  saint, 
and  the  place  "where  his  heart  ought  to  be,"  for  targets,  where  they  have  chroni 
cled  their  skill  as  marksmen.  The  chapel  front  is  ornamented  with  coarse  fresco 
painting,  in  red,  yellow  and  blue,  in  ite  day,  doubtless,  to  the  ignorant  beings  who 
worshiped  there,  a  grand  exhibition  of  art.  From  San  Jose  we  visited  the  mis 
sion  of1  Concepcion,  which  was  once  a  lofty  structure  with  two  tall  towers  and  a 
dome,  surrounded  by  a  thick  arched  wall.  We  found  a  lot  of  Mexican  cattle-herd 
ers  in  full  possession,  and  the  main  chapel  room  filled  with  filth  and  rubbish.  The 
outbuildings  and  arches  are  overgrown  with  moss  and  weeds.  In  the  soft  twilight 
which  was  slowly  stealing  over  the  San  Antonio  valley  the  scene  was  solemn  and 
gad,  and  we  startled  at  our  own  footsteps  upon  the  desolate  pavement,  half  expect 
ing  to  see  the  cowled  figure  of  some  ghostly  monk  start  from  the  gloomy  arches  to 
rebuke  our  unhallowed  intrusion. 

Crossing  the  San  Antonio  River  from  the  main  plaza,  we  came  to  a  quaint  old 
edifice,  whose  seamed  and  battered  front  betokens  an  acquaintance  with  shot  and 
shell.  It  was  built  after  the  Moorish  style,  and  although  of  late  a  modern  roof 
has  been  added,  is  the  same  old  edifice,  memorable  in  the  annals  of  Texan 
independence — the  Alamo  I  a  name  familiar  to  the  American  people  as  a  "  house 
hold  word" — a  name  associated  with  a  siege  and  a  defense  the  like  of  which  can 
scarcely  be  found  in  the  history  of  any  state.  The  place  where  fell  Bowie,  Travis, 
Crockett,  and  a  band  of  as  brave  spirits  as  ever  upheld  struggling  freedom  in  any 
quarter  of  the  globe. 


The  Alamo  was  never  intended  for  a  fortress,  but  its  walls  are  very  strong, 
and  it  has  been  the  scene  of  severe  conflicts  beside  that  which  has  given  it 
such  wide  renown.  One  of  these  was  in  the  year  1835,  when  Gen.  Cos,  com 
manding  a  strong  Mexican  force,  was  besieged  in  San  Antonio  by  the  Texans, 
under  Gen.  Burleson.  The  siege  was  about  to  be  abandoned,  when  informa- 


TEXAS. 


667 


tion  was  given  of  the  position  of  affairs  in  the  town  by  a  Mexican  deserter. 
This  was  on  the  4th  of  December,  and  so  aroused  the  military  spirit  of  Col. 
Benjamin  R.  Milam,  that  he  exclaimed,  "  Who  will  go  with  old  Ben  Milam  into 
San  Antonio?"  The  reply  was  an  approving  shout  from  the  officers  and 


The  Alamo,  San  Antonio. 

The  Alamo,  the  "  Thcrmopylfe  of  Texan  Independence,"  where  fell  Bowie,  Travis,  Crockett,  with  all  the 
rest  of  its  brave  garrison,  not  even  one  being  left  to  tell  the  story  of  its  heroic  defense,  is  yet  standing  in 
the  town  of  San  Antonio,  and  is  used  by  the  Quartermaster's  Department  of  the  U.  S.  Army.  The  viow  ia 
faithfully  taken  in  all  its  details  and  adjuncts,  even  to  the  costumes  in  the  foreground,  where  is  shown  the 
Mexican  ox-cart,  with  its  broad  wooden  wheels  devoid  of  iron  tires.  The  church,  which  was  the  main  for 
tress,  is  shown,  on  a  larger  scale,  on  a  preceding  page. 

men,  who  volunteered,  to  the  number  of  301,  to  make  the  assault,  and  elected 
Milam  as  their  leader.  The  plan  adopted  was  to  storm  the  town  the  next 
morning  in  two  divisions,  the. first  under  Col.  Milam,  and  the  second  under 
Col.  Frank  W.  Johnson. 

The  town  was  fortified  at  the  public  square  by  breastworks  and  batteries,  besides 
which  the  houses  being  of  stone  were  in  effect  like  so  many  forts.  The  Alamo, 
which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  river — the  main  part  of  the  town,  with  the  plaza, 
being  on  the  west — commands  some  of  the  entrances  to  it,  and  was,  at  the  time, 
strongly  fortified  and  garrisoned.  The  assault  began  just  before  daylight  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th,  the  first  division  attacking  on  one  side  of  the  town,  and  the 
second  on  the  opposite.  The  storming  lasted  three  days.  The  Texans  gradually 
worked  their  way  to  the  center  of  the  place.  The  Mexicans  occupied  the  tops  of 
the  houses,  and  cutting  loopholes  in  the  parapet  walls,  fired  upon  their  foe.  The 
Texans,  with  picks  and  crowbars,  made  passage  ways  through  the  houses;  first 
thrusting  through  their  rifles  and  firing  upon  their  defenders,  they  drove  them  from 
room  to  room,  and  from  house  to  house,  until,  thus  gallantly  fighting  inch  by  mch, 
they  had  penetrated  so  near  the  plaza,  that  Gen.  Cos,  on  the  morning  of  the  '9th, 
seeing  further  resistance  hopeless,  sent  in  a  fla<?  of  truce,  expressing  a  wish  to  ca 
pitulate.  The  next  day  the  terras  were  concluded.  They  were  most  honorable  to 
the  Mexicans,  and  more  glorious  in  their  moderation  to  the  Texans,  than  the  vic 
tory  itself.  The  Mexican  officers  were  permitted  to  retain  their  arms  and  privaty 


668  TEXAS.  * 

pioperty,  and  the  officers  and  troops  allowed  to  return  to  Mexico.  The  enemy  lost 
about  150  men,  the  Texans  but  a  few.  Among  them  was  the  heroic  Milam,  who 
was  instantly  killed  by  a  rifle  shot  in  the  head,  while  crossing  a  yard  between  two 
houses.  By  his  death  the  command  devolved  on  Col.  Johnson,  who  had  the  honor 
of  raising  the  flag  above  the  walls  of  Bexar,  after  a  victory  of  300  men  over  1,400 
entrenched  in  a  strongly  fortified  town. 


The  "Fall  of  the  Alamo"  like  the  famous  defense  of  Thermopylae,  is  an 
event  that  will  long  live  among  the  heroic  incidents  of  history.  At  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Feb.  23,  1836,  Santa  Anna,  with  the  second  divis 
ion  of  the  Mexican  army,  marched  into  the  town  of  San  Antonio,  having 
been  preceded  by  an  advance  detachment  the  second  day  preceding.  His 
army  numbered  several  thousand  strong,  and  comprised  the  choicest  troops 
of  his  country.  On  the  same  day  a  regular  siege  of  the  Alamo  commenced 
and  lasted  eleven  days,  until  the  final  assault.  The  Alamo  was  then  garri 
soned  by  156  men,  under  Lieut.  Col.  Wm.  Barret  Travis,  with  Col.  James 
Bowie,  second,  as  is  believed,  in  command.  Col.  David  Crockett  was  also 
with  the  garrison,  but  it  is  unknown  whether  he  had  a  command,  as  he  had 
joined  it  only  a  few  weeks  before: 

Santa  Anna  immediately  demanded  a  surrender  of  the  garrison  without  terms! 
their  reply  was  a  shot  from  the  fort.  He  then  raised  a  blood  red  flag  on  the  church 
at  Bexar,  as  a  token  of  vengeance  against-  the  rebels,  and  began  an  attack,  and 
this  by  slow  approaches.  Travis  sent  off  an  express  with  a  strong  appeal  for  aid, 
declaring  that  he  would  never  surrender  nor  retreat.  For  many  days  no  marked  in 
cidents  occurred  in  the  siege.  On  the  1st  of  March,  32  gallant  men,  from  Gon- 
zales,  under  Capt.  John  W.  Smith,  entered  the  Alamo,  and  raised  the  effective 
force  to  188  men.  On  the  2d,  Travis  sent  out  by  a  courier  a  last  appeal,  setting 
forth  fully  his  determination  to  remain  until  he  got  relief  or  perished  in  the  «Jjp- 
fense.  About  the  same  time  he  also  wrote  an  affecting  note  to  a  friend,  "  Take 
care  of  my  little  boy.  If  the  country  should  be  saved,  1  may  make  him  a  splen 
did  fortune;  but  if  the  country  should  be  lost,  and  I  should  perish,  he  will  have 
nothing  but  t/ie  proud  recollection  that  he  is  the  son  of  a  man  who  died  for  his  country" 

The  account  of  the  final  assault,  with  the  accompanying  description  of  the 
Alamo,  we  take  from  the  "Fall  of  the  Alamo,"  a  pamphlet  by  Capt.  R.  M. 
Potter,  published  at  San  Antonio,  in  July,  1860.  He  had  unusual  opportu 
nities  for  obtaining  all  that  can  be  known  of  the  final  tragedy,  the  details  of 
which  have  not  been  accurately  given,  for  the  reason  that  not  a  single  de 
fender  survived  it : 

Santa  Anna  after  calling  a  council  of  .war  on  the  4th  of  March,  fixed  upon  the  morning 
of  Sunday,  the  6tb,  as  the  time  for  the  final  assault.  Before  narrating  it,  however,  I  must 
describe  the  Alamo  as  it  then  existed.  It  had  been  founded  soon  after  the  first  settlement 
of  the  vicinity,  and  being  originally  built  as  a  place  of  safety  for  the  settlers  and  their 
property  in  case  of  Indian  hostility,  with  sufficient  room  for  that  purpose,  it  had  neither 
the  strength  nor  compactness,  nor  the  arrangement  of  dominant  points,  which  belong  to  a 
regular  fortification.* 

As  its  area  contained  between  two  and  three  acres,  a  thousand  men  would  barely  have 
sufficed  to  man  its  defenses,  and  before  a  heavy  siege  train  its  walls  would  soon  have 
crumbled. 

From  recollection  of  the  locality,  as  viewed  in  1841,  I  can  trace  the  extent  of  the  outer 
walls,  which  were  demolished  thirteen  years  ago;  and  the  accompanying  diagram  is  made 
from  actual  measurement. 

(A)  Represents  the  Chapel  or  the  fortress,  which  is  75  feet  long,  62  wide,  and  22)£» 
high,  the  wall  of  solid  masonry  being  four  feet  thick.  It  was  originally  in  one  story,  but 

*  The  front  of  the  A.lamo  Chapel  bears  the  date  of  1757 ;  but  the  other  works  must  have  been  built 
earlier. 


TEXAS 


669 


had  upper  windows,  under  which  platforms  were  erected  for  mounting  cannon  in  those 
openings.  (B)  designates  one  of  those  upper  windows  which  I  will  have  occasion  to  men 
tion,  and  (c)  the  front  door  of  the  church.  (D)  is  a  wall  50  feet  long,  connecting  this 
church  with  the  long  barrack  (E  E).  The  latter  is  a  stone  house  186  feet  long,  18  wide, 


Q 


I 
I- 


a 

i 

o 

2 


Mm  9 

F  JI 


and  18  high,  being  of  two  stories.  (F)  is  a  low  stone  barrack,  114  feet  long  and  17  wide 
Those  houses,  or  at  least  their  original  walls,  which  (except  those  of  the  church),  are 
'about  thirty  inches  thick,  are  still  standing.  They  had  at  the  time  flat  terrace  roofs  of 
beams  and  plank,  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  cement.  The  present  roofs  and  the  ad 
joining  sheds  and  other  woodwork,  have  been  added  since  the  place  was  converted  into 
a  quartermaster's  depot  of  the  United  States  army.  •  (G  H  i  and  K)  were  rooms  built  against 
the  we-t  barrier,  and  were  demolished  with  it.  The  barrier  wall  was  from  6  to  8  feet  high, 
and  2%  thick,  inclosing  the  large  area,  462  feet  long  and  162  wide:  this  the  long  barrack 
(E  E)  fronted  on  the  east,  and  the  low  barrack  (F)  on  the  south.  (M)  designates  the  gate 
of  the  area,  and  (it  n  n]  locate  the  doors  of  the  several  houses  which  opened  upon  it. 
Most  of  those  doors  had  within  each  a  semi-circular  barricade  or  parnpet  composed  of  a 
double  curtain  of  hides  upheld  by  stakes  and  filled  in  with  earth.  From  behind  these 
the  garrison  could  fire  front  or  oblique  through  the  doors.  Some  of  the  rooms  were  also 
loopholed.  (o  o)  describes  a  wall  from  five  to  six  feet  high  and  2%  thick,  which  inclosed 
a  smaller  area  east  of  the  long  barrack  and  north  of  the  church,  Ib9  feet  by  102.  (p)  lo 
cates  an  upper  room  in  the  south-east  angle  of  said  barrack — (Q)  a  breach  in  the  north 
barrier,  and  (R)  an  iritrenchment  running  from  the  south-east  angle  of  the  chapel  to  the 
Rate.  This  work  was  not  manned  against  the  assault.  According  to  Santa  Anna's  re- 


G70  TEXAS. 

port  twenty-one  guns  of  various  calibers  were  planted  in  different  parts  of  the  works. 
Yoakum  in  his  description  of  the  armament  mentions  but  fourteen.  Whichever  number  be 
correct,  however,  has  but  little  bearing  upon  the  merits  of  the  final  defense,  in  which  the 
cannon  had  little  to  do.  They  were  in  the  hands  of  men  unskilled  in  their  use,  and  owing 
to  the  construction  of  the  fort  each  had  a  limited  range,  which  the  enemy  in  moving  up 
seern  in  a  measure  to  have  avoided. 

It  was  resolved  by  Santa  Anna  that  the  assault  should  take  place  at  early  dawn.  The 
order  for  the  attack,  which  I  have  read,  but  have  no  copy  of,  was  full  and  precise  in  its 
details,  and  was  signed  by  Brig.  Gen.  Amador  as  head  of  the  staff.  The  besieging  force 
consisted  of  the  battalions  of  Toluca,  Jimenes,  Matamoros,  los  Zapadores  (»r  sappers), 
and  another,  which  I  think  was  that  of  Guerrero,  and  the  dragoon  regiment  of  Dolores. 
The  infantry  was  directed  at  a  certain  hour,  between  midnight  and  dawn,  to  form  at  a  con 
venient  distance  from  the  fort  in  four  columns  of  attack  and  a  reserve.  This  disposition 
was  not  made  by  battalions;  for  the  light  companies  of  all  of  them  were  incorporated  with 
the  Zapadores  to  form  the  reserve,  and  some  other  transpositions  may  have  been  made.  A 
certain  number  of  scaling  ladders  and  axes  were  to  be  borne  with  particular  columns.  The 
cavalry  were  to  be  stationed  at  different  points  around  the  fortress  to  cut  off  fugitives. 
From  what  I  have  learned  of  men  engaged  in  the  action  it  seems  that  these  disposition':! 
were  changecUon  the  eve  of  attack,  so  far  as  to  combine  the  five  bodies  of  infantry  into 
three  columns  of  attack.  This  included  the  troops  designated  in  the  order  as  the  reserve; 
and  the  only  actual  reserve  that  remained  was  the  cavalry. 

The  immediate  command  of  the  assault  was  intrusted  to  Gen.  Castrillon,  a  Spaniard  by 
birth  and  a  brilliant  soldier.  Santa  Anna  took  his  station  with  a  part  of  his  staff  and  all 
the  regimental  bands  at  a  battery  south  of  the  Alamo  and  near  the  old  bridge,  from  which 
the  signal  was  to  be  given  by  a  bugle  note  for  the  columns  to  move  simultaneously,  at 
double  quick  time,  against  different  points  of  the  fortress.  One,  composed  mainly  of  the 
battalion  of  Toluca  was  to  enter  the  north  breach — the  other  two  to  move  against  the 
southern  side:  one  to  attack  the  gate  of  the  large  area — the  other  to  storm  the  chapel.  By 
the  timing  of  the  signal,  it  was  calculated  th;it  the  columns  would  reach  the  foot  of  the 
wall  just  as  it  became  light  enough  to  operate. 

When  the  hour  came  the  batteries  and  the  music  were  alike  silent,  and  a  single  blast  of 
the  bugle  was  at  first  followed  by  no  sound  save  the  rushing  tramp  of  soldiers.  The  guns 
of  the  fortress  soon  opened  upon  them,  and  then  the  bands  at  the  south  battery  struck  up 
the  assassin  note  of  degucllo — "  no  quarter!  "  But  a  few  and  not  very  effective  discharges 
from  the  works  could  be  made  before  the  enemy  were  under  them;*  and  it  is  thought  that 
the  worn  and  weary  garrison  was  not  till  then  fully  mustered.  The  Toluca  column  ar 
rived  first  at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  but  was  not  the  first  to  enter  the  area.  A  large  piece 
of  cannon  at  the  north-west  angle  of  the  area  probably  commanded  the  breach.  Either 
this  or  the  deadly  fire  of  the  riflemen  at  that  point,  where  Travis  commanded  in  person, 
brought  the  column  to  a  disordered  halt,  and  its  leader  Col.  Duque,  fell  dangerously 
wounded.  But,  while  this  was  occurring,  one  of  the  other  columns  entered  the  area 
by  the  gate  or  by  escalade  near  it.  The  defense  of  the  outer  walls  had  now  to  b>" 
abandoned;  and  the  garrison  took  refuge  in  the  buildings  already  described.  It  was  prob 
ably  while  the  enemy  were  pouring  in  through  Uae  breach  that  Travis  fell  at  his  post;  for 
his 'body  was  found  beside  the  gun  just  referred  to.  All  this  passed  within  a  few  minutes 
after  the  bugle  sounded.  The  early  loss  of  the  outer  barrier,  so  thinly  manned,  was  inev 
itable;  and  it  was  not  until  the  garrison  became  more  concentrated  and  covered  in  the  inner 
works,  that  the  main  struggle  commenced.  They  were  more  concentrated  as  to  the  space, 
not  as  to  unity;  for  there  was  no  communicating  between  the  buildings,  nor  in  all  cases 
between  rooms.  There  was  now  no  retreating  from  point  to  point;  and  each  group  of  de 
fenders  had  to  fight  and  die  in  the  den  where  it  was  brought  to  bay.  From  the  doors,  win 
dows  and  loopholes  of  the  rooms  around  the  area,  the  crack  of  the  rifle  and  hiss  of  the  bnllet 
came  fierce  and  fast:  and  the  enemy  fell  and  recoiled  in  his  first  efforts  to  charge.  The  gun 
beside  which  Travis  lay  was  now  turned  against  the  buildings,  as  were  also  some  others; 
aad  shot  after  shot  in  quick  succession  was  sent  crashing  through  the  doors  and  barricades 
of  the  several  rooms.  Each  ball  was  followed  by  a  storm  of  musketry  and  a  charge;  and 
thus  room  after  room  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  when  all  within  them  died 
fighting  to  the  last.  The  struggle  was  made  up  of  a  number  of  separate  and  desperate 
combats,  often  hand  to  hand,  between  squads  of  the  garrison  and  bodies  of  the  enemy. 
The  bloodiest  spot  about  the  fortress  was  the  long  barrack  and  the  ground  in  front  of  it, 
where  the  enemy  fell  in  heaps. 

In  the  meantime  the  turning  of  Travis'  gun  had  been  imitated  by  the  garrison.     A  small 

*A  sergeant  of  the  Zapadores  told  me  that  the  column  he  belonged  to  encountered  but  one  discharge  oi 
gripe  iu  moving  up,  and  that  passed  mostly  over  the  men's  heads. 


TEXAS.  (57 1 

piece  on  the  roof  of  the  chapel  or  one  of  the  other  buildings  was  turned  against  the  area 
while  the  rooms  were  being  stormed.  It  did  more  execution  than  any  other  cannon  of  the 
fortress;  but  after  a  few  effective  discharges  all  who  manned  it  fell  under  the  enemy's  fire. 
Crockett  had  taken  refuge  in  a  room  of  the  low  barrack  near  the  gate.  He  either  garri 
soned  it  alone,  or  was  left  alone  by  the  fall  of  his  companions,  when  he  sallied  to  meet  hi3 
fato  in  the  face  of  the  foe,  and  was  shot  down.  Bowie  had  been  severely  hurt  by  a  fall 
from  a  platform,  and  when  the  attack  came  on,  was  confined  to  his  bed  in  an  upper  room 
of  the  barrack  marked  (p.)  He  was  there  killed  on  his  couch,  but  not  without  resistance; 
for  he  is  said  to  have  shot  down  with  his  pistols  one  or  more  of  the  enemy  as  they  entered 
the  chamber. 

The  church  was  the  last  point  taken.  The  column  which  moved  against  it,  consisting  of 
the  battalion  of  Jimenes  and  other  troops,  was  at  first  repulsed,  and  took  refuge  among 
some  old  houses  outside  of  the  barrier,  near  its  south-west  angle,  till  it  was  rallied  and  led 
on  by  Gen.  Amador.  It  was  soon  joined  by  the  rest  of  the  force,  and  the  church  was  car 
ried  by  a  coup  de  main.  Its  inmates,  like  the  rest,  fought  till  the  last,  and  continued  to 
fire  from  the  upper  platforms  after  the  enemy  occupied  the  floor  of  the  building.  A  Mex 
ican  officer  told  of  seeing  a  man  shot  in  the  crown  of  the  head  in  this  melee.  During  the 
closing  struggle  Lieut.  Dickinson,  with  his  child  in  his  arms,  or  tied  to  his  back,  as  some 
accounts  say,  leaped  from  an  upper  window  (s),and  both  were  killed  in  the  act.  Of  those 
he  left  behind  him  the  bayonet  soon  gleaned  what  the  bullet  missed;  and  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  church  the  last  defender  must  have  fallen.  The  morning  breeze  which  received  his 
parting  breath  probably  still  fanned  his  flag  above  that  fabric,  ere  it  was  pulled  down  by 
the  victor.* 

The  Alamo  had  fallen. 

The  action,  according  to  Santa  Anna's  report,  lasted  thirty  minutes.  It  was  certainly 
short,  and  possibly  no  longer  space  passed  between  the  moment  when  the  enemy  fronted 
the  breach  and  that  when  resistance  died  out.  Some  of  the  incidents  which  have  to  be  re 
lated  separately  no  doubt  occurred  simultaneously,  and  occupied  very  little  time. 

The  account  of  the  assault  which  Yoakum  and  others  have  adopted  as  authentic,  is  evi 
dently  one  which  popular  tradition  has  based  on  conjecture. 

A  negro  boy,  belonging  to  Travis,  the  wife  of  Lieut.  Diddnson,  Mrs.  Alsbury  a  native 
of  San  Antonio,  and  another  Mexican  woman,  and  two  children,  were  the  only  inmates  of 
the  fortress  whose  lives  were  spared.  The  children  were  those  of  the  two  females  whose 
names  are  given.  Lieut.  Dickinson  commanded  a  gun  in  the  east  upper  window  of  the 
church.  His  family  was  probably  in  one  of  the  two  small  upper  rooms  of  the  front.  This 
will  account  for  his  being  able  to  take  one  of  his  children  to  the  rear  platform  while  the 
building  was  being  stormed.  A  small  irrigating  canal  runs  below  the  window  referred  to; 
and  his  aim  in  the  desperate  attempt  at  flight,  probably  was  to  break  his  fall  by  leaping  into 
the  water;  but  the  shower  of  bullets  which  greeted  him  rendered  the  precaution  as  need 
less  as  it  was  hopeless. 

At  the  time  the  outer  barriers  were  carried,  a  few  men  leaped  from  them  and  attempted 
to  escape,  but  were  all  cut  down  by  the  cavalry.  Half  an  hour  or  more  after  the  action 
was  over  a  few  men  were  found  concealed  in  one  of  the  rooms  under  some  mattresses — Gen. 
Houston,  in  a  letter  of  the  llth,  says  as  many  as  seven;  but  I  have  generally  heard  them 
spoken  of  as  only  three  or  four.  The  officer  to  whom  they  were  first  reported  entreated 
Santa  Anna  to  spare  their  lives;  but  he  was  sternly  rebuked  and  the  men  ordered  to  bo 
shot,  which  was  done.  Owing  to  the  hurried  and  confused  manner  in  which  the  mandate 
was  obeyed  a  Mexican  soldier  was  accidentally  killed  with  them. 

Castrillon  was  the  soul  of  the  assault.  Santa  Anna  remained  at  the  south  battery  with 
the  music  of  the  whole  army  and  a  part  of  his  staff,  till  he  supposed  the  place  was  nearly 
mastered,  when  he  moved  up  with  that  escort  toward  the  Alamo;  but  returned  again  on 
being  greeted  by  a  few  rifle  balls  from  the  upper  windows  of  the  church.  He,  however, 
entered  the  area  toward  the  close  of  the  scene,  and  directed  some  of  the  last  details  of  the 
butchery.  • 

The  five  infantry  corps  that  formed  the  attacking  force,  according  to  the  data  already 
referred  to,  amounted  to  about  twenty-five  hundred  men.  The  number  of  Mexican, 
wounded  according  to  various  accounts,  largely  exceeded  that  of  the  killed;  and  the  esti 
mates  made  of  both  by  intelligent  men  who  were  in  the  action,  and  whose  candor  I  think 
could  be  relied  on,  rated  their  loss  at  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  killed,  anil 
from  three  to  four  hundred  wounded.  The  real  loss  of  the  assailants  in  killed  and  wounded 
probably  did  not  differ  much  from  five  hundred  men.  Gen.  Bradburn  was  of  opinion  tiial 

*Tt  i.s  a  fact  not  often  remembered,  that  Travis  and  his  men  died  under  the  Mexican  Federal  ti.'iff  of 
1824.,  instead  of  the  "Lone  Star,"  although  the  independence  of  Texas,  unknown  to  them,  had  been  <Sy» 
clare  1  four  days  before.  They  died  for  a  Republic  whose  existence  they  never  know. 


672  TEXAS. 

three  hundred  men  in  the  action  were  lost  to  the  service  counting  with  the  killed  those  who 
died  of  wounds  or  were  permanently  disabled.  This  agrees  with  the  other  most  reliable 
estimates.  Now,  if  five  hundred  men  or  more  were  bullet-stricken  in  half  an  hour  by  one 
hundred  and  eighty  or  less,  it  was  a  rapidity  of  bloodshed  almost  unexampled,  and  needs 
no  exaggeration. 

Of  the  foregoing  details  which  do  not  refer  to  documentary  authority,  I  obtained  many 
from  Gen.  Bradburn,  who  arrived  at  San  Antonio  a  few  days  after  the  action,  and  gathered 
them  from  officers  who  were  in  it.  A  few  I  had  through  a  friend  from  General  Amador. 
Others  again  I  received  from  three  intelligent  sergeants,  who  were  men  of  fair  education 
and  I  think  truthful.  One  of  them,  Serg.  Becero,  of  the  battalion  of  Matamoras,  who 
•was  captured  at  San  Jacinto,  was  for  several  years  my  servant  in  Texas.  From  men  of 
their  class  I  could  generally  get  more  candid  statements  as  to  loss  and  other  matters  than 
from  commissioned  officers.  I  have  also  gathered  some  minor  particulars  from  local  tra 
dition  preserved  among  the  residents  of  this  town.  When  most  of  the  details  thus  learned 
were  acquired  I  had  not  seen  the  locality;  and  hence  I  have  to  locate  some  of  the  occur 
rences  by  inference;  which  I  have  done  carefully  and  I  think  correctly. 

The  stranger  will  naturally  inquire,  "  Where  lie  the  heroes  of  the  Alamo?"  and  Texas 
can  only  reply  by  a  silent  blush.  A  few  hours  after  the  action,  the  bodies  of  the  slaugh 
tered  garrison  were  gathered  up  by  the  victors,  laid  in  three  piles,  mingled  with  fuel,  and 
burned.  On  the  25th  of  February,  near  a  year  after,  their  bones  and  ashes  were  collected, 
placed  in  a  coffin,  and  interred  with  due  solemnity,  and  with  military  honors,  by  Colonel 
Seguin  and  his  command.  The  place  of  burial  was  in  what  was  then  a  peach  orchard  out 
side  the  town  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  Alamo.  It  is  now  a  large  inclosed  lot  in  the 
midst  of  the  Alamo  suburb. 

"It  was  on  the  night  Gen.  Houston  reached  Gronzales,"  says  Yoakum,  "that  two 
Mexicans  brought  the  first  news  of  the  fall  of  the  Alamo,  and  the  death  of  its  de 
fenders.  The  scene  produced  in  the  town  by  these  sad  tidings  can  not  be  described. 
At  least  a  dozen  women  with  their  children,  in  that  place  alone,  had  thus  been  left 
widows  and  orphans.  In  fact,  there  was  scarcely  a  family  in  the  town  but  had  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  one  or  more  of  its  members.  'For  four-and-twenty  hours,'  says 
Capt.  Handy, '  after  the  news  reached  us,  not  a  sound  was  heard,  save  the  wild  shrieks 
of  the  women,  and  the  heart-rending  screams  of  their  fatherless  children.  Little 
groups  of  men  might  be  seen  in  various  corners  of  the  town,  brooding  over  the  past, 
and  speculating  of  the  future;  but  they  scarcely  spoke  above  a  whisper.  The  pub 
lic  and  private  grief  was  alike  heavy. "  It  sank  deep  into  the  heart  of  the  rudest 
soldier.'  To  soften  as  much  as  possible  the  unhappy  effect  of  the  intelligence, 
Houston  caused  the  two  Mexicans  to  be  arrested  and  kept  under  guard,  as  spies." 


In  the  Comanche  war  of  1840,  a  severe  fight  occurred  in  the  town  of  San 
Antonio,  between  a  company  of  Texans  and  a  party  of  Comanche  chiefs,  who 
had  come  in  to  make  a  treaty,  in  which  the  latter  were  all  killed.  The  event 
is  thus  given  in  Yoakum's  History : 

The  Comanches  had  made  frequent  forays  into  the  Texan  settlements,  and  among 
other  outrages,  had  carried  off  several  captives.  In  February,  1840,  a  few  of  these 
Indians  came  to  San  Antonio,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  treaty  of  peace  with 
Texas.  They  were  told  by  the  commissioners  to  bring  in  the  thirteen  white  captives 
they  had,  and  peace  would  be  granted;  they  promised  that,  at  the  next  full  moon, 
they  would  do  so.  The  commissioners  repaired  to  Bexar  to  meet  them;  and  on  the 
]9th  of  March,  a  little  after  the  appointed  time,  the  Indians,  sixty-live  in  all,  in 
cluding  men,  women  and  children,  came  in,  bringing,  however,  but  one  of  the  cap 
tives.  Twelve  chiefs  met  the  commissioners  in  the  treaty-house,  and  the  question 
was  put  to  them,  "  Where  are  the  prisoners  youpromisod  to  bring  in  to  this  talk?" 
They  answered :  "We  brought  the  only  one  we  had;  the  others  are  with  other 
tribes."  The  little  girl  who  had  been  brought  in  said  this  was  utterly  false,  as  she 
had  seen  the  others  at  the  Indian  camp  a  few  days  before,  and  that  they  intended 
to  bring  in  only  one  or  two  at  a  time,  in  order  to  extort  for  them  the  greater  ran- 
go/ii.  A  pause  ensued  for  some  time  in  the  council,  when  the  same  chief  who  had 
given  the  answer  inquired  how  they  liked  it.  No  reply  was  made,  but  an  order 
was  dispatched  to  Capt.  Howard  to  bring  his  company  into  the  council-room. 


TEXAS. 


673 


When  the  men  had  taken  their  position,  the  terms  upon  which  peace  would  have 
been  made,  had  they  brought  in  the  captives  as  they  promised,  were  explained  to 
the  chiefs.  They  were  also  informed  that  they  were  prisoners,  and  would  be  de 
tained  until  they  sent  the  rest  of  their  company  for  the  captives,  and  brought 
them  in. 

As  the  commissioners  were  retiring  from  the  room,  one  of  the  chiefs  sprang  to 
the  door;  and  the  sentinel  there  stationed,  in  attempting  to  prevent  his  escape, 
was  stabbed  by  him  with  a  knife.  Captain  Howard  received  a  like  wound.  The 
remaining  chiefs  now  rose,  drew  their  knives,  and  prepared  their  bows  and  arrows,, 
and  the  fight  became  general.  The  soldiers  killed  the  whole  of  the  chiefs  engaged 
in  the  council.  The  warriors,  not  of  the  council,  fought  desperately  in  the  yard  : 
but  the  company  under  Captain  Redd  advancing,  forced  them  to  take  shelter  in  a 
stone  house,  whither  they  were  pursued  and  cut  down.  A  party  of  the  savages  at 
last  made  their  way  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  but  were  pursued,  and  all 
killed,  except  a  renegade  Mexican,  who  was  permitted  to  escape.  All  the  warriors, 
thirty-two  in  number,  together  with  three  women  and  two  children,  were  killed. 
Twenty  seven  women  and  children  were  made  prisoners.  In  this  remarkable  fight 
none  escaped  except  the  Mexican.  The  Texans  had  seven  killed  and  eight 
wounded. 

The  Comanches  hung  about  San  Antonio  in  small  parties,  brooding  over  their 
loss.  The  killing  of  so  many  of  their  chiefs  was  a  severe  stroke,  and  they  were 
divided  on  the  question  of  war.  At  length  they  retired  to  their  homes, "on  the 
upper  branches  of  the  Texan  rivers,  to  make  serious  preparations  for  a  turriblo 
visitation  on  the  white  settlements.* 


Eastern  view  o     the 


at  Luitdiiu/,  at  Houston. 


T1ie  view  shows  the  appearance  of  the   Landing,  etc.,  on  the  right  I  tank  of  the   Buffalo  Bayou,  HA  ib 
'!'o;ic.]ic'i   from   the  oast.     Somt\  of  (he  Cotton  Warehouses  a 


»l»j 
i»jijx/si 


bank  of  Hie  stream,  the  Texan  Central  Railroad  com 


ppeal1  oti   the  left.     In  the  distitiico,  on   tlw» 
ce*. 


HOUSTON,  the  county  scat  for  Harris  county,  and  formerly  the  state  capi 
tal,  is  situated  on  the  Buffalo  Bayou,  at  the  head  of  steamboat  navigation,  50 


*  After  this  the  Texans  carried  on  a  war  of  extermination.  In  an  excursion  against  one 
»f  the  Comanche  villages  in  the  ensuing  fall,  under  Col.  John  II.  Moore,  "the  bodies  of 
men,,  women,  and  children,  were  seen  on  every  baud,  dead,  wounded  and  dying." 

43 


674 


TEXAS. 


miles  by  railroad,  and  80  by  water  from  Galveston,  and  about  160  from 
Austin,  the  capital.  Most  of  the  houses  and  stores  at  present  are  of  wood, 
and  of  simple  construction;  the  merchant  shops  are  furnished  with  a  rich 

variety  of  goods, 
and  the  place  has 
a  large  and  lucra 
tive  trade  with  the 
interior  of  the  state. 
Various  railroads 
are  now  being  con 
structed,  which  cen 
ter  at  this  place  and 
will  add  to  its 
wealth  and  import 
ance.  The  bayou 
at  the  landing  is 
but  about  100ft.  in 
breadth,  although 
of  sufficient  depth 
to  float  large  steam 
boats.  The  elevat 
ed  banks,  with  their 
trees  and  foliage 
The  town  is  surrounded  by 
Population 


ANCIENT  CAPITOL. 

The  engraving  is  from  a  drawing  of  the  first  State  House  in  Texas.  ,  It  is 
situated  on  the  main  street  of  Houston,  and  is  now  occupied  as  a  public 
house,  known  as  the  "Old  Capitol  Hotel."  The  addition  at  the  end  was 
formerly  of  but  one  story,  aud  was  used  as  a  committee  room. 


gives  this  point  quite  a  picturesque  appearance 

a  fertile  country,  and  is  the  greatest  cotton  mart  in  the  state. 

about  6,000. 

Houston  was  laid  out  by  John  K.  and  A.  C.  Allen,  and  the  settlement  was 
commenced  in  1836.  The  first  building  was  a  log  house  belonging  to  Col. 
Benj.  Fort  Smith,  near  the  site  of  the  present  postoffice,  about  200  yards 
from  the  bayou.  The  first  framed  building  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Main- 
street;  the  upper  s%ory  was  used  as  a  theater,  the  lower  part  for  a  drinking 
saloon.  It  has  been  moved  to  the  west  side  of  the  street,  and  is  now  used 
by  Mr.  TV.  R.  Wilson  as  a  hardware  store.  Dr.  J.  L.  Bryan  was  the  first 
who  passed  a  wagon  over  the  bayou:  this  was  accomplished  by  means  of  two 
canoes  or  "dug-outs"  the  wheels  on  one  side  of  the  wagon  were  placed  in 
one  of  the  boats,  and  the  opposite  wheels  in  the  other.  The  first  clergymen 
in  the  place  were  Mr.  Hall,  Presbyterian;  Mr.  Fowler,  Methodist;  and  Mr. 
Woodruff,  Baptist.  The  first  hotel  was  kept  in  Col.  Smith's  log  house. 


GOLIAD,  the  capital  of  Goliad  county,  is  on  the  right  bank  of  the  San 
Antonio,  100  miles  below  the  town  of  San  Antonio,  and  has  about  600  in 
habitants.  It  was  anciently  called  La  Bahia,  and  was  the  seat  of  a  mission 
establishment.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  Texas,  and  was  formerly  a 
point  of  much  importance:  its  name  implies  a  place  of  strength.  Its  fortifi 
cations  were  immense,  and  considered  by  the  Spaniards  as  impregnable:  they 
are  still  in  existence,  though  mostly  in  ruins.  Amid  these  ruins  stands  the 
old  church,  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  in  tolerable  preservation.  In  this  church 
and  fortifications,  shown  in  the  view,  Fannin's  men  were  confined  previous 
to  their  massacre,  and  the  wounded,  who  were  killed  apart  from  their  com 
panions,  were  executed  within  the  works. 

Like  all  the  old  places  in  Texas,  Goliad  abounds  in  historical  incidents. 


TEXAS.  675 

The  one  by  which  it  has  become  famous  is  that  of  "Fonnin's  Massacre"  the 
most  terribl^  event  in  the  annals  of  the  Texan  war  of  independence. 

"In  1836,  while  Santa  Anna  was  concentrating  his  forces  at  San  Antonio  de 

Bexar,  another  divia- 
ion  of  the  forces  un 
der  Gen.  Urrea,  pro- 
ceeded  along  the  line 
of  the  coast.  Col. 
Fannin,  then  at  Go- 
Had,  sent  twenty- 
eight  men  about 
twenty-fivo  miles  dis 
tant,  under  Captain 
King,  to  remove 
some  families  to  a 
RUINS  AT  GOLIAD.  place  of  safety.  They 

Old  Church  and  Fortification,  the  scene  of  Faimin's  Massacre.  ^osfc.  their  way  in  the 

prairie,     and    were 

taken  prisoners  and  shot  by  Urrea.  Col.  Fannin  having  received  no  tidings  from 
King,  sent  out  Col.  Ward  with  a  larger  detachment,  who  falling  in  with  the  enemy, 
had  two  engagements  with  him;  in  the  last,  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  he  was 
obliged  to  surrender.  On  the  18th  of  March,  Fannin's  force  being  reduced  to  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  men,  he  left  Goliad  and  commenced  retreating  toward 
Victoria;  and  on  that  afternoon  was  overtaken  on  a  prairie  and  surrounded  by  the 
Mexican  infantry,  and  some  Indian  allies.  The  Texans,  arranging  themselves  in 
a  hollow  square,  successfully  repelled  all  charges.  At  dusk,  the  Indians,  by  com 
mand  of  Urrea,  threw  themselves  upon  the  ground,  and  under  cover  of  the  tall 
grass,  crawled  up  and  poured  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  Texans.  As  soon  as  it 
was  sufficiently  dark  to  discern  the  flashes  of  their  guns,  the  Texans  soon  picked 
them  off  and  drove  them  back.  The  Mexicans  withdrew  and  encamped  for  the 
night,  having  lost  a  large  number  of  men.  The  Texan  loss  was  seven  killed  and 
about  sixty  wounded.  The  Texans  threw  up  a  breastwork  during  the  night;  but 
when  morning  dawned,  discovered  that  their  labor  had  been  useless,  for  Urrea  was 
joined  by  five  hundred  fresh  troops  with  artillery.  Upon  this,  Fannin  seeing  the 
inutility  of  farther  resistance  against  an  army  ten  times  his  superior,  surrendered 
on  condition  that  they  should  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war."  The  terms,  in  sub 
stance,  were  as  follows,  which,  with  the  remainder  of  the  narrative,  we  extract 
from  Yoakum's  History: 

"1.  That  the  Texans  should  be  received  and  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  accord 
ing  to  the  usages  of  the  most  civilized  nations.  2.  That  private  property  should 
be  respected  and  restored ;  but  that  the  side-arms  of  the  officers  should  be  given 
up.  3.  That  the  men  should  be  sent  to  Copano,  and  thence,  in  eight  days,  to  the 
United  States,  or  so  soon  thereafter  as  vessels  could  be  procured  to  take  them.  4. 
That  the  officers  should  be  paroled,  and  returned  to  the  United  States  in  like  man- 
net.  Gen.  Urrea  immediately  sent  Col.  Holzinger  and  other  officers  to  consummate 
the  agreement.  It  was  reduced  to  writing  in  both  the  English  and  Spanish  lan 
guages,  read  over  two  or  three  times,  signed,  and  the  writings  exchanged  in  "  the 
most  formal  and  solemn  manner." 

The  Texans  immediately  piled  their  arms,  and  such  of  them  as  were  able  to 
march  were  hurried  off  to  Goliad,  where  they  arrived  at  sunset  on  the  same  day 
(the  20th).  The  wounded,  among  whom  was  Col.  Fannin,  did  not  reach  the  place 
till  the.  22d.  At  Goliad  the  prisoners  were  crowded  into  the  old  church,  with  no 
other  food  than  a  scanty  pittance  of  beef,  without  bread  or  salt. 

On  the  23d,  Col.  Fannin  and  Col.  Holzinger  proceeded  to  Copano,  to  ascertain 
if  a  vessel  could  be  procured  to  convey  the  Texans  to  the  United  States ;  but  the 
vessel  they  expected  to  obtain  had  already  left  that  port.  They  did  not  return  till 
the  26th.  On  the  23d,  Maj.  Miller,  with  eighty  Texan  volunteers,  who  had  just 
landed  at  Copano,  were  taken  prisoners  and  brought  into  Goliad  by  Col.  Vara. 


676  TEXAS. 

Again,  on  the  25th,  Col.  Ward  and  his  men,  captured  by  Urrea,  as  has  already  beer 
stated,  were  brought  in. 

The  evening  of  the  26th  passed  off  pleasantly  enough.  Col.  Fannin  was  enter 
taining  his  friends  with  the  prospect  of  returning  to  the  United  States  ;  and  some 
of  the  young  men,  who  could  perform  well  on  the  flute,  were  playing  "HOME,  SWEET 
HOME."  How  happy  we  are  that  the  vail  of  the  future  is  suspended  before  us !  At 
seven  o'clock  that  night,  an  order,  brought  by  an  extraordinary  courier  from  Santa 
Anna,  required  the  prisoners  to  be  shot!  Detailed  regulations  were  sent  as  to  the 
mode  of  executing  this  cold-blooded  and  atrocious  order.  Col.  Portilla,  the  com 
mandant  of  the  place,  did  not  long  hesitate  in  its  execution.  He  had  four  hundred 
and  forty-five  prisoners  under  his  charge.  Eighty  of  these  brought  from  Copano, 
having  just  landed,  and  who  as  yet  had  done  no  fighting,  were  considered  as  not 
within  the  scope  of  the  order,  and  for  the  time  were  excused.  The  services  of  four 
of  the  Texan  physicians — that  is,  Drs.  Joseph  II.  Bernard,  Field,  Hall,  and  Shackle- 
ford — being  needed  to  take  care  of  the  Mexican  wounded,  their  lives  were  spared. 
So  likewise  were  four  others,  who  were  assistants  in  the  hospital,  Messrs.  Bilfc, 
Griffin,  Smith  and  Skerlock. 

At  dawn  of  day,  on  Palm  Sunday,  March  27th,  the  Texans  were  aAvakened  by  a 
Mexican  officer,  who  said  he  wished  them  to  form  a  line,  that  they  might  be  counted. 
The  men  were  marched  out  in  separate  divisions,  under  different  pretexts.  Some 
were  told  that  they  were  to  be  taken  to  Copano,  in  order  to  be  sent  home;  others 
that  they  were  going  out  to  slaughter  beeves;  and  others,  agrtin,  that  they  wcro 
being  removed  to  make  room  in  the  fort  for  Santa  Anna.  Dr.  Shackleford,  who 
had  been  invited  by  Col.  Guerrier  to  his  tent,  about  a  hundred  yards  south-enst- 
wardly  from  the  fort,  says :  '  In  about  half  an  hour,  we  heard  the  report  of  a  vol 
ley  of  small-arms,  toward  the  river,  and  to  the  east  of  the  fort.  I  immediately  in 
quired  the  cause  of  the  firing,  and  was  assured  by  the  officer  that  'he  did  not  know, 
but  supposed  it  was  the  guard  firing  off  their  guns.'  In  about  fifteen  or  twenty 
minutes  thereafter,  another  such  volley  was  fired,  directly  south  of  us,  and  in  front. 
At  the  same  time  1  could  distinguish  the  heads  of  some  of  the  men  through  the 
boughs  of  some  peach  trees,  and  could  hear  their  screams.  It  was  then,  for  the 
first 'time,  the  awful  conviction  seized  upon  our  minds  that  treachery  and  murder 
had  begun  their  work!  Shortly  afterward,  Col.  Guerrier  appeared  at  the  mouth 
of  the  tent.  I  asked  him  if  it  could  be  possible  they  were  murdering  our  men. 
He  replied  that  'it  was  so;  but  he  had  not  given  the  order,  neither  had  he  exe 
cuted  it.' ' 

In  about  an  hour  more,  the  wounded  left  in  the  barracks,  were  dragged  out  into 
the  fort  yard  and  butchered.  Col.  Fannin  was  the  last  to  suffer.  When  informed 
of  his  fate,  he  met  it  like  a  soldier.  He  handed  his  watch  to  the  officer  whose  bus 
iness  it  was  to  murder  him,  and  requested  him  to  have  him  shot  in  the  breast  and 
not  in  the  head,  and  likewise  to  see  that  his  remains  should  be  decently  buried. 
These  natural  and  proper  requirements  the  officer  promised  should  be  fulfilled,  but, 
with  that  perfidy  which  is  so  prominent  a  characteristic  of  the  Mexican  race,  he 
failed  to  do  either!  Fannin  seated  himself  in  a  chair,  tied  the  handkerchief  over 
his  eyes,  and  bared  his  bosom  to  receive  the  fire  of  the  soldiers. 

As  the  different  divisions  were  brought  to  the  place  of  execution,  they  were 
ordered  to  sit  down  with  their  backs  to  the  guard.  In  one  instance,  'young  Fen- 
ner  rose  on  his  feet,  and  exclaimed,  'Boys  they  are  going  1o  kill  its — die  with  your 
faces  to  ihem,  like  men!'  At  the  same  time,  two  other  young  men,  flourishing 
their  caps  over  their  heads,  shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  'Hurrah  for 
Texas!'* 

Many  attempted  to  escape;  but  the  most  of  those  who  survived  the  first  fire 
were  cut  down  by  the  pursuing  cavalry,  or  afterward  shot.  It  is  believed  that,  in 
all  twenty -seven*  of  those  who  were  inarched  out  to  be  slaughtered  made  their 

*0f  the  twenty-seven  who  escaped,  probably  not  six  are,  at  this  lapse  of  time,  living. 
One  of  the  survivors,  Mr.  Herman  Ehrenberg,  now  (1861)  of  Ari/onia,  related  to  us  bis 
manner  of  escape.  He  was  .at  the  time  a  mere  youth,  and  was  at  the  end  of  his  compa 
ny  when  the  order  was  given  to  fire.  Unhurt  by  the  discharge,  he  sprang  and  ran  for  the 
river  bank,  when  he  leceived  a  sabre  cut  from  a  Mexican  officer — the  evidence  of  the 


TEXAS.  677 

escape ;  leaving  three  hundred  and  thirty  who  suffered  death  on  that  Sunday 
morning." 

Mr.  S.  H.  B.,  now  a  well  known  merchant  of  Cincinnati,  was  at  the  time 
a  lad  of  18  years  of  age.  and  the  private  secretary  of  Major  Miller.  From 
his  lips  we  have  gatheped  these  details: 

Miller's  command  was  not  included  in  the  massacre.  We  were  saved  by  the  in- 
terfence  of  the  wife  of  Alvarez,  the  Mexican  officer  by  whom  we  were  taken :  she 
was  a  most  noble  woman,  who  persuaded  her  husband  to  spare  us.  Santa  Anna 
subsequently  dispatched  orders  for  our  execution,  but  we  had  so  happily  won  the 
esteem  of  the  Mexican  officers  that  they  united  in  a  petition  in  our  behalf  to  Santa 
Anna.  In  the  meantime  occurred  the  victory  of  San  Jacinte,  and  Santa  Anna  was 
himself  a  prisoner.  Our  men  were  soon  released,  but  the  major  and  myself  were 
conducted  to  Matamoras,  and  after  an  imprisonment  of  three  months  escaped  from 
them  on  horseback,  in  the  disguise  of  Mexican  officers,  and  in  this  way  passed 
through  the  ranks  of  several  of  their  corps  on  their  march  thither. 

The  morning  of  the  massacre  was  slightly  foggy.  Without  understanding  where 
fore,  we,  of  Miller's  command,  were  ordered  to  tie  a  white  band  around  our  left 
arms;  some  of  us  tore  pieces  from  our  shirts  for  that  purpose.  This  was  to  dis 
tinguish  us  from  Fannin's  men,  who  alone  were  doomed.  We  were  conducted  out 
to  a  peach  and  fig  grove,  in  front  of  the  church,  and  in  sight  of  two  of  the  three 
parties  into  which  Fannin's  men  were  divided:  the  third  being  out  of  view  behind 
the  church,  near  the  river  bank.  When  the  firing  began,  boy  as  I  was,  I  was  im 
pressed  by  the  varied  expressions  in  the  faces  of  our  men,  thus  made  unexpected 
witnesses  of  the  awful  tragedy.  Surprise,  horror,  grief  and  revenge  were  depicted 
in  the  most  vivid  lines.  At  first  all  were  startled:  some  became  at  once  horror 
stricken,  others  wept  in  silent  agony,  still  others  laughed  in  their  passion,  swore, 
clinched  their  teeth,  and  looked  like  demons.  Now,  at  the  lapse  of  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  I  can  never  think  or  talk  of  that  dreadful  scene  with  any  de 
gree  of  composure.  Some  of  the  poor  fellows  attempted  to  escape,  and  of  course 
outrun  the  Mexicans  :  hut  then  the  cavalry !  Just  as  one  of  these  men  of  Fannin's 
had  got  fairly  clear  of  his  pursuers,  a  mounted  Mexican  from  close  by  me  at  once 
started  on  the  chase,  and  catching  up  with  him,  cut  him  down.  Never  did  I  so 
want  to  hamstring  a  horse.  Those  not  killed  outright,  were  deliberately  butchered 
by  the  Mexicans,  men  and  women,  and  stripped.  This  over,  some  of  them,  even 
the  women,  as  they  passed  by  us  on  their  return  laden  with  plunder,  insulted  us 
by  the  grossest  vulgarities,  shook  their  fists  in  our  faces,  swearing  in  taunting  tones 
and  the  vilest  words — "  Your  turn — to-morrow  /" 

The  stripped  bodies  of  the  slain  were  collected  and  placed  in  piles.  Those  of 
the  wounded  who  had  been  massacred  at  the  fort,  Fannin's  among  the  rest,  were 
chucked  stark  naked  into  carts,  like  so  many  dead  hogs,  carried  out  and  dumped 
on  top  of  the  others.  Brush  was  then  piled  over  the  whole  and  set  on  fire.  It 
took  several  days'  successive  burnings  to  consume  them.  Nightly  the  prairie  wolves 
gathered  to  feast  on  the  half  roasted  bodies,  and  kept  up  their  bowlings  through 
all  the  long  hours,  and  as  the  day  dawned  their  execrable  screams  increased,  in  rage 
at  being  thus  driven  by  the  morning  light  from  their  horrid  banquet! 

wound  he  carries  to  this  day,  and  just  where  a  brave  man  likes  it,  in  the  forehead. 
Ehrenberg  thereupon  grappled  and  wrested  his  sword  from  him,  and  then  continued  his 
flight,  dashed  into  the  river,  and  swimming  across,  escaped.  Some  years  since  a  narrative 
of  his  Texan  campaign  adventures  was  published  in  Germany — at  Leipsic,  we,think — whither 
the  MS.  was  sent,  though  the  a,uthor  never  saw  a  copy  of  the  printed  book.  In  a  private  let 
ter  before  us,  he  gives  an  outline  which  illustrates  the  life  of  adventure,  of  which  our  coun 
try  furnishes  so  many  examples.  "  In  Texas  I  belonged  to  the  New  Orleans  Grays — was 
the  third  man  (boy)  who  signed  his  name  for  Texas  as  a  volunteer,  in  the  Arcade  building. 
Was  at  the  storming  of  San  Antonio — Fannin's — and  afterward  twice  prisoner  with  the 
Mexicans.  Went  over  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Washington  and  Oregon  in  1844 — '45  and 
'46  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  numerous  groups  in  the  southern  hemisphereuand  South 
America — returned  to  California — '46-'47  west  coast  of  Mexico — '48-'49,  California — '50, 
discovered  the  mouth  of  Klamath  River  and  the  Gold  Bin/,  and  the  first  gold  on  the  sea 
shore.  Consequent  great  excitement  in  California,  notwithstanding  my  reports  against  it 
—'54,  went  to  Sonora  and  Arizona,  and  there  ever  since." 


678 


TEXAS. 


THE  CAPITOL  or  TEXAS,  AT  AVSTIN. 


AUSTIN,  named  from  the  founder  of  Texas,  is  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Colorado,  about  255  miles  N.W.  from  Galveston,  and  1,420  from  Washing 
ton.  It  is  built  on  a  plain,  elevated  some  30  or  40  feet  above  the  level  of 

the  river.  Popu 
lation  about  4,500. 
The  capitol  build 
ing  crowns  an  em 
inence  at  the  head 
of  Congress  Ave 
nue,  the  main  street 
of  Austin.  It  is 
of  the  Ionic  order 
of  architecture,  90 
feet  deep  by  145 
feet  in  front:  the 
entire  bight,  from 
the  foundation  to 
the  top  of  the 
dome,  is  101  feet. 
The  building  is 
constructed  of  an 
•  oolite  of  a  soft 
white  color,  at  a 
cost  of  $150,000. 

The  governor's  house  is  a  brick  edifice,  and  on  an  eminence  about  300  yards 
from  the  capitol.  The  treasury  department  and  the  general  land  office  are 
fine  buildings.  Austin  has  been  sometimes  mistaken  by  strangers  for  San 
Felipe  De  Austin,  and  which  of  late  years  has  simply  been  called  San  Felipe. 

"  The  old  capitol  in  Austin  was  a  rather  rudely  constructed  frame  building,  and 
was  for  a  year  or  two  the  place  of  session  for  the  congress  of  the  Republic  of  Texas. 
Its  walls  have  reverberated  to  the  eloquent  appeals  of  many  of  the  most  patriotic 
and  gifted  sons  of  Texas.  The  convention  which  formed  our  present  state  consti 
tution  met  in  it,  July  4,  1845.  There  the  legislature  continued  to  convene  until 
the  new  capitol  was  finished.  Since  then  it  has  been  used  for  various  purposes. 
It  is  gone  now — torn  down. 

One  by  one  the  vestiges  of  our  former  nationality  disappear.  In  the  old  Texan 
these  things  produce  a  sorrowful  impression,  despite  the  conviction  that  they  are 
the  results  of  time  and  progress.  He  can  not  forget  the  day  when  this  humble 
house  was  the  capitol  of  a  nation  few  in  number,  but  rich  in  the  elements  of  pa 
triotism — blindly  and  ardently  devoted  to  the  country,  and  ever  ready  with  stout 
hands  and  brave  hearts  to  defend  it.  His  mind  will  revert  to  old  times — old  scenes 
and  old  men — to  the  period  when  every  citizen  was,  perforce,  a  soldier,  and  all  felt 
and  acted  as  a  band  of  brothers.  And  in  no  instance  was  the  feeling  more  evident 
than  on  the  19th  of  February,  1846.  When  President  Anson  Jones,  on  the  steps 
of  that  same  old  house,  in  an  impressive  and  touching  address,  announced  the 
change  of  government — the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the  Union  ;  and  concluded  by 
saying,  'The  Republic  of  Texas  is  no  more!1  there  was  a  smothering  of  sensations 
which  all  felt,  yet  few  desired  to  display  in  public.  Broad  chests  heaved — strong 
hands  were  clinched,  and  tears  were  flowing  down  cheeks  where  they  had  been 
strangers  for  long,  long  years.  It  was  a  moment  of  deep,  intense  emotion.  Had 
any  one  doubted  the  affection  of  Texans  for  the  beautiful  land  of  their  adoption, 
this  scene  would  have  removed  all  skepticism. 

The  old  house  is  gone — it  has  disappeared  before  the  resistless  wave  of  progress 
— it  is  numbered  with  the  things  that  were;  yet  there  are  loyal  hearts  which  will 
beat  faster  when  they  think  of  the  bygone  days  when  it  was  the  capitol  of  a  fear- 


TEXAS. 


679 


less  people,  who  loved  their  own  sunny  land  for  itself  alone,  and  were  always  in 
readiness  to  sacrifice  property  and  life  to  sustain  its  honor  and  preserve  its  integ 
rity.  Linked  as  it  is  with  our  past  history — with  the  brief,  glorious,  and  brilliant 
career  of  the  a  Lone  Star  Republic,"  they  can  not  think  of  it  without  indorsing  the 
sentiment  of  the  immortal  Burns : 

'  Still  o'er  these  scenes  my  memory  wakes 
And  fondly  broods  with  miser-care  ; 
Time  but  the  impression  deeper  makes, 
As  streams  their  channels  deeper  wear.'  " — [Times. 


.The  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of  the  heroes  of  the  Alamo  at  the 
capital,  is  ten  feet  high,  and  is  constructed  of  stones  taken  from  the  ruins 
of  the  Alamo.  The  following  are  the  inscriptions: 

North  front — To  the  GOD  of  the  fearless  and  free  is  dedicated  this  ALTAR,  made  from  the 
ruins  of  the  ALAMO.  March  6,  1836,  A.D. — CROCKETT?  West  front — Blood  of  Heroes  hath 
gtained  me.  Let  the  stones  of  the  ALAMO  speak  that  their  immolation  be  not  forgotten, 
March  6,  1836,  A.D. — BONHAJC.  South  front — Be  they  enrolled  with  Leonidas  in  the  host 
of  the  MIGHTY  DEAD.  March  6,  1836,  A.D. — TRAVIS.  East  front — THERMOPYLAE  had  her 
messenger  of  defeat,  but  the  Alamo  had  none.  March  6,  1836,  A.D. — BOWIE. 

The  following  names  of  those  who  fell  are  inscribed  on  the  north  and  south 
sides  of  the  monument.  The  list  comprises  nearly  all  of  the  slain: 

Anderson,  S.  C.  Blair,  Balentine, 

W.  Blazeby,  Blair,  .      J.  J.  Baugh, 

J.  B.  Bowman,  Brown, 

Baker,  Bowiu, 


M.  Autry, 

R.  Allen, 

M.  Aiidress, 

Ay  res, 

J.'  Baker, 

Barns, 

Bailey, 

J.  Beard, 

Bailess, 

Bourn, 

11.  Cunningham, 

J.  Clark, 

J.  Caue, 

Cloud, 

S.  Crawford, 

Cary, 

W.  Cummings, 

R.  Crossan, 

Cockran, 

G.  W.  Cottle, 

J.  Dust, 

J.  Dillard, 

A.  Dickinson, 

O.  Despalier, 

L.  Lavall, 

J.  C.  Day, 

J.  Dickens, 

Devault, 

W.  Dearduff, 

J.  Ewing, 

T.  R.  Evans, 

D.  Floyd, 

J.  Flanders, 

W.  Fishbaugh, 

Forsyth, 

G.  Fuga, 

J.  C.  Goodrich, 

J.  George, 

J.  Giistori, 

J.  C.  Garrett, 

W.  Mills, 

Micheson, 

E.  T.  Mitchell, 
E.  Melton, 
McGregor, 

T.  Miller, 
J.  McCoy, 
E.  Morton, 
E.  Mussulman, 
Mitlsop, 
R.  B.  Moore, 
W.  Marshall, 
Moore, 


ALAMO  MONUMENT. 


R.  McKenny, 

McCafferty, 

J.  McGee, 

G.  W.  Main, 

M.  Querry, 

C.  Nelson, 

J.  Noland, 

Nelson, 

Wm.  G.  Nelson, 

C.  Ostiner, 

Pelone  C.  Parker, 

N.  Pollard, 

G.  Paggan, 


S.  Robinson, 

Reddeuson, 

N.  Rough,    • 

Rusk, 

Robbing, 

W.  Smith, 

Sears, 

C.  Smith, 

Stockton, 

Stewart, 

A.  Smith, 

J.  C.  Smith, 

Sewall, 


Burnell, 

Butler, 

C.  Grimes, 

Gwin, 

J.  E.  Garwin, 

Gillmore, 

Hutchason, 

S.  Holloway, 

Harrison, 

Hieskell, 

J.  Hayes, 

Horrell, 

Harris, 

Hawkins, 

J.  Holland, 

W,  Hersie, 

Ingrain, 

John, 

J.  Jones, 

L.  Johnson, 

C.  B.  Jamison, 
W.  Johnson, 
T.  Jackson, 

D.  Jackson, 
Jackson, 
G.  Kemble, 
A.  Kent, 
W.  King, 
Kenuey, 

J.  Kenny, 

Lewis, 

W.  Linn, 

Wm.  Lightfoot, 

J.  Lonly 

Lanio, 

W.  Lightfoot, 

G.  W.  Linn, 

Lewis, 

A.  Smith, 

Simpson, 

R.  Star, 

Starn, 

N.  Sutherland, 

\V.  Summers, 

J.  Summerline, 

Thompson, 

Tomlinson, 

E.  Taylor, 
G.  Taylor, 
J.  Taylor, 
W.  Taylor. 


680  TEXAS. 

Thornton,  D.  Wilson,  R.  White,  D.  Wilson, 

Thomsis,  Walsh,  J.  Washington,  J.  Wilson, 

J.  M.  Thurston,  Washington,  T.  Waters,  A.  Wolf, 

\alentino,  W.  Wells,  Warnell,  L.  J.  Wilson, 

Williamson,  C.  Wright,  J.  White,  Warner. 

New  Braunfels  is  the  largest  town  of  the  German  settlers  in  Texas.  It  is 
on  the  Gaudaloupe  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  state,  32  miles  north-east 
from  San  Antonio,  and  is  the  capital  of  Gaudaloupe  county.  Population 
about  2,000. 

It  is  in  this  section  of  Texas  that  the  business  of  cattle  raising,  horse  and  sheep 
breeding  is  extensively  carried  on.  The  widely  known  sheep  farm  or  ranche  of 
Geo.  W.  Kendall,  Esq.,  is  just  in  the  outskirts  of  New  Braunfels,  under  the  care 
of  a  Scotch  head  shepherd,  bred  to  the  business  on  the  Cheviot  Hills,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Tweed:  all  extra  labor  is  done  by  Germans  from  the  town.  Mr.  Kendall, 
after  years  of  experience,  says  that  this  industry  "  in  Texas  promises  to  be  as  profit 
able  as  any  followed  by  man  since  the  days  of  Abraham." 

A  recent  traveler  gives  this  description  of  New  Braunfels,  or  as  the  Ger 
mans  spell  it,  Ntu-Braunfeh'. 

The  main  street  of  the  town,  Avhich  we  soon  entered  upon,  was  very  wide — three 
times  as  wide,  in  effect,  as  Broadway  in  New  York.  The  houses,  with  which  it 
was  thickly  lined  on  each  side  for  a  mile,  were  small,  low  cottages,  of  no  pretens 
ions  to  elegance,  yet  generally  looking  neat  and  comfortable.  Many  were  furnished 
with  verandahs  and  gardens,  and  the  greater  part  were  either  stuccoed  or  painted. 
There  were  many  workshops  of  mechanics  and  small  stores,  with  signs  oftencr  in 
English  than  in  German ;  and  bare-headed  women,  and  men  in  caps  and  short 
jackets,  with  pendent  pipes,  were  everywhere  seen  at  work. 

The  citizens  are,  however,  nearly  all  men  of  very  small  capital.  Of  the  original 
settlers  scarcely  any  now  remain,  and  their  houses  and  lands  are  occupied  by  more 
recent  emigrants.  Those  who  have  left  have  made  enough  money  during  their 
residence  to  enable  them  to  buy  farms  or  cattle-ranches  in  the  mountains,  to  which 
they  have  removed.  Half  the  men  now  residing  in  Neu-Braunfels  and  its  vicinity, 
are  probably  agricultural  laborers,  or  farmers,  who  themselves  follow  the  plow. 
The  majority  of  the  latter  do  not,  I  think,  own  more  than  ten  acres  of  land  each. 
Within  the  town  itself,  there  are  a  large  number  of  master-mechanics,  most  of 
whom  employ  several  workmen.  Among  them  are  seven  wagon-makers,  and  their 
wagons  are  better  made  than  the  American. 

A  weekly  newspaper  is  published — the  Neu-Bravnfels  Zeitung.  It  is  a  paper 
of  much  higher  character  than  most  of  the  German  American  papers,  edited  by 
the  naturalist  Lindheimer.  There  are  ten  or  twelve  stores  and  small  tradesmen's 
shops,  two  or  three  apothecaries,  and  as  many  physicians,  lawyers  and  clergymen. 

There  are  several  organizations  among  the  people  which  indicate  an  excellent 
spirit  of  social  improvement:  an  Agricultural  Society,  a  Mechanics'  Institute,  a 
Harmonic  Society,  a  Society  for  Political  Debates,  and  a  "Turners'  "  Society.  A 
horticultural  club  has  expended  $1,200  in  one  year  in  introducing  trees  and  plants. 
These  associations  are  the  evidence  of  an  active  intellectual  life,  and  desire  for 
knowledge  and  improvement  among  the  masses  of  the  people. 

In  Neu-Braunfels  and  the  surrounding  German  hamlets,  there  are  five  free 
schools  for  elementary  education,  one  exclusive  Iloman  Catholic  school,  a  town 
free  school  of  higher  grade,  and  a  private  classical  school.  In  all  of  these  schools 
English  is  taught  with  German. 

Sunday  was  observed  more  thoroughly  as  a  day  of  rest  from  labor  than  we  had 
seen  in  any  town  of  Texas.  The  stores,  except  one  kept  by  a  New  Englander, 
were  closed  during  the  day.  The  people  who  appeared  in  the  streets  were  well 
dressed,  quiet  and  orderly.  We  saw  no  drunkenness.  In  the  evening  there  were 
amusements,  among  them  a  ball,  which  the  Lutheran  pastor  was  expected  to  attend. 
The  health  of  the  town  is  good.  For  several  years  there  has  been  no  epidemic  ill 
ness.  The  greater  part  of  those  of  whom  I  made  inquiry  assured  me  their  health 


TEXAS.  681 

had  been  better  here  than  in  Germany.  The  Lutheran  clergyman  informed  us  that 
he  had  registered  but  seven  deaths,  during  the  year,  among  his  congregation. 

In  the  town,  each  house  has  its  garden-plot,  and  over  the  neighborhood  are  scat 
tered  hundreds  of  small  farms.  Owing  to  the  low  price  of  corn,  most  of  these  had 
been  cultivated,  partly,  in  cotton  during  the  year  before  our  visit.  The  result  was 
a  total  crop  of  eight  hundred  bales,  which,  at  Galveston,  brought  from  one  to  two 
cents  a  pound  more  than  that  produced  by  slaves,  owing  to  the  more  careful 
handling  of  white  and  personally  interested  labor;  but  the  expense  of  hauling  cot 
ton  to  the  coast  prevents  any  large  profits  at  this  distance.  A  railroad  or  a  local 
manu factory  must  precede  any  extensive  cultivation  of  cotton,  while  corn,  which 
requires  much  less  labor,  can  find  a  market  at  a  fair  price.  With  water-power  and 
hands  upon  the  spot,  it  certainly  seems  an  unnatural  waste  of  labor  to  carry  the 
staple  to  Massachusetts  to  be  spun,  but  such,  for  want  of  local  capital  is  now  the 
course  of  trade. 

In  spite  of  the  common  assertion,  that  only  blacks  can  endure  the  heat  of  south 
ern  labor,  the  production  of  cotton,  by  whites  alone,  is  by  no  means  rare.  There 
are  very  many,  both  of  those  who  work  their  own  small  cotton  farms  and  of  those 
who  work  with  their  few  negroes,  day  after  day  in  the  field.  But  there  is  hardly 
in  the  south  another  as  striking  an  instance  of  pure  free-labor  upon  cotton-lields,  as 
this  of  the  Germans.  Their  cotton  goes  in  one  body  to  market,  entirely  separate 
from  the  great  mass  exported,  and  from  their  peculiar  style  of  settlement,  it  may 
be  even  considered  as  the  product  of  one  large  plantation,  worked  by  white  hands, 
and  divided  into  well  marked  annual  tasks. 

The  number  of  Germans  in  Texas  is  about  45,000,  mostly  in  the  south 
western  section,  where  they  are  generally  in  communities  by  themselves, 
apart  from  the  Americans,  managing  "after  republican  forms  their  own  little 
affairs."  The  writer  whose  description  of  New  Braunfels  we  have  presented 
is  Mr.  Fred.  L.  Olmsted.  In  his  book,  "A  Journey  through  Texas,  or  a 
Saddle  Trip  on  the  South-western  Frontier,"  he  has  this  history  of  the  Ger 
man  settlements  in  Texas: 

The  most  accurate  and  full  published  account  of  these  German  settlements  is  the 
report  of  a  lecture,  by  Frederick  Kapp,  upon  the  Germans  in  Texas.  From  this, 
and  from  our  notes  of  oral  statements  on  the  spot,  I  will  concisely  give  the  story. 
The  experiment  was  a  most  interesting  one;  that  of  using  associated  capital  for 
the  transportation  and  settlement  of  emigrants  on  a  large  scale;  in  fact,  the  re 
moval,  in  organized  bodies,  of  the  poor  of  an  old  country  to  the  virgin  soil  of  a 
new. 

In  the  year  1842,  among  many  schemes  evolved  in  Germany  by  the  social  stir  of 
the  time,  and  patronized  by  certain  princes,  from  motives  of  policy,  was  one  of  real 
promise.  It  was  an  association,  of  which  Count  Castel  was  the  head,  for  the  di 
minution  of  pauperism  by  the  organized  assistance  and  protection  of  emigrants. 
At  this  time,  annexation  being  already  almost  a  certainty,  speculators,  who  re 
presented  the  owners  of  large  tracts  of  Texas  land,  appeared  in  Germany,  with 
glowing  accounts  of  their  cheapness  and  richness.  They  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
attention  of  this  association,  whose  leaders  were  pleased  with  the  isolated  situa 
tion,  as  offering  a  more  tangible  and  durable  connection  with  their  emigrants,  and 
opening  a  new  source  of  wealth  and  possible  power.  A  German  dependency  or 
new  Teutonic  nation  might  result.  Palmerston,  it  is  said,  encouraged  the  idea,* 
the  Texan  political  leaders  then  coquetting  with  an  English  Protectorate,  to  induce 
more  rapid  advances  on  the  part  of  the  United  States. 

^According  to  the  work  of  Mr.  Siemering  upon  the  Germans  in  Texas,  this  encourage 
ment  went  so  far  as  to  take  the  form  of  a  contract  between  the  Verein  and  the  British  gov 
ernment.  By  it  the  former  agreed  to  place  10,000  families  in  Texas  ;  the  latter  to  furnish 
armed  protection  to  the  colony.  A  new  market  with  indefinite  capacities  ;  a  new  source  of 
cotton;  opposition  to  slavery  and  to  the  extension  of  the  area  of  the  United  States;  such 
were  the  sufficient  motives  for  England.  -Prince  Leiningen  was  the  half-brother  of  the 
Queen  of  England.  Prince  Solms  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Prince  Albert,  with  whom  ho 
was  educated  at  Bonn.  Copies  of  the  correspondence  still  exist. 


682  TEXAS. 

In  1843,  an  agent  of  the  association,  Count  Waldeck,  visited  Texas,  but  effected 
nothing  else  than  to  secure  for  himself  a  slave  plantation,  not  far  from  the  coast. 
He  was  dismissed.  The  following  year  the  association  commenced  active  opera' 
tions.  It  obtained,  under  the  title  of  the  Mainzer  Adels  Verein,  a  charter  from 
the  Duke  of  Nassau,  who  assumed  the  protectorate.  It  had  the  Prince  Leiningen 
as  president;  Count  Castel  as  director;  Prince  Frederick  of  Prussia,  the  Duke  of 
Coburg-Gotha,  and  some  thirty  other  princes  and  nobles  as  associated  members.  A 
plan,  inviting  emigrants,  was  published,  offering  each  adult,  subscribing  $120,  a 
free  passage  and  forty  acres  of  land ;  a  family,  subscribing  $240,  a  free  passage 
and  eighty  acres.  The  association  undertook  to  provide  log  houses,  stock  and 
tools  at  fair  prices,  and  to  construct  public  buildings  and  roads  for  the  settlements. 

Prince  Solms,  of  Braunfels,  was  appointed  General  Commissioner  and  proceeded 
to  Texas.  Had  he  procured  from  the  state  legislature  a  direct  grant  of  land  for 
the  colony,  as  he  might  have  done,  all  would  have  been  well.  But,  most  unfortu 
nately,  the  association  was  induced,  without  sufficient  examination,  to  buy  a  grant 
of  the  previous  year.  It  was  held  by  Fisher  and  Miller,  and  the  tract  was  de 
scribed  by  them  as  a  second  paradise.  In  reality,  it  lay  in  the  heart  of  a  savage 
country,  hundreds  of  miles  beyond  the  remotest  settlement,  between  the  Upper 
Colorado  and  the  great  desert  plains,  a  region,  to  this  day,  almost  uninhabited. 
This  wretched  mistake  was  the  ruin  of  the  whole  enterprise.  The  association  lost 
its  money  and  its  character,  and  carried  many  emigrants  only  to  beggary  and  a 
miserable  death. 

In  the  course  of  the  year,  180  subscribers  were  obtained,  who  landed  with  their 
families  in  the  autumn  upon  the  coast  of  Texas,  and  marched  toward  their  promised 
lands,  with  Prince  Holms  at  their  head.  Finding  the  whole  country  a  wilderness, 
and  being  harassed  by  the  attacks  of  Indians,  on'reaching  the  union  of  the  Coraal 
with  the  Guadaloupe,  they  became  disheartened,  and  there  Prince  Solms,  following 
the  good  advice  of  a  naturalist  of  the  company,  Mr.  Lindheimer,  encamped,  and 
laid  out  the  present  town  of  Neu-Braunfels. 

This  settlement,  receiving  aid  from  home  while  it  was  needed,  was  a  success,  in 
spite  of  the  prince,  who  appears  to  have  been  an  amiable  fool,  aping,  among  the 
log  cabins,  the  nonsense  of  mediaeval  courts.  In  the  course  of  a  year  he  was 
laughed  out  of  the  country.  He  was  succeeded  by  C.  Von  Meusebach,  who  proved 
at  least  much  better  adapted  to  the  work.  Had  he  not  been  reduced  to  inaction 
by  home  routine,  and  a  want  of  funds,  the  misery  that  followed  might,  perhaps, 
have  been  prevented. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  year,  1845,  more  than  2,000  families  joined  the  associa 
tion.  The  capital  which  had  been  sufficient  for  its  first  effort  was  totally  inade 
quate  to  an  undertaking  of  this  magnitude.  These  poor  people  sailed  from  Ger 
many,  in  the  fall  of  this  year,  and  were  landed  in  the  winter  and  early  spring,  on 
the  ilat  coast  of  the  gulf,  to  the  number  of  5,200.  Annexation  had  now  taken 
place,  and  the  war  with  Mexico  was  beginning.  The  country  had  been  stripped 
of  provisions,  and  of  the  means  of  transportation,  by  the  army.  Neither  food  nor 
shelter  had  been  provided  by  the  association.  The  consequences  may  be  imagined. 
The  detail  is  too  horrible.  The  mass  remained  for  months  encamped  in  sand-holes, 
huts,  or  tents :  the  only  food  procurable  was  beef.  The  summer  heats  bred  pesti 
lence. 

The  world  has  hardly  record  of  such  suffering.  Unprovided  with  food  or  shel 
ter  they  perished  like  sheep.  Human  nature  could  not  endure  it.  Human  beings 
became  brutes.  "Your  child  is  dying."  "What  do  1  care?"  Old  parents  were 
hurried  into  the  ground  before  the  breath  of  life  had  left  them.  The  Americans 
who  saw  the  stragglers  thought  a  new  race  of  savages  was  come.  Haggard  and 
desperate,  they  roved  inland  by  twos  and  threes,  beyond  all  law  or  religion.  Many 
of  the  survivors  reached  the  German  settlements;  many  settled  as  laborers  in 
American  towns.  With  some  of  them,  Meusebach  founded  another  town — Fred- 
ericksburg — higher  up  than  Braunfels.  He  also  explored  the  Fisher  grant,  and 
converted  the  surrounding  Indians,  from  enemies,  into  good-natured  associates. 

"It  is  but  justice,"  says  Mr.  Kapp,  "to  throw  the  light  of  truth  upon  all  this 
misery.  The  members  of  the  association,  although  well-meaning,  did  not  under 
stand  what  they  were  about  to  do.  They  fancied  that  their  high  protection,  alone, 


TEXAS.  683 

was  sufficient  to  make  all  right.  They  had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  the  toil  and 
hardship  of  settling  a  new  country.  They  permitted'  themselves  to  be  humbugged 
by  speculators  and  adventurers  ;  they  entered  into  ruinous  bargains,  and  had  not 
even  funds  enough  to  take  the  smallest  number  of  those  whom  they  had  induced 
to  join  them  to  the  place  of  settlement.  When  money  was  most  wanted,  they 
failed  to  send  it,  either  from  mistrust  or  neglect.  To  perform  the  obligation  im 
posed  by  the  agreement  with  Fisher,  they  induced  the  emigration  to  Texas  by  the 
most  enchanting  and  exaggerated  statements.  The  least  that  even  the  less  san 
guine  ones  expected,  was,  to  find  parrots  rocking  on  the  boughs,  and  monkeys  play 
ing  on  the  palm-trees." 

This  condemnation  seems  to  fall  justly.  Such  was  the  unhappy  beginning. 
But  the  wretchedness  is  already  forgotten.  Things  soon  mended.  The  soil,  cli 
mate,  and  other  realities  found,  were  genial  and  good,  if  not  Elysian.  Now,  after 
seven  years,  1  do  not  know  a  prettier  picture  of  contented  prosperity  than  we  wit 
nessed  at  Neu-Braunfels.  A  satisfied  smile,  in  fact,  beamed  on  almost  every  Ger 
man  face  we  saw  in  Texas. 

Mr.  Olmsted  visited  other  German  colonies  besides  Neu-Braunfels.  Among 
these  was  Castroville,  on  the  Medina,  a  stream  that  is  "  the  very  ideal  of  pu 
rity,  running  over  a  white  limestone  rock,  that  gives  a  peculiar  brilliancy  to 
its  emerald  waters."  We  farther  quote: 

Upon  its  bank  stands  Castroville — a  village  containing  a  colony  of  Alsatians,  who  are 
proud  here  to  call  themselves  Germans,  but  who  speak  French,  or  a  mixture  of  French  and 
German.  The  cottages  are  scattered  prettily,  and  there  are  two  churches — the  whole  aspect 
being  as  far  from  Textss  as  possible.  It  might  sit  for  the  portrait  of  one  of  the  poorer  vil 
lages  of  the  upper  Rhone  valley.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  thing  is  the  hotel,  by  M. 
Tarde,  a  two  story  house,  with  double  galleries,  and  the  best  inn  we  saw  in  the  state.  How 
delighted  and  astonished  many  a  traveler  must  have  been,  on  arriving  from  the  plains  at 
this  first  village,  to  find  not  only  his  dreams  of  white  bread,  sweetmeats  and  potatoes  real 
ized,  but  napkins,  silver  forks,  and  raddishes,  French  servants,  French  neatness,  French  fur 
niture,  delicious  French  beds,  and  the  Courrier  des  Etats  Unis;  and  more,  the  lively  and  en 
tertaining  bourgeoise. 

Castroville  was  founded  by  Mr.  Henry  Castro,  a  gentleman  of  Portuguese  origin,  still 
resident  in  the  town,  under  a'colony-contract  with  the  republic,  which  passed  the  legisla 
ture  the  15th  of  February,  1842.  The  enterprise  seems  to  have  been  under  the  special 
patronage  of  the  Roman  Church.  Every  colonist  was  a  Catholic,  and  the  first  concern 
was  the  founding  of  the  church  edifice,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid  ten  days  after 
their  arrival,  with  imposing  ceremonies,  by  Bishop  Odin,  of  Galveston.  By  the  contract 
with  the  colonists,  each  person  was  to  receive  a  town  lot,  and  a  piece  of  outlying  land,  as 
a  farm.  By  the  contract  with  the  state,  two  thousand  persons  were  to  be  introduced  with 
in  two  years.  An  extension  of  two  years  was  granted  in  January,  1845.  Mr.  Castro  was 
to  receive  a  quantity  of  land  equal  to  one  half  the  whole  taken  by  the  colonists,  to  be  lo 
cated  in  alternate  sections,  with  the  state's  reserve. 

Seven  hundred  persons  came  first  in  seven  ships.  Assembling  at  San  Antonio,  the  ad 
vance  party  started,  in  a  body,  for  the  Medina,  on  the  1st  of  September,  1844.  One  board 
building  was  carried  in  carts,  and  in  it  were  housed  the  temporary  provisions.  The  set 
tlers  built  themselves  huts  of  boughs  and  leaves,  then  set  to  work  to  make  adobes  for  the 
construction  of  more  permanent  dwellings.  Besides  their  bacon  and  meal,  paid  huntera 
provided  abundant  supplies  of  game,  and  within  a  fortnight  a  common  garden,  a  church, 
and  civil  officers,  chosen  by  ballot,  were  in  being,  and  the  colony  was  fully  inaugurated. 
After  struggling  with  some  difficulties,  it  is  now  a  decided  success.  The  village  itself 
contains  about  six  hundred  inhabitants,  and  the  farms  of  the  neighborhood  several  hun 
dred  more. 

Leaving  it,  we  ascended  a  high  hill,  and  rode  for  fifteen  miles  through  a  more  elevated 
and  broken  country,  whose  beauty  is  greatly  increased  by  frequent  groves  of  live-oak,  elm, 
and  hackberry.  I  have  never  seen  more  charming  landscapes  than  some  of  the  openings 
here  presented.  In  the  elements  of  turf  and  foliage,  and  their  disposition,  no  English 
park-scenery  could  surpass  them.  Beyond  Castroville,  there  are  two  small  villages,  set 
tlements  of  German  colonists,  mostly  from  the  west  bank  of  the  Rhine;  ono,  Quihi,  upon 
the  Quihi  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Seco;  the  other,  Dhanis,  upon  the  Seco  itself. 

We  stopped  a  night  at  Quihi.  It  is  a  scattering  village  of  ten  or  twelve  habitations,  one 
of  them  a  substantial  stone  farm  house,  the  others  very  picturesque,  high-gabled,  thatch- 
roof'eU,  dormer- windowed,  whitewashed  cottages,  usually  artistically  placed  in  the  shade 


684  TEXAS. 

of  large  dark  live-oaks.  The  people  seem  to  have  been  very  successful  in  their  venture, 
to  judge  by  various  little  improvements  they  are  making  and  the  comforts  they  have  accu 
mulated. 

The  road  beyond  follows  a  low  ridge  which  skirts  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  at  a  dis 
tance  of  two  or  three  miles.  The  live-oaks  become  more  stunted  and  rare,  and  the  mes- 
quit  begins  to  predominate.  Dhanis,  which  is  distant  some  twenty-five  miles  from  Castro- 
ville,  presents,  certainly,  a  most  singular  spectacle,  upon  the  verge  of  the  great  American 
wilderness.  It  is  like  one  of  the  smallest  and  meanest  of  European  peasant  hamlets. 
There  are  about  twenty  cottages  and  hovels,  all  built  in  much  the  same  style,  the  walls 
being  made  of  poles  and  logs  placed  together  vertically,  and  made  tight  with  clay  mortar, 
the  floors  of  beaten  earth,  the  windows  without  glass,  the  roofs  built  so  as  to  overhang  the 
four  sides,  and  deeply  shade  them,  and  covered  with  thatch  of  fine  brown  grass,  laid  in  a 
peculiar  manner,  the  ridge-line  and  apexes  being  ornamented  with  knots,  tufts,  crosses  or 
weathercocks.  There  is  an  odd  little  church,  and  the  people  are  rigid  Catholics,  the 
priest  instructing  the  children.  We  spent  the  night  at  one  of  the  cottages,  and,  though 
we  slept  on  the  floor,  we  were  delighted  with  the  table,  which  was  spread  with  venison, 
wheat-bread,  eggs,  milk,  butter,  cheese,  and  crisp  salad. 

This  was  a  second  colony  of  Mr.  Castro,  established  in  1846,  but  he  here  appears  to 
have  done  little  else  than  point  out  the  spot  and  assign  the  lands  to  the  colonists.  During 
their  first  year,  they  told  us,  they  suffered  great  hardships,  the  people  being  all  very  poor, 
and  having  no  means  of  purchasing  food  except  by  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  Fortunately, 
there  was  then  a  military  station  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  quartermaster  gave  them  some 
employment  in  collecting  forage.  They  arrived  too  late  to  plant  corn  to  advantage,  and 
not  having  had  time  to  make  sufficient  fences,  the  deer  eat  the  most  of  what  did  grow. 
The  second  year  their  crop  was  destroyed  by  a  hail-storm.  They  lived  on  game  and  weeds 
for  the  most  part  during  two  years.  Rattlesnakes  were  then  common  about  the  settle 
ment,  and  were  regularly  hunted  for  as  game.  In  some  of  the  families,  where  there  were 
many  small  children  whose  parents  were  unable  to  leave  them  to  labor  for  wages,  they 
formed  a  chief  article  of  subsistence.  Since  their  second  year  they  had  been  remarkably 
prosperous  in  all  respects.  On  their  arrival  here  it  was  believed  that  the  richest  of  the 
colonists  was  not  worth  twenty  dollars;  now  the  average  wrealth  of  each  was  estimated  at 
eight  hundred  dollars.  It  consists  mainly  in  cattle.  They  have  been  every  year  some 
what  annoyed  by  Indians.  The  colonists  had  enjoyed  better  health  than  in  Germany, 
doubtless,  because,  since  their  first  struggles,  they  had  a  better  supply  of  wholesome  food. 
Cows  were  milked,  I  observed,  at  every  house,  night  and  morning;  and  a  variety  of  vege 
tables  was  cultivated  in  their  gardens. 

The  women  of  the  settlement,  by  the  absolute  necessity  of  out-door  work,  had  been 
rendered,  it  seemed  to  us,  very  coarse  and  masculine  in  character.  All  the  ordinary  labors 
of  men,  such  as  digging  and  herding  cattle,  were  performed  by  them.  We  saw  one  of 
them  lasso  a  wild  looking  mustang  on  the  prairie,  and  vaulting  on  his  back,  canter  away 
in  search  of  her  cows,  without  saddle  or  bridle.  The  condition  of  the  children  must  be 
yet,  for  many  years,  barbarous  and  deplorable. 

This  is  the  last  of  the  organized  colonies  of  Texas  that  we  had  occasion  to  examine. 
We  were  strongly  impressed  with  the  actual  results  of  these  enterprises.  Not  one  of  them 
could  be  pronounced  a  failure,  in  spite  of  the  most  bungling  and  cruel  mismanagement, 
and  the  severest  reverses  in  execution.  In  the  hands  of  men  of  sound  sense  and  ability, 
backed  by  completely  adequate  capital,  there  is  every  reason,  from  their  present  condition, 
to  believe  that  the  general  plan  would  have  been  found  not  only  remunerative  to  every 
party  concerned,  but  would  have  ranked  as,  in  the  highest  degree,  a  beneficent  acquisition 
of  experience,  inaugurating  almost  a  new  era  for  humanity.  1  am  convinced  that  some 
similar  plan  is  destined  to  be  adopted  for  settling,  at  the  least  cost,  and  in  the  best  manner, 
the  vast  territorial  regions  that  still  are  awaiting  the  pioneer's  fences,  and  that  by  its  in 
strumentality,  emigration  may  be  elevated  from,  a  barbarizing  scramble,  to  a  civilized  and 
worthy  institution.  For  the  trial,  Texas  yet  offers  the  fairest  and  most  attractive  field  in 
the  Republic.  She  is  accessible  with  the  greatest  ease  and  the  least  expense,  from  the 
crowded  centers  of  the  world,  and  has  every  natural  quality  that  can  attract  population 
in  greater  measure  than  her  northern  rivals. 


At  the  time  of  the  declaration  of  Texan  independence,  March  2, 1836,  war 
was  raging  on  the  frontiers  of  the  country  :  Gen.  Houston,  the  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  Texan  forces,  was  obliged  to  retire  before  the  overwhelming 
Mexican  army,  under  Santa  Anna.  The  Mexicans  arrived  at  Richmond,  on 
the  Brazos,  on  the  llth  of  April,  and  the  16th,  having  crossed  the  river, 


TEXAS. 


685 


Santa  Anna  reached  Harrisburg,  on  Buffalo  Bayou,  six  miles  below  the 
site  of  Houston.  Houston  with  his  men  retired  down  the  right  bank  of  the 
Buffalo  Bayou,  and  took  a  position  about  half  a  mile  from  the  River  San 
Jacinto.  Santa  Anna,  having  come  in  sight  of  the  Texans,  took  up  his  po 
sition  near  the  bank  of  the  Bay  of  San  Jacinto,  about  three  fourths  of  a 


Western  view  of  tlie  Fan  Jacinto  Battle  Ground. 

The  Mexicans?,  previous  to  the  battle,  encamped  in  a  line  with  the  oak  trees,  which,  with  their  wagona, 
formed  a  barricade.  On  the  left,  beyond  the  trees,  is  seen  San  Jacinto  Bay.  In  the  central  part,  beyond 
the  trees,  is  a  bayou,  where  many  of  the-  Mexicans  were  killed.  In  the  direction  of  the  open  space,  on  the 
right,  at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  miles,  is  Col.  Morgan's  residence,  at  New  Washington. 

mile  from  the  Texan  camp,  where  he  secured  his  left  by  a  fortification  about 
five  feet  high,  constructed  of  packs  and  baggage,  while  his  right  extended  to 
a  skirt  of  timber  near  the  banks  of  the  bay.  On  the  20th  some  skirmishing 
took  place,  by  an  advance  under  Col.  Sherman,  but  both  parties  retired  to 
their  encampments. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  21st  of  April,  1836,  as  the  Mexicans  showed  no  disposi 
tion  to  move  from  behind  their  breastworks,  the  Texans  advanced  to  attack  them. 
Col.  Sherman  formed  the  left  wing,  Gen.  Houston  and  Col.  Burleson.  the  center, 
a.nd  four  companies  of  infantry,  under  Col.  Millard,  sustained  the  artillery,  under 
Col.  Hockley,  on  the  right;  the  cavalry,  under  Col.  M.  I*.  Lamar,  on  the  extreme 
right,  completed  the  Texan  line.  The  two  armies  were  now  drawn  up  in  complete 
order.  Some  accounts  state  the  Mexican  force  to  have  been  eighteen  hundred  men, 
while  that  of  the  Texans  was  but  seven  hundred. 

The  Texans,  being  somewhat  masked  by  the  timber,  marched  along  a  slight  de 
pression  or  valley  in  front  of  the  Mexican  camp.  The  decisive  moment  had  now 
arrived.  The  charge  was  ordered,  and  the  war  cry  sounded — " Remember  the 
Alamo  /"  When  these  words  reached  the  ears  of  the  soldiers,  a  wild  shout  went 
•p  from  the  entire  army,  "THE  ALAMO!"  "THE'ALAMO!"  as  they  moved  forward 
«n  the  foe.  When  within  about  600  yards  the  Mexicans  onened  their  fire,  and 
dJHeharged  some  five  rounds  before  a  single  shot  was  returned:  but  firing  too  high, 


686  TEXAS. 

only  a  single  Texan  was  injured  until  the  first  line  of  the  Mexicans  had  been 
passed. 

The  Texans  reserved  their  fire  until  they  had  reached  a  point  some  70  yards 
from  the  line,  and  then  some  300  Mexicans  fell  at  the  first  discharge.  Most  of  the 
Texans  were  armed  with  double  barreled  guns,  and  many  of  them  had  five  or  six 
pistols,  with  knives  and  tomahawks.  They  did  not  stop  to  reload,  but  converted 
their  rifles  into  war  clubs  and  struck  at  the  heads  of  their  foes.  Along  the  breast 
work  there  was  but  little  firing — it  was  a  desperate  struggle,  hand  to  hand.  The 
Texans,  when  they  had  broken  their  rifles  at  the  breech,  threw  them  down  and 
drew  their  pistols  :  they  fired  them  once,  and  having  no  time  to  reload,  hurled  them 
against  the  head  of  their  foes,  and  then,  drawing  their  bowie-knives,  literally  cut 
their  way  through  their  ranks.  The  Mexican  artillery  was  taken  already  loaded 
and  primed,  and  turned  and  fired  upon  the  Mexicans  as  they  retreated. 

When  the  Mexicans  saw  that  the  dreadful  onset  of  their  foe  could  not  be  resisted, 
they  either  attempted  to  fly  and  were  stabbed  in  the  back,  or  fell  on  theft-  knees  to 
plead  for  mercy,  crying  "Me  no  Alamo!"  "Me  no  Alamo!'1  At  one  time  about 
400  Mexicans  were  inclosed  by  the  army;  they  threw  down  their  arms,  knelt,  and 
begged  for  their  lives.  The  Texans  who  first  arrived  were  disposed  to  spare  them 
— stopping  to  cinansG  their  rifles;  but  the  main  body  soon  came  up,  and  at  once 
rushed  upon  them — beating  their  brains  out  with  their  rifles  and  tomahawks.  The 
officers  could  not  control  their  men,  and  when  the  cries,  "Remember  the  Alamo!  " 
and  "  Remember  Fannin !  "  were  heard,  the  fury  of  the  Texans  was  beyond  re 
straint.  Many  of  the  Mexicans  sought  to  escape  by  rushing  into  the  river,  but 
they  were  fired  upon  and  nearly  all  of  them  killed.  According  to  Gen.  Houston's 
report,  630  Mexicans  were  left  dead  upon  the  field;  multitudes  had  perished  in  the 
morass  and  bayous ;  280  were  wounded,  and  there  were  nearly  800  prisoners, 
among  whom  was  Santa  Anna,  the  commander.  Only  seven  are  known  to  have 
escaped.  The  Texan  loss  was  two  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded,  six  of  whom 
afterward  died. 

The  battle  ground  of  San  Jacinto  is  situated  about  a  mile  westward  of  the 
Lynchburg  Hotel,  at  the  steamboat  landing,  on  the  opposite  or  left  bank  of  the 
River  San  Jacinto,  at  its  junction  with  the  Buffalo  Bayou.  The  river  here  is  about 
200  yards  wide,  and  the  ferry  across  to  the  hotel  is  the  one  by  which  Santa  Anna 
intended  to  cross  in  order  to  accomplish  the  feat  of  "washing  his  hands  in  the 
Sabine"  by  the  first  of  May,  as  he  gave  out  that  he  should  do  in  his  expedition 
against  the  Texans.  The  hotel  here,  kept  by  Mr.  Frazer,  is  20  miles  from  Hous 
ton,  15  from  Harrisburg,  and  50  from  Galveston. 

After  Santa  Anna  had  burnt  Harrisburg,  just  before  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto, 
he  proceeded  on  toward  the  Sabine.  Previous  to  his  reaching  the  San  Jacinto  ferry, 
at  Lynchburg,  he  learnt  from  his  spies  that  the  president  and  his  cabinet  were  at 
NeAv  Washington,  at  Col.  Morgan's  residence,  about  ten  miles  below.  He,  there-" 
fore,  left  the  ferry  a  mile  or  two  to  the  left.  His  cavalry  came  so  suddenly  upon 
this  place,  that  President  Burnet,  his  family  and  cabinet  had  barely  time  to  escape. 
As  it  was,  he  captured  all  Col.  Morgan's  servants,  together  with  several  citizens. 
The  colonel  himself  was  absent,  being  in  command  of  the  fort  at  Boliver  Point, 
near  Galveston.  He  had  several  stores  at  New  Washington,  in  charge  of  his 
agents,  in  which  there  was  a  large  quantity  of  provisions  beside  other  merchan 
dise.  Finding  such  superior  accommodations  at  Col.  Morgan's  expense,  Santa 
Anna  and  his  men  tarried  here  several  days,  feasting  themselves  with  the  luxuries 
which  the  colonel's  stores  afforded.  This  diversion,  as*  Santa  Anna  afterward 
acknowledged  to  Col.  Morgan,  was  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of  the  Mexicans.  Had 
they  crossed  the  ferry,  at  Lynchburg,  at  the  time  contemplated,  Santa  Anna  would 
have  found  friends  among  the  whites  and  Indians,  and  probably  swept  the  whole 
country  with  fire  and  sword.  While  Santa  Anna  was  feasting  his  army  at  New 
Washington,  Gen.  Houston  crossed  the  Buffalo  Bayou,  and  arranged  his  troops  in 
battle  array  across  his  path  to  the  ferry. 

Santa  Anna  was  taken  the  next  day  after  the  battle,  about  eight  miles  above  the 
battle  ground  by  Lieut.  Sylvester,  a  volunteer  from  Cincinnati,  who  was  hunting 
to  obtain  Arenison  for  his  breakfast.  Santa  Anna  had  concealed  himself  in  the 
high  grass  of  the  prairie,  and  on  being  discovered  endeavored  to  escape,  but  was 


TEXAS. 


587 


ordered  to  stop.  He  was  disguised  as  a  countryman,  and  surrendered  himself  as 
a  common  soldier.  Sylvester,  however,  suspected  him  to  be  an  officer  from  the 
diamond  breastpin  on  the  fine  linen  shirt  which  he  wore  under  his  rustic  dress.  He 
ordered  him  to  get  behind  him  on  his  horse,  and  then  rode  with  his  prisoner  to 
Houston's  camp."  He  knew  not  his  rank  till  he  was  passing  the  Mexican  prisoners, 


Soldier's  Grave  near  San  Jacinto  Battle  Ground. 

The  ground  in  front,  at  tho  eastern  extremity  of  Houston's  camp  ground,  is  now  used  as  a  Cemetery. 
The  battle  field  is  seen  in  the  distance  descending  on' the  left.  Gen.  Houston,  on  his  advance,  passed 
through  the  small  thicket  on  the  extreme  left.  The  thicket  on  the  extreme  right,  is  the  place  where  Col. 
Sherman  had  a  skirmish  with  the  enemy  before  the  main  battle. 

when  they  exclaimed,  as  they  lifted  their  caps,  "El  Presidcnte!"  Santa  Anna, 
being  thus  discovered,  begged  to  be  taken  immediately  to  Gen.  Houston.  On 
coming  into  his  presence,  he  found  Houston  wounded,  sitting  on  the  ground  and 
reclining  against  a  tree.  Dropping  on  his  knee,  he  kissed  Houston's  hand,  and  ex 
claimed,  that  he  was  born  to  no  common  destiny,  for  he  had  conquered  "  the  Na 
poleon  of  the  South!" 

The  21st  of  April  is  celebrated  annually,  on  Houston's  camp  ground,  by  milita 
ry  companies  from  Galveston,  Houston,  and  other  places  :  orations  are  delivered  and 
the  day  honored  somewhat  in  4th  of  July  style.  Across  the  bayou  from  the  camp 
ground  is  the  residence^of  Gen.  Lorenzo  de  Zevalla,  who  espoused  the  Texan  cause 
during  their  struggles  for  independence.  At  the  time  of  the  battle,  the  persons 
friendly  to  the  Mexicans,  or  "tories"  as  they  were  called,  assembled  on  an  eleva 
tion  a  short  distance  east  of  the  Lynchburg  Hotel,  and  from  this  spot,  since  called 
"Tory  Hill"  the  conflict  between  the  contending  parties  was  easily  seen.  The 
bodies  of  the  Mexican  soldiers  were  left  unburied,  and  the  effluvia  from  their  re 
mains  tainted  the  atmosphere  for  some  time  afterward.  The  hogs,  it  is  said,  fed 
on  the  bones  of  the  slain.  The  house  of  Ex-President  Bnrnet  is  about  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  hotel.  The  Methodists  have  commenced  holding  their  camp 
meetings  in  the  grove  on  Houston's  camp  ground,  being  very  convenient  of  access. 
Part  of  the  ground  is  used  as  a  cemetery,  and  some  fifty  interments  have  been 
made*  Seven  of  the  Texans,  who  were  killed  or  died  of  their  wounds,  are  interred 
here  side  by  side.  The  first  of  the  following  inscriptions  is  in  memory  of  a  youn^g 
man  who  fell  in  the  battle : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  BENJAMIN  RICK  BRIGHAM,  son  of  Major  A.  and  Eliza  S.  Brig- 
barn,  who  departed  this  life  April  21,  1836,  aged  21  years. 


688  TEXAS. 

In  memory  of  Rev.  WILLIAMSON  WILLIAMS,  of  Texas  Conference,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
died  near  Lynchburg,  Sept.  18,  1855,  in  his  33d  year.     Erected  by  the  Methodist  Preachers. 


The  following  list  of  officers,  noncommissioned  officers  and  privates,  en- 
gnged  in  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  is  from  the  Texas  Almanac  for  1859: 

Major-General  SAM  HOUSTON,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Texan  forces. 

Staff — John  A.  Wharton,  adjt.  gen.:  Geo.  W.  Hockley,  insp.  gen.;  John  Forbes,  com.  gen.; 
William  G.  Cooke,  asst.  insp.  gen.;  A.  Ilorton,  Win.  H.  Patton,  Jas.  Collinsworth,  aids-de 
camp;  Jas.  II.  Perry,  R.  Eden  Handy,  R.  M.  Coletnan,  vol.  aids;  Hon.  Tbos.  J.  Rusk,  sec 
retary  of  war;  Win.  Motley,  M.D. 

Medical  Staff — Alex.  Ewing,  surg.  1st  regt.  artillery,  acting  surg.  gen.;  Davidson,  surg. 
1st  regt.  vol.;  Fitzhuch,  asst.  surg.  1st  regt.  vol.;  A.  Jones,  surg.  2d  regt.  vol.;  Booker,  surg. 
2d  regf.  vol.;  Labadie,  surg. 

Artillery  Curpn — J.  C.  Neil,  lieut.  col.,  wounded  on  the  20th;  J.  N.  Moreland,  capt.;  W. 
Stillweil,  1st  lieut. 

7Viro/p.v — T.  0.  Harris,  John  M.  Wade,  Hugh  M.  Swift,  Win.  A.  Park,  wounded  on  the 
21st,  Thos.  Green,  Clark  M.  Harmon.  T.  J.  Robinson,  M.  Baxter,  Thos.  Plaster,  2d  sergt., 
Willis  Collins,  Benj.  M'Culloch,  Richardson  Scurry,  1st  eergt.,  Jos.  White,  Thomas  N.  B. 
Green,  John  Ferriil,  Jos.  Floyd,  Alfred  Benton,  D.  T.  Dunham,  T.  C.  Edwards,  S.  B.  Bard- 
well,  assisted  by  the  following  regulars  from  the  companies  of  Captains  Teal  and  Turner: 
Campbell,  Millerrnan,  Gainer,  Cumberland,  of  Teal's  company;  Benson,  Clayton,  Merwin, 
Legg.  of  Turner's  company. 

Cavalry  Corps — Mirabeau  B.  Lnmar,  commander;  Henry  Carncs,  captain  ;  J.  R.  Cook,  1st 
lieut.,  Win.  Harness,  2d  lieut.;  W.  H.  Smith,  capt.;  Lern.  Gustine,  M.D.;  W.  Secretts,  F. 
Secretts,  A.  Allsbury,  W.  B.  Sweeney,  Benj.  F.  Smith,  Thos.  Ilobbins,  S.  C.  Tunnage,  D. 
W.  Reaves,  E.  R.  Rainwater,  J.  D.  Elliott,' J.  P.  Davis,  J.  Neil,  N.  Nixon,  G.  Deaderiek, 
J.  Nash,  Isaac  W.  Benton,  Jacob  Duncan,  J.  W.  Hill,  P.  Allsbury,  D.  McKay,  W.  J.  C. 
Pierce,  W.  King,  Thos.  Blackwell,  Goodwin,  J.  Cokcr,  Elisha  Clapp,  H.  Henderson,  Geo. 
Johnson,  J.  W.  Williamson,  Wilson  C.  Brown,  J.  Thompson,  John  Robbins,  Win.  F.  Young, 
Jas.  Dontha.lt,  John  Carpenter,  Win.  Taylor,  Anthony  Foster,  Z.  Y.  Beauford,  Spenser 
Townsend,  Jas.  Shaw,  Wui.  D.  Redd,  Cloppor,  P.  II.  Bell,  J.  W.  Robinson. 

UKGULARS. 

Lieut.  Col    Henry  Millard,  commanding  ;  Capf.  John  M.  Allon,  acting  major. 

COMPANY  A— Andrew  Briscoe,  cs.pt.;  Martin  K.  Snell,  1st  lieut.;  Robert  McCloskey,  2d 
lieut.:  Lyrnan  F.  Rounds,  1st  sergt.;  David  G.  Nelson,  2d  sergt.;  Dan.  O'Dnscoll,  3d  sergt.; 
Chas.  A.  Ford,  4th  sergt.;  Richardson,  1st  Corp.;  Harry  C.  Craig,  2d  Corp.;  Bear,  od  Corp.; 
Flores,  musician. 

Privates—  Bruff,  Bebee,  Benton,  II.  P.  Brcwstor,  Cassady,  Dutcher,  Darrl,  Elliott,  Flyn, 
Farley,  Grieves,  AVarner,  Henderson,  Lang,  Larbartare,  Limski,  Mason,  Montgomery, 
Marsh,  Morton,  O'Ntil,  Pierce,  Patton,  Rheinhnrt,  Kainer,  Richardson,  Smith,  1st,  Smith, 
3d,  Sullivan,  Sauuders,  Swain,  Tindall,  1st,  Taylor,  Van  Winkle,  Wilkinson,  Webb! 

VOLUNTKEKS. 

COMPANY  B— A.  Turner,  capt.;  W.  Milieu,  1st  lieut.;  W.  W.  Summers,  2d  lieut.;  Chaa. 
Stewart,  Swearinger,  sergts.;  Robert  Moore,  Thos.  Wilson,  and  M.  Snyder,  eorp'ls. 

Privates — Bernard,  Browning,  Bissett,  Belden,  Colton,  Harper,  Hogan,  Harvey,  Johnson, 
Keeland,  Nirlas,  Paschal,  Phillips,  Smith,  1st,  Smith,  2d,  Callahan,  Christie,  Clarkson,  Dal- 
rymple,  Eldridge,  Edson,  Ludus,  Lind,  Minuett,  MordorlT,  Massie,  Moore,  2d,  Scheston, 
Sigma n,  Tyler,  Wood,  Wardryski. 

COMPANY  B — A.  R.  Romans,  capt.;  Nicholas  Dawson,  2d  lieut.;  Jas.  Wharton,  A.  Mitch 
ell,  S.  L.  Wheeler,  sergeants;  A.  Taylor,  J.  D.  Egbert,  Charles  A.  Clarke,  W.  P.  Muore, 
e'orporals. 

lji-ivaie* — Angell,  G.  Brown,  Jo?.  Barstow,  J.  B.  Bradley,  B.  Coles,  J.  S.  Conn,  J.  W.  T. 
Dixun,  Win.  Dun  bar,  H.  Human,  J.  M.  Jctt,  Stev.  Jett,  A.  S.  Jordan,  S.  W.  Lamar,  Edw. 
Lewis,  J.  B.  W.  M'Farlane,  A.  M'Stea,  H.  Miller,  W.  G.  Newman,  W.  Richardson,  D.  Tin- 
dale,  J.  Vinater,  C.  W.  Waldron,  F.  F.  Williams,  James  Wilder,  W.  S.  Walker,,  James 
Owen  by. 

COMPANY  I — W.  S.  Fisher,  capt.;  R.  W.  Carter,  2d  lieut.;  Jones,  sergt. 

pfiKdi,-* — Geo.  W.  Leek,  N.  Rudders,  J.  W.  Strode,  Jos.  Sovereign,  W.  Sargeant,  R.  J. 
L.  Reel,  Rufus  Wright,  Jos.  McAlister,  B.  F.  Starkley,  Day,  John  Morgan,  W.  S.  Arnot. 
M.  W.  Brigham,  P.  Burt,  Tewister,  Slack,  R.  Banks",  Jac.  Maybee,  Graves,  B.  F.  Fry,  K. 
<L  Mayrie,  M'Neil,  J.  M.  Shreve,  W.  Pace,  Ch.  Siibbins,  II.  Bond,  Geo.  Fonnell,  W.  Gill, 
R.  Cri!t«nden,  Adam  Mosier,  J.  S.  Patterson,  Jos.  Douane,  G.  W.  Mason,  Thomas  Pratt, 
E.  Knolaml,  A.  H.  Miles,  Jno.  Llewelyn,  James  Joslyn,  Jo.  Gillespie,  A.  J.  Harrirf,  D. 
.James. 

STAFF   OF    THE    COMMAND. 

Nicholas  Lynch,  adjutant;  W.  M.  Carper,  surgeon;  John  Smith,  sergeant  major;  Pi;;l:ey 
Cftldwoil,  quartermaster. 


TEXAS. 


689 


FIRST   REGIMENT   TEXAN   VOLUNTEERS. 

Edward  Burleson,  colonel;  Alex.  Soinerville,  lieut.  colonel;  Jas.  W.  Tinsley,  adjutant; 
Cleveland,  sergt.  major. 

COMPANY  A — Win.  Wood,  capt.;  S.  B.  Raymond,  2d  lieut.;  J.  C.  Allison,  Jas.  A.  Sylves 
ter,  0.  T.  Brown,  Nathaniel  Peck,  sergeants. 

Privates — Irwin  Armstrong,  W.  H.  Berryhill,  Uriah  Blue,  Seym  Bottsford,  Luke  W. 
Bust,  James  Gumbo,  Elijah  V.  Dale,  Abner  C.  Davis,  Jacob  Eiler,  Simon  P.  Ford,  Garner, 
G.  A.  Giddings,  Jas.  Greenwood,  Wm.  Griffin,  W.  C.  Hays,  T.  A.  Haskin,  Robert  Howell, 
Wm.  Lockridge,  J.  D.  Loderback,  Edward  Miles,  Benj.  Osborne,  J.  R.  Pinchback,  Joseph 
Rhodes,  John  W.  Rial,  Ralph  E.  Sevey,  Manasseh  bevey,  Ed.  W.  Taylor,  John  Viven,,  Geo. 
Waters,  Jas.  Welsh,  Ez.  Westgate,  Walker  Winn. 

COMPANY  C — Jesse  Billingsly,  capt.;  Micah  Andrews,  1st  lieut.;  Jas.  A.  Craft,  2d  lieut.; 
Russel  B.  Craft,  Wm.  H.  Magill,  Campbell  Taylor,  sergeants. 

Private* — L.  S.  Cunningham,  John  Herron,  Preston  Conly,  Jackson  Berry,  Jefferson  Bar 
ton,  Demry  Pace,  John  W.  Bunton,  Wm.  Criswell,  Sam.  M'Clelland,  Lemuel  Blakely,  Geo. 
Self,  Thos.  Davy,  Jacob  Standerford,  Wayne  Barton,  Sampson  Connell,  Calvin  Gage,  Mar 
tin  Walker,  Gern  E.  Brown,  Log.  Vanderveer,  Wash.  Anderson,  Wm.  Standerford,  Win. 
Simmons,  Geo.  Green,  Geo.  P.  Erath,  T.  M.  Dennis,  Jas.  R.  Pace,  John  Hobson,  Lewis 
Goodwin,  Jos.  Garwood,  Willis  Avery,  Jesse  Halderman,  Chas.  Williams,  Aaron  Burleson, 
R.  M.  Cravens,  Walker  Wilson,  Prior  Holden,  Thos.  A.  Mays,  A.  M.  H.  Smith,  Jas.  Curtis, 
V.  M.  Rain,  Robert  Hood,  Dugald  M'Lean,  Thos.  A.  Graves. 

COMPANY  D — Mosely  Baker,  capt.;  J.  P.  Borden,  1st  lieut.;  John  Pettus,  2d  lieut.;  Jos. 
Baker,  E.  C.  Pettus,  M.  A.  Bryan,  sergeants  ;  Jas.  Bell,  Jas.  Friel,  J.  L.  Hill,  corporals. 

Privates— 0.  D.  Anderson,  J.  B.  Alexander,  John  Beachom,  T.  II.  Bell,S.  R.  Bostick,  P. 
P.  Borden,  J.  Carter,  Samuel  Davis,  G.  W.  Davis,  J.  R.  Foster,  A.  Greenlaw,  Fowler,  Hugh 
Frazier,  Win.  Isbell,  R.  Kleburg,  Mat.  Kuykendall,  Rob.  Moore,  Jos.  McCrabb,  Louis  Ror- 
der,  V.  W.  Swearengen,  Jos.  Vermilion,  I.  E.  Watkins,  A.  W.  Wolsey,  W.  R.  Williams, 
Ellison  York,  Patrick  Usher,  J.  S.  Menifee,  Paul  Scarborough,  John  Flick,  J.  H.  Money, 
Weppler,  John  Marshall,  Wm.  Bernbeck,  Millett,  Philip  Stroth,  Andreas  Voyel,  Nicholas 
Peck,  Win.  Hawkins,  J.  Duncan,  Geo.  Sutherland,  Thos.  Gay,  Jos.  Miller,  G.  W.  Gardner, 
Wm.  Mock,  S.  II.  Isbel,  Jas.  Tarlton,  Allen  Ingrahain  ;  McIIenry  Winburn,  W.  R.  Jack- 
aon,  D.  D.  D.  Baker,  officers  belonging  to  the  regular  service. 

COMPANY  K — R.  J.  Calder,  capt.;  J.  Sharper,  1st  lieut.;  M.  A.  Bingham,  1st  sergt. 
Private* — B.  Brigham,  J.  Conner,  F.  S.  Cooke,  T.  Cooke,  S.  Conner,  G.  J.  Johnstone, 
Granville  Mills,  Elias  Baker,  H.  Dibble,  T.  M.  Fowler,  H.  Fields,  B.  C.  Franklin,  J.  Green, 
W.  C.  Hogg,  J.  Hall,  E.  B.  Halstead,  J.  W.  Hassell,  W.  Lambert,  B.  Minis,  W.  Muir,  P. 
D.  M'Neil,  C.  Malone,  J.  Plunkett,  W.  P.  Reese,  C.  K.  Reese,  J.  A.  Spicer,  H.  Stonfer,  J. 
Threndgil,  W.  P.  Scott,  R.  Crawford,  S.  B.  Mitchell,  B.  F.  Fitch,  W.  W.  Grant,  J.  S.  Ed 
gar,  J.  Smith,  T.  D.  Owen,  W.  Hale,  A.  G.  Butts,  D.  Dedrick,  C.  Forrister,  W.  K.  Den- 
ham. 

COMPANY  F— Wm.  J.  E.  Heard,  capt.:  William  Eastland,  1st  lieut.;  Eli  Mercer,  Wilson 
Lightfoot,  sergts.;  Alfred  Kelso,  Elijah  Mercer,  corporals. 

Privates — Rob.  M'Laughlin,  Leroy  Wilkinson,  Wm.  Lightfoot,  Dan.  Miller,  Jesse  Rob 
inson,  Josiah  Hagans,  John  M'Crab,  Maxwell  Steel,  John  Bigley,  Hugh  M'Kenzie,  Joseph 
Elinger,  John  Halliet,  J.  Robinson,  D.  Dunham,  Wm.  Passe,  Jas.  S.  Lester,  Phillilla  Brad- 
ing,  Christian  Winner,  Jas.  Nelson,  John  Tumlinson,  F.  Brockfield,  Chas.  M.  Henry,  Jas. 
Byrd,  Nath'l  Reid,  Andrew  Sennatt,  P.  B.  O'Conner,  Thos.  Ryons,  John  Lewis,  Jos.  High 
land,  Leander  Season,  S.  T.  Foley,  Allen  Jones,  Thos.  Adams,  Mitchell  Putnam,  T.  M. 
Hardiman,  Ch»is.  Thompson,  Wm.  Waters. 

COMPANY  H — Wm.  W.  Hill,  capt.  (sick),  commanded  by  R.  Stephenson  ;  H.  II.  Swisher,  1st 
lieut.;  C.  Rancy,  A.  R.  Stevens,  W.  H.  Miller,  sergeants. 

Privates — E.  Whitesides,  J.  S.  Stump,  J.  M.  Swisher,  Moses  Davis,  John  Lyford,  John 
Tom,  Nicholas  Crunk,  Lewis  Clemins,  Wm.  Hawkins,  J.  W.  Cannon,  James  Farmer,  R. 
Bowen,  A.  Lesassiem,  W.  K.  Dallas,  M.  B.  Gray,  Jas.  Gray,  B.  Doolittle,  John  Graham, 
Jas.  M.  Hill,  J.  Ingrahatn,  John  Gafford,  N.  Mitchell,  David  Korneky,  Geo.  Petty,  James 
Everett,  Prosper  Hope,  J.  Powell,  Matthew  Dunn,  J.  D.  Jennings,  John  C.  Hunt,  Jacob 
<3roce,  F.  B.  Gentry,  J.  G.  Wilkinson,  A.  Dillard,  F.  K.  Henderson,  Uriah  Sauiiders,  John 
Oraddick,  J.  Lawrence,  A.  Caruthers,  Daniel  McKay. 

SECOND    REGIMENT    TEXAN   VOLUNTEERS. 

Sidney  Sherman,  colonel ;  Jos.  L.  Bennett,  lieut.  col.;  Lysander  Wells,  major;  Edw.  B. 
Wood,  adjutant;  Bennett  McNelly,  sergeant  major. 

FIRST  COMPANY — llaydon  Arnold,  capt.;  R.  W.  Smith,  1st  lieut.;  Isaac  Edwards,  2d 
lieut. 

Private* — Sam.  Leiper,  Peter  W.  Holmes,  W.  P.  Kincannon,  Dan.  Doubt,  John  Moss,  E-. 
E.  Hamilton,  David  Rusk,  W.  F.  Williams,  J.  W.  McHorse,  H.  Malena,  Alexin,  John  Har 
vey,  M.  G.  Whitaker,  John  Yancy,  S.  Yarbrough,  Thos.  G.  Box,  Nelson  Box,  G.  R.  Mer 
ger,  Wm.  Nabors,  Wm.  T.  Saddler,  Jas.  Mitchell,  Jaa.  E.  Box,  Sam.  Phillips,  John  B.  Tre- 
•»y,  Levy  Perch,  Crawf  Grigsby,  John  McCoy,  Dickins  Parker,  Jesse  Walling,  J.  W.  Car- 

44 


690  TEXAS. 

penter,  John  Box,  W.  E.  Hallmask,  Thos.  D.  Brooks,  S.  F.  Spanks,  Howard  Bailey,  H.  M. 
Brewer,  Stephen  McLin. 

SECOND  COMPANY— Win.  Ware,  capt.;  Job  S.  Collard,  1st  lieut.;  Geo.  A.  Lamb,  2d  lieut.; 
Albert  Gallitin,  Wra.  C.  Winters,  sergeants. 

Privates — J.  —  Winters,  J.  W.  Winters,  C.  Edenburg,  Lewis  Cox,  G.  W.  Robinson,  G.  W. 
Lawrence,  W.  Cartwright,  John  Sadler,  James  Wilson,  James  Derritt,  Matthew  Moss,  Jesse 
Thomson. 

THIRD  COMPANY— Wm.  M.  Logan,  capt.;  Franklin  Harden,  1st  lieut.;  B.  J.  Harper,  2d 
lieut.;  E.  F.  Branch,  1st  sergt. 

Privates— John  Biddle,  J.  M.  Maxwell,  M.  Charencan,  E.  Bulliner,  P.  Bulliner,  J.  Sleighs- 
ton,  Patrick  Camel,  Wm.  M.  Smith,  David  Choat,  David  Cole,  Q.  Dykes,  David  M'Fadden, 
Thomas  Orr,  Luke  Bryant,  W.  Kibbe,  E.  M.  Tanner,  H.  R.  Williams,  Michael  Poveto,  Le- 
fray  Gedrie,  Joseph  Farewell,  C.  W.  Thompson,  Cornelius  Devois,  M.  J.  Brakey,  Thomas 
Belnop,  Wm.  Duffee,  Joseph  Ellender,  William  Smith,  Wm.  Robertson,  W.  A.  Smyth,  Jas. 
Call. 

FOUBTH  COMPANY — Wm.  H.  Patton,  capt.  (before  entered  as  aid  to  Gen.  H.) ;  David  Mur 
phy,  1st  lieut.;  Peter  Harper,  2d  lieut.;  John  Smith,  Pendleton  Rector,  A.  W.  Breedlove, 
sergeants  ;  G.  L.  Bledsoe,  corporal. 

Privates — Jas.  Bradley,  J.  C.  Boyd,  Robt.  Carr,  A.  J.  Beard,  Alex.  Bailey,  J.  J.  Childs, 
St.  Clair  Patton,  Claiborn  Rector,  Phineas  Ripley,  Thos.  Leveney,  J.  B.  Taylor,  L.  Wil- 
loughby,  G.  Wright,  M.  B.  Atkison,  Holden  Denmon,  Ed.  Daist,  R.  B.  Daist,  J.  K.  Davis, 
E.  Gallaher,  Jas.  Hall,  S.  Phillips,  Thos.  McGay,  J.  A.  Barkley,  Francis  Walneet,  Hinson 
Curtis,  J.  B.  Grice,  Nat.  Hager,  B.  F.  Cage,  J.  M.  McCormack,  Jas.  Haye,  Chas.  Hick,  A. 
D.  Kenyon,  G.  W.  Lewis,  J.  Pickering,  Jas.  Harris,  Wm.  Brennan,  Wm.  H.  Jack,  Dr.  Bay 
lor,  Thos.  F.  Coney,  A.  Lewis,  W.  P.  Lane,  E.  G.  Rector. 


Thos.  H.  M'Intire,  capt.;  John  P.  Gill,  1st  lieut.;  Bazil  G.  Gians,  2d  lieut.;  Robt.  D.  Ty 
ler,  John  Wilkinson,  sergts.;  E.  G.  Coffman,  corp. 

Privates— Wm.  Boyle,  Benj.  Bencroft,  Geo.  Barker,  Wm.  Bennett,  John  Clarke,  J.  B.  Col- 
iant,  J.  Campbell,  Cooper,  T.  Davis,  Oscar  Farish,  Thos.  Hopkins,  Jack  Lowrie,  Placido 
M'Curdy,  David  Oden,  G.  W.  Penticost,  S.  W.  Peebles,  Samuel  Sharp,  Isaac  Jacques,  Johu 
Chevis,  1st,  John  Chevis,  2d,  Thos.  Cox,  Cyrus  Cepton,  Ambrose  Mayer,  Moses  Allison, 
Isaac  Maiden,  F.  Wilkinson. 

James  Galsaspy,  capt.;  Wm.  Finch,  1st  lieut.;  A.  L.  Harrison,  2d  lieut.;  R.  T.  Choderick, 
1st  sergt. 

Privates — John  Sayres,  F.  B.  Lasiter,  M.  K.  Gohoen,  T.  H.  Webb,  John  Peterson,  J. 
Montgomery,  T.  F.  Johnson,  Hez.  Harris,W.  F.  Ferrill,  Samuel  Wyley,  Wm.  Fertilan,  A. 
Montgomery,  A.  Lolison,  E.  M'Millan,  S.  Daling,  J.  W.  Scolling,  J.  Richardson,  Obanion, 
Willis  L.  Ellis,  Jas.  Walker,  Alphonzo  Steel,  Benj.  Johnson,  F.  M.  Woodward,  Wm.  Peter 
son,  J.  C.  White,  Rob.  Henry,  Elijah  Votan,  G.  Crosby,  Joel  Dederick,  L.  Raney. 

B.  Bryant,  capt.;  John  C.  Hales,  1st  lieut.;  A.  S.  Lewis,  2d  lieut. 

Privates— Wm.  Earle,  J.  S.  P.  Irven,  Sim.  Roberts,  Jos.  P.  Parks,  C.  Rockwell,  R.  B. 
Russell,  L.  H.  White,  A.  M'Kenzie,  A.  Cobble,  John  F.  Gilbert,  D.  Roberts,  Wm.  B.  Scates, 
J.  R.  Johnson,  Wm.  Pate,  B.  Lindsay,  Jas.  Clarke,  Robt.  Love. 

Wm.  Kimbo,  capt.;  James  Rowe,  1st  lieut.;  John  Harman,  William  Fisher,  Henry  Reed, 
sergeants. 

Privates — D.  Brown,  Wm.  Bateman,  J.  A.  Chaffin,  H.  Corsine,  Joel  Crane,  R.  T.  Crane, 
Joshua  Clelens,  W.  H.  Davis,  S.  Holeman,  H.  Hill,  G.  D.  Hancock,  E.  0.  Legrand,  D.  Love, 
D.  H.  M'Gary,  Thos.  Maxwell,  A.  G.  M'Gowan,  J.  W.  Proctor,  Benj.  Thomas,  D.  Watson, 
Lewis  Wilworth,  R.  Stevenson,  G.  W.  Jones,  W.  B.  Rrown,  B.  Green,  J.  Kent,  Caddell,  R. 
Hotchkiss,  Thos.  M.  Hughes,  A.  Buffington,  Jas.  Burch,  R.  Burch,  A.  E.  Manuel. 

Juan  N.  Seguin,  capt.;  Manuel  Flores,  Antonio  Menchasen,  sergeants;  Nep  Flores,  Am- 
bro  Rodridge,  corporals. 

Privates — Antonio  Cruz,  Jose  Maria  Mocha,  Eudnado  Samirer,  Lucin  Ennqnes,  Maticio 
Curvis,  Antonio  Cueves,  Simon  Ancola,  Manuel  Tarin,  Pedro  Henern,  Thos.  Maldonart, 
Cecario  Cormana,  Jacinto,  Pena,  N.  Navarro,  A.  Vareinas,  Manuel  Avoca. 


Buffalo  Bayou  is  perhaps  the  smallest  navigable  stream  in  Texas,  but  at 
present  it  is  one  of  the  most  important  means  of  communication  with  the  in 
terior.  From  Galveston  Bay  to  Houston,  the  ancient  capital  of  Texas,  a  dis 
tance  of  about  20  miles,  this  small  stream  is  navigable  for  steamboats  of  a 
large  size,  although  in  some  places  it  is  not  of  sufficient  width  .to  allow 
one  to  turn  lengthwise  across  the  stream.  The  elevated  banks  which  slope 


TEXAS  f  691 

to  the  water's  edge,  are  thickly  set  with  forest  trees,  havlag  their  branches, 
covered  with  pendant  moss.  A  striking  scene  is  presented  at  night,  when 
the  steamboat  steers  her  way,  as  it  were,  through  the  forest,  with  torchlights 
on  both  sides. 


Night  Scene  on  Buffalo  Bayou. 

Brownsville,  the  county  seat  of  Cameron  county,  is  situated  on  the  N.  bank 
of  the  Rio  Grande,  about  50  miles  by  the  course  of  the  river  from  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  326  S.  from  Austin.  It  is  a  flourishing  place  and  has  con 
siderable  commerce  with  the  river  towns.  It  lies  opposite  Matamoras,  in 
Mexico.  Brazos  Santiago  is  the  shipping  point.  The  place  received  its 
name  from  Maj.  Brown,  who  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  defense  of  the 
fort  here,  during  the  Mexican  war,  in  1846". 

After  the  terms  of  annexation  were  accepted  (July  4,  1845),  Gen.  Taylor- 
was  ordered  to  western  Texas.  At  the  head  of  a  considerable  force  he  estab 
lished  his  camp  at  Corpus  Christi,  then  the  furthest  point  west  to  which  the 
Texan  population  had  extended.  In  Jan.,  1846,  he  was  ordered  to  march 
through  the  uninhabited  region  between  the  Nueces  and  Rio  Grande,  and 
Jake  possession  of  Point  Isabel  and  the  points  opposite  Matamoras  and  Mie-r. 
This  was  accomplished,  some  skirmishes  ensued,  and  several  being  killed 
soon  brought  on  open  and  avowed  hostilities  between  the  two  nations.  The 
Allowing  narrative  of  the  battles  which  ensued,  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma,  is  from  "  Howe's  Achievements  of  Americans,"  and  is  especially  val 
uable  from  giving  the  first  experience  of  a  soldier  in  the  business  of  war: 

Throwing  a  garrison  into  Fort  Brown,  opposite  Matamoras,  Gen.  Taylor,  on  the 
1st  of  May,  broke  up  the  camp  and  started  with  the  whole  army  for  Point  Isabel, 
to  bring  up  a  large  depot  of  provisions  to  the  fort;  we  arrived  there  the  succeeding 
forenoon,  and  were  set  to  work  building  intrenchments. 

On  the  7th,  the  array  set  out  on  its  return  to  Fort  Brown,  and  after  proceeding 
?bout  seven  miles,  we  encamped  beside  a  pond,  where  the  musquitoes  were  so 
plent}r  that  we  could  not  sleep.  The  next  morning  we  resumed  our  march,  calcu 
lating  to  get  through  if  nothing  prevented;  but  about  noon,  the  dragoons  brought 
intelligence  that  the  enemy  wera  in  force  in  front.  ''Now  we'll  have  it,  boys! ' 


692  TEXAS. 

said  the  men ;  and,  I  must  confess,  I  felt  a  sudden  thrill  at  this  intelligence.  Gen. 
Taylor  in  a  few  minutes  ordered  a  halt  beside  a  pond  of  water,  for  the  men  to  fill 
their  canteens. 

Here  we  got  our  first  view  of  the  enemy.  "  Look!  look  !  Oh  !  look  at  them!  " 
cried  several  at  once.  "  My  stars  I  what  a  host !  "  exclaimed  others.  We  now  ad 
vanced  slowly  in  order  of  battle,  occasionally  halting,  until  we  were  within  a  little 
over  half  a  mile  distant  from  them.  Their  appearance  was  exceedingly  grand ; 
directly  in  front  stood  their  infantry,  with  here  and  there  an  interval  of  artillery — 
their  bright  brass  guns  reflecting  the  rays  of  the  sun.  On  each  side,  stretching 
over  the  prairie,  was  their  cavalry,  with  a  host  of  sharp-pointed,  bright-shining 
lances,  with  their  pendants  of  red  and  blue.  Vast  masses  of  infantry,  in  rear  of 
their  front  line  were  moving  into  different  positions  for  the  coming  fray,  and  their 
field  officers  were  galloping  up  and  down,  giving  out  their  respective  orders.  When 
all  was  completed,  their  army  stood  perfectly  still ;  their  right  resting  on  a  dense 
thicket  of  chapparal,  and  their  left  stretching  across  the  road,  and  protected  at  the 
end  by  a  swamp.  Their  whole  line  was  about  one  mile  in  length ;  they  had  eleven 
field  pieces  and  about  six  thousand  men.  It  was  an  awe-inspiring  spectacle — tho&e 
Mexicans  on  the  field  of  Palo  Alto. 

Now  let  us  look  at  our  little  army.  Our  regiments,  from  sickness  and  other 
causes,  had  not  over  one  half  of  the  usual  number  of  men,  and  here  we  were  on 
the  day  of  battle  in  a  miserably  weak  condition.  The  company  to  which  1  be 
longed,  "  B,"  had  only  sixteen  bayonets.  We  had  nine  regiments,  and  they  num 
bered,  officers  and  all,  but  a  little  over  twenty-two  hundred  men  ;  but  there  was  a 
self-reliance  among  them  that  seemed  to  augur  success. 

Gen.  Taylor,  for  simple  hard  fighting,  was  an  excellent  officer,  but  he  knew  little 
of  tactics,  rarely  put  any  military  evolution  in  practice,  and  had  not  the  confidence 
of  the  army  like  Worth  and  Scott.  In  this  battle  we  had  two  light  batteries — 
Ringgold's  and  Duncan's — of  four  pieces  each,  and  two  eighteen  pound  iron  guns, 
under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Churchill,  and  the  battle  was  mainly  fought  with 
artillery.  The  eighteen-pounders  were  on  the  right  of  our  regiment,  which  was 
near  the  center  of  our  line ;  1  was  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  regiment  Churchill's 
guns  were  each  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen.  A  Texan  boy  drove  one  of  the  teams; 
as  we  were  coming  into  position  his  coolness  was  remarkable,  and  his  talk  to  his 
oxen  amusing.  "  Go  along,  buck!  "  he  said,  "  if  you're  killed,  you  are  fat  and  will 
make  good  beef."  When  all  was  ready,  both  armies  stood  still  for  about  twenty 
minutes,  each  waiting  for  the  other  to  begin  the  work  of  death,  and  during  this 
time,  1  did  not  see  a  single  man  of  the  enemy  move ;  they  stood  like  statues. 

We  remained  quiet  with  two  exceptions;  Gen.  Taylor,  followed  by  his  staff,  rode 
from  left  to  right  at  a  slow  pace,  with  his  right  leg  thrown  over  like  a  womant  and 
as  he  passed  each  regiment,  he  spoke  words  of  encouragement.  I  know  not  what 
he  said  to  the  others,  but  when  he  came  up  to  where  we  stood,  he  looked  steadily 
at  us;  J  suppose,  to  see  what  effect  the  circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed  had 
upon  us,  and,  as  he  gazed,  he  said:  "The  bayonet,  my  hardy  cocks  !  the  bayonet  i» 
the  thing!"  The  other  occasion  was  that  of  Lieut.  Blake,  of  the  engineers,  who 
volunteered  to  gallop  along  the  enemy's  line,  in  front  of  both  armies,  and  count 
their  guns;  and  so  close  did  he  go  that  he  might  have  been  shot  a  hundred  times. 
One  of  the  officers  of  the  enemy,  doubtless  thinking  he  had  some  communication 
to  make,  rode  out  to  meet  him  ;  Blake,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  rode 
on,  and  then  returned  and  reported  to  Taylor. 

Thus  stood  those  two  belligerent  armies,  face  to  face.  What  were  the  feelings 
of  those  thousands!  How  many  thoughts  and  fears  were  crowded  into  those  few 
moments !  Look  at  our  men  !  a  clammy  sweat  is  settled  all  over  faces  slightly  pale, 
not  from  cowardly  fear,  but  from  an  awful  sense  of  peril  combined  with  a  deter 
mination  not  to  flinch  from  duty.  These  are  the  moments  in  which  true  soldiers 
resign  themselves  to  their  fate,  and  console  themselves  with  the  reflection  that 
whatever  may  befall  them  they  will  act  with  honor ;  these  are  the  moments  when 
the  absolute  coward  suffers  more  than  death — when,  if  not  certain  he  would  be 
shot  in  his  tracks,  he  would  turn  and  flee.  Fighting  is  very  hard  work;  the  man 
who  has  passed  through  a  two  hours'  fight,  has  lived  through  a  great  amount  of 
mental  and  physical  labor.  At  the  end  of  a  battle  1  always  found  that  I  had  per- 


TEXAS.  693 

spired  so  profusely  as  to  wet  through  all  my  thick  woolen  clothing,  and  when  I  had 
got  cool,  I  was  as  sore  as  if  I  had  been  beaten  all  over  with  a  club.  When  the 
battle  commences,  the  feelings  undergo  a  change.  Header,  did  you  ever  see 
your  house  on  fire?  if  so,  it  was  then  you  rushed  into  great  danger;  it  was  then 
you  went  over  places,  climbed  up  walls,  lifted  heavy  loads,  which  you  never  could 
have  done  in  your  cooler  moments ;  you  then  have  experienced  some  of  the  excite 
ment  of  a  soldier  in  battle.  I  always  knew  my  danger — that  at  any  moment  I  was 
liable  to  be  killed,  yet  such  was  my  excitement  that  I  never  fully  realized  it.  All 
men  are  not  alike  ;  some  are  cool ;  some  are  perfectly  wild  or  crazy ;  others  are  so 
prostrated  by  fear  that  they  are  completely  unnerved — an  awful  sinking  and  re 
laxation  of  all  their  energies  takes  place,  pitiable  to  behold ;  they  tremble  like  an 
aspen,  slink  into  ditches  and  covert  places,  cry  like  children,  and  are  totally  in 
sensible  to  shame- — dead  to  every  emotion  but  the  overwhelming  fear  of  instant 
death.  We  had  a  few,  and  but  a  few,  of  such  in  our  army. 

As  the  two  armies  were  facing  each  other,  it  was  remarkable  to  see  the  coolness  of  our 
men  ;  there  they  stood,  chewing  bits  of  biscuit,  and  talking  about  the  Mexicans — some 
wondering  if  they  would  fight;  others  allowing  that  they  would,  and  like  demons,  etc.  I 
kept  my  eye  on  the  artillery  of  the  enemy,  and  happened  to  be  looking  toward  their  right- 
wing  when  suddenly  a  white  curl  of  smoke  sprang  up  there  from  one  of  their  guns,  and 
then  I  saw  the  dust  fly  some  distance  in  front  where  the  ball  struck.  Instantly  another, 
and  then  another  rich  curl  of  smoke  arose,  succeeded  by  a  booming  sound,  and  the  shot 
came  crashing  toward  us.  The  enemy  fired  very  rapidly,  and  their  balls  knocked  the  dust 
about  us  in  all  directions — some  went  over  our  heads,  others  struck  the  ground  in  front  and 
bounded  away. 

Our  batteries  now  went  to  work,  and  poured  in  upon  them  a  perfect  storm  of  iron ;  Lieut. 
Churchill  and  his  men  began  with  their  eighteen-pounders,  and  when  the  first  was  fired,  it 
made  such  a  loud  report  that  our  men  gave  a  spontaneous  shout,  which  seemed  to  inspire 
us  with  renewed  confidence.  I  could  hearevcry  word  the  lieutenant  said  to  his  men.  When 
the  first  shot  was  fired,  he  watched  the  ball,  saying,  "  Too  high,  men  ;  try  another!  " — "too 
low,  men ;  try  a.gain — the  third  time  is  the  charm  !  "  The  third  shot  was  fired,  and  I  saw 
with  my  own  eyes  the  dreadful  effect  of  that  and  the  following  shots.  "  That's  it,  my 
boysl  "  shouted  Churchill,  jumping  up  about  two  feet;  "you  have  them  now!  keep  her  at 
thatl"  and  so  they  did,  and  every  shot  tore  complete  lanes  right  through  the  enemy's  lines  ; 
but  they  stood  it  manfully.  The  full  chorus  of  battle  now  raged ;  twenty-three  pieces  of 
artillery  belched  forth  their  iron  hail. 

We  were  ordered  to  lie  down  in  the  grass  to  avoid  the  shot;  this  puzzled  the  enemy,  and 
they  could  not  bring  their  guns  to  bear  upon  us,  making  our  loss  very  small.  Many  were 
the  narrow  escapes ;  one  ball  came  within  six  inches  of  my  left  side.  The  force  of  the 
shot  was  tremendous;  a  horse's  body  was  no  obstacle  at  all  ;  a  man's  leg  was  a  mere  pipe 
stem.  I  watched  the  shot  as  it  struck  the  roots  of  the  grass,  and  it  was  astonishing  how 
the  dust  flew.  In  about  an  hour,  the  grass  caught  on  fire,  and  the  clouds  of  smoke  shut 
out  the  opposing  armies  from  view.  We  had  not  as  yet  lost  a  man  from  our  regiment.  In 
the  obscurity,  the  enemy  changed  their  line,  and  the  eighteen-pounders,  supported  by  our 
regiment,  took  a  new  position  on  a  little  rise  of  ground.  As  we  moved  on  to  the  spot,  a 
eix-pound  shot  carried  away  the  lower  jaw  of  Capt.  Page,  and  then  took  off  a  nmn's  head 
on  the  right,  as  clean  as  if  with  a  knife.  The  blood  of  poor  Page  was  the  first  blood  I 
saw;  he  was  knocked  down  in  the  grass,  and  as  he  endeavored  to  raise  himself,  he  pro- 
dented  such  a  ghastly  spectacle  that  a  sickly,  fainting  sensation  came  over  me,  and  the 
memory  of  that  sight  I  shall  carry  with  me  to  my  dying  day.  A  little  later,  Major  Ring- 
gold  was  mortally  wounded  at  his  battery ;  I  saw  him  just  after  it.  The  shot  had  torn 
away  a  portion  of  the  flesh  of  his  thighs :  its  force  was  tremendous,  cutting  off  both  his 
pistols  at  the  locks,  and  also  the  withers  of  his  horse — a  splendid  steed  which  was  killed  tc 
relieve  him  of  his  misery.  The  enemy  tried  hard,  but  without  avail,  to  hit  our  eighteen- 
pounders.  The  battle  continued  until  night  put  an  end  to  the  scene.  We  bivouacked  where 
we  were,  and  laid  on  our  arms  ;  we  slept,  however,  but  little,  thinking  we  might  be  attacked 
in  our  sleep. 

The  enemy  had  been  very  severely  handled,  owing  to  the  superiority  of  our  artillery.  The 
gunners  went  into  it  more  like  butchers  than  military  men  ;  each  stripped  off  his  coat,  rolled 
up  hissleeves,  and  tied  his  suspenders  around  his  waist ;  they  all  wore  red  flannel  shirts,  and, 
therefore,  were  in  uniform.  To  see  them  limbering  and  unlimbering,  firing  a  few  shots, 
then  dashing  through  the  smoke,  and  then  to  fire  again  with  lightning-like  rapidity,  partly 
hid  from  view  by  dense  clouds  of  dust  and  smoke,  with  their  dark-red  shirts  and  naked  arms, 
yelling  at  every  shot  they  made,  reminded  me  of  a  band  of  demons  rather  than  of  men. 

On  the  morning  ot  the  ninth,  the  sun  rose  in  splendor.  The  enemy  having  retired  into 
the  ehapparal,  we  resumed  our  march  toward  the  fort.  On  arriving  at  the  position  the 
enemy  had  occupied  the  day  befo  e,  the  scene  was  shocking ;  here  lay  a  beautiful  black 


TEXAS. 

horse  and  rider,  both  dead  ;  a  little  beyond  was  a  heap  of  artillery-men  horribly  mangled, 
some  entirely  headless,  others  with  their  bowels  torn  out,  and  again  others  with  an  arm  or 
a  leg,  sometimes  both,  shot  away.  One  man,  I  noticed,  had  been  shot  in  a,  singular  man 
ner  ;  the  ball  must  have  bounded,  and,  as  it  was  rising,  struck  its  victim  about  the  right 
haunch,  then  passing  up  diagonally  through  his  body,  came  out  under  his  left  arm.  The 
positions  of  the  dead  were  in  many  instances  peculiar;  some  in  their  death-agonies  had 
caught  with  their  hands  in  the  grass,  and  thus  died  :  some  others  were  in  a  kind  of  sitting 
posture ;  the  countenances  of  some  were  horribly  distorted,  others  had  a  smile — an  absolute 
laugh.  The  enemy  had  left  behind  a  part  of  their  wounded;  one  poor  fellow  who  appeared 
to  be  quite  intelligent,  was  badly  wounded  in  the  ankle  ;  when  we  came  near  him,  he  called 
out  piteously,  "Bueno  Americano!  Agua,  Senor!  agua,  Senor  I " — Good  American  I  Water, 
sir  1  water,  sir  !  We  ran  and  offered  him  our  canteens,  and  gave  him  biscuit,  for  which  he 
appeared  grateful. 

Our  advance  guard  had  been  through,  and  ascertained  that  the  enemy  were  posted  at 
Resaca  de  la  Palma,  a  few  miles  off.  A  ravine  here  crossed  the  road,  and  on  each  side  it 
was  skirted  with  dense  chapparal:  the  ravine  was  occupied  by  their  artillery.  We  marched 
on  the  narrow  road  through  the  chapparal  toward  their  position.  The  battle  commenced 
with  those  in  advance.  The  balls  began  to  crash  through  the  woods  over  our  heads,  when 
our  regiment  deployed  to  the  left  and  then  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and  advanced  through 
the  chapparal  toward  the  enemy,  whom  we  could  not  then  see.  Lieut.  Haller  called  out, 
"  Fourth  and  Fifth  Infantry,  charge  I  "  Both  regiments  responded  with  a  cheer,  and  rushed 
on.  In  a  few  paces  we  came  to  a  small  pond,  and  here  I  had  my  first  chance  for  a  shot  at 
the  Mexicans,  who  were  in  line  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  were  pouring  their  balls  right 
into  our  faces.  The  bushes  screened  all  below  their  waists.  I  kneeled  down  on  my  right 
knee,  cocked  my  musket,  and  brought  it  to  an  aim  on  the  mass  in  front  of  me,  making  my 
first  shot  at  the  human  family.  I  fired  four  shots  in  this  manner,  the  branches  in  the 
meanwhile  dropping  off  and  the  dust  springing  up  all  around  me  from  the  shot  of  my 
friends  across  the  little  water.  The  word  was  then  given  to  charge,  and  we  dashed  into  the 
water  which  took  me  about  half-thigh  deep;  when  in  the  middle,  a  ball  just  grazed  my 
right  ear,  and  another  struck  a  lieutenant  by  me  in  the  right  arm.  The  Mexicans  broke 
and  ran,  and  we  continued  charging  along  the  pond  until  we  came  to  where  their  guns  were 
stationed.  Here  our  troops,  of  different  regiments,  got  mixed  up.  The  Mexicans  fought 
desperately,  and  many  were  slain. 

Wiien  our  infantry  closed  upon  their  artillery,  some  of  our  men  were  killed  by  a  shot 
from  Duncan's  battery,  which  remained  on  the  east  side  of  the  ravine.  The  fight  was  now 
confined  to  this  central  position  ;  their  guns  on  the  right  and  left  of  it  having  been  taken. 
Here  stood  Gen.  La  Vega  almost  alone,  his  men  having  been  shot  down  around  him  from 
the  combined  effects  of  our  infantry  on  the  right  and  left,  and  Duncan's  battery  in  front. 
Just  at  this  moment,  when  the  infantry  of  all  the  regiments  there  engaged  rushed  in  upon 
La  Vega's  position,  Capt.  May  charged  with  the  dragoons  who  received  the  last  gun  that 
the  enemy  fired  ;  but  before  the  dragoons  had  got  up,  La  Vega  was  captured  with  a  large 
number  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  enemy.  The  dragoons  charged  clear  past  this  point, 
and  having  received  a  heavy  volley  from  the  enemy's  infantry  and  cavalry  who  were  rally 
ing  beyond,  May  ordered  a  retreat.  As  he  was  returning,  La  Vega,  already  a  prisoner  and 
held  as  such  by  the  infantry,  judging  that  May  was  a  superior  officer,  gave  up  his  sword  to 
him. 

After  those  guns  were  captured,  about  thirty  of  us  went  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating 
enemy  until  we  came  upon  an  open  space  of,  perhaps,  two  acres ;  here  we  found  a  large  pack 
of  mules  and  the  abandoned  tent  of  Gen.  Arista  ;  we  stopped  a  moment,  and  then  con 
tinued  on  the  road  until  we  were  charged  by  the  lancers.  Lieut.  Hays  sang  out,  "  They 
are  too  strong  for  us,  boys! — retreat!  retreat!"  which  we  did  for 'a  short  pace,  and 
then  faced  the  enemy.  The  lancers  came  down  upon  us,  when  we  poured  in  a  volley  which 
sent  them  back.  Lieut.  Gochrane,  instead  of  coming  on  with  us,  ran  behind  a  small  clump 
of  bushes  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  when  a  lancer  rode  up  and  deliberately  lanced 
him.  We  reloaded,  and  on  they  came  again,  headed  by  an  officer  mounted  on  a  splendid 
white  horse.  Some  one  sang  out,  "  Shoot  that  man  on  the  white  horse  I  "  We  poured  in 
another  volley,  and  down  went  both  horse  and  rider,  beside  numerous  others;  among  them 
was  the  man  that  had  killed  Lieut.  Cochrane.  I  went  out  and  picked  up  his  lance  ;  it  was 
covered  with  the  blood  of  the  poor  lieutenant.  At  this  moment  came  up  our  light  artillery 
and  the  dragoons,  who  pursued  the  enemy  to  the  river  where  many  were  drowned  in  cross 
ing,  and  thus  ended  the  battle  of  Eesaca  de  la  Palma.  Then  I  never  heard  such  shouting 
as  came  from  our  men  ;  they  seemed  nearly  crazy  with  joy.  I  can  not  describe  my  feel 
ings  when  I  saw  what  a  victory  we  had  won  1 

Nacogdoclies  is  60  miles  W.  of  the  Sabine,  and  210  E.  from  Austin,  on  an 
elevated  triangular  plain,  at  the  head  of  several  small  streams  which  enter 
the  River  Angelina.  It  contains  a  fine  court  house,  several  churches,  and 


TEXAS.  695 

about  1,000  inhabitants.  This  place  was  one  of  the  first  settled  by  the 
Spanish  in  Texas,  being  occupied  as  a  military  post.  Its  improvement  did 
not  commence  till  1788,  when  many  persons  moved  there  from  New  Orleans, 
and  Capt.  Gil.  y  Barbo,  the  first  commandant,  established  an  arsenal  and 
barracks,  and  built  the  "old  stone  house,"  which  still  remains.  The  county 
of  Nacojrdoches  was  created  in  1836,  from  the  municipality  of  the  same 
name.  The  white  population  of  the  county  is  about  8,000,  mostly  Ameri 
cans.  Churches  and  schools  are  liberally  supplied,  and  the  state  of  society 
generally  good.  Previous  to  and  durin-g  the  American  Revolution,  an  active 
trade  was  carried  on  by  the  Spanish  settlement  at  Natchez,  through  Nacog- 
doches  to  the  interior  of  Texas,  and  it  was  through  those  engaged  in  this 
trade  that  the  great  beauty  and  fertility  of  country  became  known  to  the 
Americans,  and  attracted  many  adventurers. 

San  Augustine  is  situated  in  a  rich  cotton  growing  region,  on  a  branch  of  the 
Neches  River,  27  miles  from  the  Sabirie,  and  360  from  Austin.  It  was  laid  off 
in  1833,  and  contains  a  court  house,  several  churches,  and  about  1,500  inhabit 
ants.  It  is  very  healthy,  being  built  on  the  high  rolling  lands,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  towns  in  Texas.  The  University  of  San  Augustine 
was  incorporated  in  1837. 

Port  Lavacca  is  the  capital  of  Calhoun  county.  It  is  on  the  W.  side  of 
Lavacca  Bay,  about  160  miles  S.E.  of  Austin,  and  is  the  principal  shipping 
port  of  that  part  of  Texas.  Population  about  600. 

Matagorda,  on  Matagorda  Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  Colorado  River,  250  miles 
S.E.  from  Austin,  is  a  place  of  considerable  commerce,  being  the  depot  for 
the  produce  of  the  fertile  Colorado  valley.  Population  about  600. 

There  are  many  towns  in  Texas  beside  those  mentioned,  that  have  1,000 
inhabitants.  Marshall,  Gonzales,  Victoria  and  Paris  have  each  of  them  over 
that  number,  and  though  neither  of  them  reach  2,000,  they  are  important 
business  centers  for  their  respective  districts, 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES,  MISCELLANIES,  ETC. 

Moses  Austin  was  born  in  Durham,  Connecticut,  about  the  year  1764,  and  of  a 
highly  respectable  family.  He  was  well  educated,  and  was  bred  a  merchant,  and 
possessed  uncommon  energy  and  enterprise.  He  engaged  in  merchandising  in 
Philadelphia,  then  in  Richmond,  and  later  bought  lead  mines  in  Wythe  county,  Va., 
where  he  engaged  in  mining,  introduced  artisans  from  England,  and  established 
the  first  shot  and  sheet  lead  manufactory  in  the  United  States.  In  1799,  he  re 
moved  to  the  Mine-a-Burton  lead  mine  in  Missouri,  and  there  established  the  bus 
iness  of  lead  mining  in  the  wilderness,  surrounded  by  savages :  his  ore  was  con 
veyed  on  horseback  to  St.  Genevieve,  40  miles  distant.  Until  1817,  he  Conducted 
a  prosperous  business,  his  house  became  the  abode  of  elegant  hospitality,  and  the 
wilderness  around  was  made  to  smile  under  his  enterprise.  Then  the  failure  of 
the  Missouri  bank  so  embarrassed  his  circumstances  that  he  then,  at  the  age  of  55 
years,  voluntarily  gave  up  all  his  property  to  his  creditors,  and  with  invincible 
firmness  prepared  to  found  aa  American  colony  in  Texas.  In  the  execution  of  his 
plans  he  had  the  aid  of  his  son  Stephen.  He  did  not  live  to  see  them  consummated, 
as  he  died  on  the  eve  of  their  accomplishment,  June  10,  1821,  leaving  on  his  death 
bed  the  message  to  his  son  to  carry  forward  his  enterprise. 

Gen.  Stephen  F.  Austin,  sometimes  called  "  the  Father  of  Texas,  was  born  in 
Wythe  county,  Va,  in  1793.  He  began  his  education  at  Colchester,  Conn.,  and 
finished  it  at  Transylvania  University,  in  Kentucky.  At  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  he  was  28  years  of  age.  He  resolved  to  accept  his  father's  dying  trust,  and 
after  much  toil  and  with  great  address,  he  succeeded  in  the  enterprise,  fixing  his 


696  TEXAS. 

colonial  capital  on  the  Brazos — San  Felipe  de  Austin.  Gov.  Austin  died  Dec.  25, 
1836tin  the  45th  year  of  his  age.  His  qualities  of  head  and  heart  made  him  loved 
by  all.  "  Every  log  cabin  in  the  land  was  open  to  him.  Every  child  of  every  col 
onist  knew  him,  and  was  permitted  to  play  upon  his  knee.  When  he  first  entered 
the  province  of  Texas,  in  1821,  there  was  but  one  settlement  from  the  Sabine  to 
San  Antonio — Nacogdoches,  and  in  it  was  only  one  family  and  three  unmarried 
men.  The  ring  of  the  axe  had  never  been  heard  on  the  Brazos  and  Colorado.  The 
settlers  followed  in  the  wake  of  their  young  and  adventurous  leader,  with  the  rifle, 
the  ax,  the  plow  and  the  seed  corn.  Soon  the  green  blades  of  corn  waved  over 
the  luxuriant  virgin  fields,  and  the  smoke  arose  from  300  cabins,  and  300  good 
rifles  were  ready  to  follow  him  to  battle  for  the  right."  In  1823-4,  Austin's  colo 
ny  was  infested  by  robbers  and  fugitives  from  justice  from  the  United  States.  At 
first  mild  measures  were  tried  to  put  a  stop  to  their  depredations.  This  only  em 
boldened  to  greater  crimes,  they  adding  murder  to  robbery.  At  length  a  band  of 
these  desperadoes  were  attacked  and"  all  but  one  killed,  who  escaped.  The  head 
of  one  of  them  was  cut  oft7  and  set  on  a  pole  as  a  warning  to  like  offenders. 

David  S.  Burnet  was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  April  4,  1789.  His  father. 
Dr.  William  Burnet,  was  a  medical  officer  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  was 
also  a  member  of  the  continental  congress.  His  brother,  Maj.  Ichabod  Burnet, 
was  aid  to  Maj.  Gen.  Greene.  Judge  Burnet  was  educated  at  a  highly  respectable 
academy  in  his  native  town.  He  had  a  predilection  for  the  navy,  but  was  per 
suaded  to  give  it  up,  and  to  place  himself  in  a  counting  house  in  New  York  in 
1805.  Early  in  1806,  with  the  consent  of  his  friends,  he  joined  the  celebrated  ex 
pedition  under  Gen.  Miranda,  which  was  organized  in  New  York.  Miranda  sailed 
from  New  York  in  Feb.,  1806,  and  made  the  first  aggressive  demonstration  toward 
the  emancipation  from  Spanish  domination  at  La  Villa  de  Coro,  on  the  Gulf  of 
Venezuela.  A  landing  was  effected  in  front  of  a  battery,  and  the  enemy  were  forced 
to  retire.  Lieut.  Burnet  commanded  in  the  launch  from  the  frigate,  and  conse 
quently  was  one  of  those  who  fired  the  first  gun  in  favor  of  Spanish  American  in 
dependence. 

The  expedition  was  finally  abandoned,  and  most  of  the  survivors  of  the  original 
party  returned  to  New  York.  In  1817,  Mr.  Burnet  was  a  merchant  in  Natchitoches, 
La.  Being  threatened  with  pulmonary  consumption,  he  was  advised  by  his  physi 
cian  to  adopt  the  Indian  life  and  manner  of  living;  he  accordingly  went  among 
the  Comanches  on  the  Colorado,  and  remained  more  than  a  year,  during  which 
time  he  subsisted  on  buffalo  and  other  wild  meat,  without  bread  or  vegetables  of 
any  kind,  and  by  this  means  his  health  was  restored.  He  afterward  removed  to 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  studied  law.  In  1826,  Mr.  Burnet  emigrated  to  Texas. 
In  1833,  he  was  elected  to  the  convention  at  San  Felipe,  for  the  purpose  of  obtain 
ing  a  separate  state  organization  from  the  Federal  Government  at  Mexico.  In 

1834,  he  was  appointed  by  the  state  government  judge  of  the  municipality  of  Aus 
tin,  comprehending  about  one  half  the  population  of  Texas.     When  the  spirit  of 
war  began  to  be  exhibited  against  the  Mexicans,  Judge  Burnet  was  in  the  opposi 
tion,  and  continued  quiet  on  his  little  farm.     But  when  the  news  arrived  that  Santa 
Anna  had  assumed  dictatorial  powers,  and  abolished  the  state  governments,  he  took 
a  decided  stand  in  favor  of  resistance.     In  1836,  he  was  elected  by  the  convention 
that  declared  independence,  president  ad  interim  of  the  incipient  republic.     He 
was  afterward  chosen  vice  president.     Since  this  period  he  has  lived  in  retirement 
on  his  farm,  near  and  in  sight  of  the  battle  field  of  San  Jacinto. 

Mirabeau  B.  Lamar,  the  third  president  of  Texas,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Georgia,  in  1798.  His  ancestors  were  French  Huguenots,  who  fled  from  persecu 
tion  in  their  native  land,  and  settled  in  the  southern  states.  He  came  to  Texas  in 

1835,  to  aid  the  people  in  their  resistance  against  the  arbitrary  power  of  Santa 
Anna.     He  opposed  all  timid  counsels,  and  boldly  advocated  a  declaration  of  inde 
pendence,  like  that  of  July  4,  1776,  and  it  is  stated  that  his  speech,  delivered  in 
the  town  of  Washington,  was  the  first  open  advocacy  of  that  policy.     He  first  dis 
tinguished  himself  as  a  soldier  in  the  cavalry  action  previous  to  the  battle  of  San 
Jaointo.     After  this  victory  he  was  placed  by  President  Burnet  at  the  head  of  the 
war  department.     He  was  subsequently  elected  the  first  vice  president  under  the 


TEXAS.  697 

Constitutional  Republic,  and  two  years  afterward  to  the  presidency.  When  he 
came  into  this  office  the  republic  had  but  very  little  credit  or  money,  but  by  hig 
wise  and  judicious  administration,  he  secured  all  the  advantages  of  a  good  govern 
ment.  Gen.  Lamar  retired  from  office  in  1841,  but  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
between  Mexico  and  the  United  States,  he  accompanied  the  Texan  forces  to  the 
theater  of  conflict,  and  acquired  fresh  laurels  at  the  battle  of  Monterey. 


THE    FREEBOOTER    LAFITTE. 

Jean  Lafitte  was  born  in  Bordeaux,  France,  and  in  youth  ran  away  from  homo 
and  shipped  on  board  an  English  man-of-war.  Eventually  he  found  his  way  to 
South  America  and  the  West  Indies,  and  engaged  in  privateering  and  smuggling. 
In  1808,  when  the  United  States  laid  an  embargo  on  foreign  commerce,  he  engaged 
in  illicit  trade  to  New  Orleans.  About  the  year  1810  or  1811,  the  island  of  Grand 
Terre,  afterward  known  as  Barrataria,  about  60  miles  from  the  delta  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  became  a  notorious  resort  of  privateers.  Among  the  chieftains  there  La 
fitte  became  in  power  almost  absolute.  He  had  two  brothers  in  New  Orleans,  and 
through  them  interested  many  of  the  principal  merchants  and  traders  in  that  city 
in  his  smuggling  and  privateering  schemes,  much  to  the  damage  of  the  honest 
traders  there,  and  to  the  disgrace  of  the  state  and  corruption  of  public  morals.  In 
March,  1813,  Gov.  Claiborne  issued  a  proclamation  ordering  the  Barratarians  to 
disperse;  failing  in  which,  he  offered  a  reward  of  $500  for  the  head  of  Lafitte. 
The  latter  in  turn  offered  $15,000  for  the  head  of  his  excellency!  Next  the  gov 
ernor  sent  a  company  of  militia  to  break  up  Barrataria.  Its  commander  happened 
to  have  been  one  of  Lafitte's  old  captains.  Lafitte  surrounded  them,  took  them 
prisoners,  and  then  sent  them  home  loaded  with  presents. 

Early  in  1814,  President  Madison  sent  Commodore  Patterson,  of  the  United 
States  navy,  to  destroy  the  establishment: 

"Accordingly  on  tbe  llth  of  June,  1814,  the  commodore  left  New  Orleans,  accompanied 
by  Col.  Ross  and  seventy-one  picked  men  of  tbe  44th  regiment  United  States  infantry.  He 
took  with  him  the  schooner  Caroline  and  the  United  States  gunboats  at  the  Balize.  On  the 
morning  of  the  16th  he  reached  Barrataria.  The  town  consisted  of  about  forty  houses,  of 
different  sizes,  badly  constructed,  and  thatched  with  palmetto.  The  vessels  of  the  free 
booters  consisted  of  six  fine  schooners  and  one  felucca,  as  cruisers,  and  one  armed  schooner 
under  Carthagenian  colors.  The  rovers  came  out  to  meet  the  commodore,  and  formed  their 
vessels  into  line  of  battle,  having  mounted  on  them  twenty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  exhibit 
ing  a  force  of  eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  men.  But  when  they  saw  the  commodore  de 
termined,  and  still  advancing,  they  abandoned  the  place  and  fled,  concealing  themselves  in 
the  numerous  morasses  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  commodore  returned  to  New  Or 
leans  on  the  23d  of  June,  bearing  with  him  the  vessels  and  spoil  of  Barrataria. 

This  expedition  so  crippled  the  freebooters,  that  they  could  only  operate  afterward  with 
great  secrecy.  The  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  prevented  further  at 
tempts  against  them.  They  were,  however,  approached  by  the  British  in  a  different  man 
ner.  On  the  3d  of  September,  1814,  Capt.  Lockyer,  commander  of  his  majesty's  man-of- 
war  Sophia,  put  in  to  the  shore  at  Barrataria,  and  offered  Lafitte  the  rank  of  post-captain 
in  the  British  navy,  the  command  of  a  frigate,  and  thirty  thousand  pounds  sterling,  to  join 
his  majesty's  forces.  Lafitte  asked  two  weeks'  time  to  consider  the  proposal,  giving  the 
captain  some  hope,  however,  that  he  would  accept  it. 

The  next  day,  Lafitte  inclosed  the  written  propositions  to  Gov.  Claiborne,  writing  him 
also  a  polite  letter,  tendering  his  services  to  the  United  States,  on  condition  that  he  and 
his  adherents  should  be  protected  from  further  interruption.  The  offer  was  accepted;  and 
Lafitte  and  his  men,  stationed  at  the  guns  near  the  levee,  on  8th  of  January,  1815,  did  such 
service  as  to  call  forth  a  general  pardon  from  the  president  of  the  United  States." 

Lafitte  was  unable,  from  the  vigilance  of  the  United  States  authorities,  to  again 
establish  himself  at  Barrataria.  "He  finally  occupied  the  island  of  Galveston,  as 
related  in  the  preceding  pages,  and  for  years  became  closely  identified  with  the 
history  of  Texas. 

Hon.  J.  Pinckney  Henderson  was  born  in  Lincoln  Co.,  North  Carolina,  March  31, 
1808.  He  received  a  liberal  education,  and  adopted  the  law  as  a  profession.  He 
emigrated  to  Texas  in  1836,  and  his  first  civil  fiffice  was  that  of  attorney-general 


698  TEXAS- 

of  the  Republic  of  Texas,  having  been  appointed,  by  President  Houston,  in  1836 ; 
in  1837,  he  was  appointed  secretary  of  state  of  the  Republic;  soon  afterward  min 
ister  plenipotentiary  to  England  and  France,  clothed  with  the  additional  powers 
of  commissioner  to  solicit  the  recognition  of  the  independence  of  Texas;  in  1838, 
he  made  a  commercial  arrangement  with  England,  and  in  1839  a  commercial  treaty 
with  France;  in  1844,  he  was  appointed  a  special  minister  to  the  United  States, 
which  mission  resulted  in  the  annexation  of  Texas;  in  1845,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution  of  the  state  of  Texas ;  in  Nov.,  of 
the  same  year,  was  elected  governor  of  the  state;  and  when  the  Mexican  war 
broke  out,  in  1846.  as  governor  of  the  state,  and  by  permission  of  the  legislature, 
he  took  command,  in  person,  of  the  volunteer  troops  called  for  by  General  Taylor, 
served  six  months  as  major-general,  and  distinguished  himself  at  the  battle  of 
Monterey,  subsequently  receiving  from  congress,  for  his  services,  a  vote  of  thanks 
and  a  sword  valued  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  He  was  elected  a  senator,  in  con 
gress,  in  1857,  but  owing  to  ill-health,  did  not  take  an  active  part  in  its  proceed 
ings,  and  he  died  in  Washington  City,  June  4,  1858,  deeply  lamented  by  all  who 
knew  him. — Dictionwy  of  Congress. 

"Gen.  Samuel  Houston  was  born,"  says  the  Dictionary  of  Congress,  "in  Hock- 
bridge  county,  Virginia,  March  2,  1793.  He  lost  his  father  when  quite  young,  and 
his  mother  removed  with  her  family  to  the  banks  of  the  Tennessee,  at  that  time 
the  limit  of  civilization.  Here  he  received  but  a  scanty  education  ;  he  passed  sev 
eral  years  among  the  Cherokee  Indians,  and  in  fact,  through  all  his  life  he  seems 
to  have  held  opinions  with  Rousseau,  and  retained  a  predilection  for  life  in  the  wil 
derness.  After  having  served  for  a  time  as  clerk  to  a  country  trader,  and  kept  a 
school,  in  1813  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  served  under  Gen.  Jackson  in  the  war 
with  the  Creek  Indians.  He  distinguished  himself  on  several  occasions,  and  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  war  he  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  but  soon  resigned 
his  commission  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  at  Nashville.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  he  began  his  political  life.  After  holding  several  minor  offices  in  Ten 
nessee,  he  was,  in  1823,  elected  to  Congress,  and  continued  a  member  of  that  body 
until,  in  1827,  he  became  governor  of  the  state  of  Tennessee.  In  1829,  before  the 
expiration  of  his  gubernatorial  term,  he  resigned  his  office,  and  went  to  take  up 
his  abode  among  the  Cherokees  in  Arkansas.  During  his  residence  among  the  In 
dians,  he  became  acquainted  with  the  frauds  practiced  upon  them  by  the  govern 
ment  agents,  and  undertook  a  mission  to  Washington  for  the  purpose  of  exposing 
them.  In  the  execution  of  this  project,  he  met  with  but  little  success;  he  became 
involved  in  lawsuits,  and  returned  to  his  Indian  friends.  During  a  visit  to  Texas, 
he  was  requested  to  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  the  canvass  for  a  convention  which 
was  to  meet  to  form  a  constitution  for  Texas,  prior  to  its  admission  into  the  Mexi 
can  union.  He  consented,  and  was  unanimously  elected.  The  constitution  drawn 
up  by  the  convention  was  rejected  by  Santa  Anna,  at  that  time  in  power,  and  the 
disaffection  of  the  Texans  caused  thereby  was  still  further  hightened  by  a  demand 
upon  them  to  give  up  their  arms.  They  determined  upon  a  resistance;  a  militia 
was  organized,  and  Austin,  the  founder  of  the  colony,  was  elected  commander-in- 
ehief,  in  which  office  hr  was  shortly  after  succeeded  by  Gen.  Houston.  He  con 
ducted  the  war  with  vigor,  and  finally  brought  it  to  a  successful  termination  by  the 
battle  of  San  Jacinto,  which  was  fought  in  April,  1836.  In  May,  1836,  he  signed 
a  treaty,  acknowledging  the  independence  of  Texas,  and  in  October  of  the  same 
year  he  was  inaugurated  the  first  president  of  the  Republic.  At  the  end  of  his 
terin  of  office,  as  the  same  person  could  not  constitutionally  be  elected  president 
twice  in  succession,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Texan  congress.  In  1841,  how 
ever,  he  was  again  elevated  to  the  presidential  chair.  During  the  whole  time  that 
he  held  that  office  it  was  his  favorite  policy  to  effect  the  annexation  of  Texas  to  the 
United  States,  but  he  retired  from  office  before  he  saw  the  consummation  of  his 
wishes.  In  1844,  Texas  became  one  of  the  states  of  the  Union,  and  Gen.  Hous 
ton  was  elected  to  the  senate.  He  has  since  been  governor  of  the  state." 

lion.  Thomas  Jefferson  Rusk  "was  born  in  South  Carolina;  studied  law,  and 
practiced  with  success  inGeougia.  In  the  early  part  of  1835,  he  removed  to  Texas, 
and  was  a  prominent  actor  in  all  %e  important  events  in  the  history  of  the  repub- 


TEXAS.  (599 

lie  and  state  of  Texas.  He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  declared  Texas 
an  independent  republic,  in  March,  1836;  was  the  first  secretary  of  war;  partici 
pated  in  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  and  took  command  of  the  army  after  General 
Houston  was  wounded.  He  continued  in  command  of  the  army  until  the  organi 
zation  of  the  constitutional  government,  in  October,  1836,  when  he  was  again  ap 
pointed  secretary  of  war,  and  resigned  after  a  few  months.  He  afterward  com 
manded  several  expeditions  ngainst  the  Indians;  served  as  a  member  of  the  house 
of  representatives,  and  as  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court,  which  last  office  he 
resigned  early  in  1842.  In  1845,  he  was  president  of  the  convention  that  consum 
mated  the  annexation  of  Texas  tojthe  United  States.  Upon  the  admission  of  Texas 
into  the  Union  he  was  elected  one.of  the  senators  in  the  congress  of  the  United 
States,  in  which  office  he  served  two  terms,  and  was  elected  for  the  third  term. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  the  post-office.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  wagon-road  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  overland  mail.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  Nacogdoches,  Texas,  July  29,  1856,  he  was  president,  pro  tern., 
of  the  senate.  In  a  moment  of  insanity,  caused  by  overwhelming  grief  at  the 
death  of  his  wife,  he  took  his  own  life,  aged  fifty-four. — Dictionary  of  Congress. 

Gen.  Sidney  Sherman  was  born  in  Marlborough,  Massachusetts,  in  1805.  In  the 
midst  of  a  snow  storm,  December,  1835,  he  embarked  on  a  steamer  at  Cincinnati, 
at  the  head  of  a  volunteer  company  of  Kentuckians  he  had  raised,  to  battle  for  the 
independence  of  Texas.  He  was  a  colonel  at  San  Jacinto,  where  he  greatly  dis 
tinguished  himself.  He  there  first  sounded  the  war  cry — Remember  the  Alamo  I 
Goliad  and  the  Alamo  I  In  1846.  he  conceived  the  idea  of  rebuilding  the  town  of 
Harrisburg,  which  had  been  destroyed.  From  thence  he  built  a  railroad  westward, 
the  first  in  Texas,  and  the  locomotive  the  "  Gen.  Sherman,"  was  the  first  that  ap 
peared  west  of  the  Sabine. 

Col.  Benj.  R.  Milam,  "  the  hero  of  Bexar,"  was  born  in  Kentucky,  and  bred  to 
the  hatter's  business  in  Lexington  in  that  state.  In  1826  he  was  one  of  the  heroic 
band  of  three  hundred  Americans  who  went  to  Mexico,  and  joined  the  republican 
standard  of  Victoria,  and  in  different  actions  routed  three  and  four  times  their  own 
number.  His  military  life  there  was  full  of  vicissitude.  After  the  taking  of  Go 
liad,  in  Sept.,  1835,  by  a  mere  handful  of  Texans,  Milam  thus  told  the  story  of  his 
experience  there,  in  a  spirited  address  of  five  lines.  Said  he — "I  assisted  Mexico 
I  to  gain  her  independence.  I  have  spent  more  than  twenty  years  of  mjr  life  in  that 
country.  I  have  endured  heat  and  cold,  hunger  and  thirst;  but  the  events  of  this 
night  have  fully  compensated  rne  for  all  my  losses  and  all  my  sufferings."  In  less 
than  two  months  after  "  old  Ben  Milam  "  met  a  soldier's  death  at  the  storming  of 
Bexar. 

Col.  James  Bowie,  the  inventor  of  the  bowie  knife,  was  a  son  of  Rezin  Bowie,  and 
was  boi'n  in  Burke  county,  Georgia.  "  Of  his  parents,  it  is  said  they  were  from 
Maryland.  The  father  was  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  sound  judgment.  The 
mother  was  a  pious  and  excellent  lady,  and  from  her  it  was  thought  that  the  children 
inherited  their  remarkable  energy  of  character.  They  had  five  children,  viz : 
David,  James,  Rezin  P.,  John  J,  and  Stephen,  who  were  all  large,  muscular  men. 
In  1802,  the  family  removed  to  Chatahoula  parish,  Louisiana.  On  the  19th  of  Sep 
tember,  1827,  James  Bowie  was  engaged,  on  a  bar  of  the  Mississippi,  in  a  duel 
with  Norris  Wright  and  others — one  of  the  bloodiest  renconters  of  this  class  on 
record — in  which  he  was  wounded,  and  two  men  were  killed.  Shortly  after  this 
he  came  to  Texas,  as  did  also  his  brother  Rezin  P.  Bowie.  James  Bowie  was  about 
six  feet  high,  of  fair  complexion,  with  small  blue  eyes,  not  fleshy,  but  well  pro 
portioned;  he  stood  quite  erect,  and  had  a  rather  fierce  look;  was  not  quarrelsome, 
but  mild  and  quiet,  even  at  the  moment  of  action;  He  was  quite  sociable,  and 
somewhat  disposed  to  intemperance,  but  never  drunk.  He  had  a  wonderful  art  in 
winning  people  te  him,  and  was  extremely  prodigal  of  his  money.  His  muscular 
power  was  as  great  as  his  daring;  his  brother  says  he  has  been  known  to  rope  and 
ride  alligators !  His  great  speculation  was  in  purchasing  negroes  from  Lafitte,  and 
smuggling  them  into  Louisiana.  This  is  the  most  unpleasant  feature  in  his  his 
tory.  He  fell  at  the  Alamo."—  Yoakums  Texas, 


700  TEXAS. 

STOCK   RAISING  IN   TEXAS. 

In  south-western  Texas,  the  chief  occupation  of  the  rural  population  is  stock- 
raising.  As  late  as  the  year  1838,  and  for  years  after  the  prairies  of  this  region 
were  covered  with  immense  herds  of  wild  cattle,  the  offspring  of  those  belonging 
to  the  inhabitants  prior  to  the  border  wars.  Expeditions  were,  at  that  period, 
formed  in  Texas  to  hunt  up  and  collect  these  animals,  and  when  they  were  ex 
hausted,  the  "Cow  Soys,"  as  they  were  called,  pushed  their  expeditions  to  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  drove  off  the  gentle  cattle  of  the  Mexicans.  On  these  forays  severe 
conflicts  often  took  place  between  the  hostile  parties,  in  which  the  "Cow  Boys" 
were  almost  sure  to  be  successful. 

For  a  few  years  after  "annexation,"  the  price  of  cattle  was  low;  but  with  the 
improved  means  of  transportation,  prices  have  gone  up,  and  now  immense  droves 
are  taken  to  the  north-west  and  to  the  eastern  market.  A  writer  in  the  Texas 
Almanac,*  for  1861,  gives  interesting  details  upon  this  business,  from  which  we 
make  some  extracts : 

From  the  natural  increase,  and  the  large  droves  of  cattle  driven  to  the  west  from  middle 
and  eastern  Texas  and  the  western  part  of  Louisiana,  on  account  of  the  superior  pasturage 
in  this  section,  stocks  have  become  large  and  numerous,  and  many  think  this  part  of  the 
country  is  becoming  overstocked.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  number  of  cattle  is  very  great, 
and  it  has  become  a  much  more  laborious  task  to  attend  to  a  stock  of  cattle  than  when  they 
were  less  numerous. 

As  the  cattle  are  permitted  to  range  indiscriminately  over  a  large  surface  of  country, 
thirty,  forty,  and  even  fifty  miles  in  extent  from  north  to  south  and  east  to  west,  and  cattle 
from  several  hundred  stocks  get  mixed  together,  it  is  no  easy  task  to  hunt  up  and  mark  and 
brand  the  calves  of  a  large  stock;  still  it  is  done,  and  with  tolerable  accuracy. 

The  principal  brandings  take  place  twice  in  the  year — in  the  spring  and  fall.  For  this 
purpose  the  men  of  each  neighborhood  form  themselves  into  companies,  called,  in  local 
phra«e,  a  "crowd,"  to  the  number  of  ten,  twelve,  or  fifteen  men,  each  man  having  one,  two, 
or  three  spare  horses,  according  to  circumstances,  with  pack-horses  to  carry  provisions, 
blankets,  etc.,  for  the  "crowd"  (company.)  Thus  provided  fora  "  hunt "  of  several  weeks, 
they  sally  forth,  each  man  with  lasso  at  saddle-bow,  and  armed  with  an  excellent  six- 
shooter  and  formidable  bowie-knife.  They  traverse  a  wide  extent  of  country,  driving  into 
close  herds  large  numbers  of  cattle  at  places  most  convenient  to  a  pen.  They  then  "  cut 
out"  (select  from  the  herd)  such  cattle  as  belong  to  the  men  who  compose  the  "  crowd,"  and 
those  for  whom  they  brand  ;  drive  them  into  the  pen,  and  mark,  brand,  and  alter  the  calves. 
Persons  not  acquainted  with  this  mode  of  managing  stock  will  naturally  ask  how  each  man 
can  tell  his  own  calves.  This  is  easily  told  by  observing  what  cow  the  calf  follows  and; 
sucks.  But%ome  few  calves  amongst  so  large  a  number  of  cattle  escape  the  "  branding." 
These  calves,  when  afterward  discovered,  if  they  have  ceased  to  suck  their  mothers,  and 
can  not  be  identified,  are  accounted  common  property,  and  are  divided,  pro  rata,  amongst 
the  stock-owners  of  the  neighborhood. 

"Cattle-hunting"  is  quite  a  laborious  business ;  and  especially  is  it  so  in  a  crowded  pen 
in  warm  weather:  to  "  rope,"  throw  down  and  tie  the  strong  and  active  calves  of  six,  eight 
or  twelve  months  old,  and  often  grown  cattle;  in  dry  weather  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  in 
wet,  in  mud,  sometimes  ankle-deep.  This  is  both  disagreeable  and  fatiguing,  in  addition 
to  which  there  is  considerable  risk  from  vicious  cattle,  which  keeps  the  hands  constantly  on 
the  alert  to  avoid  being  "  hooked."  There  is  also  much  exposure  to  the  heat  of  the  noon 
day  sun,  and  the  damp,  chilly  midnight  winds  that  blow  fresh  over  the  extensive  prairies. 
But  the  proper  time  to  do  this  is  late  in  the  fall,  when  the  men  are  frequently  exposed  to 
cold  rains  and  northers. 

But  this  wild  life  has  also  its  attractions  and  exciting  pleasures,  especially  for  the  young 
and  adventurous  ;  as  it  is  not  devoid  of  risk,  and  affords  to  the  aspiring  mind  of  youth  an 
opportunity  of  a  display  of  courage  and  prowess  that  is  not  found  in  any  other  department 
of  rural  life.  The  young  men  that  follow  this  "  Cow  Boy"  life,  notwithstanding  its  hard 
ships  and  exposures,  generally  become  attached  to  it.  For  a.  camp  life,  they  live  well,  car 
rying  out  with  them  plenty  of  coffee  and  sugar,  hard  bread  (pilot  bread),  bacon,  etc.,  and 
when  on  a  "hunt,"  never  want  for  fresh  meat,  as  the  unbranded  yearlings  afford  a  plenty 
of  the  most  delicious,  and  are  pretty  freely  used,  as  they  belong  to  no  particular  person. 
Deer,  prairie-hens  or  grouse,  and  other  game  being  also  plenty,  they  fare  sumptuously ;  at 
least,  so  it  appears  to  men  blessed  with  excellent  appetites.  Whisky  is  pretty  generally  ex 
cluded,  as  it  is  found  rather  dangerous  in  companionship  with  six-shooters. 


APPENDIX. 


CENSUS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  DIFFERENT  PERIODS. 


OFFICIAL    CENSUS    TABLE, 

BHOWINQ    THK    POPULATION    OF     THE     UNITED    STATES    AND    TERRITORIES,    ACCORDING    TO    TH1 
SEVENTH   CENSUS  (1850),  AND  THE   EIGHTH   CENSUS  (1860),  RESPECTIVELY. 


CENSUS    OF    1850. 


States. 

Alabama,     - 
Arkansas, 
California,     - 
Connecticut, 
Delaware,     - 
Florida,     - 

Free. 

428,779 
162,797 
92,597 
370,792 
89,242 
48,135 
.....    5'>4  503 

Illinois,     - 

851,470 
-    988416 

Iowa,         ... 

.       -        -        -        192,214 

Kentucky, 

771,424 
-    272953 

Maine,       ... 

583,169 
492666 

994514 

296  648 

-                         594  64>2 

397  654 

6077 

317976 

New  Jersey, 
New  York,  ... 

489,319 
3,097,394 
580491 

Ohio,    .... 
Oregon,     - 
Pennsylvania, 
Rhode  Island,   - 
South  Carolina,     - 
Tennessee, 

1,980,329 
13,294 
2,311,786 
147,545 
283,523 
763,258 
-                              154431 

Virginia,  ... 
Vermont,      ... 
Wisconsin, 

949,133 
314,120 
305,391 

Slave. 

Total. 

342,844 

771,623 

47,100 

209,897 

— 

92,597 

— 

370,792 

2,290 

91,532 

39,310 

87,445 

381,682 

906,185 

— 

851,470 

— 

988,416 

— 

192,214 

210,981 

982,405 

244,809 

517,762 

— 

583,169 

90,368 

583,034 

— 

994,514 

309,878 

606,526 

87,422 

682,044 

— 

*  397,654 

— 

6,077 

_ 

317.976 

236 

489,555 

— 

3,097,394 

288,548 

869,039 

— 

1,980,329 

— 

13,294 

— 

2,311,786 

— 

147,545 

384,984 

668,507 

239,459 

1,002,717 

58,161 

212,592 

472,528 

1,421,661 



314,120 

— 

305,391 

19,806,662      3,200,600   23,067,262 

701 


702 


APPENDIX 


Territories. 

New  Mexico, 

Utah, 

District  of  Columbia, 


Free. 

61,547 
11,354 

Slave, 
26 

3,687 

Total. 

61,547 
11,380 
51,687 

19,987,563     3,204,313    23,191,876 


CENSUS    OF    1860. 


States. 

Free. 

Slave. 

Total. 

Alabama,     - 

-    529,164 

435,132 

964,296 

Arkansas, 

-     .  -        324,323 

111,104 

435,427 

California,    - 

380,015 

— 

380.015 

Connecticut,      - 

460,151 

— 

460,151 

Delaware,     - 

110,420 

1,798 

112,218 

Florida,    - 

78,686 

61,753 

,    140.439 

Georgia,        ... 

-----    595,097 

462,230 

1,057,327 

Illinois,     - 

1,711,753 

— 

1,711,753 

Indiana,       ... 

-  1,350,479 

— 

1,350,479 

loAva,         ... 

674,948 

— 

674,948 

Kansas,         ... 

107,110 

— 

107,110 

Kentucky, 

930,223 

225,490 

1,155,713 

Louisiana,     ... 

376,913 

332,520 

709.433 

Maine,       - 

-        -        -        -        -        628,276 

— 

628,276 

Maryland,     - 

599,846 

87,188 

687,034 

Massachusetts,  - 

-        -        -        -      1,231,065 

— 

1,231,065 

Mississippi, 
Missouri,  - 

354,699 
1,058,352 

436,696 
114,965 

791,395 
1,173,317 

Michigan,     ... 

749,112 

— 

749.112 

Minnesota, 

162,022 

— 

162,022 

New  Hampshire, 

-        -        -        -    326,072 

— 

.    326,072 

New  Jersey, 

672,031 

— 

672,031 

New  York,  - 

3,887,542 

— 

3,887,542 

661  586 

331,081 

992.667 

Ohio,    .... 

2,339,599 

2,339,;599 

Oregon,     ... 

52,466 

— 

52,466 

Pennsylvania, 

.       ,-        -        -        -2,906,370 

— 

2,906,370 

Rhode  Island,  - 

174,631 

— 

174,631 

South  Carolina,    • 

301,271 

402,541 

703,812 

Tennessee, 

-        -        -        -        -        834,063 

275,784 

1,109,S47 

Texas,  -        ... 

420,651 

180,388 

601,039 

"XT'"      *    * 

-     1  105  196 

490,887 

1  596  083 

Vermont,      - 

315,116 

'sisjie 

Wisconsin, 

775,873 

— 

775,873 

27,185,109 

3,949,557 

31,134,666 

Territories. 

Free. 

Slave. 

Total. 

Colorado,      ... 

34,197 

— 

34197 

Dakotab,  - 

4,839 

— 

4,839 

Nebraska,    -        -        - 

28,832 

10 

28.842 

Nevada,     ... 

....            6,857 

— 

6,857 

New  Mexico, 

93,517 

24 

93,541 

Utah 

40,266 

29 

40,295 

Washington, 

11,578 

11,578 

District  of  Columbia, 

71  895 

3,1-81 

75,076 

27,477,000 

3,952,801 

31,429,891 

APPENDIX. 


703 


The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  members  of  Congress  apportioned  to 
each  State  in  1850  and  in  1860.    In  1860,  the  ratio  of  representation  was  127,216. 


1850.  1860. 


Maine,  - 

New  Hampshire, 
Vermont, 
Massachusetts,  - 
Rhode  Island, 
Connecticut,      - 
New  York,  - 
New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, 
Maryland,     - 
Virginia,  - 
North  Carolina, 
South  Carolina, 
Georgia, 
Florida,     - 
Alabama, 

Total,  -        - 


6 
3 

5 
3 

Mississippi, 
Louisiana,     - 

3 

3 

Arkansas,  - 

11 

10 

Texas,  - 

2 

1 

Tennessee, 

4 
33 

4 

30 

Kentucky,     - 
Ohio, 

5 

5 

Indiana, 

25 

23 

Illinois, 

1 

1 

Missouri,  - 

6 
13 

6 
11 

Michigan, 
Wisconsin, 

8 

7 

Iowa,    • 

6 

4 

Minnesota, 

8 

7 

Oregon, 

1 

1 

California, 

7 

6 

1850. 1860. 

5  5 

4  4 

2  3 

2  4 
10  8 

10  8 
21  19 

11  11 
9  13 
7  9 
4  6 

3  6 
2  5 
2  1 

1  1 

2  3 


For  1850,  237.     For  1860,  233. 


The  following  tables  show  the  increase  of  population  in  1860,  in  the  different 
States,  over  the  population  of  1850 : 


FREE  STATES. 


SLAVE  STATES. 


Increase. 


Increase. 


Maine,      - 

New  Hampshire,  - 
Vermont,  -        -        - 
Massachusetts,     - 
Ehode  Island,  - 
Connecticut,  - 

-    36,780 
8,096 
-      1,707 
236,980 
-    27,079 
89,098 
-  7^4  «lfiQ 

Delaware, 
Maryland, 
Virginia,  ... 
North  Carolina,     - 
South  Carolina, 
Georgia, 

-    20,821 
-      148,531 
-  171,538 
-      139,303 
-        -    46,864 
-      176,642 
,     5Q  940 

Pennsylvania,        - 
New  Jersey,      - 
Ohio,     

604,232 
-  186,479 
397,588 
-  36*}  '<8fi 

Alabama, 
Mississippi, 
Louisiana, 

-      184,294 
-  280,132 
-      148,669 
-  230  878 

839  768 

Tpxa*     • 

438  363 

Michigan,          ... 
Wisconsin,     - 

-  356,737 
458,094 

-  48Q  788 

Tennessee, 
Kentucky, 

-  133,973 
-      168,152 
-  519  170 

166  71  Q 

Oregon,     -         -        -        - 
California,     -        -        -        - 

Total,         -        -        - 

-     39,272 
292,173 

5,347,651 

Total,      - 

.    2,820,539 

The  following  tables  show  the  Free  and  the  Slave  population  at  each  decennial 
period  since  the  first  census  was  taken : 

SLAVE   POPULATION   OF   THE   UNITED   STATES. 


1790,  - 

1800, 

1810,- 

1820, 
1830,  - 
1840, 


697,897 
.  893,041 
1,191,364 

1,538,064 
2,009,031 

2,487,355 


1850, 3,204,313 

I860, 3999,353 


Increase. 

195,144,  or  29  per  cent 

298.323,  or  33  " 
347,700,  or  30  " 
470,967,  or  30  " 

478.324,  or  24  " 
716,958,  or  29 
795,040,  or  25  " 


704  APPENDIX. 


POPULATION    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES 

1790, 3,231,075  Increase. 

1800, 4,412,911  1,1 80,036,  or  36  per  cent 

1810, 6,048,450  1,635,530,  or  37  " 

1820,      - 8,100,067  2,051,517,  or  33  " 

1830, 10,357,880  2,757,822,  or  33  " 

1840, 14,575,998  3,718,109,  or  33  " 

1850, 19,991,645  5,415,616,  or  37  " 

1860, 27,642,624  7,550,680,  or  38 

The  following  table  shows  the  total  population  of  the  United  States  at  each  de 
cennial  period: 


1790, 3,929,827 

1800,       ....  5,305,925 

1810, 7,239,814 

1820,       ....  9,638,131 


1830, 12,886,020 

1840,       ....  17,069,453 

1850, 23,191,876 

1860,       ....  31,429,891 


The  increase  of  the  free  population  of  the  United  States  has  averaged,  at  each 
decade,  for  the  last  half  century,  about  35  per  cent;  the  increase  of  the  slave  popu 
lation  about  27  per  cent.  Estimating  the  increase  of  each  kind  of  population  at 
these  figures  for  the  half  century  to  come,  the  results  at  each  decade  in  round 
numbers,  are  as  follows : 

Free.  Slave.  Total. 

1870, 37,000,000  5,000,000  42,000,000 

1880, 50,000,000  6,500,000  56,500,000 

1890, 68,000,000  8,000,000  76,000,000 

1900, 92,000,000  10,000,000  102,000,000 

1910, 123,000,000  12,500,000  135,500,000 


KUSSIAN  AMERICA/ 


IN  the  summer  of  1741,  Vitus  Behring,  a  decendant  of  the  Danish 
Vikings,  who  roamed  the  seas  in  the  search  of  strange  lands  to  pil 
lage  or  conquer,  set  sail  from  the  Kamchatka  coast  on  a  similar 
mission  in  the  service  of  the  Russian  Empire.  Leaving  Awatska 
Bay,  the  present  site  of  Petropaulovski,  he  sailed  to  the  southeast  as 
far  as  the  latitude  of  46°  N.,  when  finding  no  land,  he  turned  to  the 
northeast.  On  the  18th  of  July  he  sighted  a  rocky  range  of  coast — 
behind  which  towered  lofty  mountains,  their  summits  white  with 
perpetual  snows — and  thus  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Russian  America.  The  point  where  Behring  first  saw  land 
is  supposed  to  have  been  lat.  58J°  N.,  and  the  lofty  mountains  were 
probably  Mount  Fairweather  and  its  neighboring  peaks. 

Sailing  north,  the  coast  was  soon  found  to  take  a  westerly  direc 
tion,  and  Behring  skirted  it  for  miles  without  stopping  to  explore  the 
shores.  His  ship  was  badly  damaged  during  the  long  cruise,  his  crew 
sick  and  dispirited ;  so,  instead  of  pushing  through  the  passage  that 
was  eventually  found,  he  sailed  homeward,  skirting  the  long  chain 
of  islands  that  lie  like  stepping-stones  between  the  two  continents, 
and  at  last  finding,  with  his  fellow-sailors,  a  grave  on  one  of  the 
islands  nearest  the  Kamchatka  coast.  He  had  accomplished  his  task 
of  adding  a  new  territory  to  the  Russian  Empire. 

In  1775,  the  Spanish  Captain  De  la  Bodega,  cruising  up  the  Pacific 
coast  of  America  to  add  new  lands  to  the  American  possessions  of 
the  Spanish  crown,  reached  lat.  58°  N.,  probably  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Sitka.  In  accordance  with  its  policy  in  regard  to  American  dis 
coveries,  the  voyage  of  De  la  Bodega  was  kept  secret  by  the  Spanish 
Government,  and  only  became  known  when  the  title  to  the  coast  was 
diputed  in  after  years. 

Three  years  later  the  adventurous  British  navigator,  Captain  Cook, 
having  passed  around  the  southernmost  point  of  the  American  Con 
tinent,  undertook  to  return  to  England  by  passing  around  its  north 
ern  extremity,  thus  solving  the  question  of  a  northwest  passage  by 
sailing  to  the  northeast.  Following  the  coast  closely,  he  discovered 
a  deep  indentation,  known  now  as  Cook's  Inlet,  which  he  hoped  might 
prove  to  be  the  long-sought  passage.  Having  discovered  his  mistake, 

*This  article  upon  Kussian  America  is  original  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly — the 
engraving  to  Harpers'  Weekly. 


708  RUSSIAN    AMERICA. 

he  sailed  in  the  track  of  Behring  along  the  Aliaska  peninsula,  passed 
through  the  island  chain,  and  coasted  up  to  Behring's  Strait,  through 
which  he  passed,  arid  skirted  the  northern  shore  of  the  continent 
until,  at  161°  46'  W.,  he  was  stopped  by  an  impenetrable  barrier  of 
ice  stretching  northward  from  Icy  Cape.  This  was  on  the  18th  of 
August.  For  eleven  days  he  vainly  sought  a  channel  through  the 
ice-field,  and  then  reluctantly  turned  back,  to  meet  his  death,  like  his 
Danish  predecessor,  on  the  return  voyage. 

In  1826,  Captain  Beechey,  sent  out  by  the  British  Government  to 
meet  Sir  John  Franklin,  sailed  through  Behring's  Strait,  and  reached 
Point  Barrow,  one  hundred  and  twenty-six  miles  northeast  of -the 
farthest  point  reached  by  Cook,  and  there  was  stopped  by  ice.  At 
the  same  time  Sir  John  Franklin,  traveling  westward  from  the  Mac 
kenzie  River,  reached  long.  148°  52'  W.,  or  about  seven  and  a  half 
degrees  from  the  point  reached  by  Beechey  from  the  westward. 

In  1837,  Dease  and  Simpson,  two  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  reached  Point  Barrow  from  the  east,  and  thus  completed 
the  coast  exploration  of  Russian  America.  Just  after  Dease  and 
Simpson  had  turned  back  from  Point  Barrow  an  expedition  sent  out 
by  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company  reached  the  same  point  from 
the  Avest,  and  found  the  natives  assembling  in  great  numbers  to  kill 
the  English  explorers,  who,  by  turning  back,  had  escaped  the  dangers 
of  which  they  were  ignorant.  The  Russians,  being  few  in  number, 
beat  a  hasty  retreat;  and  thus  Point  Barrow  remained  the  ultima 
Thule  of  exploration  on  the  northern  coast. 

From  the  first  discovery  of  the  coast  the  Russians  were  active  in 
its  exploration.  The  government  encouraged  expeditions  in  search 
of  a  northeast  passage  to  the  Atlantic,  while  mercantile  adventurers 
examined  the  coast,  and  the  numerous  islands  that  masked  it.  In 
1783  a  commercial  expedition  followed  the  line  of  the  Aleutian  Islands 
and  the  coast  down  to  the  sixteenth  parallel,  finding  the  rocky  shores 
swarming  with  the  sea  otter,  and  the  land  beyond  full  of  foxes.  A 
settlement  was  made  on  the  island  of  Kodiak,  and  a  fur-trade  opened 
with  the  Asiatic  continent.  Other  explorations  were  made  north 
and  south,  with  the  same  result  of  finding  valuable  hunting  grounds 
for  the  fur-bearing  animals.  In  1799,  the  Emperor  Paul  gave  per 
mission  to  these  several  companies  to  organize  in  one,  under  the 
name  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company,  and  granted  the  power 
to  occupy  and  subject  to  Russia  all  territory  north  of  55°  not  already 
occupied  or  claimed  by  any  other  nation,  with  the  exclusive  privilege 
of  hunting  and  trading  in  all  such  territory.  In  this  way  a  chain  of 
trading  posts  and  forts *was  formed,  stretching  from  Dixori's  Entrance 
to  Norton  Sound.  The  headquarters  of  the  company  were  in  time 
removed  from  Kodiak  Island  to  the  island  of  Sitka,  seventeen  de 
grees  further  east,  where  a  considerable  settlement  of  Russians,  Aleu 
tians,  and  natives  was  formed. 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  709 

The  operations  of  the  fur-traders  were  confined  chiefly  to  the 
islands  skirting  the  coast,  and  to  the  immediate  shores  of  the  main 
land.  A  lofty  range  of  mountains  slopes  down  to  the  sea  from  Dixon's 
Entrance  to  Cape  Spencer,  and  beyond  this  the  Russians  did  not 
penetrate.  The  country  behind  was  hunted  by  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company,  and  it  was  an  unsettled  question  how  far  the  rights  of  each 
company  extended.  By  the  treaties  of  1824  and  1825,  the  Russians 
were  confirmed  in  possession  of  the  whole  northwestern  peninsula 
west  of  141°  W.,  and  a  narrow  strip  of  coast  down  to  Observatory 
Inlet,  with  all  the  islands  of  the  coast.  A  lease  of  the  coast  from 
Cape  Spencer  to  the  southern  limit  was  granted  to  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  for  hunting  and  trading  purposes. 

The  successive  exploring  and  commercial  expeditions  along  the 
coast  had  made  its  general  configuration  and  characteristics  well 
known,  even  the  lonely  shores  of  Behring's  Sea  having  become 
familiar  to  the  Russian  navigator  and  fur-trader.  Of  the  interior  of 
the  great  peninsula  which  formed  the  chief  possession  of  Russia  on 
the  American  main  land  little  or  nothing  was  known.  Vague  rumors 
came  to  the  traders  at  Kodiak,  in  the  early  days  of  the  Fur  Company, 
of  a  great  river  that  rose  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and,  after  flowing 
through  a  vast  unknown  territory,  poured  its  waters  into  Behring's 
Sea.  In  1819,  the  Russian  Government  obtained  a  description  of 
Bristol  Bay,  where  a  trading  post  had  been  established  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Nushagak  River,  arid  of  Behring's  Sea  from  the  bay  north 
ward  to  Cape  Romanzoff,  and  thus  learned  the  existence  of  a  large 
river,  the  Kuskokvirn,  which  entered  the  sea  midway  between  the 
head  of  Bristol  Bay  and  Cape  Romanzoff.  In  1829  Lieutenant 
Nasilef  explored  the  Kuskokvim  a  short  distance,  with  the  purpose 
of  discovering  what  connection  existed  between  that  river  and  the 
Nushagak.  The  result  of  this  exploration  was  the  establishment  of 
a  trading  post,  Fort  Kolmakoff,  on  the  Kuskokvim,  about  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth.  Between  this  post  and  Fort 
Alexander,  on  Bristol  Bay,  communication  was  kept  up  by  a  chain 
of  rivers,  lakes,  and  portages. 

In  1833,  Governor  Wrangel  selected  the  island  of  St.  Michael,  on 
Norton  Sound,  as  the  site  of  a  fort  and  trading  post.  Communica 
tion  was  opened  with  the  natives  of  the  main  land,  and  more  definite 
information  obtained  of  the  existence  of  the  large  river  Kvihpak,  of 
which  so  many  obscure  reports  had  been  received.  It  was  a  mighty 
river,  of  the  source  of  which  the  natives  knew  nothing,  except  that 
it  was  far  in  the  interior.  It  came  from  the  east  until  within  about 
a  hundred  miles  of  the  coast,  when  it  turned  sharply  southward, 
running  about  two  hundred  miles  more,  and  then  resumed  it  west 
ward  course,  entering  the  sea  by  several  mouths,  below  Norton  Sound. 
It  flowed  somewhere  through  a  heavily  timbered  country,  for  the 
shores  below  its  mouths  were  always  lined  with  driftwood,  which  sup- 


710  RUSSIAN    AMERICA. 

plied  the  natives  of  the  coast  with  building  materials  and  fuel.  Sev 
eral  expeditions  were  sent  down  from  Fort  St.  Michael  to  explore  the 
mouths  of  the  Kvihpak,  hut  the  shallowness  of  the  water  on  the 
coast,  and  other  difficulties,  prevented  the  accomplishment  of  the 
object.  Attempts  were  made  at  the  same  time  to  open  communica 
tion  by  land  routes  between  Fort  St.  Michael  and  the  basins  of  the 
Kvihpak  and  Kuskokvim,  and  trading-posts  were  with  much  difficulty 
established  at  a  few  points,  the  natives  of  the  interior,  different  in 
character  from  those  on  the  coast,  continuing  to  manifest  a  decided 
hostility  to  the  white  intruders. 

In  1841,  the  Russian  Government  dispatched  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin 
and  six  assistants,  with  instructions  to  spend  two  years  in  exploring 
the  basins  of  the  Kvihpak  and  Kuskokvim  Rivers.  In  August  of  the 
following  year  they  set  out  from  St.  Michael  in  seal-skin  canoes,  and 
coasted  up  Norton  Sound  to  the  north,  about  sixty  miles,  to  the  river 
Unalakleat,  exploring  the  shores  on  the  way.  The  season  was  so  far 
advanced  that  no  progress  could  be  made  into  the  interior  by  boat, 
and  the  adventurers  returned  to  Fort  St.  Michael,  where  they'busied 
themselves  in  preparing  for  a  winter  journey  into  the  interior.  On 
the  4th  of  December  they  again  set  out,  with  five  sledges  and  twenty- 
seven  dogs.  After  seven  days'  journeying  through  heavy  snow 
storms,  they  reached  the  village  at  the  mouth  of  the  Unalakleat,  and 
ascended  that  river,  with  the  purpose  of  crossing  the  mountains  to 
the  Kvihpak  by  the  route  usually  taken  by  the  natives.  The  con 
tinuance  of  heavy  snow  storms  frustrated  their  purpose,  and  they 
were  compelled  to  turn  back.  The  Unalakleat  enters  Norton  Sound 
from  the  east.  .Its  course  is  very  crooked,  but  its  length  in  a  straight 
line  is  probably  from  sixty-five  to  seventy  miles.  A  mile  and  a  half 
from  its  mouth  begins  a  forest,  extending  back  from  the  banks  about 
two  thousand  feet  on  either  side,  of  alder,  poplar  and  fir.  For  six 
or  seven  miles  the  coast  range  of  mountains  runs  nearly  parallel 
with  the  river,  the  cliffs  on  the  right  bank  being  much  higher  than 
those  on  the  left.  The  width  of  the  stream  at  its  lower  part  varies 
from  a  hundred  and  forty  to  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  sufficient  snow  having  fallen,  the  party 
again  set  out  on  snow-shoes  and  sledges,  and  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  Kvihpak  in  about  lat.  64°  20'  N.,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  above  its  mouth.  Here  they  found  a  river  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  wide,  frozen  over,  on  which  they  continued  their  course  north 
east  to  the  native  village  of  Nulato,  in  lat.  64°  42'  N.,  long.  157°  58' 
W.,  the  highest  point  that  had  been  reached  by  the  Russian  traders. 

From  Nulato,  after  a  month's  rest,  they  started  on  the  25th  of 
February,  1843,  up  the  Nulato  River,  traveling  northeast  seven  days, 
cutting  off  the  frequent  bends  of  the  stream  by  crossing  marshy 
plains,  and  in  one  instance  transversing  a  forest.  Reaching  the 
point  from  which  a  native  road  ran  to  Kotzebue  Sound,  Lieutenant 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  713 

Zagoyskin  endeavored  to  persuade  the  natives  to  guide  him  to  that 
place,  but  without  success.  They  excused  themselves  on  the  plea 
that  the  time  had  come  for  reindeer-hunting,  and,  unless  they  set 
out  at  once,  the  village  would  starve.  The  party  set  out  alone, 
finding  the  route  marked  by  sticks,  but,  after  five  days'  travel, 
were  compelled  to  turn  back  for  want  of  provisions,  when  they  had 
reached  lat.  65°  36'  N.  By  this  route,  it  was  ascertained,  an  exten 
sive  trade  was  carried  on  between  the  natives  of  the  coast  and  those 
on  the  Nulato  and  the  higher  Kvihpak.  The  latter  brought  their  furs 
and  received  in  exchange  the  iron,  tobacco,  beads,  and  other  com 
modities  obtained  by  the  coast  natives  from  the  Russian  traders,  from 
speculative  whalers  who  ran  up  above  the  Russian  posts  to  do  an 
illicit  trade  in  furs,  or  from  the  Asiatic  natives  who  kept  up  a  com 
mercial  intercourse  with  their  brethren  across  Behring's  Straits. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  with  six  men  and  a 
native  interpreter,  carrying  povisions  for  three  months,  set  out  from 
Nulato  in  a  large  seal-skin  canoe,  with  the  intention  of  reaching  the 
mountains  which  divided  Russian  from  British  America,  and  estab 
lishing  the  connection  between  the  Kvihpak  of  the  Pacific  coast  and 
the  Yukon  of  British  America,  which  had  been  erroneously  described 
on  the  maps  (and  still  is  on  most  maps  published  in  the  United 
States)  as  flowing  into  the  Icy  Sea  through  the  river  Colville,  between 
the  Mackenzie  River  and  Point  Barrow.  On  leaving  Nulato,  the 
Kvihpak,  for  about  twelve  miles,  was  found  to  be  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  wide,  filled  with  long,  narrow  islands  connected  by  sand-bars 
which  at  low  water  are  dry.  Above  the  junction  with  the  Nulato,  the 
course  of  the  river  lay  for  many  miles  through  a  level  plain  covered 
with  small  lakes  abounding  in  fish.  Numerous  streams  entered  from 
either  side,  and  the  banks  were  well  covered  with  willow,  alder,  aspen,, 
birch,  poplar  and  large  firs.  The  woods  did  not  extend  a  great  dis 
tance  from  the  river,  marshy  plains  stretching  behind  them  to  the 
foot  of  the  hilly  ranges  that  divided  the  affluents  of  the  Kvihpak  from 
those  of  rivers  of  smaller  size  on  either  side  of  it.  Some  of  these 
hills  reach  heights  varying  from  five  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  feet,, 
and  one  range,  which  approaches  close  to  the  Kvihpak,  terminates  in 
a  round  volcano,  called  by  the  natives  Natagash. 

Nearly  two  hundred  miles  above  Nulato  the  expedition  met  with  a 
serious  obstacle  to  their  further  progress.  A  sand  bank  stretched 
across  the  stream,  over  which  the  natives  had  been  accustomed  to 
carry  their  canoes,  but  which  was  now  covered  with  water.  The 
current  was  strong,  and  the  party  worked  in  vain  with  the  oars  to 
stem  it.  Not  only  the  current,  but  the  difficult  nature  of  the  chan 
nel,  interposed  obstacles  that  proved  to  be  insurmountable.  Too 
shallow  in  some  places  to  be  crossed,  in  others  the  deeper  channels 
were  filled  with  rocks  and  drift-wood.  For  hours  they  labored  in 
vain  to  push  or  pull  their  canoe  through  the  obstacles  and  against 


714  RUSSIAN    AMERICA. 

the  rapid  current,  and  then  abandoned  it  in  despair.  To  carry  their 
canoe  around  the  obstacle  would  have  rendered  necessary  the  cutting 
of  a  road  three  and  a  half  miles  long  through  an  impenetrable 
forest — a  work  which  it  was  beyond  the  power  of  the  expedition  to 
accomplish.  Reluctantly  they  turned  their  faces  homeward,  and 
rapidly  descended  the  river,  reaching  Nulato  in  seven  days.  The 
width  of  the  Kvihpak,  through  the  distance  explored,  was  found  to 
average  about  a  mile. 

In  the  autumn  of  1843,  the  expedition  descended  the  Kvihpak  to  Ikagmut  a 
t-rading-post  about  two  hundred  miles  below  Nulato.  The  river  was  found  to  be 
navigable  for  canoes  the  whole  distance  between  those  points,  the  water  muddy, 
and  the  current  strong  in  many  places.  The  average  width  was  a  mile  and  a 
half,  the  depth  varying  from  one  fathom  to  over  ten  fathoms.  The  left  bank  was 
low,  with  scattered  hills  in  the  distance;  the  right  bank  high,  frequently  rising 
almost  into  mountains.  The  country  was  well  wooded.  Zagoyskin  says:  "Fifteen 
miles  from  Anvika  the  soil  on  the  right  bank  changes  from  sand  to  clay.  In  one 
place  it  cracks.  I  have  seen  pure  clean  earth  of  different  bright  colors — red, 
yellow,  straw-color,  and  white,  with  all  their  various  shades.  This,  I  think,  con 
tains  lead."  At  one  point  the  river  sweeps  around  the  base  of  a  group  of  conical 
mountains,  two  thousand  feet  in  height,  near  which  rises  an  isolated  volcano  of 
about  the  same  height.  Nearly  all  the  tributary  rivers  enter  from  the  left  bank, 
and  many  of  them  abound  with  beaver. 

On  the  5th  of  November,  the  Kvihpak  was  closed  with  ice.  A  few  days  later 
the  natives  flocked  to  the  river  to  catch  a  small,  greasy  lamprey  found  in  great 
numbers  as  soon  as  the  river  was  frozen  over,  and  remained  about  two  weeks. 
To  the  dwellers  on  the  Kvihpak  this  fish  is  as  the  white-bait  is  to  the  Londoner 
or  the  first  shad  to  the  New  Yorker. 

As  soon  as  the  ice  was  strong,  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  and  his  party  left  Ikag 
mut  and  ascended  the  river  on  sledges,  passing  sometimes  over  bare  ice  and  at 
other  times  over  snow,  to  the  village  of  Paymut,  intending  to  cross  the  mountains 
to  the  river  Kuskokvim,  which  near  the  160th  meridian  approaches  the  Kvihpak 
before  the  latter  bends  to  the  north  and  the  former  to  the  east.  Ascending  the 
river  Nallik,  a  stream  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide,  which  enters  the  Kvihpak 
from  the  southeast,  they  soon  struck  southward  along  a  road  that  crossed  a 
marshy  plain  to  the  mountain  Tanmtulit,  twenty-five  hundred  feet  high,  towering 
above  the  right  bank  of  the  Kuskokvim.  Leaving  the  mountain  on  one  side,  the 
road  crossed  a  lake,  entered  a  marsh  covered  with  sh.rubbery  and  traversed  by 
many  small  creeks,  and  passed  through  higher  land  to  the  river  bank.  The  ex 
pedition  followed  the  course  .of  the  Kuskokvim  up  to  Fort  Kolmakoff,  a  fortified 
trading-post  in  lat.  61°  34'  N.,  long.  158°  37'  W. 

The  Kuskokvim  is  smaller  than  the  Kvihpak,  and,  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  or 
two  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth,  varies  from  seven  hundred  to  eighteen  hun 
dred  feet  in  width.  The  bends,  filled  with  islands,  gave  the  river  a  more  pic 
turesque  appearance  than  the  Kvihpak,  the  scenery  of  which  is  somewhat 
monotonous.  The  rocks  on  the  right  bank  differed  from  those  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Kvihpak,  and  in  many  places  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  found  mica. 
The  left  bank  is  clothed  with  heavy  fir-trees;  and  parallel  with  the  course  of 
the  river,  at  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  runs  a  range  of  mountains,  two  thousand 
feet  high,  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Kuskokvim  from  those  of  the  Nasha- 
gak,  which  flows  into  Bristol  Bay.  Between  Fort  Kolmakoff  and  Fort  Alexan 
der,  on  Bristol  Bay,  communication  is  kept  up  by  a  chain  of  rivers,  lakes,  and 
portages. 

The  winter  was  spent  in  exploring  the  country  between  the  Kuskokvim  and  the 
Kvihpak,  which  was  found  to  be  full  of  small  rivers,  and  in  tracing  the  lower 
portion  of  the  Chageluk,  one  of  the  largest  affluents  of  the  Kvihpak,  which  runs 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  715 

nearly  parallel  with  that  river  for  some  distance,  and  enters  it  near  lat.  62°  N., 
long.  160°  W.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1844,  the  ice  in  the  Kuskokvim  began  to  move, 
and  by  the  9th  the  expedition  started  up  the  river  in  seal-skin  canoes.  The  Kus 
kokvim  was  found  to  be  from  seven  hundred  to  twenty-one  hundred  feet  wide  above 
Fort  Kolrnakoff,  with  occasional  sand-bars,  some  of  them  a  mile  and  a  half  wide. 
For  nearly  a  hundred  miles  it  runs  between  rocky  cliffs,  from  three  hundred  to 
five  hundred  feet  in  height,  covered  with  a  dense  forest;  the  channel  is  clear,  and 
the  current  not  so  strong  as  that  of  the  Kvihpak.  At  this  point  the  river  Hulit- 
nak  enters  from  the  south  (lat.  61°  42' N.,  long.  156°  5CK  W.);  it  is  two  hundred 
feet  wide  at  its  mouth,  and  guarded  at  its  entrance  on  the  left  bank  by  rocky 
cliffs  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  high.  From  this  point,  far  in  the 
interior,  could  be  seen  a  conical  mountain  whose  top  was  covered  with  snow.  A 
few  miles  up  the  Hulitnak  the  hills  on  the  left  bank  give  way  to  a  marshy  plain, 
while  on  the  right  side  runs  a  chain  of  hills  five  hundred  feet  high. 

Twenty  miles  higher  up  the  Kuskokvim.  breaking  through  the  hills  that  line 
the  left  bank  of  that  river  above  the  Hulitnak,  comes  in  the  Shulkak,  which, 
the  natives  say,  takes  its  rise  in  a  lake  among  the  Chigmit  Mountains,  some  of 
the  nearest  peaks  of  which  could  be  seen  by  the  expedition  about  fifty  miles  to 
the  southward.  A  short  distance  above  the  Shulkak  comes  in  the  Chigvanateel, 
also  from  the  south.  At  this  point  were  met  six  canoes  filled  with  natives. 
To  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  natives,  and  prevent  misunderstanding — for  they 
could  conceive  of  no  reason  for  the  presence  of  a  white  man  in  thos.e  regions 
except  to  trade — a  few  pounds  of  tobacco  and  some  old  clothes  were  exchanged 
for  a  large  heap  of  beaver,  otter,  reindeer,  and  black-bear  skins.'  The  natives 
coveted  a  certain  coat  without  sleeves  which  struck  their  fancy,  but  the  pile  of 
nearly  two  hundred  valuable  furs  which  comprised  their  stock  was  not  consid 
ered  an  equivalent,  and  they  were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with  tobacco 
and  less  prized  articles  of  Icothing. 

Above  these  streams  the  Kuskokvim  narrowed  to  about  seven  hundred  feet, 
the  current  was  slower,  and  the  water  of  a  dull  yellowish  white.  The  river 
wound  around  a  cape  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  feet  high  on  the  right  bank, 
the  left  bank  being  about  eighteen  feet  high,  and  covered  with  a  dense  forest;  be 
yond  which,  in  the  distance,  rose  a  chain  of  mountains.  Higher  up,  a  spur  of  the 
mountain  chain  terminated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  in  a  rocky  ridge,  beyond 
which  the  forest  gave  place  to  a  flat  meadow,  or  marshy  plain.  At  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Sochotno,  in  lat.  62°  58'  N.,  long.  155°  6'  W.,  the  expedition  stopped, 
having  reached  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  above  Fort  Kolmakoff,  and 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river.  At  this  point 
the  natives  spoke  of  a  beautiful  inland  sea  in  the  interior,  somewhere  between 
the  Kuskokvim  and  the  Kvihpak.  The  same  story  was  repeated  by  the  natives 
at  other  points  on  the  Kuskokvim  and  also  on  the  Kvihpak.  It  was  described 
as  a  large  and  beautiful  lake,  abounding  in  fish,  and  supporting  a  numerous  peo 
ple  on  its  banks.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  that  the  location 
of  this  lake  was  somewhere  between  lat.  63°  and  65°  N.  and  long.  150°  and  154° 
W.,  and  that  it  probably  found  an  outlet  for  it  waters  by  the  river  Haggaya  into 
the  Kvihpak. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  to  explore  the  Kuskokvim  to  its 
source;  but  the  men  he  had  taken  with  him  from  Fort  Kolmakoff  were  obliged 
to  return,  that  they  might  be  ready  to  transport  goods  across  to  Fort  Alexander, 
on  Bristol  Bay.  He  was,  therefore,  reluctantly  compelled  to  turn  back,  reaching 
Fort  Kolmakoff  on  the  5th  of  June.  A  few  days  later  be  crossed  to  the  Kvihpak 
by  a  chain  of  lakes  and  rivers  different  from  that  he  had  traversed  in  the  winter, 
and  then  descended  the  Lower  Kvihpak  to  the  divergence  of  its  several  channels 
to  the  sea.  The  hills  and  forests  disappeared,  and  at  one  point  a  chain  of  lakes 
in  a  flat  country  stretched  away  to  the  right  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The 
soil  at  this  part  of  the  river  contained  a  layer  of  organic  matter  from  the  forest, 
about  three  feet  deep,  beneath  which  was  wet  clay.  Lieutenant  Zagoyskin 


716  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

records  no  observation  o(  Tiis  own  in  regard  to  the  depth  of  water  in  the  lower 
branches  of  the  Kvihpak,  but  says  that  in  1833  a  servant  of  the  Fur  Company 
ascended  the  Aphuna,  or  northern  mouth  of  the  Kvihpak  with  ease,  and  de 
scended  about  thirty  miles  of  another  channel,  but  found  the  water  too  shallow 
to  enable  him  to  reach  the  sea.  On  reaching  the  sea,  Zagoyskin  sailed  up  the 
coast  in  his  canoe,  keeping  about  a  half  a  mile  from  the  shore,  as  sand-banks 
and  rocks  further  out  made  navigation  dangerous,  and  reached  Fort  St.  Michael 
on  the  21st  of  June,  after  two  years  of  difficult  and  perilous  exploration. 

In  the  winter  of  1860,  Robert  Kennicutt,  a  young  American  natu 
ralist  of  fine  promise  and  of  undaunted  resolution,  though  of  delicate 
frame,  entered  the  Russian  American  territory  from  the  British  line, 
above  the  Yukon.  He  had  come,  the  last  part  of  the  route  alone, 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior,  by  the  way  of  the  chain  of  lakes  and 
the  Mackenzie  River,  through  the  vast  wilds  that  lie  between  Lake 
Superior  and  the  Arctic  Sea.  On  his  way  he  had  collected  specimens 
in  every  department  of  natural  science,  and  these  specimens,  num 
bering  thousands,  and  weighing  tons  in  the  aggregate,  were  taken  at 
each  trading  post  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  transported 
free  to  Canada,  where  they  were  again  taken,  without  pay,  by  the 
express  companies,  and  delivered  to  the  Smithsonian  Institute,  under 
whose  auspices  he  was  traveling.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had 
poached  on  the  manor  of  the  Russian  Fur  Company,  and  about  sixty 
miles  beyond  the  boundary,  just  at  the  fork  of  the  Porcupine  and 
Yukon  Rivers,  Kennicott  found  a  trading-post,  Fort  Yukon,  in  charge 
of  an  old  Scotchman,  who,  with  his  wife  and  a  jovial  Roman  Catholic 
priest,  together  with  some  voyageurs  and  Esquimaux,  formed  the  settle 
ment.  Here  Kennicott  remained  all  winter,  gathering  hundreds  of 
specimens,  and  gaining  all  the  information  possible  from  the  natives 
in  regard  to  the  course  of  the  Yukon,  about  which  uncertain  reports 
existed  at  the  fort.  Among  the  important  discoveries  was  that  of 
the  breeding-place  of  the  canvas-back  duck — the  eggs  of  which,  never 
before  seen  by  naturalist,  literally  covered  acres.  Here,  too,  he 
founds  the  nests  and  eggs  of  the  beautiful  Bohemian  wax-wing — the 
only  place  where  its  eggs  have  ever  been  found.  In  the  spring  he 
set  out  on  his  homeward  journey,  still  gathering  specimens  as  he 
went ;  and  on  his  return  commenced  reducing  the  results  of  his 
observations  to  writing,  when  he  was  interrupted  by  another  call  to 
the  field  of  duty. 

In  pursuance  of  a  design  to  connect  the  American  and  European 
continents  by  telegraph  line  through  Northern  Asia,  the  wires  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  were  extended  northward  through 
Oregon  and  Washington  Territories  to  Vancouver's  island,  and  thence 
it  was  proposed  to  carry  them  northward  through  British  and  Rus 
sian  territory  to  Behring's  Strait.  Carried  by  cable  through  the 
Strait,  or  some  part  of  the  Kamchatka  Sea,  it  was  designed  to  then 
push  the  line  through  Siberia  to  meet  the  Russian  Government  lines 
corning  eastward  from  St.  Petersburg.  The  route  through  the  British 


RUSSIAN   AMERICA.  717 

possessions  above  British  Columbia,  and  the  whole  interior  of  Russian 
America,  was  entirely  unknown.  It  was  determined  to  make  the 
survey  by  two  parties,  one  keeping  northward  from  Vancouver's 
Island,  and  the  other  proceeding  by  sea  to  the  vicinity  of  Behring's 
Strait,  and  then  going  eastward  and  southward,  to  meet  the  party 
coming  north.  The  information  obtained  in  regard  to  the  "great 
river''  of  Russian  America,  led  to  the  hope  that  the  party  could 
ascend  it  from  Behring's  Sea  to  Fort  Yukon,  and  then  follow  its 
course  southward  through  British  territory — the  party  coming  north 
keeping  the  same  route  to  the  place  of  meeting.  A  small  steamer, 
the  "Lizzie  Horner,"  was  purchased  in  San  Francisco,  and  put  on 
board  one  of  the  vessels  of  the  expedition,  with  the  design  of  ascend 
ing  the  Kvihpak  in  her  as  far%s  possible.  The  services  of  Major 
Kennicott  had  been  secured  for  the  command  of  the  expedition  by 
way  of  Behring's  Sea,  his  previous  visit  to  Russian  America,  and 
his  profound  scientific  knowledge,  peculiarly  fitting  him  for  the  task. 

On  the  10th  day  of  July,  1865,  the  expedition  left  San  Francisco  in  the  bark 
"Golden  Gate,"  accompanied  by  the  engineer-in-chief  of  the  company,  Colonel 
Bulkley,  in  the  propeller  "G.  S.  Wright."  In  a  month  they  reached  Sitka,  the 
head-quarters  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company,  where  they  remained 
about  two  weeks,  completing  their  arrangements  and  receiving  the  lavished  cour 
tesies  of  the  Eussian  officials.  On  the  22d  of  August  the  expedition  sailed  again, 
steering  for  the  outer  point  of  the  Aliaska  peninsula.  The  islands  that  line  the 
southern  front  of  this  remarkable  projection  were  reached  about  long.  160°  W., 
and  at  one  of  them,  Ounga,  a  short  stop  was  made.  The  principal  features  of 
this  island  were  similar  to  most  of  the  others  in  the  group.  Originally  of  vol 
canic  origin,  it  lias  a  steep  front  about  six  hundred  feet  in  height,  beyond  which 
the  land  is  rolling.  The  elevations  are  covered  with  moss  interspersed  with 
flowers,  and  in  the  depressions  is  a  little  coarse  grass  with  small  bushes.  A  bed 
of  coal  (lignite)  sixteen  inches  thick  was  found  on  this  island,  and  the  Russians 
worked  it  for  a  short  time,  but  ultimately  abandoned  it  as  of  little  value.  Here, 
as  on  several  other  islands,  a  few  Russians  supported  themselves  by  fishing.  In 
running  along  the  coast,  a  volcano  was  seen,  in  full  activity  ;  and  others,  that  had 
at  no  very  distant  period  been  in  eruption,  were  seen  on  the  peninsula  and  islands. 
Codfish  were  plentiful  along  the  route  through  the  islands.  The  entrance  to 
Behring's  Sea  was  made  through  the  Ounimak  passage,  in  long.  165°  W.,  lat.  54£° 
N.,  the  depth  of  water  at  the  entrance  being  two  hundred  and  forty  feet,  and  the 
current  very  strong.  On  the  13th  of  September,  the  expedition  entered  Norton 
Sound  and  rourided-to  at  St.  Michael.  Kennicott  and  his  party  were  landed  and 
the  vessels  left,  with  Colonel  Bulkley,  for  Kamchatka. 

The  island  of  St.  Michael  lies  on  the  south  side  of  Norton  Sound,  and  is  divided 
by  a  narrow  channel  from  the  main-land,  and  by  a  wider  channel  from  Stuart's 
Island.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  across  in  either  direction,  of  volcanic  origin, 
but  of  no  great  height,  the  greatest  elevation  being  three  hundred  feet.  A  good 
harbor  affords  protection  against  all  but  the  northerly  winds.  At  this  point  is  a 
fort  of  logs  and  earth,  mounting  six  four-pounders,  and  garrisoned  by  twenty  Rus 
sians  under  Factor  Stephanoff.  Close  to  the  fort  is  an  Esquimau  or  Malimeet 
village,  of  ten  huts — partly  burrows  in  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  partly  buildings 
of  drift-logs.  A  chain  of  similar  villages  extends  along  the  coast  of  Norton  Sound. 
The  temperature  at  St.  Michael  is  milder  than  at  any  other  point  on  that  part  of 
the  coast,  a  fact  accounted  for  by  its  being  surrounded  by  water,  and  by  the  cur 
rent  coming  from  the  south.  In  summer  there  is  a  healthy,  though  scanty  vege 
tation. 


718  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

It  was  the  intention  of  Kennicott  to  go  down  the  coast  in  the  small  steamer 
"Lizzie  Horner,"  to  be  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Charles  Pease,  to  the  lower, 
and  deepest,  mouth  of  the  Kvihpak,  or  Yukon,  and  in  her  to  traverse  the  whole 
length  of  the  river  as  far  as  navigation  was  possible,  making  surveys  at  the  proper 
points.  Unfortunately,  that  project  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  engineer  en 
gaged  at  San  Francisco  was  grossly  incompetent,  and  the  machinery  of  the 
steamer  was  found  to  be  radically  defective.  Fruitless  attempts  were  made  to 
remedy  the  deficiencies,  and  she  was  at  length  abandoned.  This  was  a  serious 
blow  to  the  usefulness  of  the  expedition.  Major  Kennicott  changed  his  plan, 
and  adopted  the  ordinary  route  of  the  Eussian  traders  as  high  up  as  they  went, 
being  that  taken  by  Zagoyskin  twenty-three  years  before.  From  Nulato  he  pro 
posed  to  travel  in  the  winter  by  dog  teams  up  the  river  to  Fort  Yukon. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  the  party,  numbering  twelve  persons,  crossed  Norton 
Sound  in  an  open  barge  to  the  village  of  Unalakleat,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
of  that  name,  the  voyage  being  rendered  unpleasant  by  a  violent  snow  storm,  the 
first  of  the  season.  At  Unalakleat  the  Russians  had  built  a  log  fort,  occupied  by 
six  men,  and  defended  by  two  four-pounder  guns.  Cold  weather  set  in  rapidly, 
and  the  first  work  of  the  party  was  to  build  a  fort  of  drift-logs,  banked  up  with 
sods  and  gravel,  and  the  logs  chinked  with  moss.  The  luxury  of  a  chimney  was 
added,  the  morter  of  which  was  made  with  mud  and  boiling  water. 

October  21st,  Pease,  Ketchum,  and  Adams,  accompanied  by  five  Esquimaux, 
each  of  whom  carried  eighty  pounds  of  baggage  strapped  to  his  back,  went  up 
the  Unalakleat.  The  thermometer  marked  two  degrees  below  zero,  but  the  river 
was  not  frozen  hard  enough  to  walk  on.  On  the  third  day  they  reached  Ulucook, 
a  winter  village  of  the  Ingalik  tr.ibe,  forty  miles  above  Unalakleat.  Here  they 
stopped  a  month,  buying  fish  and  preparing  it  for  the  winter's  provision  of  the 
party. 

The  Ingaliken  are  part  of  an  Indian  race  occupying  a  middle  position  between 
the  Esquimaux,  or  Malimeets,  of  the  coast,  and  the  Indians  of  the  interior.  They 
are  the  traders,  roaming  from  the  Yukon  to  the  coast,  and  bartering  the  skins  of 
the  Indians  for  the  traders'  goods  and  the  Esquimau  supplies.  At  one  time  they 
were  a  powerful  race;  but  a  succession  of  wars  with  the  Esquimaux  and  the  in 
terior  Indians  has  thinned  their  numbers.  In  their  habits  and  customs  they  have 
become  more  Esquimau  than  Indian,  building  their  huts  partly  under  ground, 
like  the  former,  instead  of  on  the  surface  as  does  the  latter.  The  winter  hut  of 
the  Norton  Sound  Esquimau  is  built  of  spruce  logs,  split  and  set  on  edge,  and 
is  roofed  in  the  same  manner,  with  a  square  hole  in  the  top,  and  the  whole,  ex 
cept  the  opening  in  the  roof,  is  covered  with  sods  and  earth  until  it  is  like  a  low 
dome.  About  half  the  height  of  the  interior  is  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
The  entrance  is  by  a  tunnel  or  covered  gallery,  about  twenty  feet  long,  communi 
cating  with  a  square  stockade  closed  with  a  door.  Inside  the  stockade  is  a  cir 
cular  opening  to  descend  into  the  tunnel.  The  hut  is  about  sixteen  feet  square, 
with  logs  at  the  sides  for  seats.  The  fire  burns  in  the  center,  directly  under  the 
hole  in  the  roof.  The  furniture  and  kitchen  utensils  of  the  hut  are  composed  of 
kettles  bought  of  the  whalers,  earthen  pots,  like  flower-pots,  made  by  the.  natives, 
for  various  purposes,  and  a  lamp — a  saucer  of  dried  mud,  filled  with  blubber,  and 
with  dried  moss  for  wicking,  the  root  of  a  tree  serving  for  a  chandelier.  When 
night  comes,  the  occupants  of  the  hut  let  the  fire  die  down,  stretch  dried  skins 
across  the  opening  in  the  roof,  the  circular  entrance  in  the  stockade,  and  at  the 
doorway  leading  from  the  hut  to  the  tunnel,  thus  cutting  off  every  current  of  air. 
Then,  stretching  themselves  with  their  heads  to  the  fire,  resting  on  logs  for  pillows, 
they  sleep  in  an  atmosphere  as  hot  and  dense  as  that  of  a  slow  oven. 

In  the  center  of  every  village  is  the  Kadgim,  or  great  meeting-house.  Here 
their  work  is  carried  on,  feasts  held,  visitors  received,  and  here  the  men  sleep. 
Built  on  the  same  plan  as  the  other  huts,  it  is  much  larger  and  higher,  and  has 
a  raised  seat  carried  around  its  sides.  It  was  at  the  Kadgim  in  Ulucook  that 
Lieutenant  Zagoyskin  witnessed  the  performance  of  their  traditionary  custom  of 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  719 

"drowning  little  bladders  in  the  sea."  performed  in  honor  of  the  sea  spirit  Ugiak. 
When  Zagoyskin  entered  the  Kadgiin  he  found  it  occupied  by  about  fifty  men, 
who  had  just  been  washing  themselves  in  a  reeking  liquid  which  can  not  be  more 
particularly  named.  The  stench  was  overpowering  and  the  heat  suffocating,  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it.  The  festival  then  began.  On  a  strip  of  moose-skin 
stretched  across  one  end  of  the  apartment  were  suspended  about  a  hundred  fan 
tastically  painted  bladders,  taken  from  animals  killed  with  arrows  only.  At  one 
end  of  the  line  hung  a  carved  representation  of  a  man's  head,  and  a  gull;  at  the 
other  end,  two  partridges.  Threads  fastened  to  this  line  were  drawn  over  the 
cross-beam,  and  these  threads  were  jerked  so  as  to  set  the  figures  in  motion.  A 
stick,  six  feet  high,  bound  around  with  straw,  stood  under  the  line.  A  native  ad 
vanced  from  the  group,  danced  solemnly  before  the  bladders,  and  then,  pulling 
some  straw  from  the  stick,  lighted  it,  and  passed  it  under  bladders  and  images  so 
as  to  smoke  them.  The  stick  and  straw  were  carried  outside,  and  all  the  occu 
pants  ol'Kadgim  indulged  in  a  dance  which  lasted  throughout  the  greater  part  of 
the  day.  They  stripped  to  the  waist  before  dancing,  and,  by  their  frantic  contor 
tions  to  the  monotonous  beat  of  the  tambourine,  kept  every  muscle  in  motion.  At 
frequent  intervals  the  women  brought  in  frozen  fish  and  strips  of  deer-meat,  which 
the  dancers  devoured  ravenously,  and  then  resumed  the  dance.  After  eating  and 
dancing  all  day  in  the  poisonous  atmosphere,  they  huddled  on  the  floor  at  night, 
every  man  with  his  head  to  the  fire,  and  slept  till  morning.  Unlike  the  natives 
of  Kamchatka,  who  have  a  horribly  nauseating  method  of  intoxication,  the  Mali- 
meets  of  the  American  coast  of  Behring's  Sea  have  no  stimulating  drink.  Their 
method  of  getting  intoxicated  is  to  smoke  tobacco  and  take  the  smoke  into  their 
lungs,  which  produces  partial  stupefaction.  In  one  of  the  grand  feasts  some 
members  of  Kennicott's  party  were  treated  by' the  natives  to  a  dish,  which  was 
accepted  as  the  hyperborean  substitute  for  ice-cream  and  strawberries,  and  eaten 
without  aversion,  if  not  with  much  relish.  The  disgust  of  those  who  indulged  in 
the  luxury  may  be  imagined  on  their  discovering  the  delectable  compound  to  be 
reindeer  fat,  chewed  to  a  paste  by  the  old  women,  then  mixed  with  snow  and 
flavored  with  berries. 

The  natives  on  the  Lower  Kuskokvim  have  peculiar  funeral  observances. 
When  a  member  of  the  family  dies,  his  relatives  eat  nothing  but  sour  or  year-old 
food,  and  do  not  go  to  the  river  for  twenty  days.  They  spend  their  time  seated 
in  one  corner  of  the  room  with  their  backs  to  the  door.  Every  five  days  they 
wash  themselves,  else  all  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  would  die.  Before  the 
funeral  the  body  is  carried  into  the  Kadgim,  it  is  placed  in  a  sitting  posture  with 
the  feet  drawn  up,  in  a  corner  opposite  to  the  door.  The  inhabitants  of  the  vil 
lage  bring  in  votive  offerings  of  skin  dresses,  in  one  of  which  the  corpse  is  dressed, 
while  the  others  are  placed  in  a  box  with  the  body.  The  box  is  carried  to  the 
bury  ing-ground  and  placed  on  four  posts,  near  which  is  raised  a  large  board 
painted  with  the  figure  of  that  object  of  which  the  deceased  was  most  fond.  In 
front  of  the  board  are  set  some  articles  belonging  to  the  deceased,  and  his  remain 
ing  effects  are  divided  in  the  Kadgim.  The  interior  natives  burn  their  dead;  and 
if  one  dies  in  the  winter,  his  relatives  carry  the  body  with  them,  using  it  instead 
of  a  log  as  a  pillow  at  night,  and  burning  it  when  warm  weather  comes. 

The  Kuskokvim  natives  have  also  a  peculiar  usage— suggestive  of  the  Christ 
mas  customs  of  American  children — of  hiding  articles  for  some  time,  and  at  a 
particular  feast  presenting  them  to  the  members  of  their  families. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  the  Unalakleat  River  froze  so  that  it  could  be 
traversed  with  dog  teams.  The  cold  rapidly  increased,  the  thermometer  marking 
20°  below  zero  on  the  8th  of  November,  reaching  to  32°  on  the  19th,  and  on  the 
1st  of  January  getting  down  to  40°  below  zero — the  lowest  point  noted — with  a 
fierce  norther  blowing.  The  dog  teams  were  got  ready,  and  the  provisions  pre 
pared  por  packing,  when  Kennicott  returned  from  Nulato  with  the  discouraging 
information  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  go  up  the  Yukon  during  the  winter. 
He  had  himself  made  a  ten  days'  journey  above  Nulato,  and  found  but  few  na- 


720  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

lives,  most  of  them  having  gone  northward  to  hunt  the  reindeer.  He  ascertained 
that  tliere  was  no  prospect  of  getting  food  for  his  dogs,  and  without  an  assurance 
that  this  could  be  obtained,  it  would  be  madness  to  attempt  the  journey.  The 
winter  was  therefore  spent  at  Fort  St.  Michael,  in  making  preparations  for  the 
summer's  work. 

On  the  3d  day  of  April  the  weather  moderated,  and  indications  of 
the  coming  spring  were  visible.  A  portion  of  the  party  set  out  for 
Orantley  llarbor,  with  instructions  to  join  the  main  body  at  Nulato. 
Ten  days  afterward  Lieutenants  Ketchum  and  Pease,  and  Mike  Le- 
barge,  a  Canadian  voyagvur  attached  to  the  party,  started  for  Nulato. 
The  ice  was  five  feet  thick,  and  the  ground  covered  with  snow,  but 
on  the  bay  the  ice  was  rapidly  softening,  so  that  the  party  had  to 
keep  close  to  the  shore,  and  sometimes  found  six  inches  of  water  on 
the  surface.  Next  day  they  reached  Unalakleat,  rested  a  day,  and 
then  set  out  for  Ulucook,  walking  the  forty  miles  behind  a  dog-sled 
loaded  with  three  bags  of  flour.  Continuing  their  journey,  on  the 
19th  they  struck  the  Yukon,  about  thirty  rniles  below  Nulato.  On 
the  22d  they  reached  Nulato,  having  traveled  all  the  way  upon  the 
river,  and  next  day  were  joined  the  party  from  Grantley  Harbor. 

Nulato  is  a  srnall  native  village,  in  which  a  Russian  trading-post 
has  been  established,  with  three  white  men  and  a  four-pounder  iron 
cannon  as  its  sole  defense.  During  the  winter  two  skin  boats  had  been 
brought  over  from  St.  Michael  for  the  voyage  up  the  Yukon.  The 
largest  was  thirty-five  feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  made  of  seal-skin 
stretched  over  a  light  framework  of  wood  fastened  with  sinews.  A 
square  sail,  spreading  twenty  yards  of  canvas,  could  be  rigged.  The 
other  boat  was  a  "baidark,"  or  light  skin  canoe,  with  a  covering  of 
skin  that  fitted  tightly  to  the  skin  tunic  worn  by  the  occupant  of  the 
boat,  so  as  to  be  perfectly  water-proof.  A  baidark  has  holes  for  three 
passengers,  and  in  this  differs  from  a  kyak,  which  only  admits  one 
occupant.  The  baidark  was  intended  for  Major  Kennicott  and  two 
of  his  party,  while  the  larger  boat  would  carry  the  others,  together 
with  the  provisions. 

Everything  was  ready  for  the  departure,  and  the  members  of  the 
expedition  were  anxiously  awaiting  the  breaking-up  of  the  ice,  when 
a  sad  calamity  put  an  end  to  the  arrangements.  Major  Kennicott 
had  for  several  days  complained  of  dizziness,  and  a  strange  sensation 
in  his  head.  The  succession  of  disappointments  he  had  experienced 
since  his  landing  weighed  heavily  on  his  mind,  and,  combined  with 
the  effects  of  the  arduous  labors  of  the  previous  six  years,  had  broken 
down  both  his  spirit  and  his  constitution.  On  the  morning  of  May 
13th  he  was  absent  from  breakfast,  and  the  Indian  sent  in  search  re 
turned  without  finding  him.  Lieutenant  Pease  became  alarmed,  and 
started  with  Lebarge  to  find  him.  About  twenty  rods  from  the  fort 
they  came  on  him,  lying  on  his  back,  dead.  An  open  compass  was 
lying  by  his  side,  and  it  is  supposed  that,  after  taking  some  observa 
tions  and  making  calculations  by  tracing  figures  in  the  sand,  he 


RUSSIAN   AMERICA.  723 

straightened  himself  up  and  fell  instantly  dead,  probably  from  heart 
disease. 

The  death  of  the  commander  of  the  expedition  frustrated  all  the 
plans  that  had  been  formed.  Lieutenant  Ketchum,  as  the  oldest  of 
the  party,  took  command,  and  appointed  Lieutenant  Pease  as  his 
second.  It  was  decided  that  Ketchum,  with  the  voyageur  Lebarge, 
and  a  half-breed  Lewis  Kean,  should  go  up  to  Fort  Yukon  in  the 
baidark,  while  Lieutenant  Pease  and  some  others  of  the  party  should 
take  the  remains  of  Major  Kennicott  in  the  seal-skin  boat  to  Fort  St. 
Michael,  by  going  down  the  river  to  the  coast.  Pease  and  the  half- 
breed  Kean  set  to  work  on  a  coffin  made  of  boards  torn  from  the 
sides  of  the  fort,  calked  with  candle-wick,  and  pitched  with  turpentine 
gum.  The  lining  was  made  of  some  green  baize  found  in  the  fort, 
and  tacked  with  brads  cut  with  shears  from  a  strip  of  copper  that 
had  formed  part  of  the  sheathing  of  a  ship's  bottom.  Dressed  in  full 
uniform  and  shrouded  in  the  American  flag,  the  body  of  Major  Ken 
nicott  lay  for  three  days  open  to  the  sorrowful  gaze  of  those  who  had 
shared  his  later  labors  (one  of  these  had  been  his  friend  and  compan 
ion  in  past  years),  and  then  the  face  of  one  of  whom  science  had 
great  hope  was  hid  from  view.  Had  Major  Kennicott  lived  to  carry 
out  his  plans,  completed  his  explorations  of  the  extreme  Northern 
country,  and  reduced  his  observations  to  writing,  the  scientific  world 
would  have  been  a  great  gainer  by  his  knowledge.  Unfortunately, 
during  the  six  or  seven  years  before  his  death  he  was  more  a  worker 
than  a  writer,  and  the  hurried  notes  he  committed  to  paper  will  throw 
but  little  light  on  what  he  had  discovered,  compared  with  what  died 
with  him,  unregistered. 

On  the  23d  of  May  the  ice  broke  up,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
25th,  Ketchum,  Lebarge  and  Kean  started  up  the  river  in  the  baidark, 
while  Pease,  taking  with  him  Smith,  Adams,  and  Dyer,  and  a  crew 
of  three  Esquimaux,  started  down  the  river  in  the  seal- skin  boat, 
having  with  them  the  remains  of  Major  Kennicott.  A  few  miles  be 
low  Nulato  the  ice  and  drift-wood  were  overtaken  in  a  rapid  current, 
and  a  landing  was  made  on  an  island  to  escape  swamping.  The  voy 
age  was  continued,  the  party  sometimes  making  thirteen  or  fourteen 
miles,  and  at  others  going  at  a  more  rapid  rate,  at  one  time  making 
seventy-seven  miles  in  a  day's  run.  At  night  they  found  a  welcome 
in  an  Indian  village,  or  camped  out  on  an  island.  On  the  1st  of  June 
they  took  an  Indian  on  board  as  a  guide,  but  soon  became  suspicious 
that  he  was  trying  to  mislead  them.  Following  his  directions,  Pease 
steered  into  a  wide  channel  which  proved  to  be  a  lateral  connection 
with  the  Chageluk  River,  and  entered  that  river  a  short  distance 
above  its  confluence  with  the  Yukon,  or  Kvihpak.  Here  they  came 
Suddenly  on  a  village  inhabited  by  a  tribe  hostile  to  those  above,  and 
bearing  a  bad  reputation  among  the  Russians.  As  soon  as  the  boat 
came  in  sight,  it  was  surrounded  with  canoes  filled  with  Indians, 


724  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

whose  conduct  was  far  from  reassuring.  Preserving  his  self-posses 
sion,  Lieutenant  Pease  opened  a  conversation  with  the  chief,  and 
made  him  presents  of  tobacco  and  calico,  arid  finally  of  a  knife,  which 
completely  won  his  good-will.  He  expressed  his  gratification  at 
meeting  with  the  first  white  men  who  had  ever  reached  his  village. 
When  the  boat  was  about  to  leave,  the  Indians  drew  up  in  a  body  to 
fire  a  salute.  As  Pease  was  not  quite  sure  of  the  intentions  of  his 
professed  friends,  he  commenced  the  salute  by  hitting  a  mark  at 
long  range  with  his  rifle,  and  directing  one  of  his  party  to  keep  up  a 
continuous  fire  with  revolvers.  This  exhibition  of  rapid  firing  and 
length  of  range  put  an  end  to  any  idea  of  attack  on  the  part  of  the 
Indians,  if  such  a  purpose  had  been  meditated. 

Stopping  one  night  at  the  Russian  post  known  as  "The  Mission," — the  Ikag- 
mut  of  Zagoyskin's  narrative — containing  several  houses  and  a  church,  their 
voyage  was  continued  the  next  day,  until  the  northern  mouth  of  the  river  was 
reached.  On  the  way  they  saw  several  islands  covered  with  geese  and  swans,  and 
found  on  one  island  the  nest  of  a  goose  with  three  eggs  in  it.  On  the  5th  of  June, 
after  passing  through  a  herd  of  seals,  the  boat  left  the  main  channel  for  one 
taking  a  more  northerly  course,  and  ending  in  a  narrow  canal  leading  into  the 
Past  >lic  .River,  which  enters  Norton  Sound  several  miles  above  the  northern 
mouth  of  the  Yukon.  The  sea-coast  was  reached  on  the  morning  of  June  6th, 
twelve  days  after  leaving  Nulato.  The  voyage  up  the  coast  was  long  and  tedious, 
owing  to  baffling  winds  and  the  dangers  of  the  reefs,  the  fort  at  St.  Michael  not 
being  reached  until  June  loth. 

Not  long  afterward  Ketclmm  and  his  party  returned  to  Fort  St.  Michael,  hav 
ing  successfully  made  the  passage  to  Fort  Yukon  and  back.  The  country  from 
Nulato  eastward  was  found  to  be  similar  to  that  lower  down  the  river,  the  banks 
varying  in  height,  but  most  of  the  near  elevations  being  on  the  northern  side;  the 
streams  from  the  north  were  small,  and  those  from  the  south  much  larger.  The 
character  of  the  timber  improved,  the  spruce  ranging  from  twenty-rive  to  one 
hundred  feet  in  height.  There  were  no  more  serious  obstructions  to  navigation 
than  occur  in  most  western  rivers,  the  sand-bars  having,  during  their  passage,  a 
fair  depth  of  water,  and  the  rapids  below  Fort  Yukon  offering  no  insurmountable 
obstacle  to  a  good  steamer.  The  current  was  found  to  be  very  strong.  The 
proper  steamers  to  navigate  the  Yukon  are  stern-wheelers  with  very  powerful 
engines.  At  Fort  Yukon  a  new  fort  had  been  built,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  old  fort,  and  the  Roman  Catholic  priest  who  had  spiritual  charge  dur 
ing  Kennicott's  visit  had  given  place  to  an  Episcopal  minister. 

Late  in  the  autumn  the  long-expected  ship  from  San  Francisco  arrived  at  St. 
Michael,  with  Colonel  Bulkley  on  board.  A  reorganization  of  the  party  was 
made.  Lieutenant  Pease,  as  the  attached  friend  of  the  late  Major  Kennicott,  was 
sent  home  with  his  remains,  and  the  remainder  of  the  party,  under  Lieutenant 
Ketchum,  were  ordered  to  retrace  their  steps  into  the  interior,  and  carefully  sur 
vey  the  upper  Yukon,  following  it,  if  possible,  to  its  source,  or  until  meeting  an 
exploring  party  advancing  north  from  British  Columbia.  From  that  party 
nothing  has  since  been  heard  on  the  Atlantic  side.  So  far  as  the  general  public 
is  concerned,  its  principal  work,  however,  was  done.  The  Yukon  had  been  ex 
plored  from  Behring's  Sea  to  above  its  junction  with  the  Porcupine.  Beyond 
that  point  its  course  had  been  traced  by  the  servants  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com 
pany.  The  abandonment  of  the  Russian  American  Telegraph  enterprise,  owing 
to  the  success  of  the  Atlantic  Cable  line,  has  put  a  stop  to  further  exploration  in 
the  interest  of  the  Telegraph  Company. 

The  coast  line  of  Russian  America  is  of  two  distinct  characters, 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  725 

the  line  of  division  being  the  Aliaska  peninsula.  At  the  boundary 
line,  on  the  Icy  Sea,  the  coast  is  low,  and  formed  of  frozen  mud- 
banks,  keeping  this  character  coming  west  until  Point  Barrow  is 
reached,  the  most  northern  point,  a  long  low  spit  of  gravel  and  loose 
sand.  Going  southwest,  the  low  coast  is  intersected  with  narrow 
lakes,  and  covered  with  swampy  moss,  to  the  neighborhood  of  Cape 
Lisburne,  a  mass  of  limestone  rocks  eight  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high.  From  this  point  to  and  around  Kotzebue  Sound,  the  coast  is 
low  and  swampy,  with  occasional  hills.  Cape  Prince  of  Wales,  which 
forms  the  eastern  side  of  the  gateway  of  Behring's  Strait,  is  pre 
cipitous  and  rocky,  and  is  indented  by  Port  Clarence,  which  has  a 
good  entrance,  with  ten  fathoms  of  water,  and  a  mud  bottom.  Open 
ing  also  into  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cape  is  Grantley  Harbor,  smaller 
and  completely  land-locked,  offering  a  perfectly  secure  anchorage. 
Below  this  point,  the  country  near  the  sea  is  rolling,  and  the  coast 
low  and  inaccessible  except  in  certain  portions  of  Norton  and  Bristol 
Sounds,  while  the  sea  is  shallow,  owing  to  the  alluvium  poured  into 
it  by  the  rivers  and  dammed  back  into  Behring's  Sea  by  the  barrier 
of  the  Aliaska  peninsula.  The  shore  is  covered  with  a  heavy  growth 
of  moss,  thrown  up  by  the  frost  into  large  bunchy  masses. 

Below  the  Aliaska  peninsula  the  formation  of  the  coast  is  totally 
different.  A  lofty  mountain  range  occupies  the  coast  from  Observa 
tory  Inlet  to  Cook's  Inlet,  and  then  sweeps  around  toward  the  Asiatic 
side  along  the  peninsula.  On  this  side  the  cliffs  are  rocky  and  pre 
cipitous,  and  descend  abruptly  into  the  Pacific,  with  deep  soundings 
close  to  the  shore.  Along  the  greater  part  of  the  Pacific  coast  line 
of  the  territory  extends  a  group,  or  several  groups,  of  islands,  some 
of  large  size,  fifty  to  a  hundred  miles  in  length.  The  narrow  strip 
of  coast  belonging  to  Russian  America  from  Cross  Sound  to  Observ 
atory  Inlet,  and  the  coast  below  to  Puget  Sound,  is  masked  by  a 
series  of  islands  so  situated  as  to  leave  between  them  and  the  main 
land  an  unbroken  line  of  inland  navigation,  the  most  extraordinary 
in  the  world.  Sir  George  Simpson,  who  passed  through  it  twice  in 
1841,  says  it  is  admirably  adapted  for  steam  navigation,  affording  a 
safe  passage  in  every  condition  of  the  weather  except' fogs.  Beyond 
the  Copper  River  is  another  group  of  islands;  and  stretching  from 
the  mouth  of  Cook's  Inlet  to  the  end  of  the  peninsula  is  still  another 
group,  to  which  the  largest,  Kodiak,  gives  its  name.  All  these 
islands  are  of  volcanic  character,  arid  in  some  of  them  along  the 
Aliaska  peninsula,  as  also  on  the  main  land,  volcanoes  are  still  active. 
Traces  of  volcanic  action  are  also  found  on  the  few  islands  along  the 
coast  of  Behring's  Sea. 

The  whole  main-land  coast  up  to  Cook's  Inlet  is  heavily  wooded, 
and  many  of  the  islands  also  have  a  good  supply  of  trees.  Beyond 
the  mountain  range,  near  and  beyond  the  boundary  line,  up  to  Cook's 
Inlet,  stretches  a  comparatively  level  country,  covered  with  grass. 


726  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

The  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast  are  hilly,  the  rocks  covered  with  moss, 
•while  in  the  valleys  is  good  land,  with  grass  and  shrubs. 

The  rivers  of  Russian  America  are  numerous  and  important. 
Going  north  from  the  boundary  line  of  British  Columbia,  the  first 
river  of  consequence  is  the  Stikine,  or  Francis  River,  in  lat.  56°  N., 
which  forms  the  principal  gateway  to  the  valuable  British  territory 
beyond  and  which  passes  through  a  country  rich  in  gold.  The  Stikine 
has  two  mouths,  its  greatest  width  at  the  principal  outlet  being  about 
half  a  mile.  It  is  navigable  for  steamers  of  light  draught,  for  four 
months  in  the  year,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles ;  and 
the  steamer  "Flying  Dutchman"  made  several  trips  up  it  to  Shakes- 
ville,  a  mining  town  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  from  its  mouth. 
Twenty  miles  above  Shakesville  the  Grand  Canon  commences,  and 
above  that  point  canoe  navigation  is  practicable  for  a  considerable 
distance.  The  Stikine  previous  to  entering  the  mountain  range  at 
the  Grand  Canon  drains  an  undulating  country  covered  with  luxu 
riant  grass,  then  passes  through  a  rich  mining  region,  and  finally 
enters  the  sea  between  steep  banks  clothed  with  dense  forests  of  pine 
and  cypress.  Small  rive-rs  enter  the  natural  canals  and  inlets  of  the 
coast  up  to  lat.  60°  N.,  long.  144°  W.,  where  the  Copper  River  enters. 
By  this  river  the  natives  have  communication  with  the  Yukon  in 
nearly  the  same  longitude,  the  two  rivers  and  their  affluents  approach 
ing  each  other  so  closely  that  but  short  portages  are  made.  Cook's 
Inlet,  which  cuts  a  deep  gash  in  the  coast  line,  also  has  its  tributary 
streams,  by  which  communication  is  kept  up  by  the  coast  natives 
with  the  interior. 

Above  the  Aliaska  peninsula  the  first  stream  is  the  Nashagak,  in 
Bristol  Bay,  reported  by  the  natives  to  connect  by  lakes  and  marshes 
with  Cook's  Inlet  on  one  side,  and  with  the  Kuskokvim  on  the  other. 
The  Kuskokvim,  entering  Behring's  Sea  above  Cape  Newenham,  has 
been  explored  by  Russians  and  natives  for  about  six  hundred  miles. 
Its  course  from  the  mouth  up  is  generally  northeast,  but,  like  all  the 
rivers  of  the  region,  it  is  very  crooked.  The  Kuskokvim  is  naviga 
ble  for  light  draught  steamers  for  a  great  portion  of  its  length.  Its 
current  is  moderately  rapid. 

But  the  great  river  of  British  America  is  the  Yukon,  or  Kvihpak,  which  had 
long  been  a  mystery  to  British  and  American  hydrographers,  and  which  was 
never  fully  explored  by  white  men  until  the  summer  of  1866.  It  is  the  Missis 
sippi  of  the  Northwest.  The  Yukon  rises  in  the  mountainous  region  of  Pelly 
Banks,  in  British  America,  and  runs  northwest  until  it  enters  Russian  America 
in  about  lat.  64°  N.  It  continues  its  northwesterly  direction  until  it  receives  the 
waters  of  the  Porcupine  from  the  northeast.  About  seventy  miles  above  the 
junction  with  that  river  it  threads-  its  way  through  a  pass  in  the  Big  Beaver 
Mountains,  then  traverses  a  flat  country  for  about  a  hundred  miles,  when  it 
again  cuts  a  spur  of  the  Big  Beaver  Mountains,  and  enters  the  system  of  the  great 
northern  peninsula.  From  this  point  it  runs  a  little  south  of  east  until  oppo 
site  the  head  of  Norton  Sound,  when  it  bends  abruptly  to  the  south  to  lat.  62°  N., 
where  it  again  turns  to  the  west  and  flows  into  Behring's  Sea.  From  the  junction 


RUSSIAN   AMERICA.  727 

with  the  Porcupine  to  its  outlet  in  Behring's  Sea,  this  river  is  navigable  for  steam 
boats,  having  a  depth  varying  from  one  to  ten  fathoms,  and  a  width  varying  from  a 
mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half.  Its  course  is  very  tortuous.  There  are  four  known  mouths, 
the  most  northern  of  which  is  obstructed'  by  a  bar  on  which  is  a  depth  of  four  feet 
of  water,  the  south  channel  having  ten  feet  of  water  at  the  entrance.  There  are 
other  streams  of  less  importance  entering  Norton's  Sound  and  Kotzebue  Bay;  and 
the  Colville,  which  enters  the  Icy  Sea  and  was  long  supposed  to  be  the  mouth  of 
the  Yukon,  is  said  by  the  natives  to  be  navigable  for  a  considerable  distance. 

The  course  of  nearly  all  the  rivers  is  generally  a  little  south  of  west.  The 
mountain  ranges  from  the  south  cease  before  reaching  the  Icy  Sea,  and  the  great 
peninsula  above  Cook's  Inlet  is  traversed  by  a  number  of  low  mountain  ranges 
running  in  a  southwesterly  direction.  In  the  intervening  spaces  between  those 
ranges  the  principal  rivers  find  their  way.  As  a  general  rule  the  rivers  wash  the 
base  of  the  hills  on  the  right  side,  the  left  banks  being  low,  and  at  a  distance  from 
the  river  frequently  swampy.  The  southern  tier  of  hills  is,  however,  nearly 
always  in  sight,  and  spurs  from  it  occasionally  jut  out  on  the  left  bank.  A 
peculiar  feature  of  the  country  is  the  manner  in  which  the  affluents  of  the  great 
rivers  interlock,  or  are  connected  by  lakes ;  so  that,  while  the  peninsula  can  be 
traversed  from  east  to  west  by  following  the  line  of  the  principal  rivers,  it  can 
also  be  traversed  from  south  to  north  by  short  passes  through  the  mountains,  or 
by  ascending  the  smaller  streams  that  come  through  the  gaps  in  the  rocky  banks 
on  the  right  of  the  rivers,  and  then  passing  by  lakes  and  short  portages  to  the 
numerous  rivers  flowing  north  into  the  large  rivers.  In  this  way  the  natives  and 
the  traders  pass  from  the  Copper  River  to  Fort  Yukon,  and  from  Cook's  Inlet  to 
Kotzebue  Sound.  * 

The  interior  of  the  upper  peninsula  is  well  timbered  to  within  about  a  hundred 
miles  of  the  coast,  on  the  line  of  the  Kvihpak,  or  Yukon,  and  still  nearer  on  some 
of  the  smaller  streams.  The  prevailing  timber  and  the  most  useful  is  the 
spruce,  which  is  frequently  of  considerable  diameter,  and  from  seventy  to  a  hun 
dred  feet  high.  Birch  grows,  but  not  in  great  quantity,  as  far  north  as  the  line  of 
the  Kvihpak.  Poplar,  alder,  and  willow  are  found  along  all  the  rivers  in  consid 
erable  quantity.  On  the  Pacific  coast  the  main  land  and  many  of  the  islands 
are  covered  with  dense  forests  of  pine — the  most  useful  of  all  trees — which  reach 
the  water's  edge;  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Stikine,  Sir  George  Simpson 
says,  is  a  species  of  cypress,  which,  from  its  durability  and  lightness,  is  almost  un- 
equaled  for  boat-building.  The  Russians  have  neglected  to  turn  this  immense 
fund  of  wealth  to  account,  being  fearful  lest  their  monopoly  of  fur-trading  would 
be  affected  by  the  opening  of  a  timber  trade.  The  pine  is  of  the  largest  size  and 
finest  quality,  equaling  in  value  the  famous  forests  of  Norway.  Bongard  reports 
pines  and  spruces  on  the  coast. haying  a  diameter  of  seven  feet  and  a  height  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet. 

Russian  America  teems  with  animal  life.  Its  seas  afford  the  finest  fisheries  in 
the  world,  its  rivers  are  filled  with  fish,  and  its  woods,  hills,  valleys,  and  plains 
support  vast  quantities  of  fur-bearing  animals  and  valuable  birds.  The  waters 
of  the  North  Pacific,  along  the  whole  coast  from  Dixon's  Strait  to  the  end  of  the 
Aleutian  Islands,  swarm  with  cod  and  halibut  of  the  largest  size.  In  1865, 
Acting-Surveyor  Giddings,  of  Washington  Territory,  called  the  attention  of  the 
Secretary  of  the  Interior  to  this  fact  After  describing  the  value  of  the  fisheries 
in  the  Strait  of  Fuca,  he  said :  "  Further  north,  along  the  coast,  between  Cape 
Flattery  and  Sitka,  in  the  Russian  possessions,  both  cod  and  halibut  are  very 
plenty,  and  of  a  much  larger  size  than  those  taken  at  the  Cape,  or  further  up  the 
straits  and  sound.  No  one  who  knows  those  facts  for  a  moment  doubts  that,  if 
vessels  similar  to  those  used  by  the  Bank  fishermen  that  sail  from  Massachusetts 
and  Maine  were  fitted  out  here,  and  were  to  fish  on  the  various  banks  along  this 

coast,  it  would  even  now  be  a  most  lucrative  business The  cod  and 

halibut  on  this  coast,  up  near  Sitka,  are  fully  equal  to  the  largest  taken  in  the 
Eastern  waters." 


728  RUSSIAN    AMERICA. 

The  Legislature  of  Washington  Territory,  by  formal  resolution, 
called  the  attention  of  the  general  government  to  the  great  value  of 
the  fisheries  of  the  Russian  American  coast,  and  petitioned  for 
the  adoption  of  such  measures  as  would  obtain  for  Americans  the 
right  to  fish  in  those  waters.  Lieutenant  Pease  reports  that,  on  the 
passage  up,  the  sea  near  the  Kodiak  group  of  islands  was  found  to 
be  full  of  cod,  a  barrel  of  which  was  caught  with  a  line  as  the  vessel 
sailed  through.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to  utilize  those  treasures 
of  the  deep,  except  by  the  Russians  on  the  islands  and  coast,  \vlio 
fish  for  their  own  support  and  that  of  the  Indians  dependent  on 
them.  Whales  are  numerous  in  the  North  Pacific,  and  also  in 
Behring's  Sea,  the  whalers  following  them  up  to  Behring's  Strait. 

The  rivers,  from  the  Stikine  to  the  highest  known  on  the  great 
peninsula,  swarm  with  fish,  especially  with  the  different  varieties  of 
salmon.  In  the  Stikine  the  salmon  and  salmon  trout  are  plentiful. 
The  red  salmon,  or  "squoggan"  of  the  natives,  weighing  about  four 
pounds,  is  taken  in  July  and  August,  and  the  sea  salmon — the  native 
"kase,"  weighing  sometimes  thirty  pounds — is  taken  from  the  com 
mencement  of  the  fishing  season  until  late  in  the  autumn.  The  rivers 
of  the  upper  peninsula  abound  in  salmon  of  the  largest  size,  white- 
fish  in  immense  quantities,  sturgeon,  pike,  and  mountain  trout.  The 
natives  catch  pike,  salmon,  and  white-fish  by  spearing  them,  using  a 
long- shafted  spear  with  a  loose  head  attached  to  the  shaft  by  a  short 
line.  They  launch  this  spear  with  great  dexterity,  and  the  head, 
Avhen  buried  in  the  fish,  is  detached  from  the  shaft  by  the  shock,  the 
short  line  allowing  play  to  the  fish,  which  can  not  then  twist  itself 
free.  Lieutenant  Pease  reports  spearing  salmon  weighing  forty 
pounds,  and  pike  six  feet  in  length.  The  natives  dry  the  fish  in 
strips,  which,  with  dried  reindeer  meet,  form  their  winter  provisions. 

The  islands  on  the  Pacific  coast  have  been  favorite  haunts  of  the 
fur  seal  and  the  sea  otter,  and  it  was  from  this  source  that  the  Rus 
sian  Fur  Company  obtained  the  greater  part  of  their  supplies.  In 
spite  of  eighty  years  of  war  waged  upon  them  by  the  hunters  for 
this  company,  the  numbers  of  the  seal  and  the  otter  have  not  been 
seriously  diminished.  Above  the  Aliaska  peninsula,  where  they  have 
been  almost  exempt  from  molestation,  they  are  found  in  immense 
numbers.  On  the  island  of  St.  Paul  are  large  numbers  of  fur  seal, 
and  seal  of  different  varieties  with  herds  of  walrus  swarm  along  the 
coast  of  Behring's  Sea. 

The  animal  life  along  the  Yukon  and  its  tributaries  is  reported  by 
Lieutenant  Pease  and  the  late  Major  Kennicott  to  be  in  astonishing 
quantity  and  great  variety,  and  the  Russian  explorers  of  the  Kius- 
kokvim  and  other  rivers  of  the  continent  give  similar  reports. 
Among  the  fur-bearing  animals  that  are  found  in  great  numbers  may 
be  enumerated  the  otter,  beaver,  mink,  ermine,  sable,  martin,  black 
and  Arctic  foxes,  with  some  other  varieties,  large  and  small  marmots, 


RUSSIAN    AMERICA.  729 

squirrels — a  red  variety  with  very  handsome  fur  being  particularly- 
noticeable — lynx,  wolverine,  wolves,  black,  grizzly,  and  Arctic  bears, 
muskrats — of  a  different  species  from  those  found  in  the  lower  lati 
tudes — reindeer,  and,  north  of  the  Yukon,  the  moose. 

But,  great  as  are  the  numbers  and  variety  of  these  animals,  the 
feathered  life  of  the  country  is  still  more  remarkable.  The  region 
which  lies  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Behring's  Sea  is  the 
breeding-place  of  myriads  of  birds  that  visit  the  lower  latitudes  dur 
ing  a  portion  of  the  year.  The  winged  column  that  comes  up  tlrj 
eastern  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  from  the  Atlantic  coast  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  the  column  that  comes  up  its  western  face 
and  the  Sierra  Nevada  from  the  lower  latitudes  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
meet  on  this  spot,  feast  on  the  berries  that  cover  the  ground  in  pro 
fusion,  raise  their  broods  of  young,  and  start  at  the  end  of  summer 
on  their  southern  tour. 

The  food  of  the  flocks  of  geese,  ducks,  and  other  birds  that  make 
this  their  breeding-place  is  chiefly  the  small  Alpine  cranberry,  a 
fruit  smaller  than  the  common  cranberry,  and  not  so  palatable  until 
touched  by  the  frost,  when  it  becomes  .delicious ;  the  bog-bilberry,  a 
favorite  food  for  bears  and  geese,  which  grows  in  greater  perfection 
here  than  in  more  southern  latitudes ;  the  empetrum  ;  the  salmon 
berry,  resembling  a  large  yellow  raspberry,  but  of  insipid  flavor;  and 
a  blue  moss-berry,  growing  in  great  quantities  on  a  small  evergreen 
moss. 

About  the  middle  of  April  the  feathered  visitors  begin  to  arrive. 
The  snow  birds  come  first,  followed  by  the  ospreys,  gerfalcons,  eagles, 
and  gulls.  Then  come  the  geese  of  every  variety,  the  ducks,  and 
the  swans.  The  white  and  black  geese  keep  on  their  course  until 
they  reach  the  Arctic  Sea,  and  the  others  settle  on  the  rivers  and 
marshes  of  the  interior.  As  summer  advances,  other  birds  arrive, 
and  proceed  at  once  to  the  work  of  nesting  and  raising  their  broods. 
Finches  of  various  kinds,  the  American  robin,  the  yellow  poll,  black 
and  yellow  warblers,  the  tree-bunting,  and  other  small  birds  of  nu 
merous  species,  enliven  the  woods  during  the  summer  months,  and 
become  the  prey  of  an  endless  variety  of  hawks.  Swallows  come 
in  great  numbers,  stay  a  short  time,  and  leave  early  in  August.  Our 
cherished  acquaintance,  the  snow-bird,  on  its  arrival  from  the  south, 
puts  on  gayer  plumage,  and  sings  melodiously  the  whole  season 
through,  although  utterly  innocent  of  musical  execution  when  with 
us.  We  have  before  mentioned  the  discovery  by  Major  Kennicott, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Yukon,  of  the  breeding-places  of  the  canvas- 
back  duck,  previously  a  mystery  to  naturalists.  On  the  margin  of  a 
marshy  lake,  having  a  depth  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  inches  of  water, 
they  had  spread  platforms  of  sedge,  and  on  these  deposited  their 
eggs.  Major  Keniiicott  saw  acres  literally  covered  with  these  eggs. 
Lieutenant  Pease  rays  the  natives  reported  that  the  marshes  along 


730  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

the  Yukon  for  hundreds  of  miles  afforded  breeding-places  for  these 
ducks. 

All  the  birds  fatten  rapidly  on  the  juicy  berries  so  plentiful  in  the 
interior.  The  geese  especially  become  so  fat,  that  during  the  moult 
ing  season  they  are  scarcely  able  to  fly,  and  are  knocked  down  with 
sticks  by  the  Indian  children,  who  speedily  fatten,  as  well  as  the 
geese.  It  is  a  season  of  feasting  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the 
Strait,  from  the  North  Pacific  to  the  Icy  Sea. 

With  the  first  indication  of  coming  winter  the  summer  birds  take 
their  flight,  the  birds  of  the  Atlantic  and  of  the  Pacific  slopes  each 
taking  the  right  direction  with  unerring  instinct,  leaving  the  ptarmi 
gan,  the  spruce-birds,  chickadees,  and  red-birds  to  keep  each  other 
company  in  the  long  winter  months.  With  the  first  snows  come  the 
winter  visitors,  the  Arctic  owls,  and  a  large  white  hawk,  seeking 
refuge  from  the  more  intense  cold  of  the  polar  region. 

While  animal  and  bird  life  abound  there  is  no  dearth  of  insects.  Mosquitoes 
are  more  plentiful  than  pleasant,  and  afford  food  for  the  swallows  and  other  small 
birds  that  flock  thither  to  prey  upon  them.  Hard-winged  insects,  beetles  of 
several  kinds,  are  numerous,  and  several  varieties  of  butterfly  were  seen  by  Lieu 
tenant  Pease  and  by  Major  Kennicott  hovering  over  the  flowers  that  abound 
among  the  long  grass  and  on  the  river  banks.  Neither  snakes  nor  frogs  have 
been  reported  on  the  line  of  the  Yukon. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  mineral  wealth  of  Russian  America  is  enormous. 
The  coast  range  of  mountains  that  form  the  territory  occupied  from  lat.  54°  40' 
to  lat.  60°  is  a  continuation  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  chain,  in  which  lie  the  gold 
and  silver  mines  of  Nevada  and  California  and  of  British  Columbia.  On  the 
Stikine  River  gold  has  already  been  discovered,  and  miners  are  at  work.  The 
same  formation  reaches  across  toward  Asia  by  the  Aliaska  peninsula,  and  sends 
a  branch  toward  the  Icy  Sea.  Indications  of  gold  have  also  been  found  in  the 
streams  of  the  upper  peninsula.  Copper  is  known  to  exist  in  a  virgin  state, 
similar  to  that  of  Lake  Superior,  on  the  Copper  River  and  at  points  along  the 
Pacific  coast.  Lieutenant  Pease  found  a  copper-bearing  rock  at  Cape  Romanzoff, 
in  Behring's  Sea.  Indications  of  lead  were  discovered  by  Lieutenant  Zagoyskirv 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  Kvihpak  or  Yukon.  Iron  has  been  found  in  several 
places  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  worked  by  the  Russians.  Coal  is  known  to  lie  in 
large  beds  on  the  northern  coast.  The  native  report  it  in  different  parts  of  the 
interior.  On  the  voyage  down  the  Kvihpak,  when  two  days'  sail  below  Nulato, 
the  natives  pointed  out  a  hill  on  the  right,  and  told  Lieutenant  Pease  that  coal 
was  found  there,  and  that  it  had  been  worked  to  a  small  extent  for  native  use. 
At  Ounga  Island,  west  of  the  Kodiak  group,  a  bed  of  coal  of  inferior  quality 
about  sixteen  inches  thick,  is  exposed  on  the  hillside,  and  has  been  worked  to  a 
limited  extent  by  the  Russians.  In  the  Kodiak  group  coal  of  better  quality  has 
been  found,  and  worked  successfully. 

The  climate  of  the  Pacific  coast  is  much  more  temperate  than  that 
of  the  same  latitudes  on  the  coast  of  the  Atlantic.  The  observations 
of  Baron  Wrangell  at  Sitka,  for  a  period  ten  years,  gave  a  yearly 
mean  of  46.4°.  This,  in  lat.  57°  3'  N.,  is  a  mean  temperature  four 
degrees  warmer  than  that  of  Portland,  Maine,  in  lat.  43°  40'  N.,  and 
six  degrees  warmer  than  that  of  Quebec,  in  lat.  46°  49'  N.  Iluluk, 
on  the  Aliaska  peninsula,  in  lat.  53°  52'  N.,  has  a  mean  temperature 
of  39.7°,  the  same  as  that  of  Williamstown,  Vt.,  in  lat.  44°  7'  N., 


RUSSIAN   AMERICA.  731 

and  four  degrees  warmer  than  that  of  Copper  Harbor,  Lake  Superior. 
At  Sitka,  it  is  said  to  rain  nearly,  if  not  quite,  every  day  in  the  year. 
The  harbor  is  always  open,  and  there  is  not  sufficient  ice  for  the  use 
of  the  inhabitants.  Along  the  Aliaska  peninsula,  solid  and  clear  ice 
is  obtained  for  the  supply  of  the  markets  of  the  Pacific  coast.  On 
Sitka  and  the  islands  of  that  group  the  valleys  afford  abundant  grass 
for  animals,  and  the  settlers  keep  some  cows  and  horses.  Vegetables, 
such  as  potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  and  radishes,  are  raised  with 
ease,  and  come  to  perfection.  Potatoes  are  raised  also  at  Cook's 
Inlet,  in  lat.  61°  N.,  though  they  will  not  ripen  at  Kamchatka,  ten 
degrees  further  south,  thus  showing  the  great  difference  in  tempera 
ture  between  the  east  and  west  coasts.  At  St.  Michael,  in  Norton 
Sound,  lat.  63°  28'  N.,  the  occupants  of  the  post  cultivate  a  small 
garden,  and  raise  turnips  and  radishes.  The  experiment  has  not  been 
tried  in  the  interior,  but  success  would  not  be  improbable,  as  the 
country  abounds  in  edible  roots.  The  temperature  falls  as  the  dis 
tance  from  the  coast  is  increased.  The  yearly  mean  at  Ikagmut,  on 
the  Lower  Yukon  or  Kvihpak,  in  lat.  61°  47'  N.,  long.  161°  14'  W., 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  coast,  was  24.57°.  At 
Fort  Yukon,  about  six  hundred  miles  in  a  straight  line  from  Behring's 
Sea,  the  yearly  mean  was  16.92°,  in  lat.  64°  N.  At  Ikagmut  mer 
cury  froze  in  February  and  March  on  several  years.  As  the  mean 
of  ten  years'  observation,  ice  forms  on  the  Kvihpak,  November  4th, 
and  breaks  up  May  23d,  the  river  being  free  of  ice  about  June  2d. 
The  average  period  during  which  the  river  remains  closed  is  two 
hundred  days. 

In  many  places,  if  not  throughout  the  main-land,  "  ground  ice  "  is 
found  at  a  varying  depth.  In  winter  the  soil  freezes  solid,  and  in 
summer  thaws  out  to  a  depth  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  several 
feet,  below  which  lies  the  permanently  frozen  subsoil  to  the  depth  of 
several  feet.  Zagoyskin  relates  that,  in  digging  a  well  at  St.  Michael, 
alternate  layers  of  ground  ice  and  a  fatty  clay  were  passed  through ; 
and  Lieutenant  Pease  reports  having  dug  at  St.  Michael,  in  August, 
to  the  depth  of  thirty  inches,  when  ground  ice  was  reached.  At 
Ikagmut,  Zagoyskin  reports  the  soil  thawed  to  the  depth  of  seven 
inches  only.  In  exploring  a  route  for  the  Russian  American  Tele 
graph  line  in  lat.  55°  N.,  long.  126°  W.,  Major  Pope  reports  that 
ground  ice  can  be  found  at  any  time  of  the  year  at  a  depth  of  six  or 
eight  feet  below  the  surface,  and  the  surface  soil  usually  freezes  to 
the  depth  of  two  feet  in  the  winter,  leaving  an  intervening  stratum 
of  unfrozen  soil  from  four  to  six  feet  thick.  The  "ground  ice"  does 
not  prevent  the  growth  of  vegetation.  The  roots  of  trees  do  not 
penetrate  it,  but  spread  as  on  the  surface  of  a  flat  rock.  In  the 
frozen  soil  of  Kotzebue  Sound,  in  the  mouths  of  the  Kvihpak,  and  in 
Bristol  Bay,  are  found  large  deposits  of  fossil  ivory,  similar  to  that 


732  RUSSIAN   AMERICA. 

found  in  Siberia,  and  a  considerable  trade  has  been  carried  on  in  this 
article  of  commerce. 

The  inhabitants  of  Russian  America  are  estimated  at  five  or  six 
thousand  Russians,  mostly  settled  on  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  about  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  Esquimaux  and  Indians.  The 
natives  are  divided  into  numerous  tribes,  varying  greatly  in  their 
habits  and  traditions.  The  Esquimaux  occupy  the  coast  and  the 
lower  part  of  the  rivers  having  their  outlet  in  Behring's  Sea.  Dif 
fering  greatly  from  each  other  in  many  of  their  characteristics,  they 
differ  still  more  as  a  whole  from  the  Esquimaux  of  the  Arctic  regions 
to  the  eastward  of  Russian  America.  They  live  by  fishing,  and  hunt 
ing  the  reindeer.  The  natives  of  the  interior,  classed  by  Richardson 
as  the  Kutchins,  and  known  to  the  coast  natives  as  Koh-Yukons,  and 
by  other  names,  are  of  a  totally  different  race,  dressing  more  like 
the  Indians  of  the  lower  latitudes,  with  an  outer  dress  of  furs  for 
winter  wear ;  adorning  themselves  with  beads,  which  constitute  their 
wealth ;  and  building  their  winter  houses  on  the  surface,  instead  of 
partly  under  ground,  as  do  the  Esquimaux.  They  live  by  the  chase, 
and  trade  occasionally  with  the  British  factor  at  Fort  Yukon,  and,  by 
means  of  the  Ingaliken,  with  the  coast  natives  and  the  Russians. 
They  have  an  enmity  toward  the  Russians,  and  have  several  times 
surprised  their  posts  and  slaughtered  the  occupants.  For  this  rea 
son  the  Russians  have  not  penetrated  far  into  the  interior.  The 
Americans  attached  to  the  telegraph  expedition,  found  no  difficulty  in 
dealing  with  them,  and  Lieutenant  Pease  says  he  has  left  many  friends 
among  both  Esquimaux  and  Indians. 

On  the  Pacific  coast  and  islands  there  are  other  tribes,  those 
belonging  to  the  Kodiak  and  Aleutian  groups  being  allied  to  the 
Esquimaux  of  Behring's  Sea,  and  the  natives  of  the  Sitka  group  and 
coast,  the  Tchilkats,  being  evidently  related  by  language  and  habits 
to  the  tribes  of  the  Upper  Yukon.  By  long  contact  with  the  white 
settlers  and  the  sailors  visiting  the  coast,  they  have  become  degraded 
and  debauched.  The  men  are  semi-slaves  to  the  Russians,  working 
for  the  nominal  wages  of  twenty  cents  per  day.  The  women  are 
very  dissolate. 

By  treaty  made  during  the  present  year,  the  whole  of  the  Russian 
possessions  in  North  America  are  ceded  to  the  United  States,  in  con 
sideration  of  the  payment  of  seven  million  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  gold,  the  cession  including  the  islands  in  Behring's  Sea,  as 
also  the  whole  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  leaving  to  Russia  only  Behr 
ing's  Island  and  Copper  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Kamchatka.  By  the 
terms  of  the  treaty,  all  the  franchises  and  leases  granted  to  corporate, 
bodies  of  individuals,  of  whatever  nation,  terminate  on  the  transfer 
of  the  territory.  The  known  wealth  of  the  territory  in  fish,  fur,  and 
timber,  and  its  probable  mineral  wealth,  have  already  been  set  forth. 
To  wkat  has  already  been  said  may  be  added  the  opinion  expressed 


RUSSIAN   AMERICA.  733 

in  Blodgett's  Climatology  of  the  Northwestern  Districts:  "It  is  most 
surprising  that  so  little  is  known  of  the  great  islands,  and  the  long  line 
of  coast  from  Puget's  Sound  to  Sitka,  ample  as  it  resources  must  be 
even  for  recruiting  the  transient  commerce  of  the  Pacific,  independent 
of  its  immense  intrinsic  value.  To  the  region  bordering  the  North 
ern  Pacific  the  finest  maritime  positions  belong  throughout  its  entire 
extent ;  and  no  part  of  the  west  of  Europe  exceeds  it  in  the  advan 
tages  of  equable  climate,  fertile  soil,  and  commercial  accessibility  of 
the  coast.  The  western  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  system  may 
be  included  as  a  part  of  this  maritime  region,  embracing  an  immense 
area  from  the  forty-fifth  to  the  sixtieth  parallel,  and  five  degrees  of 
longitude  in  width.  The  cultivable  surface  of  this  district  can  not  be 
much  less  than  three  hundred  thousand  square  mites." 

The  greater  part  of  this  valuable  territory,  on  the  main-land,  be 
longs  to  Great  Britain ;  but  only  about  four  hundred  miles  of  the 
British  possessions  front  on  the  coast.  An  outlet  for  the  remainder 
was  provided  by  the  leasing  from  the  Russians  of  the  strip  of  main 
land  up  to  Cross  Sound.  Sir  George  Simpson,  who,  as  Governor- in- 
chief  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  territories,  visited  the  coast 
up  to  that  point,  mentions  the  lease  with  great  satisfaction,  adding, 
that  "  this  strip,  in  the  absence  of  such  an  arrangement  as  has  just 
been  mentioned,  renders  the  interior  comparatively  useless  to  England." 
The  Russo-American  treaty  of  1867  puts  an  end  to  the  "  arrange 
ment." 


